The Court is NOT falling down
on Nov 28, 2005 at 11:15 am
A block of Vermont marble fell off the front pediment of the Supreme Court building Monday morning. No one was struck by the falling rock.
About the size of a large loaf of bread, the piece fell onto the Court’s front marble steps, chipping off several smaller pieces. It occurred at about 9:30 a.m., before the Court took to the bench for the day’s proceedings.
The Supreme Court said engineers were investigating the cause. At the time of the incident, tourists and other spectators were assembling at the foot of the steps, but no one was on the steps at that moment, the Court’s spokespersons said.
The item was part of the dentil molding on the West Pediment, the third from the top, above marble figures and above the Court’s main entrance. (Here is a dictionary definition of dentil: “One of a series of small rectangular blocks projecting like teeth from a molding or beneath a cornice.”)
The West Pediment represents “Liberty Enthroned,” guarded by figures of Order and Authority. The broken dentil is just above the figure of Authority. The Pediment rises above the Court’s famous chiseled slogan, “Equal Justice Under Law.”
