Oregon Supreme Court Building, Courthouse and National Register historic place in Salem, United States.
The Oregon Supreme Court Building is a three-story structure in Salem with a cream-colored terra cotta exterior. Its facade has five ornate columns in relief and was designed to resemble the previous Oregon Capitol building. Inside are a marble finish, an ornate spiral staircase, and a stained-glass skylight above the third-floor courtroom.
Construction began in 1912 to designs by William C. Knighton, Oregon's first official state architect, after a 1911 bill by John A. Carson was amended to allow a separate building rather than a wing on the 1876 capitol. The first court session was held on February 14, 1914, the 55th anniversary of Oregon's statehood, and the structure cost $320,000.
The courtroom skylight, made by Povey Brothers Art Glass Works of Portland, carries the Oregon State Seal; the firm supplied stained glass across the Northwest from 1888 to 1929. The Columbus Day Storm of October 12, 1962 damaged it, and during the 1981–2002 renovation a clear protective skylight was built above the 1914 glass.
Visitors must sign in with an Oregon State Police officer at a security desk near the main entrance on the first floor, a measure in place since 2006. The State of Oregon Law Library, open to everyone, occupies split levels on the second and third floors. The Supreme Court courtroom and justices' offices are on the third floor.
The courtroom's stained-glass skylight, made by Povey Brothers Art Glass Works with the Oregon State Seal, was damaged in the Columbus Day Storm of October 12, 1962. During the 1981-2002 renovation it was reinforced and a clear protective skylight was built above the 1914 original.
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