Name: Grant County Courthouse
Address: 201 S Humbolt Street
City: Canyon City
Year of Construction: 1953
Architect: Burns, Bear, McNeil & Schneider
Original Use: Government
Status: In Use
National Register of Historic Places: Not Listed
Description: Grant County’s courthouse is a solidly constructed, two-story government building that illustrates the influence of modernist architecture had reached more rural areas of central and eastern Oregon by the early 1950s. The previous courthouse in Canyon City was damaged by fire in 1950 and subsequently demolished; county voters approved more than $200,000 in funding to build the new facility.
Designed by a Portland architecture firm, the building is restrained in detail but has a formality that suggests stripped-down Neoclassicism. The projecting red stone vestibule and grid of windows above it create a surprising geometric effect. The courthouse faces a narrow grass lawn that separates it from Canyon Creek.
Further Information
• Grant County History, Oregon Secretary of State [new window]
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