It was daring to attempt such a ceiling over a one-story room and clever for not using the old walls for support. The new masonry ceiling did not impose any additional weight or put new lateral pressure on the old walls and thus was supported independently of the old work. The unusual ceiling is formed by nine lobed vaults held by stone ribs supported by heavy brick piers and a three-bay arcade built parallel to the old east wall. Capitol was designed by Benjamin Henry Latrobe and built as part of his north wing reconstruction in 1808-1810. Today, it has been restored to its mid–19th-century appearance.Ī masterpiece of architecture and engineering, the Old Supreme Court Chamber in the U.S. Built by Benjamin Henry Latrobe, it was a significant architectural achievement, for the size and structure of its vaulted, semicircular ceiling were virtually unprecedented in the United States. In addition to housing the Supreme Court, this space later served as a committee room, a law library, a meeting room, and a storage room.
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