The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-11-07
COURT OF APPEALS
NEAR COMPLETION
New Building Occupies Part
of Judiciary Square.
IT IS A SIMPLE STRUCTURE
w. g. j. sloane Receive Contract for
Interior DecOratiOns-sDeciaI De-
signs Submitted for DEapeFiesJ
Furniture, Carpets, and RuGss
Work VIII he Done in New York;

One OF tho most notable pubic i'm
provements which has been quietly COM
ing to completion during the past few
months IS the new building IN Judiciary
Square, which is to shelter the District.
Court OF Appeals. This building IS now
inclosed, as the contractors say. and "a
about to receive its interior finish and
decorations.
The building occupies a fine location
west Of tho old City Hail. It fronts on
z street and stands about 100 feat from
Sixth street, So feet IN width by 125 IN
length. It was designed by Elliott Woods,
architect and superintendent Of the Cap
itol building and grounds, and has been
erected under his personal supervision.
The materials used in its construction are
Indiana limestone, backed by brick work
II Is three stories high. with the main
rooms on the second floor.
Planned for the Court.
The building was planned with refer
ence TO providing a large room, q by So
feet FOR the hearings OF the court, for
a place Of records. private rooms for thu
justices OF the court, attorneys rooms. a
basement FOR heating purposes, and a
library for the uso Of the court. IN all.
the building contains about fOrty-flv8
rooms. including the Hobbies. The build
ing was designed 10 match IN meas
ure the older courthouse, OF which II Is
a companion. The Indiana limestone OF
4 the exterior walls compares favorably
with the stUccO Of the old brick court
house, and the two VIII form part o.
/ group OF buildings which in future
years viii constitute the court buildings
( OF the District Of Columbia.
/ Outwardly the building presents TIA
/ appearance OF a modest structure Of
colonial architecture. The entrance ID
/ through large doorways leading INTO q
lobby with stairways and elevators lead-
/ inE TO the second and third floors. Tha
second floor has in front a colonnade Of
artistic design which looks out on the
( Pension Building 20 the north. Within
/ Is the courtroom hanked by the prlvate
! Offices OF justices OF the court, the room
for private conferences, the clerks Of
fee. and the room for the consulting at
tOrneys.
Mr.. Woods Superintends.
Mr.. Woods. during the course OF thu
construction OF the building. had as his
assistants w. D. Kneessi, head drafts
man in his Office, and August Eccard, "a
superintendent OF construction.
The Interior OF Tire building win be hn-
.ished IN keeping with IT'S plain and sim
pie exterior. The Hobbies and corridors
win be finished IN marbles, with fine
arrangement of pillars. wainscOting and
ereI design OF the building.
When the architect and the contractoE
have finished their work the proper dec
Grafton OF the interior viii remain to be
accomplished. Contract for this WORK
has been recently signed between the
building commission and ". & j,
J sloane. OF New York and Washington.
B., These decorations cover not only the
court chamber. but the private rooms Of
the justices and all the appointments OF
the building.
In Mahogany and Red.
In general the system OF interior dec
Iorations may be described as mahogany
for desks and furnishings, with red dra-
perles and carpets and rugs 70 match
lSDeciaI d-aperies have been designed fos
the windows Of each apartment. and rugs
are being manufactured specially for the
building. Desks and chairs OF special
design are 20 be provided, and when the
furnishing OF the building shall have
been put fin place the new courthouse viii
be one Of the notably beautiful buildings
| Of the District.
". & j. Sloane furnished exclusive and
special designs for the decorations, which
win not be duplicated. and the court
, house will be one OF the most comfort
, able as well as one of the most unique
palaces Of justice IN the country.
The bench of the courtroom IS OF rarc
land simple design. Ii has at the same
/ time great simplicity and richness. At
tentioa has been paid 20 the minutest de-
tail OF the furnishings, and whether il
he the seat OF the chief justice or The
desk OF the stenOgrapher with the dis
appearing TOP. all viii be of the same
Zine design and material, producing an
effect II would be impossible TO dupli-
|. cate in any similar structure in North
America.
old md Reliable Firm.
". & J. sloane. who have received
the contract Tor the work described, is
one OF the oldest and largest firms II
j the United states. Its headquarters are
IN New York, but &c has many branch
stores IN the leading cities OF the eoun-
try. its Washington headquarters belns
az 1914 II street northwest. This com
pany controls not only q large number Of
retail stores throughout the country, bu
owns carpet, rug. and furniture mills L
manufacture the greater part OF th'
goods sold In Filing the order for tht
FURNISHINGS OF the Court of Appeals, thi,
firm submitted special designs OF TIT
materials required. and they viii b'
made 10 at the factories OF the company
and sent 70 Washington 70 be assembled
and put in place under the sUperintend
euce Of Charles G. Smith, the local man
ascr.
In the accompanying Illustrations or
shown some OF the furnishings OF th'
new Court of Appeals, to be made from
the special designs submitted by the con
tractors