It’s Going to Cost $35,000 to Fix Vandalized Window at New Multnomah County Courthouse

Water damage from a broken sprinkler will probably cost more but at least it should be covered by warranty.

Multnomah County Courthouse. (Motoya Nakamura / Multnomah County)

By Nigel Jaquiss

Vandals broke a large window Jan. 6 at Multnomah County's brand-new, $324 million courthouse. The cost for a replacement window: about $35,000, according to county spokesman Mike Pullen.

The window itself, which contains argon gas between glass panels for energy efficiency and noise reduction, costs $12,000, but the cost of shipping it from overseas and bringing in an installation team from out of state adds to the price.

On Jan. 9, things got worse for the 17-story building, which opened in October. A sprinkler head on the seventh floor failed, leaking water all the way down to the basement. The county is still investigating the cause and determining the extent of the damage but hopes the "significant" cost of fixing it will be covered by the sprinkler's warranty.