Oregon Supreme Court Building
Encyclopedia
The Oregon Supreme Court Building is the home to the Oregon Supreme Court
, Oregon Court of Appeals
, and the Oregon Judicial Department
. Located in the state’s capitol of Salem
, it is Oregon’s oldest state government building. The three story structure was completed in 1914 and currently houses the state’s law library, and once housed the Oregon State Library
.
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 tunnel
s 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.
.
, while the building is home to Oregon Judicial Department
. The Supreme Court’s courtroom and offices for the justices are located on the third floor. This building is the oldest state government building in Oregon. In 2006, new security measures were implemented at the building that require visitors to sign in with an Oregon State Police
officer who is posted at a security desk near the main entrance to the building on the first floor.
Currently the library is open to everyone and is the largest state government law library
in the state. The library is a split level facility existing on both the second floor and third floor of the building. The library has a total of 165,000 volumes in its collections. Collections include the laws of all United States jurisdictions, many historical legal documents, and a variety of legal periodicals. Historical documents include an 1854 copy of the Revised Statutes
of the Territory of Oregon and a copy of the Congressional Act creating the Oregon Territory
from 1848. Historical books include one from 1569 concerning Magna Carta
, an 18th century book by Blackstone
, and a 17th century version of Coke’s Commentary
. Additional items of historic note are a large, ornate safe that traveled around Cape Horn
and an oak chest built for justice Lord
by a prisoner that was allowed to stay in prison after his sentence had ended at his own request. As the primary legal resource for the state government, it also has a collection of case law from all fifty states. Along with the Oregon State Library and Willamette University
’s J. W. Long Law Library and Hatfield libraries
, the law library is a member of the Hatfield Library Consortium and shares a single reference catalog. The library is staffed by librarians and contains copy machines and computers for legal research.
Oregon Supreme Court
The Oregon Supreme Court is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States. The OSC holds court at the Oregon Supreme Court Building in Salem, Oregon, near the capitol...
, Oregon Court of Appeals
Oregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
, and the Oregon Judicial Department
Oregon Judicial Department
The Oregon Judicial Department is the judicial branch of government of the state of Oregon in the United States. The chief executive of the branch is the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Oregon’s judiciary consists primarily of four different courts: the Oregon Supreme Court, the Oregon...
. Located in the state’s capitol of Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, it is Oregon’s oldest state government building. The three story structure was completed in 1914 and currently houses the state’s law library, and once housed the Oregon State Library
Oregon State Library
The Oregon State Library in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the Oregon State Library is to provide quality information services to Oregon state government, provide reading materials to blind and print-disabled Oregonians, and provide leadership, grants, and other...
.
History
The state supreme court used to hold session in various locations in downtown Salem. In 1854 Oregon TerritoryOregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
began construction of the Territorial Capitol Building
Oregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
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.
Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
Wallace P. Carson, Jr. is an American attorney and politician from Oregon. He has spent time in both of Oregon’s legislative branches and served on the Oregon Supreme Court for 24 years. Carson served for 14 years as Chief Justice of the court, which is the longest of any previous Chief Justice on...
) 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
William C. Knighton
William Christmas Knighton was an American architect best known for his work in Oregon. Knighton designed the Governor Hotel in Portland, Johnson Hall at the University of Oregon, and the Oregon Supreme Court Building and Deepwood Estate in Salem. He served as Oregon's first State Architect from...
. 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 tunnel
Tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
s 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
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
. 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
Courtroom
A courtroom is the actual enclosed space in which a judge regularly holds court.The schedule of official court proceedings is called a docket; the term is also synonymous with a court's caseload as a whole.-Courtroom design:-United States:...
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.
Architecture
The building’s exterior’s finish is a cream colored terra cotta. It has five ornate columns in relief on the front of the building’s façade. The exterior was designed to resemble the previous Oregon Capitol building (which burned in 1935). On the interior, the building contains a marble finish, ornate spiral staircase, the stained-glass skylight, a library with columns throughout, and tile flooring. The primary wood used in the courtroom is Philippine mahoganyDipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
.
Currently
The Oregon Supreme Court Building currently houses the courtroom for the Supreme Court and the state’s law library. This single courtroom is also home to where oral arguments are heard for the Oregon Court of AppealsOregon Court of Appeals
The Oregon Court of Appeals is the state intermediate appellate court in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the Oregon Judicial Department, it has ten judges and is located in Salem...
, while the building is home to Oregon Judicial Department
Oregon Judicial Department
The Oregon Judicial Department is the judicial branch of government of the state of Oregon in the United States. The chief executive of the branch is the Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. Oregon’s judiciary consists primarily of four different courts: the Oregon Supreme Court, the Oregon...
. The Supreme Court’s courtroom and offices for the justices are located on the third floor. This building is the oldest state government building in Oregon. In 2006, new security measures were implemented at the building that require visitors to sign in with an Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police
The Oregon State Police is the main state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of Oregon. They have been charged to enforce all of Oregon's criminal laws and to help local law enforcement agencies with their duties...
officer who is posted at a security desk near the main entrance to the building on the first floor.
Law library
The State of Oregon Law Library on the second floor of the building was created in 1848 when Oregon Territory was created. In 1851 the legislature passed an act to provide a librarian for this library that mainly served Oregon government officials. Then in 1855 a capitol building was nearly complete when it burned down on December 29, 1855. This building included the law library on the second floor. In 1905 control of the library was changed to the Oregon Supreme Court and both moved into the Supreme Court Building in 1914. In 2002 the library name was changed from the Oregon Supreme Court Library to the State of Oregon Law Library after the completion of renovations that among other items increased the number of electrical outlets from just two.Currently the library is open to everyone and is the largest state government law library
Law library
A law library is a library designed to assist law students, attorneys, judges, and their law clerks and anyone else who finds it necessary to correctly determine the state of the law....
in the state. The library is a split level facility existing on both the second floor and third floor of the building. The library has a total of 165,000 volumes in its collections. Collections include the laws of all United States jurisdictions, many historical legal documents, and a variety of legal periodicals. Historical documents include an 1854 copy of the Revised Statutes
Oregon Revised Statutes
The Oregon Revised Statutes is the codified body of statutory law governing the U.S. state of Oregon, as enacted by the Oregon Legislative Assembly, and occasionally by citizen initiative...
of the Territory of Oregon and a copy of the Congressional Act creating the Oregon Territory
Oregon Territory
The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Oregon. Originally claimed by several countries , the region was...
from 1848. Historical books include one from 1569 concerning Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
, an 18th century book by Blackstone
William Blackstone
Sir William Blackstone KC SL was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the Commentaries on the Laws of England. Born into a middle class family in London, Blackstone was educated at Charterhouse School before matriculating at Pembroke...
, and a 17th century version of Coke’s Commentary
Edward Coke
Sir Edward Coke SL PC was an English barrister, judge and politician considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Born into a middle class family, Coke was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge before leaving to study at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the...
. Additional items of historic note are a large, ornate safe that traveled around Cape Horn
Cape Horn
Cape Horn is the southernmost headland of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago of southern Chile, and is located on the small Hornos Island...
and an oak chest built for justice Lord
William Paine Lord
William Paine Lord , was a Republican politician who served as the ninth Governor of Oregon from 1895 to 1899. The Delaware native previously served as the 27th associate justice on the Oregon Supreme Court, including three times as the Chief Justice of that court...
by a prisoner that was allowed to stay in prison after his sentence had ended at his own request. As the primary legal resource for the state government, it also has a collection of case law from all fifty states. Along with the Oregon State Library and Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
’s J. W. Long Law Library and Hatfield libraries
Mark O. Hatfield Library
The Mark O. Hatfield Library is the main library at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1986, it is a member of the Hatfield Library Consortium along with several library lending networks and is a designated Federal depository library. Willamette's original library was...
, the law library is a member of the Hatfield Library Consortium and shares a single reference catalog. The library is staffed by librarians and contains copy machines and computers for legal research.