Researching the available Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of the times, the property at 742 Main has a noteworthy history. In 1884, it was a vacant lot with the downtown millrace coursing along the south side of the property. Four years later, in 1884 there were two, single-story, side-by-side, buildings on the lot, one a vacant wooden structure and the other some sort of fire-resistant building housing a “Chinese Laundry.” A public water well was sited in the city street in front of these buildings. This same arrangement was mapped in 1902.
By 1905, a fairly large, 1 ½ story, wooden building with an equally large single-story back building, both labeled “Docksteader Livery”, dominated the property. Both were just a bit north of the clearly drawn “open” millrace. These wood buildings were still shown on the 1913 map, but both buildings were characterized with the notation “Transfer”, not “Livery”, odds-on meaning they were in transition with some sort of a new building in the works.
Almost certainly, that new building is the two-story, reinforced concrete building currently seen on the property. This building was depicted on the 1939 map (the next map in the series after the 1913 map), but the style of the façade indicates that it was probably built very early in that cycle, likely around 1914.
The style of this concrete and stucco-faced building is an interesting blend of Italianate influences seen around town around the turn of the 20th Century (transom windows, stylized bulkhead beneath the front windows, etc.) but also with an interesting blend of the Mediterranean Revival style of the period, featuring stucco walls, a sloping, barrel-tile red roof and multiple, symmetrical, arched top windows, features the building exhibits to this day, though in weathered condition.
We have no information about the first business uses of this quite substantial building, but the second story featured a woman’s social club at various times in its early years. There is also the story of it not being an alcohol-free zone during prohibition (1920-1933).
We pick up the official record when the building was purchased and remodeled in 1935 by the Guy brothers, Newton (“Newt”), Bert and Charles. At that time, the brothers operated a successful hardware business – Guy’s Hardware – in the buildings south of the millrace on the same block and needed the large, 742 Main building for expansion. Following the remodel, this new building evolved and became the centerpiece of their operation, that over time, added automotive, sporting goods, farm supplies, paint and plumbing departments, a garden department, and much more to their basic hardware business. In 1938, Newt passed away and Frank Guy bought out the other brothers becoming the long-term president of the company and a very well-known personality in the downtown community over the years.
In 1972, the Guy’s business purchased the buildings and parking lot of its neighboring business to the north, the site of the Mel Campbell Chevrolet/Oldsmobile dealership. This property was historic in its own right, with various buildings built on the site over the years, to include in a wood dwelling shown on the 1882 map. Then referencing the maps from 1884 through 1913, about five buildings were depicted which were dedicated to a large livery stable and related businesses, such as harnesses, buggies, a blacksmith shop and the like. Some time before 1939, probably at least by 1925, the horse-centric businesses were gone, replaced by two concrete (probably block) buildings. These buildings were labeled on the 1939 map as “Auto Sales and Service” with a smaller, perhaps ancillary building where the current parking lot is, characterized as “Greasing” and “Washing.”
After acquiring this property in 1972, the Guy’s very swiftly remodeled the single-story automobile dealership building, tying it directly to their main building and constructing a concrete block extension building out to the sidewalk. First featuring hardware, the new storefront evolved into a new business that housed “Guy’s Gifts”, later “Plain and Fancy Gifts”, all managed by Frank’s daughter, Judy.
In 1991, Frank sold the Guy’s Hardware business to his longtime employee (since 1969), Chuck Friesen.
First started in 1892, with the sale of its property in 2018, Guy’s Hardware had done business in downtown Dallas, for a remarkable 116 years. This longevity made it the oldest retail business ever in downtown, and city-wide, was only eclipsed by the Muir & McDonald Tannery on Levens Street which opened in 1863 and closed in 2007, a remarkable period of 144 years.
KEY REFERENCES:
- Library of Congress Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps for Dallas, Oregon
- Polk County Assessor’s Deeds
- A Hundred Years on Main Street Polk County Observer, September 3, 2002