DC -- Supreme Court Building -- Exhibitions -- America’s Temple of Justice -- Notes:
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"For this temple of noble proportions, an achievement of the most distinguished architectural skill... finds its chief d... (truncated, click for full description)
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"I want to make this the most perfect and complete monumental building possible, it must... have all the beauty, charm a... (truncated, click for full description)
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"Congress has at last provided and the genius of a great architect has planned a permanent home for the Court that in be... (truncated, click for full description)
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Courthouse Architecture:
The idea of using the temple form in monumental public buildings is not new.  The architecture... (truncated, click for full description)
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The Beaux-Arts Influence:
During the late 19th century, architects were deeply influenced by the Beaux-Arts movement.  ... (truncated, click for full description)
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Cass Gilbert's Solution:
By the 1920s, Cass Gilbert had designed buildings in a wide range of styles, selecting what he... (truncated, click for full description)
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" 'Ad astra!' my dear Aitken.  I expect a masterpiece from you!  A composition that will be worthy of the great Supreme ... (truncated, click for full description)
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Authority of Law: by James Earle Fraser:
Fraser also turned to the theme of authority in his large male figure seated t... (truncated, click for full description)
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Symbols of Authority:
Article III of the Constitution places the judicial power of the United States in "one Supreme Co... (truncated, click for full description)
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The West Pediment: by Robert Aitken:
Aitken described his work above the main entrance as "... Liberty enthroned -- loo... (truncated, click for full description)
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Scale model of the East Frieze in the Courtroom, c 1933
The frieze panel above the Bench in the Courtroom incorporates ... (truncated, click for full description)
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Wisdom
The Majesty of Law
The Power of Government
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Statecraft
Safeguard of the Liberties and Rights of the People
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Defense of Human Rights and Protection of Innocence
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Fame
Menes
Hammurabi
Moses
Authority
Solomon
Lycurgus
Solon
Light of Wisdom
Draco
Confucius
Octavian
History... (truncated, click for full description)
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The Bronze Doors: by John Donnelly, Jr.:
The building's monumental entrance doors depict the evolution of Western law i... (truncated, click for full description)
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The Lawgivers:
Important lawgivers have been depicted at courthouses for centuries.  Lawgivers symbolize the evolution ... (truncated, click for full description)
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The East Pediment: by Hermon MacNeil:
MacNeil pays homage to the lawgivers from Eastern cultures at the center of his p... (truncated, click for full description)
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Fame
Menes
Hammurabi
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Hammurabi
Moses
Authority
Solomon
Lycurgus
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Lycurgus
Solon
Light of Wisdom
Draco
Confucius
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Confucius
Octavian
History
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Liberty and Power
Napoleon
John Marshall
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John Marshall
Blackstone
Right of Man
Hugo Grotius
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Louis IX
King John
Equity
Charlemagne
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Muhammad
Justinian
Philosophy
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Contemplation of Justice
by James Earle Frazer
The female figure seated to the left of the main staircase, Contemplati... (truncated, click for full description)
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Symbols of Justice:
As expected in a temple dedicated to the law, the personified figure of Justice and the symbols ass... (truncated, click for full description)
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Architectural Ornamentation
by John Donnelly, Inc.
The father and son team of John Donnelly Sr. and Jr., had a long as... (truncated, click for full description)
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Security
Peace
Charity
Defense of Virtue
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Wisdom 
Justice 
Divine Inspiration
Truth
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Vice and Crime
Corruption
Slander
Deception
Despotic Power
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"The Republic endures and this is a symbol of its faith."
 -- Chief Justice Hughes at the cornerstone ceremony, 1932

... (truncated, click for full description)
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The Supreme Court Building: America's Temple of Justice

"It must conform in design with the Capitol.  It should be en... (truncated, click for full description)
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First Monday: October 7, 1935:

"Are there any admissions?"
  -- First words spoken by Chief Justice Hughes in the ne... (truncated, click for full description)
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Former Homes of the Court

"A stranger might traverse the dark avenues of the Capitol for a week, without finding the ... (truncated, click for full description)
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Site Selection

"There is no sound reason why the court should be cooped up in a six-by-nine room in the Capitol.  Let... (truncated, click for full description)
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History of the Site:
The site approved for the future Supreme Court Building encompassed squares 727 and 728 of Pierre ... (truncated, click for full description)
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The Old Brick Capitol
July 4, 1815
the cornerstone of the Old Brick Capitol
built by Washington citizens
to house th... (truncated, click for full description)
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These three houses formed the brick Capitol, where Congress met from 1815-17, and where James Monroe was Inaugurated Pre... (truncated, click for full description)
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Plaster Bust of William Howard Taft by Bryant Parker, taken from life, 1922.
Bronze bas-relief of architect Cass Gilber... (truncated, click for full description)
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Copy of bill H.R. 3864, authorizing funding for the Supreme Court Building.
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Plans Become Reality

"Plans have been adopted in the past... but the conservatism of some of the members, especially ... (truncated, click for full description)
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Taft Moves Forward:
In 1926, while Chief Justice Taft worked to secure funding from Congress, he also began working pri... (truncated, click for full description)
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Construction Begins:
While Gilbert finalized the plans, Chief Justice Taft's health was deteriorating.  He retired on F... (truncated, click for full description)
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Scaling Back the Design:
Construction moved forward during the Great Depression, which greatly decreased the costs for ... (truncated, click for full description)
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Finishing the Work:
As the building neared completion, Cass Gilbert died of a heart attack of May 17, 1934, during a tr... (truncated, click for full description)
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