Historic Downtown Salem #64: Vick Building

525 Trade Street SE

Vick Building on April 7, 2007

The Vick Building is located about a block outside the Downtown Historic District. The 35,076 square foot masonry building was designed by architect Fred Legg and built in 1920 to house the Vick Brothers automobile and tractor dealership.

Vick Building on April 7, 2007

The building is named for Charles Vick, an early Salem businessman. Vick donated $500 to the American Red Cross for the honor of being the first motorist to cross the Center Street Bridge at its dedication on July 29, 1918, driving a Fordson tractor.

Vick Building on April 7, 2007

In 1986 the building was acquired by Vernon Hills II Associates of Los Angeles, California. Roger Yost purchased the building in April 2008 for $4.5 million. Yost had previously invested in the restorations of the Reed Opera House and the Capitol Center.

Vick Building on April 7, 2007

By October 2008, the building had been repainted in a suede color with chocolate brown and beige accents, which is believed to be similar to the original color. It is currently leased to the State of Oregon Judicial Department and the Office of Private Health Partnerships.

Vick Building on April 7, 2007

Historical Photos:
Vick Building, August 14, 1977 (Salem Public Library)

Continue to 65: J. Hughes New Salem Hotel…

Historic Downtown Salem #63: Crystal Garden Ballroom

210 Liberty Street SE

Crystal Garden Ballroom on September 9, 2006

Just outside the Downtown Historic District is this building at the corner of Liberty and Ferry, which was the Crystal Garden Ballroom. It featured dancing on the main and second floors and a swimming pool in the basement. Later, the main floor was home to the Merritt Davis School of Commerce.

Additional Links:
Crystal Ballroom at Discover-Neighborhood-History

Historical Photos:
Crystal Garden Ballroom, July 21, 1961 (Salem Public Library)

Continue to 64: Vick Building…

Historic Downtown Salem #62: Phoenix Grand Hotel (Salem Armory Site)

201 Liberty Street SE

Phoenix Grand Hotel on September 6, 2006

Just outside the Downtown Historic District, the Phoenix Grand Hotel was built at a cost of $17 million and opened in March 2005. The Phoenix Grand Hotel features 193 rooms and is attached to the Salem Conference Center. It is built on the site of the Salem Armory. The Armory was dedicated on June 17, 1912. It was demolished in 1962 and the Marion Motor Hotel was built in its place. The motel was demolished in 2004 for the new Phoenix Grand Hotel.

Phoenix Grand Hotel on April 7, 2007

Historical Photos:
Salem Armory, 1911 (Salem Public Library)
Salem Armory, June 17, 1912 (Salem Public Library)
Salem Armory, 1915 (Salem Public Library)
Salem Armory, 1959 (Salem Public Library)
Salem Armory, August 1961 (Salem Public Library)
Marion Motor Hotel, 1975-1980 (Salem Public Library)

Continue to 63: Crystal Garden Ballroom…

Historic Downtown Salem #61: Checks Cashed Building

198 Liberty Street SE

198 Liberty Street SE on September 9, 2006

This two-story reinforced concrete commercial building was built in 1920 and was remodeled in the 1950s or 1960s and again in the 1980s, significantly altering its appearance. The building is currently the home of a check cashing business.

Additional Links:
Checks Cashed Building at Salem Online History

Continue to 62: Phoenix Grand Hotel (Salem Armory Site)…

Historic Downtown Salem #60: Quisenberry Pharmacy

150 Liberty Street SE

Quisenberry Pharmacy on September 9, 2006

The two-story Quisenberry Pharmacy building was built in 1926, but was significantly altered by the 1980s with a stucco finish. This family-owned pharmacy has been here for a very long time.

Historical Photos:
Quisenberry Pharmacy, 1979 (Salem Public Library)

Continue to 61: Checks Cashed Building…

Historic Downtown Salem #59: Gray Building

105-135 Liberty Street NE

Gray Building on September 4, 2006

This Italianate style building was built in 1891 for brothers Charles A. Gray, George B. Gray and William T. Gray. The building features cast-iron columns at the corners produced by the Albany Iron Works of Albany, Oregon.

In the late 1880s, Charles A. Gray was superintendent of the Salem Street Railway Company, George B. Gray was a realtor, and William T. Gray was a capitalist. Charles and George Gray were operated a hardware business in this building, while their brother William T. Gray worked as a general contractor. The Gray Brothers left Salem by 1907.

In early 1900, Charles Gray sold the building to Russell Catlin and James R. Lynn, Salem hop growers and merchants who did business under the name Catlin and Lynn. By 1914, the building had been broken up into four shops on the ground floor with offices on the second floor. Catlin acquired Lynn’s interest in the building a few years later, and the present owners are direct descendants of Catlin. Hartman Jeweler was once located here. Today it is The Brick Bar & Broiler.

Continue to 60: Quisenberry Pharmacy…

Historic Downtown Salem #58: Pomeroy Building

379-383 State Street

Pomeroy Building on September 4, 2006

This building was built in 1860 as a boarding house. Early tenants included Miller Hayden of the Real Silk Hosiery Company who later became a lawyer and state district judge, insurance agent and notary public Fred Binyon who later served as an assistant attorney general attached to the Oregon State Insurance Department for 17 years, and attorney C. F. Gillette who was city attorney for Monmouth, Oregon. The building was purchased by jeweler Charles T. Pomeroy and A. A. Keene in 1925, and was remodeled in 1926. Pomeroy & Keene Jewelry remained here until the 1990s, managed by Charles Pomeroy’s daughter Audrey Pomeroy. Her brother, an optician, had a shop here too for a time. The street clock is a model 13404 built by the Brown Street Clock Company of Monessen, Pennsylvania.

Pomeroy Building Street Clock on September 4, 2006

Historical Photos:
Pomeroy Building, 1941 (Salem Public Library)

Pomeroy Building Street Clock on September 4, 2006

Continue to 59: Gray Building…