Multnomah County Courthouse

History

The Multnomah County Courthouse was built in two phases between 1909 and 1914 at a total cost of $1.6 million; to make it fire-resistant, it was constructed of concrete-encased steel, with concrete slab floors and walls of terra-cotta brick, covered with plaster. At the time, it was the largest courthouse on the west coast and served also as county seat and county jail.

Originally, the building had a central courtyard, where prohibition-era confiscated alcohol was poured down a drain; over time, this courtyard was filled in to make room for more offices and a jury room. The courthouse had four two-story courtrooms which featured most of the courthouse's original design; some two-story courtrooms were split horizontally during the 1950s, expanding capacity and resulting in new floors.

Further renovation of the courthouse had been under consideration since at least 1970, with studies starting in the 1990s also considering building a new courthouse. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Replacement and closure as courthouse

Main article: Multnomah County Central Courthouse

A February 2001 earthquake exposed weaknesses in the building's structure. Plans for the addition of a new floor, the infill of the light well and a major seismic retrofit were considered, with costs estimated in 2011 to be between $176 million and $220 million. However, in March 2013, the county board of commissioners decided instead to work toward planning for the construction of a new courthouse building in a different location, to replace the existing building. A search for suitable sites for the new courthouse followed, and in April 2015 the county commission chose a site at the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge as the location for the planned new courthouse.

Construction began in October 2016. The last day of operation of the old courthouse was September 29, 2020, and the new building opened to the public on October 5, 2020. The new courthouse is 17 stories tall and has 44 courtrooms. It is located in the block bounded by First Avenue, Madison Street, Naito Parkway, and Jefferson Street, with its main (public) entrance located at the intersection of First and Madison.

Post-courthouse future

The county sold the old building to NBP Capital in November 2018. In 2020, it was reported that the company plans to carry out a seismic retrofit and convert the building for mixed use, but that details of the plans are not yet finalized.

References

References

1. Portland Historic Landmarks Commission. (July 2010). "Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon".
2. (June 6, 2011). "Oregon National Register List". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
3. Green, Aimee. (October 4, 2020). "After decades of trying, Multnomah County opens a $324 million new, spacious, seismically safer courthouse". [[The Oregonian]].
4. Bell, Jon. (December 7, 2018). "Multnomah County seals the deal on downtown courthouse sale". Portland Business Journal.
5. "National Register of Historic Places: Oregon, Multnomah County, pg. 7". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com.
6. King, Bart. (2001). "An Architectural Guidebook to Portland". Gibbs Smith.
7. Tims, Dana. (July 11, 2013). "Multnomah County Courthouse replacement project gets $15 million legislative shot in the arm". [[The Oregonian]].
8. Hernandez, Tony. (April 17, 2015). "Multnomah County settles on bridge site for new courthouse". [[The Oregonian]].
9. Rogers, Jules. (October 4, 2016). "Multnomah County breaks ground on 'tremendous' $300 million courthouse project". [[Portland Tribune]].
10. Webber, Angela. (April 20, 2011). "Multnomah County Courthouse, deteriorating, needs upgrade". [[Daily Journal of Commerce]].
11. (April 13, 2011). "Multnomah County Courthouse Renovation Study". Multnomah County.