Where did the Supreme Court originally meet?

Answer 1

For the most part, the Supreme Court met in various sections of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, before former US President and then-Chief Justice William Howard Taft convinced Congress to appropriate money for construction of its own building.


Time Line of Supreme Court Locations

1. Royal Exchange Building, Broad & Water Streets, NYC, (1790)
   
   
2. Independence Hall, Philadelphia (February 1791)
   
   
3. Old City Hall, East Wing, Philadelphia, (August 1791-1800)
   
   
4. Small conference room on first floor of Capitol Building, Old North Wing, Washington, DC, (1800-1808)
   
   
5. Private homes and taverns (during reconstruction of Capitol Building, North Wing) Washington, (1808-1810)
   
   
6. Old Supreme Court Chamber, basement of Capitol Building, North Wing, Washington, (1810-1814)
   
   
   • destroyed by fire, 1814
     
     
7. Private homes and taverns (1814-1819)
   
   
8. Old Supreme Court Chamber, reconstructed, original location (1819-1860)
   
   
9. Old Senate Chamber, first floor of Capitol Building, North Wing, Washington, (1860-1935)
   
   
10. Supreme Court Building, First Street, Washington, DC, (1935- )

Answer 2

The Supreme Court convened its first session in the Royal Exchange Building in New York City, the temporary capitol of the new nation, on February 2, 1790. They met again at this location in August.

In February 1791, the Court moved to Philadelphia with Congress and the rest of the United States government. They met in February at Independence Hall, then moved to a more permanent location in Philadelphia's Old City Hall until construction was completed in Washington, D.C. in 1800.

For a list of all US Supreme Court locations, see Related Questions, below.

Answer 3

The capital of the US government moved to Washington, DC, in 1800. The Supreme Court met in various parts of the Capitol Building from 1800 until the Supreme Court Building was opened in 1935, except for brief periods when they were dislocated due to fire damage.

The Court convened in a small conference room on first floor of Capitol Building, Old North Wing, Washington, DC, from 1800-1808.


For more information on this topic, see Related Questions, below.

Answer 4

The first place the US Supreme Court met was in the Merchant's Exchange Building (also called Royal Exchange Building) in downtown New York City, the nation's first capital.

The Supreme Court didn't have it's own building until Chief Justice William Howard Taft convinced Congress to allocate money for construction in the late 1920s. The first and only building dedicated for the Supreme Court's exclusive use opened in 1935 on the corner of East Capitol Street, NE and First Street NE, in Washington, DC.