 1869 Pearce Bldg., (l), 1874 Breyman Bros. Bldg. [White's Corner], (r), c1930. (V.Green coll.)  Pearce Building, c2010. Breyman Bros. building (off to right) now houses Shryock's Menswear. (T.Green)  1889 Breyman-Bush, Brey Buildings, c1920. (V.Green coll.)  1880 Capital National Bank, 1889 Bush-Breyman Bldg., c2010. (T.Green)  1916 Hughes-Durbin Building, c2005. (T. Green) |  State Capitol, US Post Office, Marion Co. Courthouse, First Methodist Church, c1900 (V.Green coll.) September 10, 2015 Episode: Today we talked about the repercussions of the First and Second World Wars on the commercial scenery of Salem. The impacts wrought across Europe by a rapidly changing political scenery were soon felt in our West Coast towns. Following WWI--the war to end all wars--monumental changes began occurring in the mostly agrarian communities in the United States: transportation options were improving; people were leaving the farms for work in the industrial factories that sprang up during the war effort; women were beginning to vote and launch "careers." Europe had long been our architectural inspiration point and now the Art Nouveau movement was highly popular. Many of the older Commercial-style buildings were remodeled to sport smooth-faced facades with intricate, geometric decorations made of expensive materials. Following WWII, the desire to return to "life" and to build a better world with new families and new ideals lead to the residential movement from town centers to suburban communities, with shops and services to service this new clientele. To compete, many of the ornate buildings built in Gothic, Italianate, Greek Revival, Commercial styles found in downtown Salem were remodeled again--this time with the new International Moderne, or Modern-styled touches. Wartime discoveries lead to new building materials--concrete, steel, glass--being available to area contractors. Several of our downtown buildings were totally replaced (Pearce, Hughes-Durbin buildings) with modern-styled buildings; even more building owners remodeled their ground-floor storefronts again to showcase sleek, shiny materials and large glass windows, all in an attempt to compete with the new suburban shopping centers. |
 1893 Salem City Hall, c1959; demolished 1972. (V.Green coll.)  Marion Co. Courthouse, 2008. (T.Green) | Our public buildings were not overlooked in this modernization movement which resulted in the demolition of many highly ornate historic buildings. The Richardson Romanesque Salem City Hall and the High Victorian Marion County Courthouse are examples of buildings replaced with the now-vogue styles of Brutalism-Monumentalism and International--concrete, glass, and marble-like monuments in which the industrial production techniques and marks are highlighted and incorporated into the design. Many of the fine older homes of the Piety Hill area are demolished and replaced with the modern-designed State buildings of the Capitol Mall: Public Services Building, 1949; Transportation Building, 1951; Labor & Industries Building, 1961. It will be interesting to see what architectural styles will be tagged as signature styles within our lifetime. The Ranch style of the 1970-80s is now old enough for historic designation. Perhaps it will be the French Normandy or Provincial, hipped-roof style of the 1990-00s, or the return to the Arts & Crafts styling found in the early 21st century. Whatever it will be, some of us will love it and some of us just won't be able to appreciate it at all. Fortunately for our future generations, historic preservation is charged to protect them all. |
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