Jefferson County - American Courthouses

Jefferson County is named for Mount Jefferson located in the county and which mountain was named after Thomas Jefferson, who was President of the United States from 1801 to 1809.

Surrounding County Courthouses:

N – Wasco County

E – Wheeler County

S – Crook County and Deschutes County

W – Linn County and Marion County

Created: December 12, 1914

County Seat:

Madras 1914 – present

Former County Courthouse – Madras

Location: 75 SE C Street / SE 7th Street

Built: 1960 – 1961

Style: Modern

Architect: Roald, Schmeer & Harrington

Contractor: A R Ritchie & Company

Description: The building faces north and is a two story concrete structure. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Madras. The north front has a projecting east section. The central entrance is recessed with a projecting entrance section. The west section has windows on the first and second stories. The roof line is flat. On the south side is the County Courthouse Annex.

County Courthouse – Madras

Location: 129 SW E Street / SW 3rd Street

Built: 2015 – 2016

Style: Modern

Architect: DLR Group of Portland and HSR Master Planning and Architecture of Bend

Contractor: Skanska of Portland.

Description: The building faces north and is a two story concrete and glass structure presently being constructed. The building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Madras. The north front has a projecting center section with five vertical pillars. The first story is recessed. The second story has glass walls. Three sections rise on the flat roof line. The building houses the County Circuit Court of the 22nd Judicial District.

Old County Courthouse – Madras

Location: 34 D Street / 6th Street

Built: 1916 – 1917

Style: Neo-Classical

Architect: O G Brubaker

Contractor: Guy Wilson

Description: The building faces south and is a two story red colored brick and concrete structure. The rectangular building is located on landscaped grounds in the center of Madras. The south front has a central arched entrance. A projecting cornice runs below the roof line and between the first and second stories. The building served as courthouse and later as City Hall.

See: National Register of Historic Places – Old Jefferson County Courthouse and Jail

See: The 22nd Judicial District includes Crook County.

History: The county was created in 1914 and Madras was selected as the county seat. The first courthouse was built in 1916 to 1917 and is still standing. The second courthouse was constructed in 1960 to 1961 and is still standing. The building was demolished. The third and present courthouse was constructed in 2015 to 2016 at a cost of $11,500,000.