The Pioneer Courthouse is a federal

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Built beginning in 1869, the structure is the oldest federal building in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

, and the second-oldest west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

. Along with Pioneer Courthouse Square, it serves as the center of

downtown Portland Downtown Portland is the central business district of Portland, Oregon, United States. It is on the west bank of the Willamette River in the northeastern corner of the southwest section of the city and where most of the city's high-rise buildi ...

. 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 The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts for the following federal judicial districts: * Distric ...

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.Leeson, Fred. (1998). ''Rose City Justice: A Legal History of Portland, Oregon''. Oregon Historical Society Press. pp. 13-15, 21-26, 47-48, 52. At that time, the building was named the United States Building. 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 The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

.National Register of Historic Places in Multnomah County, Oregon
/ref> It was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1977. and OR-Portland 1875 2 Ref

In March 1933, city engineer Olaf Laurgaard proposed tearing down the building to open a parking garage. John C. Ainsworth asked Oregon representative Charles Martin and Charles L. McNary to see if President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

would consider giving the structure and property to the city of Portland. Portland would then renovate the structure for the

Oregon Historical Society The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) is an organization that encourages and promotes the study and understanding of the history of the State of Oregon, within the broader context of U.S. history. Incorporated in 1898, the Society collects, pres ...

and The Colonial Dames of America to use. Martin immediately replied that the timing was bad since Oregon was asking for funding of the

Bonneville Dam Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Ore ...

, and it was likely illegal to donate a post office to a city. 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. A. E. Doyle, his architectural firm, the local chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

, the Colonial Dames, and ''

The Oregon Journal ''The Oregon Journal'' was Portland, Oregon's daily afternoon newspaper from 1902 to 1982. The ''Journal'' was founded in Portland by C. S. "Sam" Jackson, publisher of Pendleton, Oregon's ''East Oregonian'' newspaper, after a group of Portla ...

'' sharply opposed destroying the building. Pioneer Courthouse Portland Oregon at sunset June 25th 2013

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

congressmen A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The ...

Earl Blumenauer Earl Francis Blumenauer ( ; born August 16, 1948) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1996 to 2025. The district includes most of Portland, Oregon, ...

and

David Wu David Wu (born April 8, 1955) is an American politician who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. Wu was born ...

. Wu, whose

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

contains the courthouse, supported a plan that included removing the post office from the courthouse, and adding five parking spaces in its basement. Wu's plan was ultimately adopted, and the $23.4 million renovation of the building was completed in December 2005. The work included the addition of base isolators to protect the historic structure from

earthquakes An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they c ...

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

Notable trials

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

References

External links

General Services Administration page on the Pioneer Courthouse
{{Portal bar, Architecture, National Register of Historic Places, Oregon 1869 establishments in Oregon Alfred B. Mullett buildings Articles containing video clips Courthouses in Oregon Courthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Federal courthouses in the United States Government buildings completed in 1875 Government buildings in Portland, Oregon National Historic Landmarks in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Portland, Oregon Portland Historic Landmarks Buildings and structures in Southwest Portland, Oregon Tourist attractions in Portland, Oregon United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

History

Notable trials

See also

References

External links