DISCOVER

DISCOVER displays photos and descriptions of more than 250 individual historic properties. Local Landmarks (LL), Federal National Register of Historic Places (NR) and potential candidates (D) are designated. Use Search to locate a property by name, street or neighborhood.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Highland School, 2153 5th Street NE, (LL)

The central portion of Highland School was built in 1912, a period of growth for Salem schools. A 1937 addition to the south added a separate auditorium and a 1950 addition to the north added six new classrooms; all classrooms were modernized at this time. The building is still used as an elementary school.
(Highland)

Gilbert/Polaire, 1950 Water Street NE, (LL)


One early resident was A. E. Gilbert, brother of A.C. Gilbert of the prominent Salem family. In 1907 it was the home of Jacob and Alice Wenger. Around 1913 it became the home of Batty and Mayme Cooper. In 1926 the property was purchased by Walter G. and Margaret A. Baker. In the 1930s Baker changed his name to Zero Polaire because he felt he had been "left out in the cold" in the matter of his family's will. Mr.
Polaire lived in the house into the late 1950s.
(Highland)

Highland Friends Church, 580 Highland Avenue NE, (LL)

The first Friends meeting in Salem took place in 1891 and a church was built on this site during that year. The church was located on property developed by the Oregon Land Company at that time in the ownership of J. H. Minthorn who donated the land for the church. The present building was completed in 1921.The bell, the side-facing stained glass windows, and the decorative gable in the Gothic style with the inscription "1891" were taken from the old church to be used in the present structure. See 1917 photograph.
(Highland)

Christensen, 2295 Liberty Street NE, (LL)

In 1907 this was the home of Curtis W. Chatfield, listed in the Salem City Directory as "fruit grower". Later owners were John C. Stapleton, M. Cruse, and Frank W. Edgar. E. R. Palmer bought the house in 1910 and owned it until 1923 when it was sold to G. W. and Eleanor Slagel. It is best known as the home of Harold and Cora Christensen in the 1920s and 30s; Mr. Christensen was a driver for the Oregon Bakery Company.
(Highland)

Beth Sholom Temple, 1765 Broadway NE, (D)

Established in the 1930's, the first meetings of Beth Sholom Temple were in private homes, then downtown. The synagogue was built 1948. After five decades, the congregation was too large for this home. As preparations were made for renovation, another option appeared. Our Savior's Lutheran Church in South Salem was moving and this property was purchased. On September 17, 2006, the members, with the support of the Salem community, marched the Torahs 5.2 miles to their new home.
(Highland)

Woodry, 1610 Summer St. NE, (D)


Originally owner by E.E. Wild, this Foursquare 1890 farmhouse was remodeled in 1916 for Francis N. Woodry and his wife Medora who lived there until 1947. Their furniture business was conducted across the street in a building later destroyed by fire. The home was occupied for the next 34 years by Edward A Randle, president of the Randle Oil Company. Recently the house has been renovated and is now repainted first the first time since the Woodrys lived there.
(Grant)

Truitt Brothers Cannery, Front Street NE, (D)

First owned by William Waldo, this property was developed for industry as early as 1914, a date inscribed near the roofline of handsome brick building near the river. It has been a food processing plant location under the names Salem King Products, Reid Murdock, Consolidated Foods, United States Corporation, Ltd. and now Truitt Brothers, Inc. It is one of two remaining canneries in Salem, once a national center of agriculture and food processing. See 1973 photograph.
(Grant)

Stiff, 1095 Summer Street NE, (LL)


This house was constructed c.1915 for Herbert and Rose Stiff. Mr. Stiff was the proprietor of the Stiff Furniture Company which was located at Court and High Streets. The Stiffs resided here until the mid 1930s. A resident in the 1940s was Leo Reimann who operated Reimann Truck Service. The house was vacant for several years, but is now being renovated.
(Grant)

Schott, 850 E Street NE, (LL)

This house was built for Henry and Katie Schott in 1913. At that time another Schott family member, Jacob G. Schott resided here also and was principal of the Highland School. The Schott family lived here until the late 1920s. Residents in the 1930s were Ray and Beatrice Yocum who rented from the Schotts. Mr. Yocum was cannery manager for Reid, Murdock, and Company. The Schotts owned the property until 1945.
(Grant)

Baumgartner, 1160 Summer Street NE, (D)

In 1926 this was the 208 (280?) Winter Street home of the Joseph and Ada Baumgartner. Mr. Baumgartner was a hop dealer and there are many photographs of the family with their friends, the Bushes in the years between 1900 and 1905. After 1937, it was moved to 785 N. Summer Street address when the State Library was built on that site as the first structure on the North Capitol Mall. It was moved to this location more recently as the mall expanded to the north.
(Grant)

Roth, 1113 Cottage Street NE, (LL)

This Queen Anne house was constructed for Emil Roth and wife Katherine c.1909-1910. Mr. Roth was a grocer in partnership with the firm of Roth & Graber; in 1911 their store was located at 410-416 High Street. In the 1920s and early 30s the Roths operated a grocery store located at 132-136 North Liberty Street. The architecture of the house is similar, on a more modest scale, to Deepwood. (Note: Since this photograph in 2007, the house has been painted a darker color. See earlier photograph.
(Grant)

Rossman, 910 Capitol Street NE, (LL)

This 1907 residence is in Colonial style with hardwood floors, two fireplaces and 9 1/2 foot ceilings. This handsome home was purchased by George Rossman in 1928, a year after he was appointed to the Oregon Supreme Court. He served as Chief Justice (1947-9) and retired in 1965. It has been refurbished for use as offices.
(Grant)

Roberts, 815 Shipping Street NE, (D)

This house was built in 1900, but original owner is unknown. It was the home of Clifford M. Roberts and his wife Maude in 1932. He was a grocer with a store at 790 D Street. In 1948, Mrs. Roberts is listed at this address and the family name continues there until 1957. Later owners renovated the front of the house in the 1970s, constructing the porch as it is now. Leaves kept blowing onto the wet cement flooring and their imprint can still be seen today.
(Grant)

Robert Paulus, 1155 Summer St. NE, (LL)


This house was built c.1920 for Robert and Juanita Paulus and they resided here until the early 1930s. Mr. Paulus was sales manager for the Oregon Growers Cooperative Association. Later residents were D.B. and Edith Jarman. Modifications in the front of the house include two glass-enclosed porches, relocating the front door. Present owners are restoring the house as it was originally.
(Grant)

Christopher Paulus, 1558 Church Street NE, (LL)

This was originally the home of Christopher and Elizabeth Paulus and their six sons, Robert, Fred, George, Otto, William, and Theodore. Christopher Paulus came to Salem in 1878 and in 1888 married Elizabeth Nees, a recent immigrant from Germany. They built this home in 1892. Paulus owned the J. K. Gill building on State Street and ran a saloon. He sold the saloon and established a building contracting business and was involved in the construction of many local structures.
(Grant)

Olson House, 1490 McCoy Street NE, (D)

Louis Olson, who lived in this 1912 house with his wife Ida, from at least 1920 until 1957, had a variety of occupations during these historic years from just after WWI, through the Depression, WW II, to the launching of Sputnik. He was a packing superintendent at King Foods (now Trutt Brothers), patrolmen with the Salem Police Department, weightmaster with the State Highway Department, elevator operator and engineer at the Masonic Temple and, finally, caretaker of that institution.
(Grant)

Olmstead House, 819 Shipping St. NE, (D)

On land originally belonging to the Paulus family, this may was an early parsonage of the nearby Jason Lee Methodist Church. From 1932 through 1945, James N. and Sarah Olmsted lived here and she continued to do so as widow until 1954, taking in relatives or boarders. One of these, Leo Weir, owned the property from 1957 until 1972. The house retains what may have be its original appearance with broad front porch typical of bungalows in the time it was built.
(Grant)

Nelson, 960 E Street NE, (NR)

Designed by Jamison Parker in 1924, this English cottage was built for Carl Nelson, a securities broker who went into the brokerage business for wool and hops after the crash of 1929. After the death of Mrs. Nelson in 1944, the house was sold. In the 1990s it became the Cottonwood Cottage Bread & Breakfast business establishment.
(Grant)

McKinley, 1470 Cottage St. NE, (LL)

The Queen Anne cottage was built in 1890 and served as a rental until 1913 when purchased by Charles and Lillian McKinley. After 1920 it had a series of owners. The present owners have restored and maintained its original appearance.
(Grant)

Korb, 1695 5th Street NE, (D)

This house, without moving from its foundations, had at least three addresses in city records, changing from 5th Street to Currant Avenue to Rose Avenue between 1909 and 1917. The Korb family, concrete contractors, lived here in those years and until 1920. Their name is inscribed in older sidewalk in Salem. It has had several other owners until the present family purchased it in 1995. A renovation is now in progress.
Since this photograph was taken in 2007, the "renovation" mentioned here caused the house to fall from a construction elevation. The house was beyond repair, was thoroughly demolished, and is now being rebuilt.
See photographs.
(Grant)

Jones/Sherman, 835 D Street NE, (NR)

This 1913 Craftsman residence was built by Ralph Jones. Newly arrived from the Mid-West, he was eager to demonstrate his construction abilities. He lived in the home until 1926 when it was purchased by Charles and Grace Sherman. He was a professor of Philosophy and Psychology at Willamette University and she a supporter of the local music community. Their four children were raised here. He passed away in 1963, she in 1978. See 1992 photograph.
(Grant)

Jason Lee Memorial Church, 820 Jefferson Street NE, (LL)

This 1912 stone church was named for the Methodist founder of Salem. Its exterior is intact to its original design, but the interior has been renovated due to fire in 1926 and later remodeling. The church had many prominent North Salem citizens as members. Many senior citizens remember that from 1918 to 1942 the church operated a restaurant at the State Fair that was a popular attraction. In 1947 an additional church school wing was added on the east side of the building. For construction photograph circa 1909.
(Grant)

Hinges/Kimball, 1075 Capitol Street NE, (LL)

This 1926 Bungalow-Colonial Revival house, photographed on Capitol Street in 2006, was originally located in “Piety Hill”, the residential area of four blocks that was transformed into the North Capitol Mall between 1937-57. The Kimball House, as it was known, was located at the corner of Summer and Chemeketa. Before the Kimballs, the house was originally occupied by the Hinges family. The daughter, Hallie Parrish Hinges (1885-1950), was a noted vocalist in Salem, “The Oregon Nightingale”. Her mother was the daughter of Josiah Parrish, a Salem pioneer.

The photograph below was taken when the house was in its original location.


The house was first moved to 735 Capitol St. and was used as state offices. When the state required that property for the expansion of the North Capitol Mall in the 1980s, this Local Landmark was moved a few blocks north under private ownership. Most recently, new resident owners have renovated the exterior and repainted as seen below (2019)

(Grant)

Hiatt Duplex, 549-51 Winter Street NE, (LL)

This duplex was built in 1922 by James and Greta Hiatt. Mr. Hiatt was a mechanic with the State Highway Department and Mrs. Hiatt was a teacher at Garfield Elementary School. It appears the Hiatts never lived here and it was a rental. Tenants in 1932 were Edward and Nettie Johnson and Barkley and Francis Newman; tenants in 1940 were Mark J. Commer and Mrs. Pearl Speer. Another tenant was Earl Gleason, a pharmacist employed by the Schaeffer's Drug Store.The Hiatts sold the property in 1964.
(Grant)

Compton, 1010 Summer Street NE, (D)

William Post built this home for Henry Compton and his wife Vera in 1921 for about $7,500. Their son, Stuart Compton, remembers that in the 1930's Summer Street was not 99E and neighborhood boys played ball in the street. Only a few blocks of these once socially prominent “Summer Street” homes remain today, several of these moved north to their present sites as State buildings of the North Capitol Mall replaced residences. The present owner of the Compton house and his neighbors are preserving the dignified character of this Salem.
(Grant)

Cole, 925 Hood Street NE, (LL)

From 1932 to 1942 this was the home of Charles A. and Bessie Cole. Mr. Cole was the Chief of Plant Industry for the State Department of Forestry. A later owner was Robert L. Shinn, who lived here with his wife Lenora. This house was originally sited at 715 Summer Street, just north of Mill Creek, and was one of several houses in this area purchased by the State of Oregon and used for office space before that site was needed for the construction of the Oregon Archives. The house was moved to its present location and sold to a private party in 1988.
(Grant)

Chadwick House, 1390 Winter Street NE, (D)

In 1926 William W. and Lorena Chadwick made their home at this address. Mr. Chadwick had been in Salem for only a few years, having been the Postmaster in Canby before 1921. From 1932, Mr. Chadwick rose in his local hotel career. He was manager of the Senator Hotel, General Manager of the Chadwick Hotel Co. Inc. and Chadwick Operating Company. From 1939 to 1943, he was also Mayor of Salem. The Chadwicks continued to live in their Winter Street home through his death in 1968.
(Grant)

Staley/Schlesinger, 1195 Summer Street NE, (LL)

This 1918 transitional box frame residence was  owned by W. I Staley and was located on Summer Street in Piety Hill. He was the owner and Principal of Capitol Business College.
By 1940-41, the house was moved north to its present location on Summer Street at the intersection with Market Street.
The occupant in the next years was Max Schlesinger.
The house is two and a half stories tall with central chimney, weather boarding, shutter windows and full basement. In spite of its location on a busy corner of Market and Summer Streets, the grounds and house maintain their original character of dignity befitting that prestigious residential neighborhood.
(Grant)

Buren/Belton, 1125 Summer Street NE, (D)

This was the home of Wolcott Buren, a prominent Salem physician, from 1935 to 1956. By 1961 Howard Belton, the Treasurer of the State of Oregon, lived here and remained for the next 20 years. It became a rental property until the present owners bought the house, livable but very worn out and overgrown. An advantage of its neglect is the fact that the house has retained its elegant, original style with few alterations.
(Grant)

Friday, February 27, 2009

Broer House, 905 5th Street NE, (LL)

This 1910 English cottage was built for Fred and Nellie Broer who lived there for more than twenty years. Its architecture resembles that of the Minto house at 831 Saginaw and may have been designed by the same person.
(Grant)

Bethel Baptist Parsonage, 925 Cottage Street NE, (D)

The words “Baptist Parsonage” have been pressed into the cement of the step leading up to the front door of this historic residence, always owned by the church next door. Pastors who lived there included Gustave W. Rutsch (1932-5), John F. Olthoff (1940-5) and Rudolph Wolke until 1954. By 1957 it had become the Sunday School Annex. The simple vernacular architecture of this building is relieved by lacy scroll work under the arch of the upper front eave.
(Grant)

Becke, 1045 Summer Street NE, (LL)

This 1921 bungalow-styled house was apparently built for Karl and Helen Becke. He was co-owner of the Becke and Hendricks Real Estate and Insurance Company. The Beckes resided three blocks south at 730 Summer Street. The earliest owner-occupants were William and Gertrude Walker who resided here in 1934. Mr. Walker was associated with the Economy Grocery Store. The residence maintains its original appearance.
(Grant)

Allen, 901 Capitol Street NE, (LL)

William G Allen, a prominent Salem businessman who owned Allen Fruit Packing designed this house himself 1920 and had his own crew build it. It is of unusual design with features more usually found in homes of a sunnier climate. Allen and his wife owned it until 1954 when Charles and Ruth Jens bought it. She was the first female psychiatrist on this side of the Rockies and practiced in the house until 1998.
(Grant)

Townsend, 230 Hrubetz Road SE, (D)

This farmhouse, across the road from the Kuebler house, is believed to have been the original Kuebler property, the home of Frederick and Janette Kuebler, parents of John and Lowell. The present owner recalls the name Townsend as being associated with the property. More research is needed.
(Faye Wright)

John Kuebler, 235 Hrubetz Drive SE, (D)

Two brothers, E. Lowell and John H., both lived near their father on Rural Route 3 south of Salem in 1928. By 1958 that area was included in the city with John and his wife Ester identified as being at 235 Hrubetz Road in the home built in 1941. John may have died in 1984 as his name drops from the Directory temporarily. The property remained in the family until 1997, a period of 70 years. Kuebler Road was named for John’s father.
(Faye Wright)

Hrubetz, 354 Hrubetz Road SE, (D)

This was probably one of the first houses along this country road. In the 1926 City Directory, Caroline M Hrubetz, a teacher at the High School is reported as living in this location, then Rural Route 3. Frank M Hrubetz, possibly her father, was located at box 138, same route. In 1948, Mary J. Hrubetz is still living in a rural area of Salem on Route 9. The only information about this house, now very much altered and almost hidden by other developments, are these City Directory reports.
(Faye Wright)

Chesley, 225 Boone Road SE, (D)

The 1901 Dent farmhouse property once stretched south from the present Hrubetz Road east to Commercial Street. In addition to the responsibilities of his property, Mr. Dent worked at the State Hospital. After his retirement, he moved to another nearby residence, selling the farm to his niece and her husband, Marie and Richard Chesley. The farm home property became the Boone Road Nursery, later known as Chesley Flowers. The general profile of the house retain the original character of the more than 100 year-old home.
(Faye Wright)

Swengle School, 4485 Market Street, NE, (D)

This first school in the Swegle School District was built around 1900 when George Swegle sold one acre of land on Garden Road (Market Street) to the District for $80. The first section of the school as we know it today was built in 1923-4. By the 1938, the school had four classrooms, three teachers and enough students to field a sports program. In one year girls were recruited to fill out the baseball team.
(ELNA)

Pollard Donation Farmhouse, 3562 Swegle Road NE, (D)

This property was near the northwest corner of the Zachariah Pollard Donation Land Claim. The house may have been built as early as 1904, certainly by 1917. The original owners are not yet known. The resident with the longest known tenancy was Kenneth Hinkle of the Salem Upholstery Company. He moved to this county residence in 1948 from his former home on 17th Street, Salem. His name continues to appear at this address in the City Register until 1980. Due to a change in the street and new developments around the property, this residence is hardly visible and the trees gone.
(ELNA)

Tonning, 3281 Croisan Creek Road S, (LL)

This residence, modeled on an architect’s “dream home” that had won a blue ribbon in the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, was begun in 1935, but completed by new owners, Nels and Olga Tonning. Among the guests in their more than thirty years of hospitality were John Croisan and his wife who had lived in the old homestead on the back of the property. When their home burned down, they lived upstairs while they were building another home next door.
(Croisan-Illahe ~ now SWAN)

Roberts Community Store, 3635 South River Road S, (D) SWAN

The store was operated by the Query family from 1915 to 1926 when the property was sold to Roy Rice. Both Roy Rice and his wife were active in community life. In 1936, because of the economic hardships of the Depression, the Roberts Store was sold to Robert Delk. In the late 1940s, Walter and Agnes Kauth, took over the management, operating the store for the next 26 years. By 1973 the “country store” atmosphere was already being lost as the community was no longer an isolated neighborhood. It was recently painted, then closed.
(Croisan-Illahe ~ now SWAN)

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Knapp Place, High & Church Street NE, (D)

Developed in 1926 at the end of High Street where a wooden trestle crossed the creek, the first houses
were at the east end of the block where the creek elbows around the street. Houses averaging 600 square feet were built on 36x70 foot lots. These small bungalows have retained their doll-house charm.
This Discovery is not listed as Salem Historic Property.
(CAN-DO)

Union Street Railroad Bridge, Union & Water Street NE, (NR)

This 1913 bridge promoted business in settlements along its right-of-way: West Salem incorporated itself the following year. As different methods of transporting goods developed in the 20th century, especially truck transport, the use of the bridge by passengers and for freight declined. The last known regular use was in the 1960s. Looking forward to renovation as a walking/biking facility across the Willamette, the city of Salem purchased the bridge in 2004 and reopened it April 18, 2009. It closed for 6 months for repainting and opened again on may 15, 2010.
This photograph was taken before renovation began. 2009 photographs are here.

D. A. White and Sons Feed Store, Front Street, NE, (D)

The two-story brick D.A. White & Son Building was constructed around 1911 by Daniel A. White. It housed a lens grinding business until 1914 when White moved his feed store into it. By the early 1920s, Daniel White had built immense warehouses on Front and Water streets and had seed processing operations throughout the U.S. and in Europe. Robert White, a mayor of Salem and state senator, was president of the company in its final years. The D.A. White & Sons Building remained in White family ownership until the mid-1980s.
The photograph was made before the recent condo construction now adjoining.
This Discovery is not designated as a Salem Historic Property.

Front Street Railroad Viaduct, Front Street near Market Street NE, (D)

The narrow bridge on Front Street is sometimes a hindrance for north-south passage when cars are in competition with the train for roadway. However, this is a historic site. It is the oldest Oregon concrete viaduct still in existence. It was built in 1913 to accommodate rail traffic over the new Willamette River Bridge a few blocks south.
This Discovery is not listed as a Salem Historic Property.

Doughboy Memorial, ODVA, Summer Street NE, (D)

The Doughboy Statue honors 75,000 Americans who died in France during World War I. Originally placed
on the front lawn of the Marion County Courthouse in 1924, it was removed and relocated in the Memorial Park of Oregon Department of Veteran Affairs in 1991.
This Discovery is not listed as a Salem Historic Property. See many more photographs concerning this memorial.

First Methodist Church, 600 State Street, (NR)

First Church is the oldest Methodist Church west of the Rockies. The present building was constructed between the years 1870 and 1878. It is listed as a Methodist Landmark. Its tall white steeple, 185 feet above street level, is the highest structure in Salem. A collection of church records and an exhibit of memorabilia are available for viewing by any interested visitor. See many earlier photographs of this church.
(CAN-DO)

Breyman Brothers Memorial, Willson Park NE, (LL)

This Willson Park feature was given to the City of Salem by Eugene and Werner Breyman in 1904 as a memorial to the Spanish American War. The ornate fountain had watering troughs for horses and dogs. The cast iron fountain shattered, but the remaining base has been restored. The Breyman Brothers partnership was formed in 1863 when they opened a General merchandise store in Salem. They were sometimes referred to as the “Merchant Princes of the Willamette Valley. See other photographs of this memorial.
(CAN-DO)