Oregon Supreme Court Building - History

History

The state supreme court used to hold session in various locations in downtown Salem. In 1854 Oregon Territory began construction of the Territorial Capitol Building in Salem that was finished in 1855. The court was briefly located in that building on the second floor. However, on December 29, 1855 after the building was partially occupied, it was razed by fire. Then in 1876 the state finished construction on a second capitol building where the court was located on the third floor.

In 1911, a bill was introduced in the Oregon Legislature by John A. Carson (grandfather of future Chief Justice Wallace P. Carson, Jr.) to expand the 1876 capitol building to add a wing for the court. This bill was later amended to allow for the construction of a separate building instead. Construction began in 1913 with the design by local architect William C. Knighton. Knighton was the state’s first official architect. The building was completed in early 1914 and the first session of court in the building was held on February 14, 1914 in the third floor courtroom. This was the 55th anniversary of Oregon’s statehood. Total cost for the structure was $320,000.

Prior to the completion of the Oregon State Library Building in 1939 the state library was located in the basement and first floor of the Supreme Court Building. As this building and the Oregon State Capitol were connected by tunnels used for utilities, the fire that destroyed the capitol in 1935 also damaged the library. This was due to all the water that was used to fight the fire drained into the basement and destroyed many books in the library. On October 12, 1962, during the Columbus Day Storm that caused an estimated $170 million in damages, the decorative stained-glass skylight in the courtroom was destroyed. The original stained-glass piece was created by Povey Brothers Art Glass Works, who were the premier artisans of that trade in the Northwest from 1888 to 1929.

Beginning in 1981 the building was renovated with much of the courtroom refurbished with Italian silk paneling, hand-painted carpet, and new furniture built by inmates. This refurbishing was completed in 2002 when the State of Oregon Law Library’s renovations were completed. During this time in 1989, the building was added to Salem’s Historic Properties List as a local historic landmark. Funds for the renovations came from private donors. The stained-glass skylight located above the courtroom that has a design of the Oregon State Seal was reinforced at this time and a protective clear skylight was built over the decorative skylight installed in 1914.