Old Courthouse Cultural Landscape

The Old Courthouse from the Gateway Arch.

NPS

When viewed from the east, the Gateway Arch frames the Old Courthouse as the National Monument was originally designed. This vista emphasizes the significance of the Old Courthouse in greater St. Louis history, especially in its design merit and association with important and historic legal cases. During the 19th century, disenfranchised groups fought for freedom and equality in the courthouse, setting legal precedents in the process. The pivotal Dred Scott v. Sandford case, in which Scott and his wife sued for freedom from slavery, commenced in the building, along with the Minor v. Happersett case involving women’s suffrage.

Interior dome of the Old Courthouse.

NPS

The Old Courthouse’s design merit relates to its Greek Revival architectural style, engineered dome, and interior murals. In 1838, the County of St. Louis St. Louis selected Henry Singleton’s cruciform plan with a central rotunda to replace the existing smaller courthouse. Construction started in 1839 and the public opening took place in 1845. At this time emigrants traveling westward on the Oregon and California trails often stopped and gathered provisions in St. Louis: the “gateway to the west.” Departing emigrants met in the Old Courthouse rotunda. The extant dome, which replaced a smaller dome in 1862, was designed by architect William Rumbold and constituted one of the first of its type. The design later appeared on the National Capitol and other statehouses. After the dome alteration, noted American painter, Carl Wimar, was commissioned to design four lunettes in the building’s interior.

In 1976, the Old Courthouse was listed in the National Register as a component of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. Today, the Old Courthouse also appears on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. It contains National Park Service offices, a museum, restored courtrooms, and exhibits about the 19th century judicial system.

Landscape Description

The Old Courthouse is located on approximately two acres near the Mississippi riverfront in downtown St. Louis. Chestnut and Market Street border the site to the north and south. The Old Courthouse shares a strong east-west axial relationship with Gateway Arch. Viewed from the west at the courthouse, the Arch frames views of the river. Luther Ely Smith Square and the pedestrian overpass also conform to this alignment.

Brick herringbone pattern of the historic sidewalk.

NPS / L. Edwards

Cast bronze sundial in southeast courtyard.

NPS / L. Edwards

The Old Courthouse Greek Revival architectural style includes elements such as “pedimented facades, fluted Doric columns, pilasters and elevated entrances.” The cruciform shape of the structure creates four courtyards, which are enclosed with a herringbone pattern brick sidewalk. The sidewalk is historically significant and has been maintained by park staff since restoration in 1954. Several small scale features that contribute to the site’s historical significance include the fountain, ornate lawn fence, and sundial. The existing three-tiered green fountain is a replica of the 1860s fountain although smaller in size. Also a reconstruction, the decorative lawn fence includes wrought iron turtle details alluding to 19th century practice of placing turtles in the fountain during summer months by caretaker, James Quigley. In the southeastern courtyard, the circular bronze sundial remains the only original surviving landscape feature.

Although other features may not directly contribute to the Old Courthouse’s period of significance from 1839 and 1862, they can provide further meaning and more local historical context. The Dred and Harriet Scott bronze sculpture, placed in 2012, honors the Scotts and their courage in confronting injustice. A Joseph Pulitzer Plaque was added to the east sidewalk in 1947 to commemorate the location of Joseph Pulitzer’s purchase of the St. Louis Dispatch in 1878. Corinthian and ionic capitals in the northeast and northwest courtyards, respectively, were relocated to the site from a building demolished for construction of Gateway Arch National Park.

St. Louis Court House, c. 1903.

Library of Congress

Historic Use

The county of St. Louis quickly determined its first courthouse, constructed in 1833 on land donated by Auguste Chouteau, inadequate to meet the needs of a quickly expanding population. In 1838, the county administered a contest for a larger courthouse design. Eventually, they selected Henry Singleton’s cruciform plan and construction started in 1839. In February 1845, the courthouse was opened and provided one of the largest public spaces in the city at that time. Emigrants traveling westward often met in the rotunda.

In 1851, Thomas D. P. Lanham proposed a larger Renaissance style dome to replace the original one. His successor, William Rumbold, designed, engineered, and patented the lightweight iron skeletal design used for the St. Louis dome. Muralist August Becker, Charles Wimar, and Leon Pomerade redesigned the rotunda, which was heightened due to the dome modification.

Scene at the Old Courthouse square in 1851.

NPS / Gateway Arch National Park Archives

Soon after its opening in 1845, the Old Courthouse held the first of the Dred Scott v. Sandford trials, in which Scott and his wife, Harriet, fought for their freedom from slavery. The Scotts lost the first 1847 trial, but won the second, which also took place in the Old Courthouse. The Missouri Supreme Court overturned the decision in 1852 and the United States Supreme Court denied the Scotts their freedom in 1857. The Dred Scott v. Sandford case represented the nation’s divide over slavery and contributed to the start of the Civil War. Another case of political and legal national significance started in the Old Courthouse. The Virginia Minor trial of 1872 involved a civil suit brought against the sixth district registrar who refused to allow Virginia Minor to register to vote in 1872. The decisions at the Old Courthouse, Missouri and United States Supreme Courts all failed to extend voting rights to women citizens.

The Old Courthouse continued to meet the needs of the city into the 20th century. In 1923, a bond passed that allocated funds for acquiring a new courthouse house. Groundbreaking for the new building took place in 1926. With the understanding operations would soon cease at the Old Courthouse, maintenance was withheld resulting in deterioration. In 1935, the designation of Jefferson National Expansion Memorial (currently known as Gateway Arch National Park) by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt included the Old Courthouse.

Wrought iron turtle detail within the Old Courthouse fence. The turtles were incorporated in the design of the 1956 fence restoration to reflect the legend of building caretaker James Quigley’s turtles, which had been housed in the original fountain.

NPS / L. Edwards

In 1940, the City of St. Louis gifted the building to the federal government and the Secretary of the Interior accepted the Old Courthouse as a historic site. Soon after, the National Park Service undertook rehabilitation and restoration efforts on the structure itself and landscape features. The NPS replaced the sidewalk around the building, restored the sundial, and reconstructed the fountain and wrought iron fence to their 1870 appearance.

Recently, the site of the Old Courthouse was slightly altered to install ramps for universal access. Today,even more visitors of Gateway Arch National Park can visit the Old Courthouse to understand its role in the greater history of St. Louis. The Old Courthouse also conveys its own unique history related to its design and association with important legal cases.

Quick Facts

• Cultural Landscape Type: Historic Designed Landscape
• National Register Significance Level: National
• Natioinal Register Significance Criteria: A, C
• Period of Significance: 1839-1930

Landscape Links

• Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Cultural Landscape Report (2010)
• National Register of Historic Places: Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
• Library of Congress: Old St. Louis Courthouse, Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS MO-31-8)
• More about NPS Cultural Landscapes