91ÊÓƵ

Despite its design not yet being approved and construction months away from beginning, a groundbreaking was held Tuesday for the Multnomah County Central Courthouse. Major work on the project is slated to begin in the spring of 2017; in the meantime, the demolition of the Veritable Quandary building and tree removal will begin next month, and the new building’s design will be reviewed for the second time by the Historic Landmarks Commission on Oct. 24.

The planned courthouse, designed by SRG Partnership and CGL RicciGreene, will have 17 stories and reach 325 feet in height. It will contain a total of about 440,000 square feet that will include courtrooms, offices for district attorneys, public defenders, and sheriffs. The building will connect to the historic Jefferson Station office condominium building at Southwest First Avenue and Jefferson Street, triggering review of the project by the Historic Landmarks Commission.

Multnomah County has so far acquired all but two of the nine units at Jefferson Station, which will undergo renovations and be used as high-volume courts dealing with traffic and parking infractions, small claims, and landlord-tenant disputes.

Hoffman Construction will serve as the construction manager/general contractor on the project, and DAY CPM will serve as the owner’s representative. The building is slated for completion in 2020.