Historic Downtown Salem #27: South First National Bank Block

241-247 Commercial Street NE

South First National Bank Block on September 4, 2006.

The South First National Bank Block was designed by architect Holly Austin Cornell (son of Oregon's pioneer Cornells for whom Portland's Cornell Road is named) and was built in 1887. It is the only existing Salem building designed by Cornell. The building originally had two storefronts, and was rebuilt with a central entrance by 1923. In the 1940s the building was home to the Benjamin Forstner Store. Forstner came to Oregon in 1863 and was living in Salem by 1874. He became a wealthy man from royalties on his inventions: the Forstner drill bit and an electric motor. The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 31, 1983. At the time of the photos it was home to The Blue Pepper.

South First National Bank Block on November 30, 2006.

Historical Photos:
South First National Bank Building, 1992 (Salem Public Library)

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