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The Multnomah County Central Courthouse, one of the largest construction projects in the area, reflects an adaptive response to circumstances.

The $300 million project at the west end of the Hawthorne Bridge involves a new 17-story tower wrapping around a three-level restored historic structure.

Multnomah County already owned all of the block surrounding the 108-year-old Jefferson Station building. After officials closed a ramp from Oregon Route 99W to the Hawthorne Bridge, the block basically functioned as a small, off-the-books skate park. County commissioners could have elected to buy and demolish the building, but that was expected to take years. Ultimately, commissioners chose to incorporate Jefferson Station into the new courthouse.

Today, surrounded by a lively jobsite, all but one Jefferson Station tenant is out (and Sloy, Dahl & Holst Inc.’s lease runs out next year). Construction manager-general contractor Hoffman Construction, designer SRG Partnership, and some of the project’s more than 60 subcontractors now occupy its office space, including the former home of the iconic Veritable Quandary restaurant. On the top floor are mock-up stations testing curtain wall concepts, the unique slabs of limestone exterior, and the two-inch, graffiti-resistant glass.

Far, far earlier, the building powered the gears of commerce. It housed the electrical substation that powered the early downtown trolley. Jefferson Station is also significant in the history of building methods, as it was the first building in Portland to feature reinforced concrete.

鈥淓ssentially, it was one of the first buildings to use rebar,鈥� said Jason Patterson, project manager for Hoffman Construction. 鈥淚t was advanced for its time, but different from how’d we’d do it today, for sure. They were still learning about how to consolidate concrete around rebar and there’s evidence of that throughout the building.鈥�

Despite being innovative for its time, in 2017, the building is a big seismic liability. Much is essentially brick stacked on top of brick, in some cases bearing on soil. To meet preservation requirements, Hoffman Construction and its subcontractors will replace the entire building structure with steel, as well as remove the top level (added in the 1980s) and re-establish an original entrance.

The restored Jefferson Building will be incorporated into the finished courthouse, likely housing high-volume courts with low security risk, like those for traffic infractions and small claims.

The rest of the project, the courthouse tower, is the real showpiece.

After more than a century of use, Multnomah County’s current central courthouse building on Southwest Fourth Avenue is 鈥渟tructurally and functionally obsolete,鈥� according to the county. There is today far greater demand due to a much larger population, which has led to safety and operational problems, county spokesman Mike Pullen said.

The new facility will have 44 courtrooms and is expected to accommodate higher levels of traffic, incorporate a number of courthouse design best practices and meet current seismic code, which the current facility does not. The experience for jurors, in particular, is intended to be improved. Pullen showed pictures of the current juror waiting areas 鈥� subterranean, brightly-lit and sparse.

Hoffman is currently working on a $38 million preconstruction contract. In total, it will control $195 million of a $300 million price tag. Along with the land, the county is putting $175 million toward the project, with the remaining $125 million expected to come from state bonding.

The state has already provided $32.4 million of its share, and Multnomah County is requesting the final $92.6 million in bonding authority from the 2017 Legislature.

Multnomah County Courthouse replacement

Cost: $300 million

Architect: SRG Partnership

Contractor: Hoffman Construction

Expected completion: 2020