From Missouri - A Guide to the "Show Me" State - St. Louis
section:
The OLD COURTHOUSE, Fourth St. to Broadway and Market to Chestnut Sts, is
a two-story, cruciform structure of Greek-Revival design. It is surmounted
by a 128-ton cast-iron dome, 198 feet high, whose design was an architectural
and engineering novelty at the time of its construction. Its designer,
William Rumbold, one of the courthouse architects, patented the idea in 1862.
Except for the west wing, which is partly of brick, the building is constructed
of hewn limestone blocks. Six Doric columns support the main porticoes at
the east and west entrances. The wings center on a 60-foot rotunda which
rises in four circular galleries to the dome. The interior of the dome are
four frescoes painted by Carl Wimar, early St. Louis artist, in 1862; on
the north is Indians Attacking the Village of St. Louis, 1780; on the east, "The
Landing of Laclede; on the south, De Soto Discovering the Mississippi River; and
on the west, Westward the Star of Empire Takes Its Way. ON the fourth
gallery, Wimar also painted four figures representing Law, Commerce, Justice,
and Liberty. The inner dome is decorated with Wimar's portraits of George
Washington, Martha Washington, Edwards Bates, and Thomas H. Benton. The
first mural decorations west of the Mississippi, these paintings have been
restored several times, but are now in bad condition.
Designed by Henry Singleton, Robert S. Mitchell, and William Rombold, the
courthouse was begun in 1839, but many changes were made in the plans and the
building was not completed until 1862. By 1845, however, the main portions
of the structure had been finished, and the courthouse developed as the center
of civic and legal activies during a period of important national expansion.
Sergeant S. Prentiss, United States senator from Mississippi spoke at the fourth
Street entrance in 1840; Henry Clay attended court in the building and sold real
estate from the east entrance in 1847; in 1859 U.S. Grant freed here his only
slave, and made application-- later refused -- for the position of St. Louis
County engineer. A series of meetings were held in the rotunda during 1846
to raise troops for the Mexican War, to collect funds to maintain them, and to
care for the wives and children of the men during their absence. Troops
were temporarily quartered here. In 1847, the returning soldiers were
welcomed in the rotunda ,and an impressive public funeral was held there for two
officers of the Illinois volunteers who were killed in the battle of Buena
Vista.
The description continues on discussing the various legal cases which
were tried in the building. The most famous of which is the the Dred Scott
case which did much to precipitate the Civil War. The guide also mentions
that the building had become part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial
plan. The building has been restored as part of the Jefferson
National Expansion Memorial which also includes the Gateway Arch. The
murals mentioned in the guide have been restored. The courthouse which
housed from seven to twelve courtrooms when it was in operation has two restored
courtrooms, one from about 1910 and another which approximates a mid-Nineteenth
century appearance.
The courthouse has an extensive display in reference to the Dred Scot case
which was tried in the building and 2007 was the Dred Scott Sesquicentennial.
The courthouse is open daily 8:00 am to 4:30 pm and there is no admission
charge.