Legal and government officials and residents gathered on Friday morning to dedicate and open Eugene’s new multi-million dollar federal courthouse, named in honor of former Oregon Sen. Wayne L. Morse.
Officials hope that the $92 million project, located on a 4.5 acre site on the corner of East 8th Avenue and Mill Street, will spur development and economic growth in the neighborhood.
Several federal, state and city officials, including Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith and Rep. Peter DeFazio, spoke at the dedication ceremony, which featured an opening performance from the University Gospel Choir and the University’s ROTC program.
Prepared statements from President George W. Bush and Sen. Ron Wyden were also read at the ceremony.
Construction started in April 2004 and finished in August. It has five floors and contains six courtrooms, judges chambers, law libraries and offices for federal prosecutors and congressional district offices.
Occupants began to move into the courthouse in October and November. The last tenant will be the U.S. attorney’s office, which is expected to move into the building sometime in January.
The courthouse’s design focused on bringing natural light into all areas of the building and features about $1 million worth of art, ranging from photographs and sculptures to a rooftop map of the Willamette River, meant to symbolize the river of law, according to project documents.
U.S. District Judge Michael Hogan, who worked with designers on the project, said the design and building represent the federal government and courts in Oregon and serves as an icon of freedom and the commitment to live under the rule of law.
The courthouse will serve as an impetus for redevelopment in a neglected area of downtown Eugene while contributing to the city’s reputation as a center for arts and outdoors, Piercy said at the ceremony.
“In both form and function, the new courthouse will incorporate two of our most important community goals: accessibility and sustainability,” Piercy said.
At the ceremony, speakers honored the building’s namesake, Morse, who they said embodied the independent spirit of Oregon.
“We celebrate not just the opening of a building, but the life of a great Oregonian,” Smith said.
Morse, who served as a U.S. Senator from 1945 to 1969 as a Republican, an Independent and then as a Democrat, also served as an assistant law professor and as dean of the University’s law school, the youngest in the country at the time.
After the ceremony, residents toured the courtrooms and offices.
The next step in the project is to improve traffic flow around the building, according to city officials.
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