In the period dating back to at least 1884 and forward to at least 1905, this property was the site of a small, wood frame house in the middle of an otherwise vacant lot. At some point before 1913, the current single-story brick commercial building was erected which covered the whole lot. Initially shown on maps as composed of four shop spaces, sometime before 1939 the shop at 617 Court was subdivided into two smaller spaces, making a total of five shop spaces in the building.
As was common for the era, it featured large plate-glass windows and recessed entranceways (as still visible at the two shops at 141-143 SW Court). The building had a flat roof with a high parapet above its single story which, characteristic of the times, suggested the appearance of height, substance and street presence to the building façade. To add some Victorian charm, the parapet featured an elaborate cornice characterized by many artful pressed tin brackets and a long, horizontal strip of dentil molding. Such cornices form a prominent and alluring element found on several of the buildings in our historic district. This one is carefully preserved and is particularly well done.
The body texture of the original façade has been submerged over the years by various updates and remodeling. At present, the façade is of scored plaster, Roman brick and various modern trim elements with a few of its original features poking out here and there.
In 1913, its first round of occupants (from east to west) in its four equal-sized, 20’ wide spaces were: a telephone office, a meat store included a sausage factory, a grocery store and, at the far west end, the U.S. Post Office for Dallas. By 1939, the meat and grocery stores were simply classified as “stores” and the Post Office and telephone offices were still there.
In the 1950s – 1960s era, there were various occupants, including Ed Hamilton’s barber shop for years at 147 SW Court, followed c. 1986 until the late 1990s by the Oregon Maid Gift Shop at that address. The Dallas Bakery was at 137 SW Court for decades and Court Street Hair was in 141 SW Count until moving to 155 SW Court in 2001.
The building was extensively remodeled both inside and out c. 2020 both inside and out and hosts several small businesses.
References
- Library of Congress Sanborn Maps: https://www.loc.gov/collections/sanborn-maps/?q=dallas+oregon