Pioneer Courthouse

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Coordinates: 45°31′07″N 122°40′42″W / 45.518624°N 122.678360°W / 45.518624; -122.678360
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Pioneer Courthouse
Portland Historic Landmark[1]
The Pioneer Courthouse as viewed from Pioneer Courthouse Square after 2005 renovations.
Pioneer Courthouse is located in Portland, Oregon
Pioneer Courthouse
Location within downtown Portland
Pioneer Courthouse is located in Oregon
Pioneer Courthouse
Pioneer Courthouse (Oregon)
Pioneer Courthouse is located in the United States
Pioneer Courthouse
Pioneer Courthouse (the United States)
Location700 SW 6th Avenue
Portland, Oregon
Coordinates45°31′07″N 122°40′42″W / 45.518624°N 122.678360°W / 45.518624; -122.678360
Built1869
ArchitectAlfred B. Mullett
Architectural styleItalianate
NRHP reference No.73001582
Significant dates
Added to NRHPMarch 20, 1973[2]
Designated NHLMay 5, 1977[3]
Interior

The Pioneer Courthouse is a federal

downtown Portland. It is also known as the Pioneer Post Office because a popular downtown Portland post office was, until 2005, located inside. The courthouse is one of four primary locations where the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
hears oral arguments. It also houses the chambers of the Portland-based judges on the Ninth Circuit.

History

Built in stages between 1869 and 1903, it was first occupied in 1875 by judge Matthew Deady.[5] At that time the building was named the United States Building.[5] Pioneer Courthouse has survived several attempts to demolish it, while continuing to function as a federal facility. On March 20, 1973, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977.[3][7]

The Pioneer Courthouse (Custom House and Post Office) in 1901

In March 1933, city engineer Olaf Laurgaard proposed tearing down the building to open a parking garage.

The Colonial Dames of America to use.[8] Martin immediately replied that the timing was bad since Oregon was asking for funding of the Bonneville Dam, and it was likely illegal to donate a post office to a city.[8] Ainsworth quickly came up with a new scheme: demolish the Pioneer Courthouse and build an office building for the Historical Society, the Boy Scouts, a theater, and a museum.[8] A. E. Doyle, his architectural firm, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects, the Colonial Dames, and The Oregon Journal sharply opposed destroying the building.[8]

The Pioneer Courthouse at dusk in 2013
At the Forefront of Adventure and Architecture: Pioneer Courthouse, Portland, Oregon[9]

In 2003, plans for renovating the courthouse sparked an unusual conflict between Portland

earthquakes, the secure judges' parking area under the building, and the renovation of the lobby where the post office had been.[4]

Notable trials

The trials of the Oregon land fraud scandal were held in the courthouse, beginning in 1904.[11] These trials were documented at length in Stephen A. Douglas Puter's book Looters of the Public Domain.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Portland Historic Landmarks Commission (July 2010), Historic Landmarks -- Portland, Oregon (XLS), retrieved November 13, 2013.
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  3. ^ a b "Pioneer Courthouse". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on December 10, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2007.
  4. ^ a b "Pioneer courthouse's bare earth will soon sprout native plants". The Oregonian. October 12, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  5. ^ a b Leeson, Fred. (1998). Rose City Justice: A Legal History of Portland, Oregon. Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 13-15, 21-26, 47-48, 52.
  6. ^ National Register of Historic Places in Multnomah County, Oregon
  7. KiB
    )
  8. ^
    ISBN 0-9603408-1-5
    .
  9. ^ video Archived 2012-11-02 at the Wayback Machine, 18 min., U.S. General Services Administration, 2007
  10. ^ Senior, Jeanie and Don Hamilton (July 29, 2003). "Often at odds, politicos go postal". Portland Tribune. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  11. ^
    OCLC 4874569
    .

External links

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