Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company, has been chosen to lead the exterior and interior renovation project for the Salem Civic Centre/City Hall in Salem, Oregon. The project aims to modernize the facility, creating a contemporary workplace for various city departments, including the Mayor and City Managers' offices, City Council Chambers, Municipal Courts, and the Planning and Purchasing departments.

The $40 million (£30 million) renovation will involve a seismic retrofit and significant structural upgrades to the 1970 Civic Centre. The project will also include the construction of a new parking garage and comprehensive interior improvements.

Ryan McGrew, Senior Vice President of Howard S. Wright, said: “Our seasoned team of experts and industry partners will deliver a state-of-the-art facility for the City of Salem’s personnel and will leverage our project-first approach to ensure we meet our client’s renovation goals.

“Our team will also carefully work to preserve the building’s over half a century of history while also providing upgrades to improve the workplace for the City’s workforce. We look forward to working with our owner, design team and trade partners to bring this project to fruition by providing a facility that will bring the heart of Salem City operations back to life.”

Howard S. Wright has a strong track record in Oregon, having completed various renovation projects, including seismic retrofits and interior upgrades to the Salem Public Library, the reconstruction and renovation of the Portland Building, and updates to the Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building. The company also recently completed the new 30,000-square-foot Salem Public Works Operations Building, consolidating multiple office locations into one.

The Vern Miller Civic Centre renovation project will be undertaken in collaboration with Hacker Architects and CBTWO Architects. Howard S. Wright has been contracted for design and preconstruction services, with the full project award expected in Q2 2025. Construction is slated to begin in Fall 2025, with completion anticipated by Spring 2027.