Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center (original) (raw)

Building on the Willamette University campus in Salem, Oregon, U.S.

The building's exterior in 2018

The Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center houses the Willamette University College of Law at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Located on Winter Street, just south of the Oregon State Capitol,[1] the facility features classrooms, the law library, administrative offices, and faculty offices.[2] The building also contains a fully functioning trial courtroom used for moot court.[2] It houses Lady Justice, the 12-foot (3.7 m)-tall, 300-pound (140 kg) statue formerly located on the roof of the Marion County Courthouse.[3][4]

The $1.1 million facility opened in September 1967.[3] The law school building was named in honor of Truman W. Collins, a Willamette University alumni and well known businessman and philanthropist.[5]

In 1992, the Collins Legal Center went through an award-winning renovation[6] and expansion that ended with a dedication ceremony and speech by former U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.[7][8] In her dedication speech, O'Connor advocated for civility among those in the legal profession and for avoiding personal attacks among lawyers.[9] In December 2005, the school's moot courtroom was used for a real civil trial after the Marion County Courthouse was damaged the previous month.[10]

  1. ^ "WUCL". LLM Courses. Hobsons. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Facilities". Willamette University College of Law. Retrieved August 20, 2007.
  3. ^ a b Swenson, Eric (1987). Willamette University College of Law: The First Hundred Years: An Illustrated History. Willamette University College of Law.
  4. ^ Barber, Richard D. "The Marion County Courthouse: A Historical Perspective". Marion County Circuit Court. Oregon Judicial Department. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  5. ^ "Legal Center a Milestone", Capital Journal, Salem, Oregon, 30 August 1967, p. 28.(subscription required)
  6. ^ "Awards". Soderstrom Architects P.C. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  7. ^ "College of Liberal Arts Catalog, 2003–2005" (PDF). Willamette University. September 1, 2006. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  8. ^ Gibby, Susan (2000). "Willamette University". Salem Online History. Salem Public Library. Retrieved February 22, 2010.
  9. ^ Leeson, Fred (September 11, 1992). "O'Connor calls for legal civility". The Oregonian.
  10. ^ Murez, Cara Roberts (December 14, 2005). "Mobile courtrooms". Statesman Journal.

44°56′13″N 123°02′01″W / 44.93694°N 123.03361°W / 44.93694; -123.03361