6.    Supreme Court Chamber and East Stairwell

Then…
This room of the building served as a courtroom for the Arkansas Supreme Court throughout the State Capitol years of the Old State House. The east building housed the judicial wing of the capitol and was not attached to the central building until 1885. From 1912 to 1935, the room was used as a lecture hall by the medical school.

The East Wing Stairwell is narrower than that of the West Wing. The stairs are steep and straight, except for a shallow turn at their foot. The most intriguing aspect of the space is that in 1885 there does not appear to have been any doorway in the north wall on the first floor. This would seem to indicate that the western part of the space on the first floor may have been separated from the rest of the hallway by a doorway and perhaps served as the clerk's office. This would explain why the East Breezeway was necessary, since it provided the only access to the rooms of the Supreme Court Library that constituted the majority of space in the first floor of the East Wing. By the Medical School era the western part of the stairwell served as a women's restroom. The doorway was apparently cut in the north wall in 1949.

Now…
This space is used as additional exhibit space and for special events such as lectures, workshops, and film screenings.