So much history. But now what?
County and federal courthouses deserve a better future
Buildings perched on two downtown Portland square blocks—both drenched with decades of legal history as well as architectural significance—sit empty these days with no new uses in sight.
Portlanders for decades swept into the courthouses to engage in civil and criminal trials, visit local and federal government offices and attend public hearings. But with state and federal courts having moved to high high-rise buildings, the Multnomah County Courthouse that dates to 1914 and the Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse, finished in 1933, sit silent with doors and windows boarded over.
A Portland-based housing and real estate development firm headed by NBP Capital bought the old county building in 2018 and announced plans to convert it to office use. That plan evidently died with the COVID pandemic and the ensuing collapse of the downtown office market.
SKB, another real estate firm, bought the old U.S. Courthouse late last year, and plans to move its own office into the building. The firm said it plans to retain much of the elegant marble-laden interior spaces, but what other uses might occur will take time to figure out.
Both buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Multnomah County building, facing 1021 SW 4th Avenue, was built in two L-shaped phases while an earlier courthouse dating to the late 1860s was gradually demolished. The courthouse was one of the final buildings designed by the firm of Whidden & Lewis, the city’s most important architectural firm from the late 19th century and into the 20th.
The county courthouse suffered numerous makeovers over the decades, but the grand hallways and main staircase remain on floors one through six. The two upper floors contain a holding jail and small offices.
The former U.S. Courthouse design is an interesting blend of Neo-Classical elements with Art Deco flourishes, as it was created at a time when architectural tastes were moving away from historical elements to modern forms. “Stylistic definition of the Courthouse is difficult. It is typical of many General Services Administration properties in its eclecticism,” states the National Register listing.
The design firm was headed by Morris Whitehouse, whose long career in Portland included work for high-end clients including the University Club, the Waverly Country Club and the Eastmoreland Golf Clubhouse.
The building’s name was changed to the Gus J. Solomon U.S. Courthouse in honor of the judge who spent 37 years on the bench. Known as a stickler for accuracy and rough treatment for ill-prepared lawyers, Solomon also had a sense of humor. Watching a case in his court, your correspondent once heard him explain why he often ruled quickly from the bench. “I do what I think God would do, and when I get reversed by the Court of Appeals, I know where they are coming from.”
Both these buildings deserve brighter futures, as does the neighborhood they share in downtown Portland. Great minds need to get to work to find answers.
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I agree about the importance of the historical context of these buildings and the desire to retain them. Ask we to choose between retaining them as is on the historical registry, yes or no, I pick yes every time. They could never be replaced as is, nor would anyone consider it. We don’t have the need or the craftsmen or access to materials. Unfortunately it is not yes or no. There are tradeoffs which pit many goods against each other.
We have “modern” buildings like PacWest and BigPink selling at a fraction of replacement cost. The majority of hotels in the Central City are in or near receiverships and if there is not a dramatic increase in overnight visitation to Downtown and a concurrent recovery of nightly rates, they too will trade well below replacement costs.
Existing businesses are struggling. A few risk takers are entering but at rents and terms that are not sustainable for building owners. The Mayor has created some public safety and livability bright spots but the Cultural District and related assets are being handed off from Metro to the City like a hot potato, losing money. visitation downtown at night is still resisted. The City and County can’t agree on a plan to address homelessness, behavioral health and Public Safety cooperatively. Often they work at cross purposes.
We can’t build affordable housing. The County has squandered scarce funds providing it by spending well over $1,000 at foot to convert SRO historic buildings (Fairfield and Joyce) to earthquake compliant SFOs. No increase in units. They spent over $1,200/sf in pre pandemic costs to convert an unremarkable historic building to the now unrecognizable Behavioral Health Resource Center.
In a very real sense, we are choosing between affordable housing and uses that can activate Downtown in strategic areas that will help it recover and stop the Doom Loop we are in and preserving these buildings for posterity. It should not be an easy decision in that context.
By recent historical numbers, the square block on Broadway under the Solomon building would be valued at $22Milion. It just sold with a building on it for $1.8 Million. That block could effectively provide a whole lot of housing and other uses that could help save the Cultural District and increase much needed tax revenue to the City.
We have to learn to zoom out, look at things in a larger context and compromise if we are going to help Portland recover.
Yes, they deserve a brighter future and are important to downtown revitalization.