The Old Courthouse is a free historic site in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, operated by the National Park Service as part of Gateway Arch National Park. It was the site of the first two trials of the Dred Scott case in 1847 and 1850, and of Virginia Minor’s woman’s suffrage case in the 1870s. This guide covers hours, admission, parking, what to see, tours, and practical tips for visiting.
Last updated: June 2026. The most significant recent change: four new museum galleries opened in May 2025 following a $24.5 million renovation project completed in 2025. Many older guides describe the pre-renovation building and do not reflect the new exhibition spaces. The Old Courthouse is also now listed in the NPS National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Quick facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Address | 11 North 4th Street, St. Louis, MO 63102 |
| Opening hours | Daily 9am–5pm |
| Closed | Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day |
| Entry price | Free |
| Phone | (314) 655-1600; ranger tour enquiries: (314) 655-1731 or (314) 655-1636 |
| Nearest transit | MetroLink: Arch–Laclede’s Landing station; short walk from Gateway Arch Visitor Center |
| Parking | Stadium East Parking Garage ($10/5 hours via iparkit.com/TheArch); no NPS-operated parking |
| Typical visit length | 45 minutes–1.5 hours |
Old Courthouse opening hours
The Old Courthouse is open daily from 9am to 5pm. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
There are no seasonal variations to these hours. Entry is always free and no tickets are required.
Hours and admission were checked on the official NPS Old Courthouse page and last updated in June 2026.
Old Courthouse ticket prices
Entry to the Old Courthouse is free. No tickets are required for the museum galleries, self-guided tours, or the daily ranger-led tour. The Old Courthouse is not included in any commercial city pass scheme.
America the Beautiful passes are not required or applicable here, as there is no entrance fee.
5 great St Louis experiences to book
- 🌆 Take a small group tour of the Gateway Arch – including tickets to the top.
- 🚢 Combine a visit to the Gateway Arch with a river cruise.
- 📸 At the Museum of Illusions, get reels of cool social media photos.
- 👻 Discover the dark side of St Louis on an evening ghost tour.
- 🍽️ On a food and history walking tour, learn about the flavours and stories of St Louis.
How to get to the Old Courthouse
On foot from the Gateway Arch: The Old Courthouse is approximately 3 minutes’ walk west of the Gateway Arch Visitor Center, at the intersection of 4th Street and Market Street. It is visible from the Arch grounds.
By MetroLink: Take the Red or Blue Line to Arch–Laclede’s Landing station and walk west.
By car: Use 200 S Broadway, St. Louis, MO 63102 (Stadium East Garage) for navigation. The Courthouse is a short walk north from the garage.
Parking at the Old Courthouse
The NPS does not operate parking at the Old Courthouse. The recommended option is the Stadium East Parking Garage (200 S Broadway), with a Preferred Parking rate of $10 for 5 hours via iparkit.com/TheArch.
Pre-purchasing parking is strongly recommended on Cardinals home game days. If parking is not pre-purchased, the $10 rate does not apply and event-day rates will be charged instead. Blackout dates may apply. Check the Cardinals schedule and pre-book parking by 11:59pm the night before a game day.
Validate parking tickets inside the Gateway Arch Visitor Center if you haven’t pre-purchased — at the kiosk in the West Entrance lobby or on Level 1 next to the information desk. Some spots at the Stadium East Garage are accessible.
How long to spend at the Old Courthouse
Allow 45 minutes to 1.5 hours — 45 minutes for a self-guided walk through the galleries and courtrooms, up to 90 minutes if you attend the daily ranger-led tour (which runs at 2:15pm and lasts approximately 45 minutes).
The Old Courthouse is easily combined with the Gateway Arch Visitor Center and free museum in a single half-day visit to the park.
Accessibility at the Old Courthouse
The Old Courthouse is fully accessible, with all areas reachable by wheelchair. NPS staff are available throughout to answer questions and assist visitors. For specific accessibility questions, contact the park at (314) 655-1600.
What to see at the Old Courthouse
The building
The Old Courthouse is a Greek Revival building completed in stages between 1839 and 1862, topped by a cast-iron dome. At the time of its completion it was the tallest building in St. Louis. The dome is among the finest examples of 19th-century civic architecture in the Midwest. A $24.5 million renovation completed in 2025 restored the building’s historic fabric while creating four new modern museum galleries.
Four new museum galleries (opened May 2025)
The renovated Old Courthouse now contains four museum galleries presenting the history of the building and its most significant legal cases, with new interpretive content and interactive elements. The galleries cover:
The Dred Scott case — Dred and Harriet Scott filed for their freedom here in 1847. The case ultimately reached the Supreme Court in 1857, resulting in a decision that declared enslaved people had no right to sue for freedom. The decision is widely considered one of the most consequential — and most condemned — in American legal history. The Old Courthouse was the site of both the first and second trials.
Freedom suits — The Old Courthouse was the site of hundreds of suits for freedom filed by enslaved people in St. Louis. The museum presents this broader history alongside the Scott case, exploring the legal strategies used and the people who pursued them.
Virginia Minor and women’s suffrage — Virginia Minor sued for the right to vote in the 1870s, arguing that the Fourteenth Amendment gave women that right. Her case was tried here, and the outcome — the Supreme Court ruled against her — galvanised the women’s suffrage movement.
The history of the courthouse and St. Louis — A fourth gallery covers the building’s architectural history, its role in St. Louis civic life, and its relationship to the city’s development.
The two restored historic courtrooms
Two courtrooms have been historically furnished to reflect their appearance during the Dred Scott era. Visitors can walk through both rooms and examine the architecture and furnishings. NPS staff are on hand to answer questions.
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom
The Old Courthouse is listed in the NPS’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, recognising its connections to the history of slavery and resistance. Beyond the Scott case and the freedom suits, enslaved people were also auctioned from the steps of this building in estate settlements.
Junior Ranger programme
Free Junior Ranger booklets are available for children at the building. No booking required; available during normal opening hours.
Practical visitor tips
| Tip | Detail |
|---|---|
| The four new galleries opened in May 2025 | The renovation was completed in 2025 after several years. Many older guides, reviews, and photos show a very different building. The current visitor experience is substantially new. |
| The 2:15pm ranger tour is free and no booking needed | A daily guided tour covers the architecture and history of the building and the court cases. For groups over 10, call ahead on (314) 655-1731. |
| No security screening is required here | Unlike the Gateway Arch Visitor Center, the Old Courthouse does not require visitors to pass through a security checkpoint. You can walk straight in. |
| Combine with the Gateway Arch museum | Both sites are free and within 3 minutes’ walk of each other. The Arch museum provides broader context for the westward expansion story; the Old Courthouse focuses on civil rights and legal history. |
| Pre-book Stadium East parking on Cardinals game days | The Old Courthouse shares the same parking situation as the Arch. Pre-purchase by 11:59pm the night before to secure the $10 rate. |
Frequently asked questions about the Old Courthouse
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is the Old Courthouse free? | Yes, completely free. No tickets, no booking required for individuals. |
| Is the Old Courthouse part of Gateway Arch National Park? | Yes. It is a separate building but managed by the NPS as part of Gateway Arch National Park. |
| Do I need to go through security to enter? | No. The Old Courthouse does not have an airport-style security checkpoint. The Gateway Arch Visitor Center does. |
| When did the new galleries open? | The four new museum galleries opened in May 2025, following a $24.5 million renovation project that ran from 2020 to 2025. |
| Is there a guided tour? | Yes. Free ranger-led tours run daily at 2:15pm. No reservation needed for groups under 10; larger groups should call (314) 655-1731 in advance. |
Things to do near the Old Courthouse
- Gateway Arch Visitor Center and Museum (~3 minutes’ walk) — The free Museum of Westward Expansion is directly under the arch, 3 minutes’ walk east. The Tram Ride to the Top requires a ticket and advance booking.
- Luther Ely Smith Square (adjacent) — A public square between the Old Courthouse and the Gateway Arch, with green space and views of both landmarks.
- Kiener Plaza (~2 minutes’ walk north) — A renovated public plaza on Market Street with a running fountain, the Classical Runner sculpture by Carl Milles, and winter ice skating.
- City Museum (~1 mile northwest) — A large-scale interactive art and architecture environment in a converted 10-storey warehouse.
- Missouri History Museum (Forest Park, ~4 miles west) — Free history museum covering St. Louis from the Mississippian era to the present.
What to visit tomorrow: similar historic courthouses and civil rights sites nearby
- Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, St. Louis (~15 minutes southwest) — White Haven, Grant’s home before the Civil War. Free ranger-led tours of the farmstead
- Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, Collinsville, Illinois (~15 minutes east) — UNESCO World Heritage Site preserving the largest pre-Columbian North American settlement north of Mexico.
- Scott Joplin House State Historic Site, St. Louis (~2 miles northwest) — The home where Scott Joplin composed Maple Leaf Rag. NPS-associated site with guided tours.
- National Civil Rights Museum, Memphis, Tennessee (~5 hours south) — The most comprehensive civil rights museum in the US, built around the Lorraine Motel where Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The most directly relevant thematic peer for the Old Courthouse’s content.
- Missouri State Penitentiary, Jefferson City (~1 hour 45 minutes west) — A 168-year-old former state prison open for tours, with significant history relating to incarceration and civil rights in Missouri.
