Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse, Federal courthouse in Eugene, Oregon, United States

The Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse is a curving federal courthouse in downtown Eugene overlooking the Willamette River. Its lower two floors are glazed and hold offices, while the upper three are wrapped in ribbons of stainless steel and hold the courtrooms. The exterior was planned in zinc panels but switched to stainless steel because of costs.

In 1999 the General Services Administration held a competition to replace the old Eugene Federal Building on High Street and Sixth Avenue, which could not be expanded and did not meet newer security requirements. Thom Mayne of Morphosis won, and design began in 2001 for the 4.5-acre site of a former Agripac cannery. Groundbreaking took place on April 7, 2004; the building was topped out on July 11, 2005, and dedicated on December 1, 2006, at a total cost of $96 million.

The courthouse is named for Wayne Morse, who represented Oregon in the Senate for 24 years and lived in the Eugene area. Its site at East Eighth Avenue and Ferry Street previously held an Agripac cannery. Judge Michael Robert Hogan pushed for the courtroom feel and the steps up to the main floor.

The courthouse stands at East Eighth Avenue and Ferry Street, overlooking the Willamette River in downtown Eugene, on the site of a former Agripac cannery. The main floor is reached by a set of steps on the second level, a feature Judge Hogan pushed for during design. The building is a working federal courthouse, so expect security screening at entry.

Budget cuts removed two planned features: a rooftop reflecting pool and an etching of the U.S. Bill of Rights on the exterior. The building still opened on time and on budget, and in 2006 became the first new federal courthouse in the country to earn LEED Gold certification.