The land on which the Supreme Court now stands had a fairly turbulent history. First used as a Tavern/Hotel operated by William Tunnicliff, then taken over by Pontius Stelle, it gained real importance in 1814 after the burning of Washington, when the old hotel building was expanded to make a temporary capitol for use while the Capitol was restored.
For the next 40 years, things were quiet here. The temporary capitol remained, as nothing in D.C. is as permanent as a temporary structure. It gained new infamy during the Civil War when it was used as a prison for southern sympathizers. With the war over, it was closed, and then was used for numerous other uses, including as headquarters of the National Women’s Party, until 1929, when it was reacquired by the federal government and torn down to make way for the new Supreme Court building.