Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-08-10
SITE FOR SUPREME COURT
MADE READY FOR BUILDERS
Old Structures All Raced Except ''Brick
Capitol" Which Has Been Allowed to
Stand Until After Anniversary.

In the basement win be placed the
heating, ventilating and lighting equip
ment. On the ground floor will be
lunch rooms and rest rooms for law
pers, employees and the public.
Naturally, the most important fea-
lures of the building will be those
connected directly with the court and
its permanent personnel. In the Capt.
toll the robing room is of special inter-
est to the public, and in the courts
new quarters this room will still be
vested with much to inspire interest,
although it. will be more private. II
is in the robing room that q new JUS
tice subscribes to the constitutional
oath before going to the Supreme
Court room to take the judicial oath
in the presence CT his associates.
Robing Room Interests.
In the robing room the members of
the court don their silk robes before
beginning the procession across the
corridor to the Supreme Court cham1
Der between crimson velvet ropes
stretched by attendants to stop traffic
for the time being. In the Capitol the
room is draped with crimson curtains.
Along the walls are bookcases and
reference files. Chairs, divans and
tables are arranged about the room:
On the wall are several portraits OF
former Chief Justices: one IS Rem
brandt Peale painting OF John Mar
shall and another Is copy OF GliDert
Stuart's portrait Of John Jay done oy
Gray.
An ante room to the robing room has
walls lined with large cabinets equipped
with glass doors which raise like WIN
dows. In these are hung the robes OF
the ,Justices-on pegs according TO the
rank of their wearerS. When not in use
these gowns hang wrong-side-out:
The new Supreme Court Building IS
to have q special lunch room 1or the
Justices with q kitchen attached Tor
their particular service. This Will &C
commodate only about fifteen. so the
Justices will not be able to do enter
tanning on q large scale in their private
lunch room. It has been remarked
that it was very seldom that a Justice
dined in the public restaurants in the
House or Senate wings of the Capitol.
1t was their custom to bring their
lunches from home and eat in the
privacy of their rooms.
Reporters scouting for human interest
material about the Capitol viewed the
nine judicial lunch boxes with consid-
cradle interest but no one ever had the
temerity to find out what was In the
boxes. Two of the Justices often used
shoe boxes rs lunch containers, while
the others were of the type frequently
used by school children. In the new
building the lunch boxes will be away
from prying eyes, or probably they will
be dispensed with altogether.
Building to Cost $s,740,OOO.
The cost of the new Supreme Court
Building, including terraces, incidentals
and architects fees, but exclusive OF
furniture and book stacks, is estimated
at $9,740, 900. The square on which the
building will be placed cost little more
than 81, 750, 900, making total of per-
haps $12,000,00 when the building ID
completed and furnished. This will be
had of its own in its 140 years of ex-
istence.
The building commission is composed
of Willis Van Devanter, Associate
Justice; Henry w. Keyes, chairman of
the Senate Committee on Public Build
ings and Grounds; James A. Reed,
former member of the Senate; Rich
ard N. Elliott, chairman of the Com
mittee on Public Buildings and
atives, and David Lynn, supervising
architect of the Capitol. Case Gilbert
is the architect whose plans were ac-
cepted. The late Chief Justice Taft
was at the head of the commission and
his place has been filled by Chief
Justice Hughes. Ex-senator Reed con-
tinues on the commission, although he
is not longer in the Senate.
When the wreckers first started on
the block, the Government investigated
two mounds in the rear grounds of the
Brick Capitol in which were said TO
have been buried soldiers during the
Civil War when the Brick Capitol"
was used as a Federal prison. Ofdcers
from the War Department opened the
mounds and found bones, but have been
unable to find any records from which
to make identifications