Oregon Supreme Court, Exterior Rehabilitation

The Oregon Supreme Court Building was constructed in 1914, and over the years, the building’s exterior terra cotta tile cracked and spalled, many of the structural support elements deteriorated, and the exterior wood windows started to fail. To address the issues, Fortis completed an extensive $4.3 million effort to refurbish, replace, repair and rehabilitate the historic exterior envelope of the Supreme Court. For this logistically complex project, a well-planned, multi-phase façade upgrade allowed the historic courthouse to remain occupied at all times. As the oldest standing state-owned office building in Oregon and, “… a perfect example of American Renaissance style architecture built at the turn of the 20th century,” Fortis worked with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to maintain the historic character. The project has been honored with a Restore Oregon DeMuro Award for exceptional historic preservation, reuse, and community revitalization. The DeMuro Award is the only state-wide award in Oregon recognizing the creativity, persistence and craftsmanship required by outstanding restoration projects.