Desert View Watchtower Historic District Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Desert View Watchtower Historic District has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places with the following information, which has been imported from the National Register database and/or the Nomination Form . Please note that not all available data may be shown here, minor errors and/or formatting may have occurred during transcription, and some information may have become outdated since listing.

National Register ID

94001503

Date Listed

January 3, 1995

Name

Desert View Watchtower Historic District

Other Names

See also:Colter,M.E.J.,Buildings,NHL

Address

East Rim Dr., about 17 mi. E of Grand Canyon Village, Desert View

City/Town

Grand Canyon

County

Coconino

State

Arizona

Category

district

Creators

Colter, Mary Elizabeth Jane; Kabotie, Fred

Level of Sig.

national

Years of Sig.

1341; 1930; 1932

Areas of Sig.

ENTERTAINMENT/RECREATION; ARCHITECTURE

Form

Desert View Watchtower Historic District Nomination Form (PDF)

Photos

Nomination Photos (PDF) (if digitized)

Search

search National Archives catalog

Raw Nomination Form Text

This is auto-generated text from the PDF, so it has no formatting, includes headers and footers, and may contain errors.

Form No. 10-300 (Rev. 10-t4) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM SHEET-J i I lim Imm i SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOWTO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS NAME HISTORIC A* Reed Opera House and McCornack Block Addition AND/OR COMMON LOCATION STREET& NUMBER 189 and 177 Liberty CITY, TOWN Salem STATE Oregon Street NE __ VICINITY OF CODE 41 CLASSIFICATION CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS _DISTRICT _PUBLIC X^OCCUPIED -2CBUILDINGIS) X.PRIVATE —UNOCCUPIED —STRUCTURE —BOTH —WORK IN PROGRESS —SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE —OBJECT _IN PROCESS —YES: RESTRICTED —BEING CONSIDERED X_YES: UNRESTRICTED —NO —NOT FOR PUBLICATION CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 2nd COUNTY CODE Marion 047 ^ PRESENT USE —AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM X-COMMERCIAL —PARK —EDUCATIONAL —PRIVATE RESIDENCE XLENTERTAINMENT —RELIGIOUS —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION —MILITARY —OTHER: OWNER OF PROPERTY NAME ______W.H. Grabenhorst and Company Attn: Coburn Grabenhorst, Sr. STREET & NUMBER ______198 Liberty Street SE CITY, TOWN Salem VICINITY OF STATE Oregon 97501 LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE, REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC. Marion County Courthouse STREET & NUMBER CITY, TOWN Salem STATE Oregon 97301 REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS Statewide Inventory of Historic Sites and Buildings DATE 1971 —FEDERAL JXSTATE —COUNTY —LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS State Historic Preservation Office CITY, TOWN Salem STATE Oregon 97310 DESCRIPTION CONDITION ^EXCELLENT —GOOD —FAIR —DETERIORATED _RUINS —UNEXPOSED CHECK ONE —UNALTERED ^.ALTERED CHECK ONE XORIGINALSITE —MOVED DATE- DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE The Reed Opera House, as proposed for this nomination, consists of the following two structures: 1) the Reed Opera House, an Italianate business building of 1869-1870, designe by G.W. Rhodes, architect, for General Cyrus S. Reed; and 2) the McCornack Block addition, built as a furniture store in 1902 for E.P. McCornack, proprietor of the Reed Opera House and president of the First National Bank. The architect of this later addition has yet to be identified. Complementing these buildings as part of a newly developed shopping mall is the Montgomery Ward Building, a four-story "Colonial" department store of 1936, built for the Montgomery Ward Company of Chicago. The architect of the latter has yet to be identi­ fied. These three buildings have been joined together to provide a mall of specialty store and restaurants. An attempt has been made to maintain the original facade of each building above the first floor level. Exterior walls were cleaned by sand-blasting, and the exposui of the softer inner brick is already apparent in the Reed Opera House, in particular. The brick was later treated with silicon sealer. The Reed Opera House Mall occupies Lots 1 and 2, Block 33 of the original plat of Salem, and this nomination encompasses Lot 1 and the north 20* of Lot 2. The property fronts on Liberty and Court Streets at the NE corner of the block. The site is in the heart of the downtown business district and is a focal point of the retail trade area. The recent redevelopment with private capital has done much to restore the vitality of the downtown business community. The core area has been enhanced in recent years by a fine tree-planting program. On lots behind the Montgomery Ward building, the southern­ most of the three buildings, on the opposite side of the alley bisecting the block, a large parking space was created after the removal of deteriorated nineteenth-century stores fronting on Commercial Street. A near entrance from the parking lot to the Mall has been developed which invites foot traffic and facilitates deliveries. •. w o •• > of o1,' The Reed Opera House is a three-story building, measuring 57'xl64'. It has a base­ ment and a(42x70* ell, of which the south 20x70' is one story. The foundation is stone; the walls brick masonry. There are interior iron supporting columns for the first floor and structural wood columns above; tie bars, and a roof truss system that extends over the western two-thirds of the structure. There are two large bays on either side of a central entrance bay on Liberty Street and seven large bays on Court Street. On the second and third floors there are three round-arched windows in each bay, with four lights over four in each double-hung sash. The stories are set off by three dentil belt courses. Rusticated pilasters between bays are based on paneled pedestals at each story. Within the larger bays, setting off tripartite window openings, are narrower paneled pilasters. Original ground story openings on Court Street were segmental-arched. The westernmost three bays on Court Street constituted the hotel portion of the building, which was com­ pleted as an addition in 1870. The central entrance bay of the main facade on Liberty Street was originally surmounted by a false bracketed pediment with wheel window . At some time prior to the introduction of electricity to Salem in 1889, the original balustrade consisting of turned balusters interspersed with brick posts was altered as a solid brick parapet. In time, the crowning pediment and the overhanging bracketed cornice were removed. The exterior had been painted repeatedly, and, before the most recent renovation, paint had lately covered even upper story windows. The interior of the Opera House originally consisted of seven stores on the ground level. On the Liberty Street end there were offices on the second and third floors, the latter being designed for use by the Oregon State Supreme Court and State Library. On the second floor, also, was the Opera House, with a 40x70' stage and 60x70' auditorium and semi-circular gallery, or dress circle under a 33' ceiling. Access to the Opera House and offices was via a staircase leading directly from the central round-arched portal on Liberty Street. The hostelry in the westerly portion of the building was successively Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM Reed Opera House and McCornack Block Addition COFMTI NUATIQN SHEET__________________ITEM NUMBER 4 PAGE Philip Settecase and Howard Smith V* % Payne, Settecase, Smith and Partners 725 Commercial Street SE Salem, OR 97301 Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM Reed Opera House and McCornack Block Addition CONTINUATION SHEET__________________ITEM NUMBER 7 PAGE 1________________________ known as the Opera House Tremont/Commercial Hotel. Initially, some of the Court Street store rooms served as the hotel's sitting room and dining room. The latter soon became the Opera House Saloon, later the Bureau Saloon. A wooden kitchen on the back was later replaced by the single-story brick structure on Lot 2. The original basement ex­ tended 100* under the westerly portion of the building. In 1900, the shop fronts and interior were redesigned by E.P. McCornack for a large store, Joseph Meyers § Sons. The first floor under the office portion and Opera House was converted into one room, and a mezzanine was added. The main entrance on Liberty became the main entrance to the store. Ajiew stairway provided access to offices on the second floor and to a Masonic Lodge room on the third floor. The Opera House space was sacrificed. In time, the store expanded to all of the first floor and included the basement. Adaptations of the building for the purposes of the recent redevelopment have included enlargement of the mezzanine and the insertion of a few structural posts. Removable interior partitions have been used for the individual store and in one area an interior stairs has been built to the basement. The truss system beneath the roof has been strengthened. The McCornack Block addition on the south is a two-story structure measuring 42x98' It has concrete foundation for the outer walls, a cement basement, and a wood joist system for the two floors and roof above. The second floor facade has a pressed yellow brick facing, with radiating voussoirs above the flat-arched rectangular window openings The original wooden cornice ultimately was replaced with a decorative tin71t58ve a course of raised brick panels. A double brick belt course finishes the entablature and is echoed by a single course at the windowsill line. The store level, or first floor, was redesigned in the recent renovation with a flush wall surface, recessed en­ trances and display windows. The interior has two floors, a small mezzanine and a full basement. Two exterior stairs have been added by the present owners, one at the front on the north, and one at the back. Q] SIGNIFICANCE PERIOD —PREHISTORIC — 1400-1499 — 1500-1599 — 1600-1699 — 1700-1799 X.1800-1899 X1900- AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK AND JUSTIFY BELOW —ARCHEOLOGY-PREHISTORIC _ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC —JVGRICULTURE —ARCHITECTURE _ART X_COMMERCE —COMMUNICATIONS _COMMUNITY PLANNING —CONSERVATION —ECONOMICS —EDUCATION —ENGINEERING —EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT —INDUSTRY —INVENTION —LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE —LAW —LITERATURE —MILITARY X.MUSIC —PHILOSOPHY X_POLITICS/GOVERNMENT —RELIGION —SCIENCE —SCULPTURE —SOCIAL/HUMANITARIAN X_THEATER —TRANSPORTATION —OTHER (SPECIFY) SPECIFIC DATES 1869, 1902 BUILDER/ARCHITECT G.W. Rhodes, Architect, Reed Opers ——^——— Hous STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Reed Opera House is the only truly monumental building dating from the 19th centui remaining in the center of Oregon's Capital City, with the exception of the Methodist Churc and Waller Hall on the Willamette university campus. Architecturally, it is significant as a choice example of commercial Italianate design somewhat typical of West Coast building of its day. G.W. Rhodes, the architect, was also responsible for the castellated brick masonry State Penitentiary of 1870, a structure no longer extant. Historically, it is sig­ nificant as Salem's early cultural and social center. It was a product of the rapid growth the town enjoyed upon development of the Oregon and California Railroad, which provided- - in addition to the Willamette River--another, faster link to West Coast markets. General Cyrus A. Reed, who built the Opera House, had been Adjutant General of Oregon during the later part of the Civil War. He came to California in the gold rush, to Astoria in 1850; and to Salem in 1852. He was associated with many early financial enterprises: Jones, Reed § Co., the town's first sash and blind company; the Willamette Woolen Manufac­ turing Company, the first telegraph; and the Oregon Central Railroad, which initiated con­ struction of the north-south railroad on the east side of the Willamette. An organizer of the Republican party in Oregon, Reed served three terms in the State Legislature, and frame the militia law. He also sponsored the bill for building the first State Capitol, as well as bills regulating gambling, closing saloons on election day, and prohibiting public exe­ cutions. He was interested in women's rights, spiritualism, dramatics, and was a self-taug artist who painted the scenes for his theater. He built the Opera House from funds ob­ tained through real estate development, and at first he ran both the Opera House and the hotel. The project proved to be more costly than planned, and he had great difficulty in salvaging his interests. From its grant opening on October 9, 1869, with "The Female Gambler", the Opera House provided a stage for traveling dramatic troups, the local Salem Dramatic Association, the Salem Musical Union, the Firemen's Annual New Year's Ball, gubernatorial inaugurations, political meetings, community celebrations, fortnightly dances, many lecturers and enter­ tainers, and other visitors to the Capital City needing a public hall and an audience. Its closure on April 20, 1900 was brought about by the building elsewhere of the Grand Theater Opera House which was more readily accessible from the street level. The Reed Opera House Hotel started as a first class operation, but quickly became a second class institution in competition with the larger Chemeketa House, later known as the Marion Hotel. On the other hand, the Opera House Saloon was the best in town around 1893, and was the center of the heaviest gambling. The 1900 redevelopment on behalf of Joseph Meyers and Sons (later Miller's Department Store), was a most successful economic venture, and with the addition of Montgomery Ward and J.C. Penney to the street, Liberty became the retail center, somewhat displacing Commercial Street in that capacity. The introduction of larger stores from Portland after World War II, temporarily ended vitality of the area whic has now been restored. IMAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES See continuation sheet flGEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF NOMINATED PROPERTY 164.5 X 102.5 UTM REFERENCES A|l,0| |4|9,7|0,5tO| 14.917,612,0.31 ZONE EASTING NORTHING cl ..I I I . I i , I I . I . I . . I ZONE EASTING NORTHING pi . i i i . i . . i 1,1,1,, VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION Lot 1 and the North 20' of Lot 2, Block 33, original plat of Salem. STATE CODE COUNTY CODE FORM PREPARED BY NAME/TITLE __ ____David C. Duniwav. Historian ORGANIZATION DATE October 18. 1977 STREET & NUMBER 1365 John Street So, TELEPHONE 503/581-2338 CITY OR TOWN STATE Salem Oregon 97302 STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS: NATIONAL__ STATE___ LOCAL _2L As the designated State Historic Preservation Office>4or the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665), I hereby nominate this property for inclusion in tine National Register and certify thyrt it has been evaluated according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the Nation/l Parj^ervice. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATljl TITLE State Historic Preservation Officer DATE January 20, 1978 Mn::DrTniitiTtiitifi:iiiiiiTii GPO 888-445 Form No. 10-300a (Rev. 10-74) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR F01NPS NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECEIVED NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM DATEENTlfiEi Reed Opera House and McCornack Block Addition CONTINUATION SHEET ITEM NUMBER 9 PAGE 1 Reed Opera House Daily American Unionist, Salem, March 12, 1869. "Work Commenced", and other references through the year. Weekly Oregon Statesman, October 16, 1869, articles from October 9th relate to grand opening, and other references for the rest of the year. On March 29, 1871, page 2, articles were written regarding G.W. Rhodes, architect. Oregon Statesman, April 20, 1900, advertisement for last performance...The Great Barlow Minstrels...(also description of the new store). Marion County, Mechanic's Liens (Oregon State Archives). Circuit Court suits (Marion County Courthouse). Salem Community Development Building and Safety Division records and Sanborn Atlas of Salem, corrected to 1958, and to 1915. Brown, J. Henry. Salem Directory for 1871... p. 91, etc. Patton, E. Cooke. "Early Theatrical History of Salem," Oregon Magazine (March 1922), 20-21. Maxwell, Ben. "A Hundred Years of Salem Theatrical History," Marion County History (vol. 4, 1958), 25. Ernst, Alice Henson. Trouping in the Oregon Country. Portland: Oregon Histori­ cal Society, 1961. Gregg, Robert D. "1871 Opera House Made Salem History", Oregon Statesman (March 14, 1971). Hawkins, John. "Reed Opera House complex aids renewal", Oregon Statesman-Journal (May 22, 1976), 1C. Cyrus A. Reed Gregg, Robert D. manuscript furnished the present owners, (notes for talk to Rotary Club, June 16, 1975). Lang, Herbert. History of the Willamette Valley. Portland, 1885. p. 724. Hodgkin, Frank E~Pen pictures of representative men of Oregon... Portland, 1882, p. 795-7377"^ ————————————— ——— McCornack Block Oregon Statesman, Illustrated Annual, (Jan. 1, 1904), p. 62; (Jan. 1, 1903), p. 4; (Nov. 6, 1902), p. 6, "Salem Improvements...".