Dr. Keith Gaddie, Associate Dean of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma, has recently released a book titled The U.S. Supreme Court’s Democratic Spaces. He coauthored the book with his research partner Dr. Jocelyn J. Evans, a Professor of Political Science and the Associate Dean of the College of Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities at the University of West Florida.
The pair also authored a series of four blog posts for Election Law Blog to introduce the topics explored in the book. The posts look into the Supreme Court and other temple style buildings to show how the Supreme Court and similar buildings create meaning in the eyes of the public. You can explore these blog posts by clicking the link below.
The intersection of physical, public space and the construction of meaning is at the center of Dr. Gaddie’s and Dr. Evans’ scholarship. This new book looks at how public spaces like the Supreme Court building may influence the construction of cultural and political meaning.
The U.S. Supreme Court’s Democratic Spaces explores the story of the Supreme Court building’s evolution and its succession of earlier homes in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and New York. The Supreme Court building is just as important of a cultural, social, and political space as it is a physical space. Through these spaces, this book explores the building that houses of the most revered institution of U.S. politics—its origin, history, and meaning as an expression of democratic principles.
The book also looks at how the Supreme Court building shapes Washington D.C. as a space and a place for political action and meaning, yielding a multidimensional view and deeper appreciation of the ways that our physical surroundings manifest who we are as a people and what we value as a society.
Congratulations to Dr. Gaddie on his book release!
A project designed by Gibbs College of Architecture faculty member Austin Lightle has been selected for BuildFest 2026, a national art and architecture festival held at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York, on the historic grounds of the 1969 Woodstock Music Festival.
Two Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture alumni are helping shape recommendations that could influence affordable housing design and construction across Oklahoma.
The University of Oklahoma Libraries recently welcomed Carl Siegel as an Architecture Librarian and Archivist and Assistant Professor. In his role, Siegel supports students, faculty and staff across the Gibbs College of Architecture while also serving as archivist for the American School of Architecture Archives.
