evelynnesbitthaw

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Kendall_Thaw

Actually, not the courthouse, but instead the photo was taken in front of the Ludlow Street Jail, no longer standing. The sign by the front door reads "New York County Jail" (New York County is essentially Manhattan), and that is what the Ludlow Street Jail was.
Thaw, in 1915, was returned to New York City after escaping confinement at Matteawan State Hospital (He had been acquitted of the 1906 murder of architect Stanford White by reason of insanity). His lawyers successfully asked the court to move him from The Tombs to the Ludlow Street Jail, on the basis that he was not charged in a criminal matter, but that he was to have a jury trial only as to his present sanity.
query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F10916F93E5D16738...
In this old print, you can see that the door was near the corner of Ludlow and Essex Market Place. [Essex Market Place ran from Essex to Ludlow Streets between Broome and Grand Streets and was closed in 1926, around the time the jail was demolished.] You can see that there was a giant gas lamp over the door, whereas in Bain's 1915 picture just the bracket remained.
digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm...

knickerbockervillage.blogspot.com/2009/10/seward-park-aer...

This was probably taken when Thaw was due to be taken from the jail to court.
He and 5 others who helped him escape the state hospital were tried in March, 1915 and acquitted. He then had a second trial in 1915 to determine if he was presently sane. He was determined sane in this trial on July 14, 1915, which is presumably about when this shot was taken.
The New York Times account describes 2,000 people gathered at the courthouse, cheering thaw after the trial:
query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0E10FC3E5A15738...

See also:

And not to forget, the Thaw trials were about Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, or more exactly Thaw's shooting of her presumed lover, Stanford White.

Thaw with New Hampshire Sheriff and Deputy, opening mail:

I want these hats back!

Great photo!

Madman cometh!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Kendall_Thaw

In July, 1915, Thaw had a jury trial solely on the issue of his present sanity, bearing on whether he would be returned to the Matteawan State Hospital from which he had escaped 2 years earlier.
The trial was in the Tweed Courthouse, still standing on Chambers Street. This picture is more likely to be Thaw heading to court, rather than leaving, as it looks like he is on Centre and Chambers, walking toward the courthouse.
That would put it in front of the Manhattan Municipal Building, which has an arched pathway through its center.
www.nyc.gov/html/dcas/html/resources/man_munibldg.shtml

The spot in July, 2011 via Google Street View:
maps.google.com/maps?q=51+chambers+street,+nyc&ll=40....


See notes under:


Reflecting further, I suppose he could be on the presumably identical inside of the passageway, therefore heading away from court.