Located in the
United States Capitol and now restored to its original appearance, the Old Supreme Court Chamber was the first room constructed solely for the use of the nation's highest judiciary body. Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, because the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were unprecedented in the United States.
In front of the eastern arcade are mahogany desks for the nine Supreme Court justices, set off from the rest of the room by a mahogany railing. Seven of these desks are 19th-century originals, believed to have been purchased for the court in the late 1830s. The chairs behind the desks represent various styles used around the year 1860; each justice selected the style of his own chair.
The restored chamber was opened to the public in May 1975 and is used primarily as a museum, recreating the scene of many significant moments in the evolution of the judicial history of the nation.