The historic Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis is nearly ready to reopen its doors after offering a first look at new exhibits and structural upgrades on Wednesday.
The landmark has been closed for renovations since 2020, and the onset of the pandemic prolonged construction. However, the building will finally reopen to the public during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 3.
It’s the final phase of a $380 million decade-long CityArchRiver project to enhance the Gateway Arch National Park grounds. The park’s philanthropic partner, the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, will also host a "Journey to Justice" festival at Kiener Plaza featuring live music and interactive activities that day to mark the occasion.
The Old Courthouse — located between Kiener Plaza Park and the Gateway Arch, is recognized as the site of the first two trials in the pivotal Dred and Harriet Scott cases in 1847 and 1850. The Scotts first entered the St. Louis courthouse in 1846 while suing their enslaver Irene Emerson for their freedom — a case that took 11 years to reach its conclusion at the U.S. Supreme Court.
The top court ultimately upheld slavery in U.S. territories, declaring the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional. Despite that ruling, the Scotts were later freed by St. Louis businessman Taylor Blow. After the Supreme Court ruling, Emerson’s husband, Calvin Chaffee, had transferred ownership of the Scotts to Blow. More than 300 enslaved people also sued for their freedom during that time.
The building is also where Virginia Minor’s case for women’s right to vote came to trial in the 1870s. However, most women weren’t granted the right to vote until the 19th Amendment was passed a half-century later. Decades after that, women of color and Native American women were allowed to participate fully in the nation's democracy through the Voting Rights Act.
A peek inside
Walking into the courthouse through the west entrance in front of Kiener Plaza, visitors will come down a hallway and step into the Rotunda — the central dome of the building that features murals of previous U.S. presidents and other historical figures along the walls.
Visitors will be able to learn more about the history of the building in the Designed for Justice exhibit, which is one of several galleries added during renovations to help modernize the courthouse museum.
Other exhibits include "Pathways to Freedom," which showcases the history of African American life in St. Louis; the Dred and Harriet Scott exhibit, which showcases the timeline of the Scotts’ fight for freedom, and the "See You in Court" exhibit, which highlights the structure of the U. S. court system and more.
As part of modernization efforts, the building now has an elevator and more accessible ramps, repaired walls and ceilings, central heating and cooling, fire sprinklers and other safety features.
Vibrant artwork by St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc can be seen inside the Dred and Harriet Scott exhibit, and his illustrations are also helping highlight the festival on May 3. Bayoc, 52, is an internationally recognized visual artist known for his colorful murals across St. Louis.
He said it’s an honor to have his work be a part of renewing the museum inside the courthouse.
“I love the history of St. Louis and especially the Black history here,” Bayoc said. “Having been asked to be a part of giving a new look to Dred and Harriet (Scott) and being able to add a little more life to them with color and play with the art, it’s great. This just shows that nothing has to stay the way it is; it’s always nice to give things a fresh look.”
St. Louis taxpayers and private donors contributed millions to renovate the Gateway Arch National Park grounds, where the Old Courthouse building resides. Ryan McClure, Executive Director of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, said that willingness shows how vital the park’s history is to the community.
He said one of his favorite things about the courthouse changes is the addition of UV-protected windows that allow for more natural lighting.
Visitors will be able to look out and see the city while connecting it to the building’s history, he said. Drapes previously covered the windows to protect historical artifacts from being damaged by the sun.
“The drapes that used to be there that blocked the windows and disconnected you from the city are all gone,” McClure said. “So when you go into these exhibit zones, you can see the city around you … it’s pretty cool.”
Families and students will also have the opportunity to participate in interactive activities at the museum.
Pam Sanfilippo, program manager for museum services and interpretation, led the way alongside museum curator Jennifer Clark to the "See You in Court" exhibit on Wednesday, where students and others can participate in mock trials. Park rangers will facilitate those activities, she said.
“We send the script in advance so the teacher can kind of help work with the students to understand,” Sanfilippo said.
Preserving as much of the building’s historic nature was paramount during renovations, she said. She added that the two courtrooms inside the building where Dred and Harriet Scott had their cases heard are mostly the same.
A few tweaks are still needed before the grand opening in May, said Jeremy Sweat, Gateway Arch National Park superintendent. The Dred and Harriet Scott exhibit is missing a few letters in the signage that will be replaced, and the same for some exhibit panels in the Pathways to Freedom gallery.
“A really cool thing that hasn't been installed yet is we have new tactiles for people with visual impairments, so they can actually use their hands to feel the shape of the courthouse or to feel the shape of the Dred and Harriet Scott statue that's on the east side of the old courthouse,” Sweat said.
Sweat said that when the Old Courthouse Museum reopens on May 3, it will be free of charge and open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
