Cake, coffee, and a courtly celebration

Washington State Temple of Justice

The justices of the state Supreme Court – who now, for the first time ever, include more women than men – will take a break Friday from deliberating the fate of the two-thirds rule for legislative tax increases and other weighty matters to throw a party: They are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Temple of Justice, their neoclassical home on the state capitol campus.

The party starts at noon with welcoming remarks and a brief presentation on the building’s history from the justices. They’re serving cake and coffee, and offering tours of the building starting at 2 p.m. The event is open to the public.

New York architects Walter R. Wilder and Harry K. White won the 1911 competition to design the state capitol and associated buildings. The Temple of Justice opened first, on Jan. 15, 1913, for the inaugural ball of Gov. Ernest Lister. The Insurance Building, Legislative Building (state capitol), Cherberg Building and O’Brien Building followed over the next 28 years. A sixth building included in the original plan was never built.