As mentioned in the “History” section of this portfolio, the men who planned and constructed the Cook County Criminal Courthouse believed not only that the character of the court building could positively influence the “administration of criminal justice” if designed in an apt manner, but that neoclassicism was the best way to achieve this goal (Noel 19). This viewpoint is demonstrated in the ornamental exterior of the courthouse as well as its interior.

Cook County Criminal Courthouse/Google 2022

Exterior

Ralph Warner Hammett, the lead designer of the courthouse explains in Western Architect that “the exterior design has been carried out in a free interpretation of Greek Classic,” (157). This is evidenced not only by the symmetry and relative simplicity of the exterior design, but in the massive Doric columns that accord the building such traits (Craven). Doric columns historically are more heavy and thick than other classical column styles like Corinthian, thus creating the association with masculinity and strength (Craven). The latter quality of strength is especially relevant to the courthouse as the building was viewed as a potential fix to Chicago’s failing criminal justice system (See “History” section for more information).

On top of each Doric column is an allegorical figure carved in Bedford limestone by Peter Toneman (Noel). The figures symbolize Law, Justice, Liberty, Truth, Might, Love, Wisdom and Peace (Noel). Per Waymarking.com, the statues from left to right are as follows:

Might (warrior with sword), Liberty (woman holding torch), Wisdom (man with owl & book), Justice (woman with scale & sword), Law (man with 10 Commandments), Peace (woman with sheaf & dove), Truth (man with open palms)and Love (woman cradling infant). — Waymarking.com

On the left and right corners of the building two latin inscriptions, Veritas and Ivsitia are present, meaning truth and (the personification of) justice respectively (Forum Ancient Coins). 

While the eight figures are intended to convey justice, the writer behind ArchitectureChicago PLUS claims that “a more accurate depiction of the raw and often brutal power of justice in this factory of despair can be found in the severed animal heads.” These bison heads along with the American Eagles that adorn the building appear to be an attempt to blend the American with the Greco-Roman. While not exactly a bison, the skull of an Ox, or bucrania in Latin was a common feature in classical architecture (Wikimedia Commons).

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   Bucrania from Arsinoe rotunda in Samothrak Links to an external site./CC BY-SA 3.0 Links to an external site.                      

However, one must take into consideration whether or not the planning committee’s goals have been satisfied with this design. Although this will be discussed in greater detail in the “Reception” section of this portfolio, Steve Bogira makes an interesting point in his book, Courtroom 302: A Year Behind the Scenes in an American Criminal Courthouse, that “None of [the ornamentation is] visible from the back of a police wagon,” (4). In other words, these allegorical statues, and thus their messages of justice and love are not accessible to those whose fate is in the hands of the justice system. This discrepancy between outward appearance and the actions that occur is further emphasized by the fact that “where the courthouse is imposing and highly finished, the jail complex is stark and forbidding, a series of warehouse barracks dammed up behind high concrete walls,” (ArchitectureChicago PLUS).

Interior

The interior of the courthouse features a similar blend of Greek, Roman and American influences. Per Hammett, the color scheme of Paris green, black, white, and vermillion are that of the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. Doric columns are likewise present in the lobby, as is an “impressive yet reserved” amount of marble (Hammett 157). The walls are mostly made out of travertine as a reference to the pilasters in Rome, with the occasional American biezanz stone (Hammett 157).

           Western Architect, Vol. 38/Public Domain