The Reed Opera House and McCornack Block Addition, more commonly known as The Reed Opera House or The Reed, is a historic building in downtown Salem,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Since its grand opening on September 27, 1870, the Reed Opera House has served as a performing arts center and shopping mall. The

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

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structure was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1978.Oregon: Marion County.
NationalRegisterofHistoricPlaces.com. Retrieved on April 23, 2008.

Early history

Construction on the Reed Opera House began in 1869 and was completed in 1870 with G. W. Rhodes as the architect.Cowan, Ron. Reed Opera house. ''

Statesman Journal The ''Statesman Journal'' is the major daily newspaper published in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1851 as the ''Oregon Statesman'', it later merged with the ''Capital Journal'' to form the current newspaper, the second-oldest in Orego ...

'', April 2, 2006. The

opera house An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...

was built by Cyrus Adams Reed under a contract with the

State of Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

to provide space for the

Oregon State Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

, the

Oregon Supreme Court The Oregon Supreme Court (OSC) is the highest state court in the U.S. state of Oregon. The only court that may reverse or modify a decision of the Oregon Supreme Court is the Supreme Court of the United States.Oregon State Library The State Library of Oregon in Salem, is the library for the U.S. state of Oregon. The mission of the State Library of Oregon is to provide leadership and resources to continue growing vibrant library services for Oregonians with print disabil ...

. During construction, however, Oregon elected officials decided not to comply with the previous administration's contract. Since the building was already close to completion, Reed made some changes to the plan and had seven shops included on the ground floor, an opera house on the second and third floors, and a hotel in the unused space. The Reed Opera House officially opened with the

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for

Oregon Governor The governor of Oregon is the head of government of Oregon and serves as the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The title of governor was also applied to the office of Oregon's chief executive during the provisional and U.S. ter ...

La Fayette Grover La Fayette Grover (November 29, 1823May 10, 1911) was a United States Democratic Party, Democratic politician and lawyer from the U.S. state of Oregon. He was the List of Governors of Oregon, fourth Governor of Oregon, represented Oregon in the ...

. It quickly became the center of Salem's entertainment and social life, playing host to touring plays, opera companies, political meetings, and community events. A number of notable performers made appearances, including local celebrity Hallie Parrish Hinges, artist/political cartoonist

Thomas Nast Thomas Nast (; ; September 26, 1840December 7, 1902) was a German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist often considered to be the "Father of the American Cartoon". He was a critic of Democratic Party (United States), Democratic U ...

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, presidents

Rutherford B. Hayes Rutherford Birchard Hayes (; October 4, 1822 – January 17, 1893) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 19th president of the United States from 1877 to 1881, after serving in the U.S. House of Representatives and as governor ...

and

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and

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's band. On April 20, 1900, the Reed Opera House theater officially closed. This was due to the nearby construction of the Grand Theater, which had more modern amenities and a ground floor entrance. Soon afterwards, Joseph Meyers and Sons, who leased the property from E.P. McCornack, and who had purchased Reed's interest in the building in 1885, converted the theater and the majority of the retail space into a

department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...

. In 1902, McCornack added a two-story building to the Reed Opera House in order to house a furniture store. In 1920, both buildings were purchased and occupied by Miller's Department Store.

Recent history

Miller's Department Store continued to occupy the buildings until 1976. At that time, the buildings were purchased by realtor Coburn Grabenhorst Sr. and architects Phil Settecase and Howard Smith. At the cost of

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$1,000,000, the buildings were updated to assume their present configuration. The new layout of the Reed included a number of retail boutiques and restaurants on the lower level, first floor, mezzanine, and second floor. It prospered until a large

mall Mall commonly refers to a: * Shopping mall * Strip mall * Pedestrian street * Esplanade Mall or MALL may also refer to: Places Shopping complexes * The Mall (Sofia) (Tsarigradsko Mall), Sofia, Bulgaria * The Mall, Patna, Patna, Bihar, India * M ...

was built nearby in the late 1980s. Because of ensuing financial difficulty, the deeds to the Reed Opera House and the McCornack addition were turned over to the bank that financed the

redevelopment Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses. It represents a process of land development uses to revitalize the physical, economic and social fabric of urban space. Description Variations on redevelopment include: ...

. In 1993, Bourne Properties purchased the deeds to the Reed Opera House. Roger Yost, a former marketing vice president of Jantzen Apparel, purchased the Reed Opera House from Bourne Properties in 2003. Since he gained ownership, he has undertaken a remodeling project to expand the building, as well as to restore some of its original features. He has remodeled what is now known as the Trinity Ballroom and the kitchen for $50,000 and modernized the elevators for $175,000. He replicated the rooftop

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedimen ...

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, and architectural

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of the original building for $180,000, having won a $100,000 prize from a contest sponsored by Salem's Urban Renewal agency to assist with the

restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

. In addition to remodeling, Yost added a number of vintage advertisements for his former employer, Jantzen Swimwear (as it was formerly known), throughout the public areas of the Reed.

References

External links

The Reed Opera House website
{{National Register of Historic Places Oregon 1870 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Salem, Oregon Culture of Salem, Oregon Music venues completed in 1870 National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Oregon Theatres in Oregon Tourist attractions in Salem, Oregon Historic district contributing properties in Oregon