The Supreme/Superior Court Courtroom is on the Fourth Floor of the historic Pennsylvania Capitol Building in Harrisburg.
The Capitol is the center of government for the Commonwealth, housing not only the Supreme/Superior Court Courtroom, but also the House of Representatives, the Senate Chamber, and the Governor’s Office.
The cornerstone of the Capitol was laid on May 5, 1904, and on October 4, 1906, was dedicated by President Theodore Roosevelt. This magnificent structure, capped by a 272-foot dome, was designed to resemble the nation’s capitol, and, for 80 years, was the tallest building between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The building was designed by Philadelphia architect Joseph Huston. It is 520 feet long and 254 feet wide and covers two acres of ground. The exterior is faced with Vermont granite and the roof is of green glazed tile.
The dome was modeled after the great dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome and weighs 52 million pounds. Beneath the dome is the Capitol Rotunda and grand staircase, a frequent setting for ceremonies, news conferences, and many other gatherings.
The Court Room is fitted in mahogony and is in the Greek Ionic style in proportions and detail, and is said to have been suggested by the Athenian Ionic temple, The Erechtheum.
The Court Room features sixteen murals by Violet Oakley titled, The Opening of the Book of Law, each portraying different aspects of the law. The sixteen murals are illuminated like the pages of a manuscript. In these pages, Oakley traced the evolution of law in seven stages: Divine Law, Law of Nature, Revealed Law, Law of Reason, Common Law, Law of Nations, and International Law. This history of law is illustrated with allegorical, historical, and contemporary figures.
The first six panels encompass Natural Law and the Greek, Hebrew and Christian ideas of Law. The Law of Reason commemorates the codification of Roman Law. The three panels of Common Law are in homage to William Blackstone, the great English legal philosopher. William Penn is given just due as the creator of the "Framework of Government of Pennsylvania." The Law of Nations includes the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of the United States and the newly created International Court of Justice. For Oakley, the natural outcome of this progress could only be "Disarmament, the inevitable result of the actual and recognized supremacy of Law." Finally, Oakley returns to the subject of Divine Law in the Spirit of Law which she views as that ultimate state of grace to be achieved when natural law is purified by wisdom.
The Courtroom is topped by a dome that features an art nouveau skylight made from opalescent glass. The dome is divided into twelve segments, each embellished with green scroll work. The opening of the dome is surrounded by ornamental gilded bronze.
