CHAPTER VII

THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE COURTHOUSE AND ITS RELATED BUILDINGS

1. THE COURTHOUSE COMPLEX

Among the courthouses built in England's North American colonies,

those of Virginia developed characteristics which expressed peculiarly

well the prevailing patterns of landholding and manner of conducting

local government. Unlike New England, where each small community had

its frame meeting house, containing within its walls "all the ideals,

political, moral, intellectual and religious of the people who

attended,"[125] the seats of county government in colonial Virginia

were centrally located in rural settings. A few county courthouses

grew into regional centers of commerce, industry and finance; but most

remained independent and apart from any surrounding community, and

some may still be seen today standing "as solitary sentinels, symbolic

of government."[126]

It was also characteristic of Virginia that these courthouses were not

single buildings, but were complexes of several structures. The

typical courthouse compound was enclosed by a brick wall, inside which

were a courthouse, a jail, a clerk's office, and, sometimes, a row or

cluster of offices for lawyers. Invariably, also, an inn or ordinary

occupied a site within the compound or immediately adjacent to it.

This style of courthouse may be found through Virginia, dating from

earliest colonial times; and, although many fine courthouses are found

in the early architecture of Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and

North Carolina, none of these areas developed the design concept of a

courthouse compound.

This design concept was used in the courthouses of Fairfax County at

Springfield (1742-1752) and Alexandria (1752-1800); and it was

followed in the county's third courthouse which was completed in 1800.

The courthouse tract was situated near the geographical center of the

County, at the intersection of the Little River Turnpike and the old

Colchester Road. The tract consisted of four acres, acquired by a deed

from Richard Ratcliffe and his wife Serian. Specified in the deed were

structures including a courthouse, clerk's office and goal, "... and

every other building and Machine necessary ..."--the latter presumably

referring to gallows, pillory, stocks, and the like. The May 1798

Fairfax County Court Order Book did specify that the courthouse should

be forty-by-thirty feet with a twelve-foot portico, the gaol

forty-by-twenty, the clerk's office twenty-by-eighteen and covered

with slate or tile, a gaoler's house twenty-four-by-eighteen feet, and

that stocks, pillory and whipping post also be provided by letting the

entire "... building of the same to the lowest bidder."[127]

In accordance with statutory requirements, space was delineated for

the prison bounds. This was done in March 1800, and the area was

described in a survey and report of the commissioners, as

follows:[128]

In obedience to the order of the worshipful Court of this County,

hereunto annexed, we the subscribers in company with Col. William

Payne, the Surveyor of this County, proceeded this thirteenth day

of March Eighteen Hundred, to lay off ten acres of ground for the

prison rules of this County, and have ascertained and bounded the

same by the following meets and boundaries, ... including the said

four acres, the Court house, Gaol, Clerk's office, the brick

Tavern, Kitchen, Stables and store house, and beg leave to report

the same with the plat thereof hereunto also annexed.--Given unto

our hands and seals:

Thomas Gunnell (Seal)

N. Fitzhugh (Seal)

T. Ellzey (Seal)

Whether all of the buildings mentioned in this report actually existed

at that time may be questioned, since the survey plat shows only the

courthouse, clerk's office and jail. As to these three, the plat

showed the courthouse situated as at present, with the clerk's office

almost directly south a distance of about 300 feet, and the jail about

the same distance south, but in back and west of the clerk's office.

The plat does not show roads or other features of the platted parcel,

but the known position of the courthouse in relation to the turnpike

supports the suggestion that the brick tavern referred to was located

on the north side of the turnpike, the building later known variously

as the Willcoxen Tavern, the Union Tavern and the Fairfax Tavern. The

other buildings referred to in the report apparently left no traces,

for except through an occasional glimpse of them in old photographs of

the courthouse, they are not noted in the records of the court.

These buildings formed a cluster which, if it was not all neatly

enclosed within the courthouse fence, at least was immediately

adjacent to and integrated with the activities centered in the court.

In the first three decades of the nineteenth century, the town of

Providence grew up around the courthouse, and by 1835 some 50

dwellings and 200 residents were listed.[129] But the town never

eclipsed the courthouse; and, from its commanding position on the

gentle hill at the crossroads, the courthouse itself continues to

serve as a focal point and symbol of government.

_The Clerk's Office._ An office for the Clerk of the County Court was

mentioned in the survey of the courthouse lot made in March 1800, and

was shown on a location south of the courthouse about 200 feet and

east of the jail about sixty feet. According to the survey the office

was a relatively small building, one or one-and-one-half stories high,

with a chimney at the south end and a door opening on the east side.

This office was the depository of all important public records in the

county, and therefore was a focal point for much of the activity that

occurred at the courthouse throughout the year. A news report in the

_Alexandria Daily Advertiser_ of February 10, 1806 called for bids for

an addition to the clerk's office and repairs on the "public

building," all of which should be in accordance with a plan lodged

with Col. James Wren, and constructed of brick "covered with

slate."[130]

During the next forty years, the functions of the clerk grew in both

size and importance as he was called upon to serve both the County

court and the circuit court. The need for repairs combined with the

need for more space required increasing attention to the old building,

until, in 1853, it was determined that a new office building for the

clerk must be built. Newman Burke, George W. Hunter, Jr. and Alfred

Moss were appointed commissioners to oversee the demolition of the old

office building and the construction of a new one.

Fortunately, the commissioners' notice to builders, inviting bids on

these jobs, was published in the _Alexandria Gazette and Virginia

Advertiser_ of July 15, 1853, and provides a detailed description of

the materials and construction to be used. It included the instruction

that such of the old materials as could be used in the rebuilding

should be so used.

Like the courthouse building, the clerk's office suffered damage and

deterioration during the war years of 1861-65. When the courthouse

compound became a headquarters for Union army patrols, and civilian

government either ceased or moved to a temporary seat elsewhere, care

and custody of the clerk's office could not be guaranteed. Many of

the record books and files were taken to places of safekeeping in

private homes. However, many could not be moved in time to prevent

them from being scattered, taken, lost or destroyed as soldiers

occupied the office building. When the war ended, the task of

re-equipping the office and restoring it to usefulness was a major

one.

[Illustration: The clerk's office about 1907.]

In 1875, the clerk's office burned and subsequently, a new office

building was added to the courthouse complex. It was a two-story brick

building, larger than the old clerk's office and located beyond it to

the south of the courthouse. It was probably completed by 1881, at

which time the board of supervisors was appropriating funds for new

furnishings. The architecture of this newest office presented a

mixture of three styles. In overall appearance, its square shape,

hipped roof and functional design were reminiscent of the eighteenth

century buildings of James Wren. The late nineteenth century's

preference for exterior decoration was illustrated by a dentiled

cornice, a belt of corbelling three courses wide in the brickwork

below the cornice, and brick pilasters on each side of the main

doorway, topped by scrolls and brackets supporting the pediment. In

the center of the building on the second floor, a Palladian-style

window was installed, providing a contrast to the design of the other

windows. Two courses of corbelling also appeared on the two chimneys

located at the back and in the center section of the building.

Notwithstanding these exterior decorations, the general design of the

office represented a recognition of the needs of office workers and

the response of late nineteenth century architects to provide light,

air, and functional efficiency in the arrangement of space for

offices. Telephone service and electric lights were installed in the

clerk's office in 1902.[131]

After 1932, the old clerk's office was demolished. A new office

building was erected south of the courthouse in 1934, with labor and

materials provided by Federal and Virginia relief funds. This building

was demolished when the extensive addition was made to the courthouse,

1951-1954. A new wing was put on the back of the courthouse in 1956 to

accommodate the rapidly increasing quantities of archives generated by

the business of courts and the clerk's office in a county whose

population was growing at an unprecedented rate.[132]

_The Jail._ As shown in the survey of the courthouse tract, made in

March 1800 by the County Surveyor, William Payne, the jail was located

on the southwestern corner of the original four-acre tract. No

contemporary descriptions or records of the jail have survived, but

the survey sketch shows a two-story building with chimneys at each

end. Presumably the construction material for the jail was brick,

since the other principal buildings in the Fairfax courthouse compound

were made of this material.

With regard to the interior arrangement and description of major

features, conjecture is also necessary. But, again presumptions may be

made that its facilities were the same as others of the time--for

example, that the bars used on doors and windows were the flat type

(rather than round or other shapes), which were laid across each other

to form a lattice and riveted together where they overlapped. Also, in

accordance with contemporary custom, it may be presumed that the

jailor and his family made their home in the same building with the

prisoners, and so attended to their meals and other needs.

Exactly when and how the first jail was constructed at the courthouse

site is not entirely clear. Payne's survey in 1800 showed a jail

building on the site. Yet only nine years later the _Alexandria Daily

Advertiser_, April 8, 1809, carried an invitation for bids to build a

jail at Fairfax Court House. Moreover, although the records of the

county court for the next fifty years contain references to repairs

and construction work for the jail, they customarily fail to include

descriptions of work to be done. Accordingly, little can be gleaned

from these sources to aid the architectural history of the courthouse

complex.

[Illustration: The jail, built about 1886. Photo taken in 1972.]

[Illustration: Police Department, about 1947. Photo courtesy the

Fairfax County Historical Society.]

Along with the other public buildings at the courthouse compound, the

jail suffered during the years of war from 1861 to 1865. When civil

government ceased to function at the courthouse, competing groups that

claimed civil authority in Fairfax County used jail facilities in

neighboring Alexandria and Leesburg when the need arose. During the

latter years of the war, when Union troops occupied the courthouse,

the jail offered its facilities as a storehouse as well as a place of

detention for military prisoners. But the Army of the Potomac had

little time or incentive to keep the jail in good repair, and so, like

the courthouse, it suffered extensively from the war.

During the 1870's, repairs and construction of additions to the

original building restored the jail to service. The 1879 G. M. Hopkins

_Atlas_ showing the courthouse complex depicts the jail as being

larger than the courthouse in size. In 1884, fire destroyed this

building, and arrangements had to be made to use the Alexandria city

jail until a proper new jail could be constructed for the county.[133]

The new jail was located directly behind (west of) the courthouse,

facing onto the Little River Turnpike. Its materials and construction

indicate that the original portion was added to on two later

occasions. When finally completed, the jail was a two-story T-shaped

brick building, with a one-story wooden porch across the full length

of the front. In the original section (facing onto the turnpike) the

windows have plain wooden pediments. The cornice and chimney tops are

corbelled, and there are iron cresting and finials on the ridge of the

hipped roof. In the second section, which forms part of the stem of

the "T," there are segmental arches over the windows and an ornamental

cornice consisting of a course of bricks laid vertically. In the third

section, which completes the stem of the "T," the brickwork is laid in

Flemish bond (matching the courthouse brickwork in contrast to the

common bond of the rest of the jail), and the windows are topped with

flat arches. The second and third parts of the building are covered

with a gable roof.[134]

In this new jail building, the jailor had living quarters in the front

portion, and until 1948 these were used as his residence. The building

itself ceased to be used for detention of prisoners shortly after that

time, for when the addition to the courthouse was completed in 1956,

jail facilities were incorporated into this addition. Since 1956, the

old jail building has been used for offices of various county

agencies, including the juvenile court and probation office, civil

defense office, fire board, police dispatcher, and recreation

department.[135]

_Associated Buildings and Structures._ Certain structures were

associated with the courthouse because they were required by statute,

and others had their origin in custom and convenience. In 1792, when

the legislature of the new state government revised the law relating

to organization of the local courts, it reenacted most of the features

of the system which had been followed in colonial times. By law all

counties had to build and maintain a courthouse, jail, pillory,

whipping post, and stocks. This law also required that there be two

acres of land around the buildings of the courthouse, and that prison

bounds of ten acres should be provided for the "health and exercise of

prisoners."[136] A report of a survey of the courthouse tract in March

1800 shows metes and bounds for a four-acre tract within a larger

ten-acre area, and states that this land was for the purpose of

erecting a courthouse, jail, clerk's office, kitchen, stable, and

storehouse plus providing an area to serve as the prison bounds.

Additionally, a well was dug a short distance south of the courthouse.

Altogether, these comprised the complex of structures associated with

the court in the first half of the nineteenth century.

_The Tavern._ The brick tavern was a substantial building, built on

the north side of the Little River Turnpike directly across from the

courthouse complex. No detailed description of this building as it

appeared in 1800 has been found. It was, at least in later years, a

multi-story building which rivalled the courthouse in size, and

expanded as the patronage of the circuit-riding judges and their

entourages of attorneys and others combined with the regular passage

of travellers on the Little River Turnpike to create a prosperous

business climate.

After the Civil War, the brick tavern was purchased by Col. H. B.

Taylor, who operated it during the 1870's and 1880's. Because of its

favorable location near the courthouse, the tavern continued to be

frequented by those who had business with the court, and lawyers

maintained their offices there. An advertisement in the _Fairfax

Herald_ of April 8, 1887 refers to the building as the Union Hotel,

and describes it as a three-story brick building with annex,

containing about twenty-five rooms, with stable and outbuildings, a

two-acre garden and a fine well--"a desirable residence for summer

boarders." Later in 1887 the name was changed from Union Hotel to

Fairfax Hotel and its management was taken over by James W.

Burke.[137]

The hotel continued to be operated until 1932 when it was demolished

to clear the site for subsequent construction of a building for the

National Bank of Fairfax. The bricks, mantels and doors from the hotel

were re-used in construction of the home of Helen Hill and Francis

Pickens Miller, called "Pickens Hill." It is located on Chain Bridge

Road north of Fairfax, and in recent years has become a major building

of the Flint Hill private school complex.

_The Well._ At the time of construction of the courthouse, a well was

dug on the south side of the building. Over the years, pictures show a

variety of overhead coverings to shelter the well and its users. The

well was a large one, appearing to be four or five feet in diameter at

the top, and was surrounded by a raised platform. Standing on this

platform, one drew water from the well by a windlass operated by a

hand-crank. Later the box on which the windlass was mounted was fitted

with a hand pump, and a trough for filling buckets or other containers

was placed at the side of the well. This well served the courthouse

into the twentieth century, but was closed and capped when the town of

Fairfax installed underground water mains. The gazebo-like well

structure was moved to Sully.

"_Public Comfort Station._" Many references to the early privies in

use on the courthouse grounds appear in both the court order books and

the board of supervisors minute books. As recently as 1931, outside

toilets were still in use. In October of that year, "the County

Engineer was instructed to make necessary repairs to the public

comfort station on the Court House lawn."[138]

_MEMORIALS_

_Memorials of the Wars._ On the lawn in front of the old courthouse

stand two monuments to the honored dead of four wars. The John Quincy

Marr monument was erected on June 1, 1904, by the Marr Camp,

Confederate Veterans, commemorating the first Confederate officer

killed in the Civil War. The second monument was erected under the

auspices of the Fairfax County Chapter of the Daughters of the

American Revolution. On a bronze plaque on one side are listed those

Fairfax Countians who gave their lives in World War I and on the

other, a plaque listing those who gave their lives in World War II and

the Korean conflict.

[Illustration: Naval cannon in front of the courthouse.]

[Illustration: The Marr Monument commemorating the first Confederate

officer killed in the Civil War, June 1861. Photo from the National

Archives.]

Two naval cannons stand on either side of the Marr monument, pointed

toward the National Bank of Fairfax, formerly the site of the brick

tavern. Facing the bank, the cannon on the left is inscribed with an

anchor and the following lettering: 12 PDR Boat Howitzer 1856 J.A.D.

U.S.N.Y. Washington 757 LBS. 58 PRE No. 45. The cannon on the right

has inscriptions which are very worn and indistinct. There is an

engraved anchor, but except for a letter here-and-there, the

inscription is unreadable.

[Illustration: World War I Memorial Plaque.]

[Illustration: World War II and Korean Conflict Memorial Plaque.]

_Plaques and Portraits._ Mounted in the inside north entrance hall

beside the oldest portion of the courthouse are three plaques. One is

a tablet with 160 names of Civil War veterans of Marr Camp,

Confederate States of America. The second is a memorial to George Auld

(1832-1919), born in Scotland, who "was for many years Chairman of the

Board of Supervisors of Fairfax County, Virginia...." The third is a

plaque commemorating the building of the first addition to the

courthouse, A.D. 1929, W. I. Deming, Architect, and C. H. Brooks,

Builder. In the central entrance hall, there is a bronze plaque

commemorating the large addition to the courthouse completed in 1954,

Robert A. Willgoos and Dwight G. Chase, Architects, and Eugene Simpson

and Bro., Contractor. A large mural, painted by Esther L. Stewart in

1954, is hung above the landing of the grand central staircase. It

depicts Fairfax County scenes, buildings, and portraits of Lord

Fairfax, George Washington, and George Mason.

[Illustration: Mural at the Central Staircase, Fairfax County

Courthouse. Painted in 1954 by Esther L. Stewart.]

On the brick floor of the arcaded porch of the first (1800) section of

the courthouse, is a National Register plaque (1974 listing) placed by

the Fairfax County History Commission in 1976. In the hall inside

hangs a plaque from the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission

commemorating the building's placement on the State Register in 1973.

Hanging on the walls of this oldest court chamber are oil portraits of

county notables. (See Appendix for biographical listing.)

On the courthouse lawn, a dogwood tree was planted in 1954 dedicated

to the firemen of Fairfax County. A small bronze plaque with a poem

and the dedication was set in a cement post under the tree, by the

Firemen's Auxiliary.

In the wake of its many unresolved historical mysteries, the restored

courthouse remains a functional courtroom, as required by the terms

authorizing the work. Yet it cannot claim to represent any particular

period of Fairfax County's history with full historical or

architectural integrity. As now redesigned and rebuilt, the courthouse

presents an outward appearance presumably similar to its original

form. The interior achieves the pleasant appearance and atmosphere of

a working courtroom of the past.

NOTES FOR CHAPTER VII

[125] Catherine Fennelly, _The New England Village Scene: 1800_,

(Sturbridge: Old Sturbridge Village, 1955), p. 9.

[126] Sidney Hyman, "Empire of Liberty" in _With Heritage So Rich_,

(New York: Random House, 1966), pp. 5-6.

[127] Fairfax County Deed Book, B-2, pp. 373-377; 503-504.

[128] Fairfax County, Record of Surveys, 1742-1856, p. 93.

[129] Joseph Martin, _Gazetteer of Virginia and the District of

Columbia_, (Charlottesville: Martin, 1835), p. 168.

[130] Fairfax County, Record of Surveys, Section II, p. 93, March 13,

1800.

[131] Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Minute Book, #1, pp. 89, 91,

196, 206 (1871-1881).

[132] Interview with Thomas Chapman, Jr., former Clerk of the Circuit

Court; Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Minute Book #6, pp.

580-582, August 20, 1934; architectural drawings, 1951-1956,

Facilities Management Office.

[133] Fairfax County Court Minute Book, 1882-1885, April Court, 1884,

"The County Jail having been destroyed by fire ...," the county court

ordered that Alexandria city jail be used until a proper jail could be

erected in the county.

[134] Fairfax County Court Minute Book, June Court, 1891.

[135] Interview with Thomas P. Chapman, Jr.

[136] Hening, _Statutes_, October 1792, XIII, 453-455.

[137] _Fairfax Herald_, May 13, 1887, notes that Mr. T. R. Sangster

has removed his law office to the Fairfax Hotel; The Union Hotel and

Fairfax Hotel sometimes have been assumed to be separate buildings.

However, identical advertisements of this hotel appeared in the

_Fairfax Herald_ on April 8, 1887 and May 6, 1887, the former calling

it the Union Hotel, and the latter calling it the Fairfax Hotel. The

April 29, 1887 _Fairfax Herald_ reports the rental of the Union Hotel

by Burke. By tradition, the hotel building across from the courthouse

has been known as the Willcoxen Tavern or just simply "The Tavern."

[138] Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Minute Book, #6 p. 139,

October 2, 1931.

2. THE COURTHOUSE

_The Courthouse Plan and Its Architect._ The design of the Fairfax

County Courthouse followed the Virginia tradition that the seats of

civil government should be designed with dignity as well as adequacy

for their function.[139] Consequently, the courthouse building, which

in other respects was a plain rectangular two-story brick structure,

departed from strict utilitarian design with its open arcade on the

ground floor front, and its cupola in the center of the roof, serving

as a base for the flag pole and housing the bell which was used to

announce the convening of court.

The advantages of the two-story building for innovations in design and

decoration were even more evident with respect to the interior.

Entered through the front door which opened into the arcade, the

courtroom gave the same impression of vaulted space that is associated

with the nave of a church.[140] The space over the arcade on the

second floor was enclosed, and presumably used as the jury room. This

room was entered from a balcony located across the front of the

building (the back of the court chamber) and along each side of the

building. At the front of the chamber (as it appeared in the late

nineteenth century) was a raised bench, and directly to the left of

the judge's seat was a doorway leading into a pair of rooms used by

the Court.

No descriptions of the interior of the courtroom as it appeared in the

early part of the nineteenth century have been found; but it is

probably that the business of the court was transacted, as it had been

since early colonial times, at a large table, centered in the main

chamber of the courthouse and spacious enough to seat the justices of

the County Court and the sheriff, if the business of the day concerned

him. One or more separate tables customarily were provided for the

clerk of the court and those of his staff who attended the court

session. It was also customary to separate the portion of the

courtroom occupied by the Court from that occupied by the public, and

this was accomplished by installation of a wooden railing or

partition. Fireplaces heated the courtroom chamber and a second-floor

fireplace heated the jury room above the open arcade. Details of the

plastering and woodwork, the lighting fixtures and other hardware are

not known, yet it seems certain they must have been of good taste and

design, for their selection was in accordance with a plan prepared by

James Wren, the designer of The Falls Church, Christ Church in

Alexandria, and probably Pohick Church.

Although James Wren's name appears frequently in the public records of

Fairfax County during the eighteenth century, his principal legacy was

the architecture he designed and helped to build. In the 1760's

references to him are found throughout the Vestry Books of Truro

Parish and Fairfax Parish.[141] In 1763 he prepared the plans for

construction of The Falls Church, which formed the nucleus of the

village which grew up around it. In 1767 he designed the plans for

Christ Church in Alexandria. Wren and William Weit were each paid

forty shillings in 1769 for plans furnished to the vestry, for Pohick

Church.[142] He had, through design of these and other structures,

earned a reputation as the foremost builder and designer of buildings

in his locality[143]--a reputation attested to by numerous contracts,

recorded in the Fairfax County Court Order Books, under which young

men were apprenticed to him to learn the "trade sciences or occupation

of a Carpenter and Joiner."

According to Melvin Lee Steadman's genealogy of the Wren family,[144]

James Wren was born in King George County about 1728, the son of John

Wren and Ann Turner Wren. He learned his trade of carpentry and

joining there, and about 1755 he moved to Truro Parish, Fairfax

County. The first reference to James Wren in the land records of

Fairfax County is found in a deed dated June 15, 1756 in which one

James Scott conveyed to Wren a tract of 200 acres on which Wren was

then living. Ultimately, Wren built a home, now called "Long View,"

adjacent to the present city of Falls Church, and assembled a

substantial plantation, known as "Winter Hill," now within Falls

Church City. He also operated, at Winter Hill, "Colo. Wren's Tavern."

James Wren served as a justice of the County Court. He was a trustee

of the Town of Turberville which in 1798 was laid off on land near the

Little Falls of the Potomac but never fulfilled the hopes of its

promoters. Following his military service in the Revolutionary War he

held various offices in the County government, including that of

sheriff and commissioner of the tax. He acquired extensive

landholdings in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties. James Wren was married

three times; first, in 1753, to Catherine Brent of Overwharton Parish

(Aquia Church); next, about 1771-74 to Valinda Wade, and last, to

Sarah Jones of Alexandria in 1804. He died in 1815 and was buried at

Long View.[145]

The architecture which James Wren created for the courthouse--as well

as his churches and the numerous private buildings he designed and

built under contract or for his friends--reflect the general level to

which that art had advanced in colonial Virginia. The styles were

adapted from prototypes in England.[146] Innovations which were made

in adapting these styles to American use were, in most instances,

attributable to the differences in building materials and the types of

skilled labor which were available to the American builder.

_The Origin of the Courthouse Design._ The architectural design which

James Wren selected for the Fairfax County Courthouse utilized several

features which already were familiar hallmarks of public buildings in

colonial Virginia, and in particular the colonial capitol at

Williamsburg--probably the most impressive public building in Virginia

at that time. The use of brick as building material, the use of two

stories, topped by a cupola, and, most strikingly, the use of arches,

all combined to suggest the influence of this capitol building on the

courthouse design.[147] The courthouse was far from being a copy of

the capitol and Wren added to these familiar features several new ones

that made the courthouse an architectural innovation in its own right.

When it was completed in 1800, the Fairfax County Courthouse was the

first example of a new design which architectural historians have

called "the town hall style,"[148] and have traced to English town

halls of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Like the

Fairfax County Courthouse, these town halls were two-story brick or

stone buildings which presented to their front a gable-end,

ground-floor arcade (or piazza) covering the main opening onto the

street, an entrance set into the end wall, and, frequently, a cupola.

The town halls of Blandford in Dorset (1734), and Amersham in

Buckinghamshire (1682) illustrate these features with variations of

details.

No documentary evidence has been found to show how James Wren evolved

his design for the Fairfax County Courthouse; but it seems probable

that he knew of this style that was enjoying current popularity in

England, and that John Bogue, the "undertaker" who built the

courthouse, was familiar with the methods of constructing such

buildings, for Bogue had just come to America from England in 1795.

While the similarity of geometric and structural exterior design

strongly suggests that the Fairfax County Courthouse had its

architectural ancestry in the English town halls of that period, the

analogy is weaker when functions are compared. The courthouse for

Fairfax County was designed and used entirely as the seat of local

government. The commercial activity that was attracted to the

courthouse site on "court days" enjoyed no special privileges or

facilities in the building. In contrast, town halls in eighteenth

century England often served the dual purpose of providing a

facility for transaction of public business and carrying on the

commerce of the community. The style of the English town halls

provided space in the open arcade of the ground floor to house a

farmers' and tradesmen's market, and space in the second floor chamber

for the town council to meet and do its work.[149]

The origin of this type of building is not entirely clear. It is

difficult to imagine it growing naturally in the political and social

climate of the villages which grew up clustered around England's

medieval castles and monasteries. At the time when town-and-market

halls were common in the central squares of free towns in Italy,

Germany and the Low Countries, they were absent in England. Their

appearance in England dates from the seventeenth century when town

government developed its own identity, and when British political and

cultural alliances with the Dutch were established.[150]

Imported to Virginia as a form of courthouse building, this town hall

style became a popular prototype for buildings erected in several

counties during the first three decades of the nineteenth century.

After being introduced in Fairfax County in 1800, this style appears

in the Nelson County Courthouse built in 1807, the Caroline County

Courthouse built in 1808, the Sussex County Courthouse built 1825-28,

and the Madison County Courthouse built 1829-30. Variations in the

layout of the interior appeared in the use of the space over the

arcade; sometimes it was used for the jury room, and at other times it

was used to accommodate a balcony for spectators.[151] After 1824,

however, a new style of courthouse building may be seen in the public

buildings of Virginia counties. Based on the neo-classical lines of

the State Capitol, designed by Thomas Jefferson, there came into being

a series of courthouses which were suggestive, if not actual,

representations of the seat of state government.[152]

_The Courthouse._ In its exterior appearance the Fairfax County

Courthouse underwent little change during the first century of its

service. Indeed, looking at the courthouse square in 1900, it might

have seemed that the courthouse was the only building that had not

been rebuilt, relocated or significantly expanded. The effects of

passing time were more evident in the evolution of the layout and

furnishings of the court.

Throughout the first half of the nineteenth century the interior of

the courthouse probably remained similar to the layout described in

colonial times. Generally the focal point of the court chamber was a

long table at which the County Court was seated, flanked by smaller

tables where the court's clerks did their work. Customarily, also, a

railing across the room separated this space from visitors whose

business or curiosity led them to crowd in upon the court and its

staff. As long as the gentlemen justices of the court were in reality,

as well as name, the governing authority of the County, this

arrangement of the courthouse chamber was the most sensible that could

be suggested.

As the purely judicial duties were isolated and assigned to the

professional judges of the District Court it became customary to

renovate the court rooms to install the features which have become

associated with litigation--the raised bench of the judge, the jury

box, the witness stand, and counsels' tables.

These changing ideas of what a court chamber should look like became

established during the first half of the nineteenth century, and were

reflected in the courthouses built in Virginia during that period.

Therefore, when the Fairfax County Courthouse was restored to service

after the Civil War, its interior design resembled that which was

customary for judicial chambers.[153]

That the task of renovation and restoration was extensive is indicated

by a report in the _Alexandria Gazette_ of October 17, 1862 stating

that "The interior of the courthouse of Fairfax County has been

entirely destroyed. Nothing remains of the building but the walls and

the roof." Moreover, the work of renovation had to be carried out

under the double difficulty of shortages of funds and labor that was

skilled in cabinetmaking and metalworking. In the end, the restoration

of the courthouse was a gradual process in which first one and then

another improvement was added. No grand design seems to have been

followed or a complete record of accomplishments maintained. Hence,

evidence of the courthouse furnishings is seen in such separate

notations in the Court Minute Books as follow:

October Court, 1866.

Ordered that the Com. of Public Buildings be instructed to

purchase enough green-baise to cover the table in the bar And have

it covered before the Circuit Court commenses.[154]

December 11, 1876.

Ordered that the Com'r of Public Buildings have the sawdust

removed from the floor of the Courtroom, and have said floor

covered with a substantial cocoa matting at the expense of the

Court.[155]

December Court, 1882.

... Some person or persons have entered the Court House Building

in the night, without authority and have damaged Said building and

have greatly annoyed the citizens living nearby by violently

ringing the bell. It is therefore ordered by the Court, that such

trespass ... will be punished to the full extent of the law.[156]

The bell referred to by the Court was a standard feature of many

Virginia courthouses, and was rung to announce the convening of court

sessions. In the Fairfax County Courthouse, the bell was hung in a

cupola on the roof, and rung with a bell-pull passing through the

building's attic to the balcony level of the courtroom.[157]

A major change in the appearance of the courtroom occurred with the

installation of wooden benches in the public section of the chamber.

Tradition holds that the benches had been pews at one time in

Jerusalem Baptist Church located on the Ox Road between Fairfax and

Fairfax Station. This church had been built on the site of the old

colonial "Payne's Church."

Illustrating the period when gaslights replaced candles, an elaborate

brass chandelier fitted for gas illumination has been found in the

courthouse attic. It is possibly the fixture which the sheriff was

directed at the February 1890 court to purchase, for a price not to

exceed $25.00. In about 1902, electric lights were installed.[158]

During the restoration of the courthouse following the Civil War one

major alteration of the exterior appearance of the courthouse occurred

when the brickwork between the windows on the first and second floors

was removed to change the windows into single two-story-long vertical

openings. The courthouse windows remained this way until 1968 when

renovation of the original section of the courthouse was carried out,

and double rows were reestablished as they appeared in photographs

taken during the Civil War.

[Illustration: The old courthouse, 1800, prior to restoration in

1967.]

[Illustration: The old courthouse after restoration in 1967.]

Reportedly, another major refurbishment of the courtroom occurred

about 1920. In keeping with the style of that time, the emphasis was

on panelling with dark, polished woods, and moderately ornamental

carving which achieved an appearance of massiveness and dignity. The

judge's bench was located at the west end of the courtroom on a raised

platform and behind a heavy wooden balustrade. Against the west wall

of the room and behind the judge's bench, wooden panelling covered the

space from the southwest corner of the room to a doorway beside the

bench which led into smaller chambers in the rear. This panelling was

topped with a swan's neck pediment behind the judge's chair. At floor

level, beside the judge's bench and behind the balustrade, were the

witness stand and clerk's desk.

The jury box was located along the south wall of the room and faced an

enclosure where tables for counsel and reporters were placed. These,

in turn, were separated from the public seats by a carved wooden

balustrade. Seating for the public on the ground floor was provided in

two sections of wooden benches--the former church pews referred to

earlier--separated by a center aisle. At the rear of this section was

another balustrade setting it apart from the open space inside the

door to the entrance arcade. The two fireplaces in the corners of the

east end of the room were bricked-in and covered with plaster.

On the south wall, a stairway provided access to the balcony over the

open portion of the room adjacent to the outer entrance. From the rear

of the balcony were doorways into a jury room and small office which

occupied the second-floor space over the entrance arcade. Three rows

of benches, each raised one step above the one in front, provided

additional seating space for visitors in the balcony. The ceiling of

the courtroom was sheet metal (tin) with a pattern of ridges arranged

in rectangular shapes. Central heating was provided by hot water

radiators.

In 1929, an addition was constructed on the south side at the rear of

the original courthouse, making an L-shaped building. In this process

the clerk's office which was built in 1876 was torn down. Harmony of

scale, materials and style were maintained between the old and new

sections.[159]

[Illustration: The old court room prior to restoration. Photo by Lee

Hubbard, 1966.]

Twenty years later, in 1951-56, the courthouse again was expanded by

addition of a center block, and another wing identical with the

original and first addition segments. At the rear (west side) of these

new portions, two wings were added to house, respectively, the records

of the clerk's office and a new, larger jail. With the completion of

this construction, the old courtroom in the original wing of the

building ceased to be used regularly for judicial business. Two large

courtrooms and several smaller chambers in the center block of the

building provided facilities for hearing cases. The new and larger

building also provided space for the offices of the County's elected

officials and most of the major boards, commissions and administrative

departments which comprised the county's government in the

1950's.[160]

In both exterior and interior appearance, the courthouse additions of

1931 and 1954 were designed to harmonize with the original style James

Wren established in 1800. The use of brick, gable-end roof lines,

proportioning of the scale of various segments of the building,

compatible fenestration and colonial period styles in hardware and

painting all contributed to this result. Most influential of all in

maintaining this architectural integrity, perhaps, was the use of

archways and open arcades at the entrances to the center block and two

wings. These open arcades, with their simple, undecorated keystone

arches are the distinguishing features of the Fairfax County

Courthouse in the 1970's as they were in 1800.

[Illustration: The central entrance to the 1954 addition to the

courthouse.]

NOTES--2. THE COURT HOUSE

[139] William O'Neal, _Architecture in Virginia_, (New York: Walker,

1968), p. 17, remarks that "Traditionally, in Virginia buildings

housing civil government have been developed beyond the utilitarian.

This tradition, of course, has given us not only a remarkable group of

eighteenth and nineteenth century courthouses, but, just yesterday,

the very beautiful City Hall complex of Norfolk by Vincent King."

[140] _University of Virginia Newsletter_, (Charlottesville: Institute

of Government, University of Virginia), XLIII, No. 11, (July 15,

1967).

[141] A summary of these references is contained in Melvin Steadman,

_Falls Church by Fence and Fireside_, (Falls Church, Va.: Falls Church

Public Library, 1964), pp. 463-520.

[142] O'Neal, _Virginia Architecture_, pp. 127, 133, 143, _Minutes of

the Vestry, Truro Parish, Virginia_, 1732-1785, (Lorton, Va.: Pohick

Church, 1974), p. 114.

[143] Steadman, _Falls Church_, p. 471.

[144] The genealogy and a summary history of the Wren family, both in

England and America, is in Steadman, _Falls Church_, pp. 463-520.

[145] Janice Artemel, "James Wren, Gentleman Joiner," (unpublished

manuscript, Falls Church, Va., 1976).

[146] According to Sir Banister Fletcher, _A History of Architecture_,

Rev. ed., (New York: Scribners, 1963), p. 1126, "In general, the

architecture of a particular area mirrored that of the homeland of the

colonizers or settlers of that area, with modifications occasioned by

climate, the types of building material obtainable, and the quality of

labour available. Thus, in seventeenth century New England building

followed the pattern of English weather-boarded heavy timber-frame

prototypes, while in eighteenth century Virginia we find a 'Georgian'

architecture often almost indistinguishable from that of eighteenth

century England."

[147] Carl Feiss, "Court Houses of Virginia," lecture delivered at the

meeting of the Latrobe (Washington) Chapter, Society of Architectural

Historians, held at the Arts Club of Washington, November 8, 1968.

[148] Marcus Whiffen, "The Early Courthouses of Virginia," _Journal of

the Society of Architectural Historians_, XVIII, No. 1 (March 1959),

pp. 2, 5-6.

[149] Thus the term "market hall" is sometimes also used to designate

these buildings. At times, the market activities may even overshadow

the building's associations with government, as in the case of

Blandford, Dorset, where a sign on the building identifies it as the

Corn Exchange, without mention of the Council's chamber.

[150] Sir Kenneth Clark, in his book, _Civilisation_. (New York:

Harper & Row, 1969), pp. 194-220, describes the impact of Dutch

accomplishments in the arts, and the impact of their influence on such

Englishmen as Christopher Wren.

The adoption of the Dutch style of market hall in England may well

have been a gradual one, utilizing the already familiar design of the

house of a typical town tradesman, which presented to the street a

series of arched openings where work was done and wares were displayed

during the day. At night these arches were shuttered, and the

tradesman had his living quarters on the second floor over his shop.

Sir Banister Fletcher, _A History of Architecture_, (New York:

Scribners, 1961), p. 463.

[151] Whiffen, "Early Courthouses," p. 6.

[152] William O'Neal, _Architecture in Virginia_, (New York: Walker,

1968), pp. 22-25.

[153] Whiffen, "Early Courthouses," p. 3.

[154] Fairfax County Court Minute Book, 1863-1867, p. 484.

[155] Fairfax County Court Minute Book, 1875-1879, p. 162.

[156] Fairfax County Court Minute Book, 1882-1885, p. 34.

[157] Examination of the courthouse attic in July 1967 revealed a

bell, complete with mounting and wheel, with the following

inscription: "TW & RC SMITH ALEXANDRIA 1844." It has not been

determined when this bell was installed in or removed from the cupola.

It was rehung in the cupola and rung again in 1976.

[158] Examination of the courthouse attic in July 1967 revealed a

brass chandelier with six arms, approximately 24 inches long, fixed to

a central hub. Burners at the end of each arm were fitted to hold

glass globes or lamp chimneys. Fairfax County Court Minute Book,

1888-1892, p. 216. The end of the gaslight era occurred shortly after

1900, when, according to Thomas Chapman, former Clerk of Circuit

Court, electric lights were installed in the clerk's office in 1902

and shortly thereafter in the courtroom.

[159] Interview with Thomas Chapman, former Clerk of Circuit Court.

[160] Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Minute Books, No. 17, p. 4,

November 21, 1949; No. 18, pp. 2-9, November 15, 1950, pp. 296-298,

May 22, 1951.

3. RESTORATION OF THE ORIGINAL WING OF THE COURTHOUSE, 1967

_Origin of the Restoration Project._ After the second addition to the

courthouse was completed in 1954, the old courtroom in the original

wing of the building ceased to be the focal point of the court's

activity. Similarly, it ceased to receive the attention needed to deal

with the natural deterioration produced by use and the passage of

time. By the early 1960's these effects were evidenced by leaking

roofs, unreliable plumbing in the heating system, cracked and

crumbling plaster, loosened floors and hardware, and the like. In

order to retain its usefulness, the original wing of the courthouse

needed substantial renovation.

At this time, an interest in the old courtroom was expressed by the

Fairfax County Bar Association and the county's newly formed

Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission which together proposed

that the work of renovation be done in such a way as to restore the

original appearance of the courtroom. The Bar Association formed a

Special Committee for Restoration of the Old Court Room under the

chairmanship of C. Douglas Adams, Jr., and the assistance of the Board

of Supervisors was sought.[161]

In December 1964, the Board appropriated funds for developing a

restoration plan. Walter Macomber, a local restoration architect who

had done similar work on a number of early Virginia landmarks, was

retained to prepare the necessary plans. In March 1966, the Bar

Association's Committee reported the completion of this preliminary

work to the Board, and successfully secured the latter's approval

together with an appropriation of $90,000 for actual construction

work. This work was commenced without further delay and was completed

in the spring of 1967.[162]

_Problems of the Restoration._ While the work undertaken in 1965 and

1966 was at the time referred to as a restoration, it was in fact

impossible under the circumstances to reproduce with complete accuracy

the appearance of the courthouse in 1800. No descriptions of the

courtroom or other records of building specifications had been found;

nor was any special research in eighteenth century sources undertaken

for this purpose. As a result, the work produced a courtroom with

idealized colonial-period interior design and furnishings in a

building shell with reconstructed floor plan and structural design of

the early Federal-period (during which it had initially been built).

Numerous difficult problems were faced in this reconstruction, and,

for the most part, they were resolved in ways that served primarily to

create a room with the atmosphere of Virginia's colonial period, and

secondarily to build an authentic replica of the Fairfax courthouse as

of any particular historical date.

[Illustration: FLOOR PLANS.]

An initial problem connected with the exterior alterations was that of

securing bricks and mortar to match those of the original courthouse.

Bricks secured from a manufacturer of specialty bricks turned out to

be a close match for the originals which were thought to have been

fired from clay dug in Fairfax County.[164] Specially mixed mortar

made from sand, lime and white cement also closely simulated the color

and texture of the older mortar. Bricks were laid in Flemish bond

which matched the courthouse and part of the old jail building.

Using these new materials, broken and crumbling bricks were replaced

throughout the building, and the three long windows on both the north

and south sides of the courthouse were altered to form two rows of

smaller windows, with the space between the first and second-floor

rows filled with new brickwork. This change in the fenestration

restored the building to its appearance as shown in Civil War

photographs of the courthouse. Shutters similar to those shown in the

same pictures were added to the windows on both floors.

On the roof, some repairs were needed to restore the slate shingles.

In the cupola, wooden louvres were repaired, the cupola was painted,

and a weathervane restored to the top. An existing galvanized sheet

metal roof was allowed to remain unchanged.

For the inside of the building there were no photographs or drawings

of the earlier periods, and reconstruction was influenced largely by

physical evidence disclosed as the interior was systematically

dismantled down to the building's outer shell. When woodwork,

hardware, plaster and flooring were removed, it was found that much of

the framing timber was infested by termites, and had to be replaced.

In this process numerous signs of earlier workmanship were revealed.

Beneath the existing tin-plate ceiling was a plastered ceiling and

remnants of a painted frieze of red, yellow, blue and green. Behind

this ceiling were laths laid over hand-hewn oak rafters. A few of the

original hand-split laths and hand-made nails remained in this

ceiling. In its reconstruction, the ceiling was furred and replastered

without any decoration. No lathwork was found on the side walls, and

in the reconstruction fresh plaster was applied directly to the

bricks.[165]

[Illustration: Interior of the gutted courthouse during restoration in

1966. Photo by Lee Hubbard.]

The flooring which was removed from the central section of the

courtroom sloped from the back (east end) of the room toward the

judge's bench (at the west end). Beneath this floor was an older floor

of brick. It was not determined whether this brick work had been the

original floor of the courtroom or whether another wooden floor had

overlaid it prior to the one just removed. In its reconstruction,

however, the architect specified that a flat floor of polished pine

should be laid over the bricks.[166]

In one part of the main floor the older brick work was allowed to

remain exposed. This was in the vicinity of the fireplaces in the two

corners of the open area at the rear (east end) of the courtroom.

These two fireplaces were reopened and restored and their brickwork

was extended to form spacious hearthstones.

The corner fireplaces showed signs of a three-stage evolution. They

were originally used as open fireplaces. Holes in the brickwork above

them suggested, however, that at some later time the open fireplaces

were replaced by wood-burning or coal-burning stoves standing on the

brick hearths with their stovepipes fitted into the chimneys. Finally,

when the stoves were replaced by central heating and hot water

radiators, the entire fireplace wall was sealed with brick and

plastered over. In their restoration the corner fireplaces were

reopened and refurbished as they were thought to have appeared in

their original condition.

As the side walls were cleared of plaster, they showed signs of

staircases from the ground level the balcony along the north as well

as the south side of the courtroom. Thus when the stairs along the

south wall were replaced, a similar set of stairs was built and

installed on the north side of the courtroom. No dates for the

original installation or removal of these staircases were determined,

and it was presumed that the dual staircases were part of the original

design of the courthouse.

A more difficult puzzle was presented by a series of holes in the

outer wall aligned at the level of the balcony and about the size used

for beams. Speculation by the architect suggested that these holes

might have been intended for use in extending the balcony along three

sides of the courtroom instead of merely along the back end, or in

covering the entire room and creating a full second story for the

courthouse. No determination of their use was made, and they were

disregarded in the reconstruction of the courtroom.

[Illustration: Interior of restored courtroom facing the judges'

bench. Photo by Charles Baptie, 1971.]

[Illustration: Interior of restored courtroom facing balcony. Photo by

Lee Hubbard, 1969.]

Still another mystery which was not solved in the restoration

concerned the two chimneys located in the corners at the west end of

the old courtroom. No fireplaces or hearthstones were found in the

courtroom floor, and when the interior was dismantled it was

discovered that the chimneys rested on beams above the courtroom

ceiling. These chimneys were not utilized in reconstructing the

courtroom, and the only suggestion offered was that they probably had

been connected by long pipes to stoves in the room below.[167]

Two doors in the west wall of the courtroom on either side of the

judge's bench presented a further problem since they were not part of

the original 1800 building, but had been part of the addition built in

1929. One of these doors led into a set of judge's chambers and the

other (in one corner) opened into a corridor leading to the main

portion of the addition running south from the old courthouse. In the

restoration these doors were retained, but fitted inconspicuously into

the panelling behind the judge's bench. Above the doors, the architect

restored two windows which he felt had been part of the original

building.[168]

Restoration of the judge's bench brought still more difficulties to

maintaining the original design of the courtroom. As plaster was

removed from the wall behind the judge's bench, the bricks showed

marks of an arch. The judge's bench which ultimately was constructed

and installed at the west end of the courtroom was, like the other

woodwork, created by the architect "according to patterns used in

colonial times."[169]

Other details of the interior were handled the same way. Hardware used

by the architect was all new, but used old designs. Since the original

colors used in the interior were not determined, the architect used

white and gray shades of paint similar to those in colonial buildings.

From the ceiling in the center of the courtroom were hung chandeliers

found in the courthouse attic. While not of "colonial" design, they

were used because they were considered appropriate due to former

association with the courthouse. And, as noted earlier, the pews

which possibly had been obtained from the Jerusalem Baptist Church

were retained in the restored courtroom.[170]

_General Setting and Building Site._ The original Fairfax County

courthouse today comprises the north end section of the courthouse

building. Together with its immediately adjacent grounds, the present

courthouse complex occupies almost the entire four-acre tract which

was the original site. This tract still forms a square near the center

of the City of Fairfax, at the intersections of two main roads, Routes

236 (Little River Turnpike) and 123 (Chain Bridge Road). The general

setting is gently rolling terrain, and the courthouse site is on a

slightly higher elevation than the surrounding area, with stone

retaining walls on the two sides facing the turnpike and road. On the

west side of the courthouse building is a parking lot occupying

approximately two acres. The twelve-story county office building

(Massey Building) completed in 1969 is located approximately 200 yards

south and west of the courthouse.

_The Exterior_

_Overall Dimensions._ The restored, original courthouse building is a

plain rectangle, 61 feet long by 32 feet wide. It is oriented with the

long sides facing north and south, with the main entrance at the east

end of the building. A portico extends across the entire east end of

the building, covering an area 12 by 32 feet. The height of the

building at the gable ends is 32 feet; and the height of the eaves

from the ground is 21 feet.

_Foundations._ As originally built, the courthouse rested on brick

foundation walls, anchored at the corners in brick piers, with a crawl

space of approximately 1-1/2 to 2 feet in height beneath all but the

front (east) quarter of the floor space. Additional brick bases,

approximately 18 inches square and resting on the ground, were located

in the crawl space beneath the two columns supporting the courthouse

balcony. In the late nineteenth century, a partial basement was dug

beneath the central section of the courtroom.[171]

As reconstructed, the exterior foundation walls were pointed up and

repaired, and were strengthened by the addition of several new

footings. Across the back (west end) of the building, the crawl space

was deepened to a uniform 3 feet, and four 12 x 12 inch brick piers

were placed on concrete footings. In the center section of the

courthouse, the basement walls were extended 1 foot to carry the

joists of the new floor, the outside entrance was closed up, and a new

staircase for the interior entrance was built at the south end of the

basement. Next to the basement toward the front (east end) of the

building, another crawl space (measuring 8-1/2 x 25-1/2 feet) was

deepened to a uniform 3 feet, and a new wall was built on the east

side, extending the full width of the building. This new wall was 8

inches thick, and constructed of cinder block and brick, anchored with

16 x 16 x 12 inch concrete footings. Beneath both crawl spaces and the

basement a 3-inch thick concrete slab was laid. The crawl space did

not extend to the front exterior wall of the building. A space of 13 x

30 feet across the front of the building, consisting of the area

beneath the open entrance foyer of the courtroom, originally had been

covered only by a layer of bricks resting on the bare ground. As

reconstructed, this brick was taken up and re-laid on a 4-inch thick

slab of concrete which had been poured on a base of 4 inches of

crushed stone covered by polyethylene film.

_Walls._ The exterior walls of the courthouse are constructed of red

brick, with new bricks specially selected during the 1967 restoration

to match the remaining original materials, and laid in Flemish bond,

1-1/2 feet thick. Across the front of the building, the portico is

entered through a series of arches supporting the second-floor front

section of the building. The three arches across the front of the

building are 7 feet wide and 11 feet high at the center of the arch.

The arches at the north and south ends of the portico are 6-1/2 feet

wide by 11 feet high. The brick columns supporting the arches are

1-1/2 feet square. The arches and columns are plain except for white

marble keystones and white marble slabs, 6 inches thick, placed at the

foot of each arch and serving as bases for the columns.

_Chimneys._ All five of the chimneys which the courthouse had in the

early nineteenth century were retained in the reconstruction. The two

chimneys on each of the north and south sides stand at points which

correspond to the four corners of the courtroom, and rise 11-1/2 feet

above the roofline at the eaves. In the center of the table end at the

front of the building, the fifth chimney stands, extending 5 feet

above the ridge of the roof. All five chimneys are corbelled with two

courses of brick at the top, and with a single course of brick 1-1/2

feet below the chimney top. All of the chimneys measure 2 feet by 1

foot 9 inches.

_Doors and Windows._ In the 1967 reconstruction of the courthouse, the

fenestration was changed to resemble the appearance of the building in

about 1861. Accordingly the three tall (14-1/2 foot) existing windows

on the north and south sides of the building were converted into two

sets of smaller windows, one above the other, and regularly spaced

along the sides of the courtroom. In the upper row, a fourth window

was located over the arch in the portico, and serves the rooms in the

second-floor chamber at the front of the building. The chamber also

has two windows on the front of the building.

The upper row windows are of a double-hung sash design, with 12 over 8

panes (9 inches x 10-3/4 inches) set in wooden frames and sills.

Overall dimensions of these windows are 4 x 5-1/2 feet. The three

windows on the lower level are slightly larger--4 feet x 6 feet 9

inches, and have 12 over 12 panes. Both rows of windows are shuttered;

those of the upper row are louvred, and those in the lower row have

solid panels.[172]

On the ground level at the front of the building, the main doorway of

the courthouse is located in the center of the wall, and flanked by

one window on each side. The door is panelled, and 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 feet

in size.

In the reconstruction, new window sashes and a new door were

installed, but the existing jambs were used wherever possible. All

shutters, glazing materials and hardware used in the reconstruction

were new.

_Roof._ The original roof of the courthouse was covered with slate

shingles, and the reconstruction of the building merely applied

repairs to these shingles as needed. Little of the slate which

remained in 1967 was thought to have dated from the original

construction, however, because of the extensive repairs and

renovations carried out after the Civil War.

_Cupola._ The cupola, located at the ridge of the roof, 9-1/2 feet

from the gable end at the front, was part of the original design of

the courthouse and houses a bell once used to announce the convening

of the court sessions. The cupola was constructed of white pine, and

consists of a square box in which is mounted an octagonal compartment

with louvred sides. Topping the panelled portion of the cupola is an

onion-shaped dome, culminating in a ball which, according to

photographs over the years, served as a base for a weathervane or

flagpole. In reconstruction, a weathervane found in the courthouse

attic was installed on the cupola's top. The roofing of the cupola

dome is sheet metal.

_Ornamentation._ The overall appearance of the courthouse is plain,

and, with the possible exception of the cupola, there is only one

feature which shows the intention to combine ornamentation with

functionalism in the architectural design. This feature is a round

"fan window" framed by a circle of bricks in the center of the gable

end of the building's front wall. The lower half of this window

consists of four pie-shaped wooden panels. The upper half of the

window consists of louvres.

_The Interior_

_Foyer._ The double doors in the center of the portico at the east end

of the courthouse open inward into a foyer at the rear of the

courtroom. This area is 29 feet long, the full width of the building.

The width of the area varies, however, because of the fireplaces

across each of the front corners and the curving rear edge of the

central (or spectator) portion of the courtroom. At its narrowest

point in front of the double doors the foyer is 10 feet 4 inches wide,

and at its widest points on either end of the room, it is 12 feet

wide. The foyer space is entirely open, with flooring composed of

bricks (8 x 3-1/2 inches) varying in color from deep red to charcoal

gray. These bricks are laid with three-quarter inch seams and white

mortar.

The fireplaces in the corners at each end of the foyer have square (2

foot-8 inch) openings, with brick lining and a 5 inch facing

surrounding the opening and painted flat black. The fireplaces are

entirely framed with plain architraves and friezes, and are topped

with simple mantels. Each fireplace measures 3 feet 11 inches wide by

4 feet 3 inches high.

Along the walls of the foyer, panelled wainscotting, painted white, is

installed. Because of the unevenness of the floor, the height of this

wainscotting varies from 4 feet 2 inches to 4 feet 3 inches. Its

panels are of varying width, from 3 to 6 inches, and are beaded. At

the base of the wainscotting is a 5-inch baseboard.

Above the wainscotting, the walls and ceiling are finished in plain

plaster with walls painted mauve and the ceiling white. Lighting

needs are minimal because of four outside windows located in the

foyer, and because of light received from the central section of the

courtroom. On each side of the double door and at each end of the

foyer lanterns are mounted on the wall. These fixtures are of the type

commonly used as carriage gate or guardhouse lanterns, and are 9 x

6-1/2 x 5 inches, with glass panels on three sides set in dark metal

frames. The tops are of curved metal designed to shield the lanterns

from the wind. Inside the lanterns, light comes from a single

candle-shaped light bulb, set inside a small hurricane lamp chimney.

The hardware on the double door consists of a box lock with the brass

knob polished and the lock-box and keeper painted flat black. At the

top and bottom of the door black metal shot bolts of designs commonly

found in eighteenth century buildings are installed.

_Central Section._ Space for the seating of spectators is provided in

the central section of the courtroom. The floor level of this section

is raised 7-3/4 inches above the floor of the foyer, and free-standing

wainscotting of the same style and height as are around the foyer

walls separate the foyer from the central section. The floor of this

section is constructed of 5-1/4 inch dark-stained pine boards.

Entry into this section is along two aisles at the sides, running

between the spectator seats in the center of the room and the balcony

staircases set against the walls on the north and south sides of the

room. Spectator seating is provided in five rows of benches of pine,

with natural finish on the seats and back rests, white painted sides

and bases, and natural cherry moldings along the top of the back rests

and arms. Along the base at the front of each bench, is a 6 inch strip

painted black. The back of the back rest is painted white down to a

point 6 inches above the floor, where a foot rest of dark-stained pine

is installed, and below this the base is painted black.

The five rows of benches in the center section are curved, generally

following the arc of the edge of the raised flooring, and measure 17

feet 9 inches from end to end. Each bench seats about twelve people.

The walls of the center section are painted mauve, and the ceiling is

white. There are no lighting fixtures in this section of the

courtroom. At the rear of the central section, two lightly stained

solid oak pillars support the balcony.

_Staircases._ Staircases to the balcony are located along the north

and south walls of the central section. The initial plans for

reconstruction of the courtroom in 1967 called for only one staircase,

on the south wall. The decision to add a staircase on the north side

came during the reconstruction when evidence of an earlier staircase

on that side was revealed as the plaster was removed. From this it was

conjectured that the courthouse of the early nineteenth century had

had two staircases, but that one had been abandoned in reconstructing

the building after the Civil War.

The present stairways each have 18 steps with 8 inch risers and treads

2 feet 11 inches wide by 10 inches deep. They form a single flight,

open style stairs, with no brackets and plain balusters, 1 inch

square, painted white and supporting a cherry handrail. Newel posts at

the top and foot of the stairway have turned shafts with cube bases

and capitals. A flat sphere of solid wood tops the capital of the

newel post.

Beneath the staircase on the north side of the building is a closet,

and on the south side is a stairway leading into the basement. The

doors to this closet and stairway are made of vertical beaded boards

similar to the wainscotting, each equipped with two "H" hinges of

black metal having a pebble finish and black metal box locks with

small polished brass doorknobs.

_Balcony._ The courtroom balcony contains three rows of wooden benches

similar to those on the ground floor, except that they are straight

instead of curved. The rows are arranged so the two rear benches are

on daises raised 9 inches above the one in front. Solid-panelled

free-standing wainscotting is set along the back of the rearmost

bench. The first two rows of benches are 17 feet 7-3/4 inches long,

while the rear bench is 22 feet long, allowing space at each end for

the steps of the raised dais.

In front of these benches, across the full width of the balcony

between the two staircases, is a railing of plain white spokes

(matching the balusters of the staircase) and a plain cherry handrail

2 feet 11 inches in height.

The ceiling of the balcony is painted flat white and the walls are

mauve. White beaded board wainscotting standing 3 inches high is

around the sides and rear wall of the balcony similar to that on the

ground level. Three recessed lights provide light for the balcony.

_Jury Room._ At the rear of the balcony an aisle 3 feet wide runs the

full width of the building, allowing passage behind the rows of

balcony benches and access to the jury room through doors near each

end of the aisle. The jury room uses the space above the first-floor

portico, an area 12 x 19 feet. The doors to the room are 2 feet 10

inches by 6 feet 10 inches, with 4 panels. Doors and frames are

painted white, with brass doorknobs and modern locks set in the doors.

The wall between the jury room and balcony is a new stud partition

which is finished with white plaster, as is the ceiling. Lighting is

provided by 3 recessed lights set in the ceiling and equally spaced.

The walls of the room have a 3-inch baseboard, but no wainscotting.

Centered in the exterior (east) wall of the room is a fireplace,

reopened in the 1967 reconstruction. This fireplace measures 4 feet

6-1/2 inches by 4 feet 7-3/4 inches, and is framed with a plain white

architrave and mantel. A hearth of brick extends 18 inches out from

the fireplace. Opposite the fireplace is a 12 by 18 inch plastered

masonry pier extended up from the exterior wall at the rear of the

portico on the first floor below. In the ceiling next to the pier is

located a 30 by 36 inch opening into the attic, with a ladder built

into the partition wall immediately below.

_Bench, Bar and Jury Box._ Across the front of the courtroom is a

railing separating the judges bench, jury box, and space for counsel

tables from the central section of the courtroom. This railing,

similar to those of the staircases and balcony, stands 2 feet 8-1/2

inches high. Gates 3 feet wide and mounted on double spring hinges are

placed in the railing at the head of each side aisle in the central

section. Each gate has an S-curve wooden support built into it for

added support.

The enclosure formed by the railing or bar is raised 7-1/2 inches

above the floor level of the central section, and is floored with

yellow pine, tongue-and-groove, 3-inch wide flooring. In the center of

this enclosure, against the west wall of the courtroom is the judge's

bench, flanked on its right by the witness stand. The bench itself is

relatively small, measuring 6 feet 5 inches across and 4 feet 7 inches

from back to front. Three steps on each side permit access from both

directions, and have balustrades on the front side similar to the

railings and other balustrades in the courtroom.

On the wall behind the judge's bench, there are two, high 12-over-8

pane windows, backed by closed, full-louvred shutters. Behind the

shutters is the solid plaster wall of the present courthouse's main

corridor. Between and below these windows is a wooden raised-panel

screen serving as a back for the judge's bench. Two 6-panelled

sections at each end of this screen are flanked by fluted pilasters

with modified capitals supporting a plain entablature. Between these

sections are 3 panels, the two on either end being composed of 3 tiers

of panels edged with fluted pilasters. The center element of this

panel consists of two large raised rectangular panels topped by a

semi-circular louvred wooden fan design, then a round keystone arch,

the whole portion of the composition topped by a high monumental

pediment. At its center point, the height of this composition is 8

feet 6 inches.

This ornamental panelling also covers the space where doorways

previously had been cut for passage between the courtroom and other

portions of the courthouse as they were built from 1930 onward. Prior

to the 1967 reconstruction, a doorway in the west wall was located on

the judge's left side as he sat on the bench. As presently

reconstructed, this doorway has been closed and covered by panelling,

but a new door was cut through on the judge's right-hand side, and the

inside of the door is constructed and fitted so as to serve as the end

piece of the ornamental woodwork behind the judge's bench.

The jury box is in the southwest corner of the courtroom. Across the

front of the box is a panelled solid railing, standing 2 feet 8 inches

from the floor of the west end of the courtroom. The jury box contains

2 rows of benches, each raised an 8-inch step above the one in front.

The front row is 9 feet 3 inches long, with aisles 18 inches wide at

each end allowing passage from the second row to the front, and

openings in the railing. Not having this function of access, the back

row of the jury benches is 14 feet 1 inch in length. Benches in the

jury box are designed and constructed similar to those of the balcony.

The witness box is located between the judge's bench and the jury box.

This box is constructed of solid wooden screen, painted white and

topped with a cherry handrail. The screen forming the back of the box

is plain; the screen at the front is in the shape of half of an

octagon, and the face of each element contains a single recessed

panel similar to those on the front of the judge's bench. The side of

the witness box facing the jury is open to allow entry into the box,

and the side next to the judge's bench is formed by the side of that

fixture. The flooring of the box is made of 3-inch wide, yellow pine

boards, finished naturally, and the flooring is raised one step (7-1/2

inches) from the courtroom floor. The dimensions of the box are 2 feet

10 inches across and 3 feet 8 inches from back to front.

Illumination of the area of the bench and jury box is provided by a

variety of fixtures. On the wall at the rear of the jury box two

carriage gate or guardhouse lanterns are attached. Opposite these, on

the wall at the north side of the room, two other, similar lanterns

are located. In the ceiling above the area enclosed by the bar, 10

recessed lights are installed in two rows of 4 lights across the front

and rear sections, and a pair are located equidistant between these

rows. Hanging from the ceiling over the central area are chandeliers

which were found in the attic of the courthouse during the 1967

reconstruction, and refurbished and wired for electric lights. The

lighting fixtures consist of six 24-inch arms, made of hollow brass

tubing, extending out from a central hub. The hub, in the shape of a

cup and decorated with a series of radial ridges, is on the lower end

of a 38-inch hollow brass shaft, equipped at the top with a hook for

suspension from the ceiling. As installed in the courthouse, each

chandelier hangs from a fixture in the ceiling by a metal chain

approximately 5 feet long. At the end of each arm of the chandelier

are plain disc-shaped bases (3 inches in diameter) which holds one

candle-shaped electric socket and a glass hurricane lamp chimney.

_Basement._ A small basement measuring 11 feet in width lies across

the center section of the courthouse. An interior entrance to this

basement is provided by a staircase located at its south end. This

stairway, 3 feet 6 inches wide with 7-3/4 inch risers, has 10 steps,

and is not panelled or painted. At the present time, the basement is

used to house heating and air conditioning equipment.

Small windows are located at both the north and south ends of the

basement. Approximately square, these windows measure 2 feet 2 inches

by 2 feet 9 inches, with 3-over-2 panes (6 by 12 inches). Both have

sills composed of a single slab of stone 2 inches thick. Both also are

below ground level, and open into brick-lined spaces for light and air

dug out by the wall's foundations. The space for the window on the

north side of the building measures 4 feet 1 inch by 3 feet 3 inches.

On the south side of the building, however, the dug-out space measures

7 feet 8 inches by 2 feet 9 inches and suggests that this was, at an

earlier date, the point where an outside entrance to the basement was

located. This is corroborated by markings on the inside of the

basement wall which show that a doorway in the north end of the

basement has been bricked up, and also that a second window similar to

the existing one has been closed up with bricks, leaving the sill slab

in place. From the basement, galvanized steel ducts covered with

insulating material are run through the crawl spaces beneath the

courtroom floor to outlets and intakes for circulation of air. These

openings are located in the sills of the recessed windows of the

courtroom and in the bases of the benches for spectators and jurors,

and are covered with steel grilles painted to blend with the fixtures

in which they are set.

3. RESTORATION OF THE ORIGINAL WING OF THE COURTHOUSE, 1967

[161] Other members of the Special Committee were Edward D. Gasson,

James Keith, John T. Hazel, Jr.; W. Franklin Gooding, Assistant Clerk

of the Courts; Senior Circuit Judge Paul E. Brown; and Bayard Evans,

Chairman of the Fairfax Historical Landmarks Preservation Commission.

[162] The cost of restoration was originally estimated at $74,488,

exclusive of architect's fee, which was to be 12 per cent of the total

cost. Ultimately, the cost of the work was slightly in excess of

$84,500, including the architect's fee, according to the architect's

records; Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Minute Book #45, pp. 192,

301, 406; Cost Sheet, Walter M. Macomber.

[163] The building contractor for this work was E. L. Daniels.

[164] Interview with Thomas Chapman, former Clerk of the Circuit

Court.

[165] The frieze was disregarded because it was not considered part of

the original courtroom interior, and no drawings, photographs or

descriptions of it were preserved.

[166] The sloping floor which was replaced was not dated, but probably

was installed when the courthouse was renovated following the Civil

War.

[167] On this matter the following statement in the _Northern Virginia

Sun_, January 8, 1966, 1, is of interest: "Anyone familiar with the

old courthouse will have noticed that it has five chimneys. The two

closest to the bench are resting on wood above the ceiling, Macomber

discovered. This, he said 'confused' him. He thinks that they probably

were connected by long pipes to stoves in the courtroom. Yet he is not

sure. It appears to Macomber that they were added at some later time,

but he will not know until he examines them more closely during the

restoration. If ... [there] are post-1800 andirons [in these

fireplaces], out they will go in the restoration."

In an interview on March 2, 1970, however, Macomber stated he felt

that these chimneys had been connected to stoves after the fireplaces

which they served were blocked up.

[168] The architect expressed the opinion that the addition to the

west end of the courthouse dated from about 1900; _Northern Virginia

Sun_, January 8, 1966, 1. However, no documentary evidence from the

county records supports this date; _Fairfax County Free Press_, August

25, 1966.

[169] Transcript of interview with Walter Macomber, March 2, 1970. As

to the arch marks, Mr. Macomber said: "On the front wall I found a

semi-circle deeply incised in the brick wall. I concluded there had

been an original arched design there and I reproduced such an arch as

it might have looked based on my studies of colonial architecture."

[170] Transcript of interview with Walter Macomber, March 2, 1970,

contains the following:

Question: Do you know what the original color of the room was?

Macomber: No. But since most of the buildings of that period were

either white or light gray, I used these colors.

Question: Was any of the original ironwork left?

Macomber: No. The ones installed are new but made from old designs

used in the colonial period.

Question: Where did the old chandeliers you installed in the

ceiling come from?

Macomber: They were discovered in storage. They are not colonial,

but since they were probably used at some time I thought it

appropriate to use them.

Question: Where did you get your ideas for the woodwork?

Macomber: I created it according to patterns used in colonial

times. The benches were brought in after the Civil War and had

come from the Payne [Jerusalem] Baptist Church. I thought it

appropriate to use them.