supreme court building floor plan

In this area stand four baize-covered mahogany tables used by lawyers presenting cases before the Supreme Court.

The windows on the eastern wall originally looked out on the Capitol Plaza; because the mid 20th-century extension of the Capitol's east front blocked the windows, they are now artificially lighted.

Since there was no dedicated space for them at first, the Supreme Court met in locations outside of the Nation’s capital. A significant element of Latrobe's plan was a one-story room on the ground floor intended to be used by the Supreme Court. So poor was the original construction that, rather than making repairs, Latrobe wished to completely rebuild the interior within the existing brick and sandstone walls.

The main entrance to the Supreme Court Building is on the west side that faces the U.S. Capitol Building. The central figure in the relief is Justice, who is seated and holds a pair of scales in her left hand; her right rests upon the hilt of an unsheathed sword. The interior Great Hall is 91 feet long, 82 feet wide, and has a 44-foot high ceiling. The chamber is semicircular and measures 74 feet 8 inches wide and 50 feet deep. These stout new supporting piers carried the room's most dramatic feature: a lobed, vaulted ceiling that has often been likened to an umbrella or a pumpkin.

In the 1960s the chamber had been abandoned and stood vacant until restored in 1975. Since 1801 the court had met in a committee room (now numbered S-146 and S-146A), while a separate building for its use was believed to be forthcoming. In 1929, former President and Chief Justice William Howard Taft worked to establish a permanent home for the Court; the cornerstone was laid three years later, in 1932, and the building completed in 1935. Other offerings include educational games, learning aids, and gift items associated with the law and the Supreme Court. Above the clock is a plaster relief sculpted in 1817 by Carlo Franzoni. In addition to housing the Supreme Court, this space later served as a committee room, a law library, a meeting room, and a storage room.

Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, for the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States. After division of the chamber in two levels, this room was used from 1806 until 1860 as the Supreme Court Chamber.

Seven of these desks are 19th-century originals, believed to have been purchased for the court in the late 1830s. The fifth floor has a basketball court which is sometimes referred to as “the highest court in the land.”.

Painted in the true fresco technique by Constantino Brumidi in 1865 in the eye of the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. They also met in Philadelphia in 1790, when the capital moved there, and then finally moved to Washington in 1800 and met in the newly constructed U.S. Capitol Building. In 1860, the Supreme Court began using the newly vacated Old Senate Chamber. The Michigan Hall of Justice, also known as the Michigan Supreme Court Building is a six-story structure at 925 Ottawa Street in Lansing, Michigan.It is constructed in the postmodern style and faced with over 14,000 limestone panels.

The public can attend sessions of the Court and can also visit the building, listen to lectures, and view other areas at certain times of the year.

ATM. History and Architecture of New York County Supreme Courthouse. Other offerings include educational games, learning aids, and gift items associated with the law and the Supreme Court.

Latrobe demolished the two-story Senate Chamber and the large, unfinished room above it as well as adjacent lobbies and offices. An 1898 gas explosion in the sub-basement southwest of the chamber, and the ensuing fire, inflicted some damage on the floors, furnishings, and books in the library.

The coat hooks on the wall opposite the bust carry the names of the justices on the Supreme Court from 1858 to 1860 (the label "Chief" indicates Chief Justice Taney). Over the west fireplace hangs a clock ordered for the chamber by Chief Justice Taney in 1837. Some measure of his success may be seen in the fact that the chamber survived the efforts of British troops to burn it on August 24, 1814. In its early years, the Court met in the Merchants Exchange Building in New York City. In this room is displayed a bust of Roger B. Taney, the nation's fifth chief justice, who held the post from 1836 to 1864. An ATM is available on the ground floor. Public restrooms are located on the ground and first floors. Bulfinch was able to complete it in time for the court session that began in February 1819. Vending machines are also available on the ground floor.

The Old Supreme Court Chamber was then used as a law library.


An 1854 diagram was discovered that proved invaluable in establishing the architectural layout and furniture arrangement of the room.

Original fixtures and furnishings that could not be located were replicated according to the best available historical evidence. The building was designed by Spillis Candella and Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. The floor in the central area of the chamber is approximately 1 foot lower than the level upon which the justices' desks are placed. In 1935, the Supreme Court vacated the Capitol Building and began meeting in the United States Supreme Court Building across the street. Latrobe could not know that the Supreme Court would continue to share quarters with the legislative branch until 1935. The U.S. Supreme Court building turns 75 this year; ... the oak-paneled library on the third-floor is the court's information center. During that time numerous landmark decisions were handed down from the bench, including Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward, Gibbons v. Ogden, and Dred Scott v. Sandford.

The Old Supreme Court Chamber is the first room constructed for the use of the nation's highest judiciary body and was used by the Court from 1810 until 1860. The building houses the Supreme Court and the Office of the County Clerk, currently the Honorable Norman Goodman. From south to north, they are John Marshall, John Rutledge, John Jay and Oliver Ellsworth. Unlike many depictions of Justice, she wears no blindfold.

In addition to housing the Supreme Court, this space later served as a committee room, a law library, a meeting room, and a storage room. It was daring to attempt such a ceiling over a one-story room and clever for not using the old walls for support.

On the justices' right sat the Attorney General and the clerk and deputy clerk of the Supreme Court. In front of the eastern arcade are mahogany desks for the nine Supreme Court justices, set off from the rest of the room by a mahogany railing. For the sake of safety, however, Latrobe dismantled the vault and built it for the third and last time as part of the repairs to the Capitol that he began in 1815. In 1860 the Court moved upstairs into the former Senate Chamber and this room was converted into the law library. A public telephone (TTY/TDD) is available on the ground floor in the vending machine alcove adjacent to … For the next 41 years, the Supreme Court met in this chamber. Latrobe's reputation was severely damaged by this accident, but he persevered in his efforts to make the Old Supreme Court Chamber both beautiful and durable.

Its vaulted ceiling is divided into lobes by 10 ribs. From 1955 to 1960 the chamber was assigned to the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. The chairs behind the desks represent various styles used around the year 1860; each justice selected the style of his own chair.

If you are bringing a group to visit, please call the Cafeteria manager at 202-479-3246 for information about arranging lunch.

Today, it has been restored to its mid–19th-century appearance. Note: See the U.S. Courts Design Guide and other courts design resources for floor plan configurations typical of additional courtroom types. A masterpiece of architecture and engineering, the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Capitol was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and built as part of his north wing reconstruction in 1808-1810. This construction technique, which is similar to medieval practice, reduced the old walls to mere screens. Located in Washington, DC, the Supreme Court Building is directly east of the U.S. Capitol Building and is just north of the Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building. The Supreme Courthouse (New York County Court), located at 60 Centre Street, overlooks Foley Square.

A public telephone (TTY/TDD) is available on the ground floor in the vending machine alcove adjacent to the Maryland Avenue door. Regrettably, this impressive engineering feat cost the life of Latrobe's chief assistant.

It was next converted to a storeroom, and it served this purpose until Congress voted for its restoration in 1972. As home of the Supreme Court of Canada, and of the Federal Court, it has become a familiar symbol of the justice system in Canada at its highest level.

An initial appropriation of $25,000 began the work, which was focused on the eastern half of the wing. Supreme Court Building facts and figures: To learn more, see the Supreme Court site. Sixteen marble columns are below the triangle-shaped pediment, which contains a group of figures above the motto "Equal Justice Under Law.” Two marble statues by sculptor James Earle Fraser are on either side of the main entrance; on the left is a seated female figure called the “Contemplation of Justice,” and on the right is a seated male figure called the “Guardian or Authority of Law.”.

In November 1806 Benjamin Henry Latrobe, the Surveyor of the Public Buildings, prepared plans for rebuilding the interior of the U.S. Capitol's north wing. The Supreme Court vacated the Capitol in 1935, and the room was used for a reference library until the 1940s. The unusual ceiling is formed by nine lobed vaults held by stone ribs supported by heavy brick piers and a three-bay arcade built parallel to the old east wall.

The Supreme Court and the Senate Sergeant at Arms transferred cabinets, chairs, desks, and other items formerly used by the Court.
Telephones. Since it is the highest court of the land, it is often used as a symbol of the judicial branch of U.S. Government.

The accommodation of the court in the Capitol had always been considered a temporary arrangement. Example Construction Criteria For GSA, the unit costs for courtroom space types are based on the construction quality and design features in the following table . A Gift Shop is located on the ground floor and is open from 9 a.m. until 4:25 p.m., Monday – Friday.

The Supreme Court first met in this chamber in 1810 with Chief Justice John Marshall presiding.

Desks at either end of the row of justices' desks were used by court officials. Parallel to the east wall he constructed a deep three-bay arcade carried on sandstone Doric columns modeled on those of the Temple of Poseidon (the shortest, and thus the strongest, columns that survive from classical Greece). Today it is used primarily as a museum, recreating the scene of many significant moments in the evolution of the United States Supreme Court and the judicial history of the nation.

A Cafeteria serving a variety of hot entrees, sandwiches, soups, salads, snacks, and beverages is open to the public from 7:30 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday – Friday on the ground floor. Facing these tables and lining the area's western end are the wooden panel-back settees provided for the audience. Since it is the highest court of the land, it is often used as a symbol of the judicial branch of U.S. Government.

His solution to this problem was both effective and elegant. At the right side of the sculpture, an eagle protectively rests one foot upon books containing the written laws.