Historic Downtown Salem #28: Eldridge-Greenbaum Building

240 Commercial Street NE

Eldridge-Greenbaum Building on September 4, 2006.

Built in 1889, the Eldridge-Greenbaum Building, also known as the South Eldridge Block, is the southern component of an original twenty-three-bay Italianate style building that extended to the north end of the block. Local architect Wilbur F. Boothby originally designed, built and owned the Eldridge block, which originally featured two large pointed spires, one of which was in the middle of this section. The building was later known as the Boyce Building and the Barnes Cash Store. The rest of the building was demolished in November 1954, and only these seven bays remain.

Eldridge-Greenbaum Building on September 8, 2007.

This building has housed Greenbaum's, originally a department store, since 1900 or possibly since 1898. The store became Rostein & Greenbaum in 1903 when Ed Rostein bought into Isadore Greenbaum’s business. About a decade later, Greenbaum’s son Adolph Greenbaum joined the business. Wilbur F. Boothby died in 1917 and his children sold the building to the Rostein-Greenbaum partnership in 1919. Ed Rostein later left the business to join his brother-in-law Sam Adolph in the insurance and real estate business. Isadore Greenbaum died in 1930, and the store became Greenbaum's Fine Fabrics in the 1940s. In 1943, the building was sold to Roy Lockenour, and Adolph Greenbaum rented space in the building with the understanding that he would have the first chance to buy the building if Lockenour ever decided to sell it. Adolph Greenbaum died in 1960, and the store was taken over by his sister Irene and her husband Albert Depenbrock. A few years later, Lipman’s department store offered wanted to buy the building from Lockenour and they had agreed upon a price, but Lockenour honored his agreement with Adolph Greenbaum and offered the building to the Depenbrocks first. When Irene heard that Lipman’s planned to demolish the building to enlarge their parking lot, she obtained financing from the bank and called Lockenour, who was in a meeting with Lipman’s. The Depenbrocks purchased the building on December 9, 1966. Their daughter Sylvia and her husband Bill Dorney bought the business on January 1, 1978 and ran it together until Bill became director of the Salem Downtown Association in 1985. Sylvia specialized the store into a quilting fabric shop known as Greenbaum's Quilted Forest in 1988. Bill and Silvia Dorney purchased the building in May 1999.

Additional Links:
Eldridge-Greenbaum Building at Salem Online History

Historical Photos:
Boyce Building (Oregon State Library)
Boyce Building, 1940 (Salem Public Library)

Continue to 29: England Block & England-Wade Building…