355-363 Court Street NE
Christopher Paulus Building on September 4, 2006.
This Commercial-style building was built by contractor Christopher Paulus in 1907 as his own rental property. His teenage sons Fred and George also did construction work on the building. The building replaced two small one-story wood structures that housed a Chinese store and a Chinese laundry called Sung Lung Washing and Ironing. Also removed was an Oregon white oak tree at the back of the lot under which Colonel E. D. Baker made his farewell address when he went east to become one of Oregon’s first two senators; he would become the first Northern officer to be killed in action in the Civil War. At the time this building was built, Court Street was being paved; it and State Street were Salem’s first paved streets. In addition to many residential homes, Paulus built three other commercial buildings in Salem, but two of these are no longer standing and the third has been substantially altered.
The Paulus Building originally had a single storefront and housed furniture dealers. Louis U. Josse Furniture opened in the building in 1907. In 1910 Wallace M. Moore became a partner in the business, which was renamed Josse & Moore Furniture Company. In 1914, Moore bought out Josse and the company became W.M. Moore Furniture, which remained until moving to larger quarters in 1920. The Oscar B. Gingrich Motor & Tire Company, a Maxwell automobile agency, occupied the building from 1921 to 1923. From 1923 to 1929 the building was occupied by the Giese-Powers Furniture Company, and a concrete skybridge was built from the rear of the second floor to a new concrete building on the adjacent lot. The painted advertisement on the west wall was originally painted at this time, and has been repainted more recently.
After being vacant for two years, the first floor was split into two retail spaces in 1931. Doughton's Hardware, operated by Isom M. Doughton, occupied the west end side of the building from 1934 to 1991. Doughton’s Hardware remained family owned until it was sold in the late 1980s. Frank Elliott’s dry goods business occupied the east side, followed by Sally's Women's Clothing from 1935 to 1940. After World War II, the east side of the Paulus Building was home to various renters, including Kay Typewriter Company, Court Street Radio and Appliance Company, Willamette Electric Furnace Company and the Grace Gustafson antique store. In 1946, Verne’s Sewing Machine Service took the place of the furnace company and antique store, and the second floor became home to the Your Town Press newspaper in April 1946 and the Ink Spot printer in 1947. Around this time a new staircase with a street entrance was added on the east side to provide direct exterior access to the second floor. In 1948, Kay Typewriter and Verne’s Sewing Machine Service moved and were replaced by Jack & Jill’s children’s clothing store. The newspaper moved out by September 1949. From 1956 to the late 1980s, the Edward H. Williams greeting card store occupied the east side of the Paulus Building. In the 1960s a car crashed into the storefront of the greeting card store and the facade was rebuilt. The Paulus family owned the building until 1990. New owners purchased the building in 1991, and restored the west storefront to its 1933 appearance using modern materials. The Paulus Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1992. Previously occupied by Northwest Knives & Collectibles, it is now home to Art & Antiques Plus and Lullu's tutto cucina.
Historical Photos:
Paulus Building, 1992 (Salem Public Library)
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