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Morrow County Courthouse was
constructed in 1902-1903 to replace
the original Courthouse, which was a
two-story wood framed structure that
had been a gift from the citizens of
Heppner. The present day Courthouse
stands on the same lot as the original
structure. The final
construction costs for the
courthouse totaled $56,9690.10.
The insurance value to replace the
Courthouse in the year 2000 exceeds
$1.5 million. The building
remains in service today as Morrow
County's Courthouse, making it one of
the oldest continuously used
courthouses in the State of Oregon.
It still houses many of the same
functions as it did in 1903 and, despite
being declared upon opening as
"all modern and first class and
large enough to accommodate all future
demands," the County now has
offices located in several other
buildings in Heppner, Lexington,
Irrigon and Boardman.
The architectural
style of the Courthouse is considered
to be an eclectic design in the
tradition of American Renaissance, the
only significant example of this
period in Morrow County. The
exterior is characterized by a
classical cornice and bi-lateral
symmetry and is dominated by a central
entrance pavilion with a domed cupola
that encloses a clock and bell.
Interestingly, many of the decorative
features on the exterior, including
the clock, the "bulls-eye"
dormers on the roof and some of the
trim stone work, are found only on the
front and two sides of the building
which "face" the town.
These
features are not found on the back
side of the building, a facade
that the public was not expected to
see. Similarly, all the service
elements were located at the rear such
as furnace chimney, coal chute,
basement stair and jail annex.
Ironically, the back of the building
has served as the main entrance to the
building for many years, particularly
after the use of the automobile became
common, as this is where the parking
for the Courthouse was developed.
The
Courthouse is built of blue basalt
which was quarried locally on the
Osmin Ranch in Balm Fork Canyon.
The trim rock is believed to have come
from the Baker region in Eastern
Oregon.
The
main and second floors are organized
around a central hall continuing the most
impressive interior element of the
building, the staircase.
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The
wide oak stair with turned balusters
and large, square newel posts, rises
to the East to a landing, where
the stair splits along both sides and continues
to the second floor. Missing
from the tops of the newel posts are
the decorative elements, described and
illustrated in the original drawings
as candelabra approximately three feet
tall and, perhaps, made of wrought
iron. Holes in the tops of the newel
posts suggest that they were once in
place, though no one seems to know
when or why they were removed.
The
location of the County Clerk's Office
is one of the only ones that has
remained unchanged and is still functioning
in the space originally designed for
it. There is a large, walk-in vault
where County records are stored.
It still contains the original metal
storage boxes and storage
shelves. There are a few pieces
left of what is believed to be
furniture original to the
Courthouse. Much of it is
located in the Clerk's Office and some
in the Commissioners' Office.
The
present day Assessor's Office was
originally the Sheriff's Office.
There was a significant remodel of
this space in 1979 when the County
discontinued use of the jail annex
after 74 years. What shows up in
the original drawings as five cells
and two "water closets" is
now office space for the appraisers.
The opening from the office to the old
jail has been plugged with a
safe. The walls in the back were
constructed extra- ordinarily thick to
accommodate their original purpose.
Off
the main hall are the two County Court
offices, the Treasurer's Office and
the Personnel Office. Although
still in their original configuration,
a door was added to connect the two
County Court offices. The only
other change in these offices is the
location of the entrance into the Personnel
office, which was relocated when the
interior stairway to the basements was
lengthened.
In
the hallways there are some pictures
of note on the walls. One is a wide
view of Heppner in the year 1929.
Another is a picture of the Courthouse
taken in about 1915, when it still had
the original double-door front
entrance. This was later
replaced by a single door and side
lights. In
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the
year 2000, the Heppner High School
Class of 1956 donated a reproduction
of those doors to restore the original
look to the Courthouse entrance.
There is also an oil painting of the
Courthouse which was painted by Sylvia
McDaniel, who was the Morrow County
Treasurer for many years. Near the
front door are original certificates
of appointment for the first officials
in Morrow County after its
creation by the Oregon State
Legislature in 1885.
The
courtroom on the second floor appears
to be as constructed in 1902 with only
a couple of exceptions. The jury
box and witness stand do not appear to
be original, being detailed in a much
simpler fashion than the other
woodwork in the Courthouse.
Also, the bookshelves containing the
law library were added to the back of
the Courtroom in 1994 in order to
restore the jury room to its original
use. The original plans called for
wood panels in the lower half of the
windows behind the judge's bench, but
these were never constructed. The
acoustical panels on the walls were
added in the 1980's to improve the
sound quality of the room, an
unfortunate downside to the beautiful,
coved, high ceiling in the room. The
Justice Court Office also doubles as
the judge's chambers for the Court
judges as it is connected to the
Courtroom by a private corridor. A
restroom was added to this room when
it was used as the jury room during
the many years when the original jury
room housed the law
library. An original
double door with transom windows
connecting this room to the office of
the Circuit Court next door were all
filled in many years ago, but he trim
work was retained. The Circuit Court
Office and District Attorney's Office,
curiously, have no plaster cornice or
picture molding at the ceiling. A door
connecting the two offices of the District
Attorney was added after the original
construction. There is a
mysterious "window: that was
filled in between the DA's Office and
the restroom on the other side of the
wall. The original purpose of this
window is unknown. |
