Historic Downtown Salem #39: Brewer Block

405 Court Street NE

Brewer Block on September 4, 2006

Dr. Charles H. Brewer, an 1898 graduate of the Willamette University College of Medicine in Salem, bought this lot from L.L. Rowland in 1903 and built the Brewer Block in 1904. Dr. Joseph Henry Brewer also occupied the building and they owned and operated the Brewer Drug Company store on the main floor and had their offices upstairs. Joseph’s wife Mary E. Brewer clerked in the drug store for many years. The Cherry City Land Company also occupied the top floor of the building. In the 1940s, the ground floor was the home of Paramount Shoes. Ray-Lee, Incorporated, bought the Brewer Block in 1947 and owned it until the mid-1970s. More recent occupants of the building include Karl’s Shoes and Big Town Hero.

Historical Photos:
Brewer Building, 1912 (Salem Public Library)
Brewer Building, 1941 (Salem Public Library)

Continue to 40: Moore Building & Skiff Block…