Old Courthouse (St. Louis) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Old Courthouse, National Park Service site at Gateway Arch National Park

General information
Type	Museum
Location	St. Louis, Missouri
Coordinates	38°37′33″N 90°11′21″W / 38.62577°N 90.189257°W / 38.62577; -90.189257
Construction started	1816
Completed	1864
Owner	Gateway Arch National Park
Height
Roof	192 ft (59 m)
Design and construction
Architect	Henry Singleton (1839 renovation) Robert S. Mitchell (1851 renovation) William Rumbold (1864 dome)
References


Old Courthouse
U.S. Historic district Contributing property

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Location	St. Louis, Missouri
Built	1828
Part of	Gateway Arch National Historic Site (ID66000941)
Added to NRHP	October 15, 1966

The Old St. Louis County Courthouse is a famous historic building in St. Louis, Missouri. For 30 years, from 1864 to 1894, it was the tallest building in Missouri that people could live or work in. Today, it is an important part of the Gateway Arch National Park. The National Park Service runs the courthouse as a museum with historical exhibits and special events.

History of the Old Courthouse
Important Cases at the Courthouse
- The Dred Scott Case
- The Virginia Minor Case
Gallery
See also

History of the Old Courthouse

The story of the Old Courthouse began in 1816. Two important men, Judge John Baptiste Charles Lucas and city founder Auguste Chouteau, gave the land for the building. They had one condition: the land must always be used for a courthouse for the people of St. Louis County. The first courthouse built on this spot was finished in 1828.

A Growing City Needs a Bigger Building

A drawing from 1885 shows a parade passing in front of the Old Courthouse.

St. Louis grew very quickly after Missouri became a state in 1821. Soon, the city needed a much larger courthouse. In 1839, construction started on a new building designed by Henry Singleton. It was built in the Greek Revival style, which was popular at the time. This new courthouse had four sections, or wings, and a dome in the middle.

Over the years, the courthouse was changed and improved. In 1851, an architect named Robert S. Mitchell began redesigning parts of the building. The west wing was remodeled between 1855 and 1858.

The Famous Cast Iron Dome

The beautiful inside of the courthouse rotunda.

In 1861, the courthouse got its most famous feature. Architect William Rumbold replaced the old dome with a new one made of cast iron. This dome was designed to look like the one on St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. The dome on the United States Capitol building in Washington, D.C., which was built around the same time, was also based on St. Peter's.

The dome was finished in 1864. Inside, the dome is decorated with beautiful paintings by an artist named Karl Ferdinand Wimar. These paintings show four important events from the history of St. Louis.

From Courthouse to National Monument

The city of St. Louis stopped using the building as a courthouse in 1930. A few years later, in 1935, the city decided to create a new park to honor the pioneers who moved west. This park is now known as Gateway Arch National Park. The Old Courthouse became a central part of this new park in 1940.

The building was the tallest in Missouri until 1896. It was also the largest structure in the park until the famous Gateway Arch was completed in 1965. Today, the National Park Service takes care of the courthouse. Inside, you can find museum galleries and two restored courtrooms that look just like they did in the 1850s and 1910.

Important Cases at the Courthouse

Two very important court cases in American history took place at the Old Courthouse. These cases dealt with the rights of citizens.

The Dred Scott Case

A view looking up into the dome from inside the Old Courthouse.

In 1846, an enslaved man named Dred Scott went to court to ask for his freedom. He argued that because he and his wife had lived in states where slavery was illegal, they should be free. All of the trials for his case in Missouri were held in the Old Courthouse.

The case eventually went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1857, the court made a famous decision known as Dred Scott v. Sandford. The court ruled against the Scotts. It said that as enslaved people, they were not considered citizens and could not sue in court. This decision was a major event that led toward the American Civil War.

The Virginia Minor Case

In 1872, a woman named Virginia Minor tried to vote in an election in St. Louis. At that time, only men were allowed to vote. She was arrested for trying to register. Her case was also heard in the Old Courthouse.

Her case also went to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1875, in the case Minor v. Happersett, the court ruled that the Constitution did not give women the right to vote. The court said that individual states had the power to decide who could vote. This case was an important step in the long fight for women's right to vote in the United States.