IT'S TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN

 

One of the stops in the downtown photo walk was the Old Courthouse, whose history is too long and rich to discuss here (although it's part of the Arch national park and well worth a visit). The ironwork on the outer fence is covered with turtles and there is a cute story. A 19th Century building caretaker named James Quigley had a pet turtle. It lived in the outdoor fountain in the warm months and inside the rest of the year. It was beloved by locals and its springtime return to the fountain was noted in the newspapers. It died in the 1870s and received an obituary in the papers. Quigley himself never did.                    

SEE-THROUGH

 

Most of the first floor of the Old Courthouse contains historical exhibits and it’s very well done. This room is about the building itself. I mentioned that it had been constructed in phases. This model shows the small original structure surrounded by a clear plastic model of what exists now.                   

STRAIGHT UP

 

Looking straight up in the rotunda of the Old Courthouse. I need to go back with a fish eye lens. I like the gradations of color and how it reminds me of a cross section of the Large Hadron Collider.                   

INSIDE THE OLD COURTHOUSE

 

The statue of Dred and Harriet Scott I posted yesterday is outside the building we call the Old Courthouse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Courthouse_(St._Louis). It was built in stages during the 19th Century and became the seat of state and federal legal proceedings. It is now part of the National Park system and underwent  a big restoration recently. The view is inside the rotunda from the first balcony, which is as far up as they let you go.                        

DRED AND HARRIET SCOTT

Most Americans have heard of Dred Scott, although I’m afraid that many don’t know the story. Scott and his wife Harriet were enslaved people who had lived in St. Louis when Missouri was a slave state. Their owner moved them for some years to Illinois and the Wisconsin Territory, where slavery was not recognized. Upon their return here they sued for their freedom. It became known as the Dred Scott Case. Its long, complex process resulted in one of the most horrifying decisions in the history of our Supreme Court (although there are modern competitors). See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dred_Scott. This statue stands before the local courthouse where the litigation began.             

 

DOME WITHIN A DOME

A model of the Old Courthouse made mostly of clear plastic, revealing some of its interior structure. I’m particularly interested in how much larger the outer dome is than the inner one, pictured recently.            

LAW AND TYRANNY

A display in the Old Courthouse about the American federal legal system. Obviously, I didn’t need to read the details. However, the inscription is true - but I hope not prophetic.                                                      

THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS

Architectural detail inside the Old Courthouse. The stairway is straight and steep up  to a landing, then curls back to reach the next floor. The rail is wood and the cross bars are iron. The rosettes at their center are cast iron, made in sand molds on display in the museum.              

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

The Old Courthouse, of course, has courtrooms. Although I practiced law for 47 years I rarely set foot in one, since my work was in a niche specialty of federal administrative law. This room has a ponderous 19th Century vibe. The circuit court name was also antique. When this building was in full use Missouri was pretty rural outside of St. Louis and judges “rode a circuit,” traveling from one county to another at a regular schedule. The name persists in the in the state’s modern legal structure.                

IF YOU COULD GET CLOSER

I rarely use two pictures in the same post but today’s topic deserves it. Yesterday I complained about the Old Courthouse having no plans to reopen the second and third level circular balconies under the dome. The staff told me it was a safety concern but I suspect it was a matter of budget. These pictures were taken from the first balcony. The next two were open before the recent restoration, making it easy to admire the historical and allegorical paintings.

                  

UNDER THE DOME

The copper clad dome of the Old Courthouse stands out in the exterior views seen the last couple of days. The inside, however, is richly decorated. It’s a shame that you can’t get close enough to see the paintings. There are three levels of circular galleries above the ground floor and, sadly, only the first has been reopened (with a chest-high glass barrier, at that). I asked a staff member if there were plans to reopen the next two. No, safety. It’s absurd.                       

ELEVATION

The Old Courthouse seen yesterday, but this time from above. As pointed out by one of our colleagues, the neoclassical style stands in marked contrast to the grids of the modern buildings behind. That’s the Mississippi in the upper right corner.

We will come back later to the reason for the high rise view.                     

THE OLD COURTHOUSE

The reason for our trip downtown on Wednesday was to check out the just-reopened Old Courthouse, one of our most significant buildings. It was built in stages when St. Louis boomed in the second quarter of the 19th Century and is now part of the national park that includes the Gateway Arch. One of the most significant trials in the country’s history, the Dred Scott case, defining the rights of black people and leading to one of the most appalling decisions in the history of our Supreme Court (well, there are competitors). I won’t write an essay about its history, but, if interested, look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Courthouse_(St._Louis) .                  

RETURN OF THE THURSDAY ARCH SERIES

I used to post a picture of the Gateway Arch most Thursdays. It was easier when I worked downtown and it was a short walk away. Over time, though, it got harder to find something new to see in a 193 m / 630 ft stainless steel wicket, so the series withered. However, one of our most historically and architecturally significant buildings, which we call the Old Courthouse, just reopened after several years of restoration. Mrs. C and I went down to check it out and found this view through the east portico.                   

RETURN OF THE THURSDAY ARCH SERIES

Sure, there was a picture a couple of days ago with the Arch in it, but this one is all about architecture and geometry. The building shows a pediment on the south wing of the Old Courthouse.           

WHERE?

The intersection of Broadway and Chestnut in downtown St. Louis, looking east toward the Arch. There is a junction of several major highways, leading  to several bewildering signposts like the one on the right. Think fast!

The historic building on the center and right is known as the Old Courthouse. It is part of the national park that includes the Arch (it's America's smallest). There is a complete restoration in progress.                

THE OLD COURTHOUSE

Beneath the Arch on the city side is a sloping, grassy plaza leading down to the entrance, which is under the monument. Across the street is the building we call the Old Courthouse, built in stages from the 1830s to 1850s. It is of significant historical, legal and architectural interest. I won't give a lecture here, but if you are interested you can view the excellent Wikipedia article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Courthouse_(St._Louis) .   

The interior is gorgeous. I wish I could provide some pictures but it is undergoing its second modern restoration. There are a couple of photos in the Wikipedia article.

The family is going eagle watching today. There is an area along the Mississippi not far to the north in the bald eagle migratory flyway at this time of year. It's not guaranteed but I hope we see some.        

FOURTH AND MARKET IN IR

Another picture from the recent day when I was out cruising for infrared images. This is the intersection of Fourth and Market Streets in downtown St. Louis, taken from behind the wheel of my car at a stoplight. The building in the foreground is what we call the Old Courthouse, parts of which date back to 1828. Hard to believe considering what's behind it, but it was the tallest building in Missouri until 1894. It's now run by the National Park Service.           

RING OUT THE OLD

Goodbye to 2021, not one to go down in the list of favorites. And for 2022? Predicting the future is an uncertain business and those who try typically fail. Appropriately, the Arch is mostly hidden in fog. Our family will try to live as normally as possible, dodging spike proteins and autocrats.            

I DIDN'T KNOW WE HAD CHERRY TREES

I drive down the street in front of the Old Courthouse every day on my way home from work and never before noticed these cherry trees in Kiener Plaza. The whole place was re-done about three years ago so maybe the trees are new.  The park will become more delightful as the years pass and the trees grow.

There is a beautiful grove of cherry trees along the tidal basin in Washington DC, a gift from Japan, but I've never seen them in person. However, Mrs. C and I have walked through the many blossoming pathways of Kyoto and it is an experience not to be forgotten. Glad we're getting a touch of it here.