Hatfield Government Center is a light rail station in downtown Hillsboro, Oregon, United States, owned and operated by TriMet. The station is the western terminus of the MAX Blue Line. Opened in 1998, it is located in the same block as the Hillsboro Post Office and adjacent to the Washington County Courthouse and the Hillsboro Civic Center. The block is bounded by First and Adams streets on the east and west and Washington and Main streets on the south and north. The station is named in honor of Mark O. Hatfield, a former United States Senator from Oregon and light rail proponent. It is the furthest west light rail station in the Continental United States.
History
Construction of the Westside MAX project began in 1993. In November 1996, Hillsboro and TriMet named the yet-to-be-completed station at the western end of the project as the Mark O. Hatfield Government Center Station. Hatfield was retiring from 30 years as U.S. Senator and previously used his political clout as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure funding for the project. Hatfield, who had by then retired, was in attendance as the station was officially dedicated in his honor. Dedication ceremonies for the line at the station included a speech by then U.S. Vice President Al Gore and U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater. Oregon politicians speaking at the dedication included Governor John Kitzhaber, former Congressman Les AuCoin, then Congresswoman Elizabeth Furse, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Gordon Smith, and former Senator and station namesake Mark Hatfield. In March 2008, TriMet added additional capacity during the morning and evening commuting period. This was accomplished by extending three Red Line trains from the Beaverton Transit Center stop each morning and evening during peak ridership times. The garage includes 250 parking spaces accessible 24-hours a day. The stop is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, contains bike racks and bike lockers, and has an electronic reader board listing up-to-date arrivals of trains. The building is postmodern in style and includes rose windows, false chimneys, and gables. The entire station was designed by the architectural firm OTAK Inc. and also includes an electrical substation.
Art
As with all the stops on the Westside MAX, displays of public artwork were included in the construction of the stop. Representing agriculture, the design includes an abstract scarecrow, crows on the corners of the roof, and a portion that extends into the shelter that displays a seed, all moving with the wind.