Known as the Crider Building, this building was built in 1889 and is located at 857 Main Street. This is the same year as the nearby Wilson and the adjacent Brown building were constructed. It is in the Italianate style, two-story with brick cladding. The Brown and Crider buildings are twins both constructed in the Italianate style with the upper stories reflecting private uses such as apartments, offices, or meeting halls. The Crider building is an excellent example of the Italianate style with large storefront windows in bays, brick construction, recessed entrance, paired double-hung windows on the upper story, and a decorative pointed arch parapet with a date plate in the center.
The story of the building goes back to the 1850s when Abraham S. Crider came to Dallas with his wife and two children. He bought a house on Main and Oak streets, and started a boot making and shoe business there. Henry Lee Crider. joined the business and expanded to a few more items. In c. 1876, J.W. Crider son, son of A. S. Crider, expanded the business by adding merchandize, and by 1884, the business was moved to Main Street, across from the courthouse. Henry Lee Crider (Lee) joined J. W. Crider in 1888, in the mercantile business.
On July 31, 1889 at 1:15 am, a large fire destroyed most of the wood buildings on the 800 block on the west side of Main between Court and Mill streets. Many of these businesses quickly began to reopen, and in 1889, the Criders purchased property next to the Brown building, which had been rebuilt using bricks. According to deed numbers, the Browns and Criders exchanged portions of their buildings to obtain the size of stores they desired.
Later, the Crider business became so lucrative that a new site was purchased at the northwest end of what is now the 700 block of Main. C. L. Crider sold this building in 1938.
The Crider building has housed many businesses over the years; Stockwell’s Confectionery, Butler’s Variety store, a China shop, Clothing (Howe/Finseth’s) and Savery’s Drug Store. Later, c. 1950, Haas Drug store was here for many years. In addition to prescription and over the counter drugs, they sold fancy perfume, dusting powder, jewelry and many gift items. The building was bought c. 2007, by Penny M. Cox who redesigned the interior. In 2009, Michel Berkes leased this building, and it became the Some Things furniture store until being purchased by Mark and Kimberly Brehm in 2018, where it currently houses their Main Street Emporium business.
KEY REFERENCES:
- 1892,1913 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Dallas, Polk County, Oregon
- The Capital Journal Fri, Jan 18, 1929·Page 12 Obituary
- Oregon Statesman Fri, Aug.2, 1889 “Down in Ashes”
- Polk County Property search
- The Capital Journal, Fri. Jan 18, 1929 ·Page 12