The Civil Courts Building in St. Louis, completed in 1930, is a striking example of Art Deco architecture inspired by one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World--the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus. It replaced the Old Courthouse as the city's main judicial center and remains a defining feature of the downtown skyline. Designed by the architectural firm Klipstein & Rathmann, the Civil Courts Building rises 386 feet across 13 floors. Its most distinctive feature is the stepped pyramid roof. The roof is made of cast aluminum and topped with two 12-foot sphinx-like sculptures bearing the fleur-de-lis of St. Louis on their chests. Out front, you'll find 32 Ionic columns, each carved from Indiana limestone and standing about 42 feet high. They give the place a solid, classical feel. Inside, the building houses courtrooms and a law library, and it has served as the home of the 22nd Judicial Circuit Court of Missouri. Its placement directly behind the Old Courthouse and in line with the Gateway Arch makes it a central visual anchor in downtown. It's basically a civic temple built from limestone and big ideas, where justice climbs thirteen stories into the sky. A monument to St. Louis's love of order and beauty, it's topped with aluminum sphinxes that quietly keep watch over the city below. The building is not open on the weekends but the grounds are open. There are a number of monuments worth checking out including the Freedom Suits and Police Memorials. [Review 1174 of 2025 - 440 in Missouri - 24727 overall] read more

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Casual downtown courthouse. Health Hazard: The environment inside has trouble adapting to the environment outside for regulating temperature. If you have a sensitivity for mold or mildew, be sure to come prepared. If you're here for jury duty, be sure to be squeezed in with 200 people in the morning so you can get separated to go to several cases divided up so they can get jurors or pre-filtered jurors. Friendliness: They are overall friendly staff but can be a bit dramatic and there's always 1 that makes a scene. Obviously no one wants to be there. Entertainment: Feel free to bring a book or work laptop so you won't bend your neck like a dinosaur obsessing over your phone for hours. Parking: There is supposedly reimbursement for an area for jurors for parking. Call ahead and get guidance. Again the staff are very friendly and they are quick to answer. They will also have patience to listen. They are human. Don't make everyone's day worst if you're having a bad day. read more

22nd Circuit Courts - Leaving the courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

It's a place to get married. Lots of couples there of course. Some dressed in full wedding attire, one Indian wedding with some very beautiful outfits. The building is old and beautiful. The judge was funny and quick. I did not get married but was a witness. If you want to get married cheaply and quick, head to the courthouse. read more

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It's a beautiful building. I would highly recommend just coming and looking at the architecture. The employees aren't very helpful. I came once for a parking ticket and four different employees gave me four different answers on where I needed to go. I had a letter with their address and they were all still confused. After an hour I finally got to the right room for what I needed. I don't blame the employees but I do feel like they need better training. read more

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Haha, umm. Well, I'm not sure than anyone enjoys jury duty but I also got married here so there's some sentimental value that increased my rating. Regarding the wedding: Despite the venue, it still felt very intimate. I'm grateful that in addition to our two witnesses, we were able to bring an additional friend to snap a few pictures. Jury Duty: That being said, in my experience, everything was well-organized, ran smoothly, and our judge, while professional, was also very caring-- acknowledging that the trial we were being selected for was going to be difficult to sit through (murder 1 + domestic violence). The questions we were asked centered around extremely vulnerable topics and we were given the opportunity to approach the bench and answer to the judge, prosecutor, and defense attorney if we were not comfortable answering in front of everyone. Ultimately, I was grateful to not be selected for this jury, and I'm grateful for how jury selection was conducted. read more

22nd Circuit Courts - I'm glad that despite the venue, they still made it an intimate experience. - Courthouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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The civil court process is never really a pleasant experience; yet very necessary to resolve personal issues that are typically a pain in the ass and complete waste of valuable time. I won my case fair and square so I applaud the judge's fairness. The Sheriff's could be more pleasant at the entrance and so could the clerk inside the actual court room. But I guess when you deal with shit all day your attitude can be pretty shitty. read more

22nd Circuit Courts - Courthouses Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

I busted the courthouse today for a Naturalization ceremony. The security at the entrance were very professional and courtesy. The elevators were clean and quick. The judge at the ceremony was extremely nice. Clerk Rachel could have been friendlier. read more

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I am a normal citizen. A normal, smart, resourceful and educated citizen who wanted to make things right with a crook in the civil court process (small claims, no lawyer). The City civil courts has zero online resources. You will not even know where to start, i.e., which building to even go to. Contrast this with the County which has a whole online guide to the small claims process including phone numbers. To start a small claim, you go to the first floor clerk's office in the building at the corner of Tucker and Market. You also have to pay in cash, no checks (this is stated no where and you cannot call to get this information). File is $80, $36 to serve or $10 to certify mail. From there, the court process was pretty smooth. The judge was fair and involved. All those involved in the court room seemed fine. After a judgement is won, you will have no idea what to do and there is no information to help you figure it out. I tried to figure out if I could get a lien against the debtor and 4 people sent me to 4 different offices in this building, all of whom could not answer the question and had 10 excuses each. I read the statutes myself later and figured out MO does not allow a small claim judgement to become a lien. Too bad no one at the court knew this. Again, the County has online resources for this including a phone number to call to get some information. I tried to call and figure out where to go to start a garnishment. I called the main number, pressed the right buttons for transfer and got "this number is no longer is service". Are you *&%^ing kidding me? Always go back to that first floor clerk's office for questions. When I was lost at the building next door, I went across the street, through rain, to ask, and back again. The garnishment process is again, a mess. The first time I finally found the place and did the paperwork for an execution, the clerk couldn't answer any fundamental questions (she literally didn't know the answers). She also only had me fill out one form when there were supposed to be two. I later got it mailed back to me telling me it was wrong. Back I go, through the whole multiple building goose chase to eventually find out it wasn't done right the first time. And, they can't tell you what to put in the blanks because that's legal advice. So, you cannot have a lawyer for small claims but you also cannot be told how to fill out a form or anything about the process you are invoking. And there are no resources or guides. Hmm, thanks. By the way, after you do the execution, you do need to have $10 cash to pay at the building across the street. I have still not completed this process (thanks to an appeal by the no-show defendant), but I am sure there are more tornadoes to come. As resourceful as I am, I cannot imagine how difficult this process could be for the average Joe. It really makes me want to write a guide or figure out how to provide help to normal people that just want their money back from crooked landlords, contractors, neighbors, etc. C'mon City of St Louis, steal some content from the County website and up your game. The City buildings are way prettier, less crowded, and honestly who wants to go to Clayton anyway? NOT ME UPDATE: the real civil court is more formal than the small claims court and takes much longer but you are not one of many cases on the docket. You are solo. My judge was very fair. Garnishment execution orders are in the building next door in the "file room". Make sure you have a knowledgeable person helping you. They will then mail you the stamped copy. That copy goes to the sheriff's office to be served. In the County, this is the 5th floor of 105 S Central in Clayton. I'm not sure where it is in the City. Asking questions about this process has a 50% chance of getting the completely wrong answer. Be prepared to ask multiple people, multiple times. Add'l update: Judgements earn 8% interest and last 10 years. You can renew them after that. You can also transfer them to another county. If you cannot collect, you can force them to court to disclose assets, but they can plead the 5th. Also, if you sued an individual you can run their credit to find their money. For a business, not really. Sue the individual. Collecting can be a nightmare. read more