Old Courthouse

Enter through either wing and you'll find the rotunda at the heart of the building. Four galleries circle it, and two furnished historic courtrooms are open upstairs: one restored to about 1910, the other to the mid-1800s. The upper floor is reached by elevator, and both entrances have ramps. Give yourself time to look up at the dome and its painted panels, then step into the courtrooms to see where the building's history happened.

Dred Scott filed for freedom for himself and Harriet in 1846. His first trial here, in 1847, ended against him on a technicality; a second trial in 1850 initially granted freedom, but the Missouri Supreme Court reversed that result. In 1857, the U.S. Supreme Court denied Black citizenship and Scott's right to sue in federal court. More than 300 enslaved people brought freedom suits in this courthouse. Enslaved people were also auctioned on its steps during estate settlements, a difficult part of the building's history that belongs beside the legal cases.

The galleries also cover Virginia Minor, who was refused voter registration in 1872. Her case was argued in this courthouse in 1873; the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the following year that citizenship by itself did not confer the right to vote. It gives the rooms another story about who could claim full rights under the law.

The site had a courthouse by 1828. Henry Singleton's cruciform expansion began in 1839 and opened to the public by 1845, incorporating the older building as an east wing. The wrought- and cast-iron dome came later: William Rumbold designed it in 1861–62, drawing on St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. Artist Carl Wimar painted four oval panels in the dome's base with scenes from St. Louis history; the original paintings were restored in 1888.

The visit is self-guided through four galleries and the two courtrooms, so you can make it a short stop or stay with the exhibits. The building has public restrooms and a bookstore. The nearby Stadium East Garage is about a block away; it has accessible spaces, and there is no NPS-operated parking inside the park grounds. The courthouse sits downtown across from the Arch grounds, making it easy to pair with a visit to the Arch and riverfront.

From the east, the Gateway Arch frames the courthouse in a view the site was designed to create. For an exterior photo, stand on the east side and include the dome beneath the curve of the Arch. Inside, look straight up from the rotunda floor: the circular dome and stacked galleries show why the interior is as striking as the façade.