Salem in 1991

World Events

• US and UN forces enter Gulf War with operation "Desert Storm" to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Seventh months later, Iraqi soldiers in retreat set fire to Kuwaiti oil fields. These fires put out after extensive efforts.
• The 74 year-old Soviet Union collapses as 11 member nations become independent. Russia is renamed as the Russian Federation with Boris Yeltsin as elected president. The city of St. Petersburg regains its name. Yugoslavia is divided into Croatia and Slovenia. Germany regains complete independence from WW II occupying countries.
• Exxon pays one billion dollars to clean up Valdez oil spill.
• Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court Justice, retires. In the confirmation hearings for nominee Clarance Thomas, former aid Anita Hill testifies to his abusing her. Her testimony is disregarded and he is confirmed.
• The police beating of Rodney King is caught on tape and shown on world-wide on TV. Four Los Angeles police officers go on trail.
• The Academy Awards: "Silence of the Lambs"(US),"Mediterraneo (Italy) Prize-winning Books: Mating, Norman Rush and Rabbit at Rest, John Updike.

In Salem

Oregon State Archives Building

In 1991 the Cecil L. Edwards Archives Building was completed. Prior to 1946 Oregon had no Archive structure, no unified approach existed for preserving historical state records. The Secretary of State had custody of the records of the Legislative Assembly and the Governor. All other departments and agencies cared for their own records or placed them in the State Library, however many were presumably destroyed. Moreover, the fire that destroyed the state Capitol in 1935 consumed additional valuable records. The 1945 Legislative Assembly allocated a small amount of money to start the program under the State Library. David Duniway was hired in 1947 as Oregon's first state archivist and served for almost thirty years. He set up shop in the basement of the State Library Building, developing policies and procedures designed to improve government record keeping and preserve the most valuable documents. Eventually, the operation moved into a large warehouse with four floors of storage. Further growth and the need for climate controlled storage areas led to the opening of the current building.

When you Visit
In the Lobby of the Archives visitors are processed into the building and its records for individuals use. Archivists within the Reading room will help find the appropriate records.

North Capitol Mall Review 1937-1991

North Capitol Mall before 1984

North Capitol Mall was now complete except for one more building that would be erected in 2002-3, the Capitol Mall Office Building. This undated photograph (also featured in an earlier year)  was taken before 1984 when the state had not finished constructing buildings in the area within the dotted lines. The State Agriculture and Employment buildings are completed, facing south to Union Street. Residences remain in the blocks north, toward D Street (lower dotted line) between Capitol and Summer Streets. They will be moved or demolished for the Veterans' Affairs Building and for the Archives (see below).
At left center of the photograph above, where the Mill Creek crosses Capitol Street, stood the Cole house, now on Hood Street. To the north (toward the foreground of the photograph) was the Hinges/Kimball house, now a private residence at 1075 Capitol Street. The neighboring Parrish and Rockenfield houses, owned by the City of Salem, are at A. C. Gilbert Discovery Village. These properties are all designated as Local Landmarks.
Before the state construction, Parrish Street cut west across from Capitol Street, and many smaller houses on each side were moved to Williams Street. The small courtyard apartments on D Street (see them at left above dotted line) are in an adjoining Williams Street development created for them.
On the area between Summer and Winter streets, the State Lands Building was completed in 1990. Several houses on the east side of Winter Street escaped demolition: the historic Moon House and German Methodist Parsonage were moved to complex of older homes off D Street and completely renovated to retain their original integrity; the Stiff, Huntington, and McGilchrist house were incorporated as offices into the Capitol Mall Heritage Park at D Street between Summer and Winter Streets. This natural area south of "D" Street and bordering Mill Creek is landscaped for pleasant moments of reflection by this historic waterway. Grant Neighborhood is directly north of "D" Street.
Other events

• R.G. Andersen-Wyckoff becomes mayor.
• This busy activity of the Salem Public Library is interrupted this year by a major renovation that caused the facility to temporarily relocate for several months during construction. One handsome addition of the main floor was the Heritage Room, the result of the generosity and the foresight of the descendants of two Salem Area families. It honors Max and Martha Gehlar and Gov. Douglas and Mabel McKay. Handsome tables, chairs and cabinets were built by Dave and Bob Anderson as their contribution to the Heritage Room. The new Loucks Lecture hall was named for former mayor, Al Loucks, an active library supporter. Not so apparent to the public was the establishment of the library's database, with its Oregon Historical Photograph Collections (used generously in this feature).
• Jim Scheppke is appointed the State Librarian, a position he held for 20 years until his retirement in 2011. As a convenience for visits to the State Library and other buildings of the North Capitol Mall, an underground parking garage serving the North Capitol Mall is added at this time.
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  The World War I Doughboy at Oregon Veterans Memorial Park

  The 1924 World War I Doughboy statue is relocated to the memorial park at the Veterans' Building. It is now a part of a collection of military memorials north of the building and along Winter Street on the west side of Mill Creek. 
•  To acknowledge the health risks of tobacco use, the Salem Hospital becomes smoke-free. In the next ten years, smoking in Oregon's commercial establishments and all public buildings will disappear.
• Proposition 5 passes: Property taxes dedicated for school funding were capped at $15.00 per $1,000 of real market value per year, and gradually lowered to $5. Property taxes for other purposes were capped at $10 per $1,000 per year. Thus the total property tax rate would be 1.5% at the end of the five-year phase in period. The measure transferred the responsibility for school funding from local government to the state, to equalize funding.
• A local ballot proposal to fund a Willamette riverside park and hotel on city property purchased from Boise Cascade is defeated.
• The Willamette Landing condominium complex is completed on Water Street in North Salem offering housing directly on the shore of the Willamette River. The lack of interest in purchasing "condos" leads the owner to offer the units as rentals.

Salem in 1976

World Events

• Mao Zedong of Communist China dies after a mortality record of causing up to 70 million deaths due to executions and forced labor.
• IRA bombs explode in London. Ten thousand Protestant and Catholic women demonstrate for peace in Northern Ireland. (Irish rock band U2 is formed by drummer Larry Mullen.)
• The US celebrated its 200th anniversary. Jimmy Carter is elected as President after a Democratic convention keynote address is delivered by a first African-American, Barbara Jordan.
• "Legionnaires' Disease" strikes in Philadelphia causing 29 deaths. The Ebola virus occurs in Yambuku, Zaire.
• The (supposed) last U.S. convertibles roll out of Detroit, new Apple Company, founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
• At Uganda's Entebbe Airport, Israeli commanders free 103 hostages held by Palestinian hijackers of an Air France plane.
• Viking 2 spacecraft lands on Mars: NASA releases Mars photo. 
• Nadia Comaneci earns the first of 7 perfect scores 10  in gymnastics at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
• Academy Awards: "Rocky" (US) and "Black and White in Color" (France). Prize-winning Books: J R, William Gaddis and Humboldt's Gift, Saul Bellow.

In Salem
A 40-year Salem controversy between a local cooperative, Salem Electric and PGE over electric power service was resolved this year, bringing underground wiring to downtown. Salem Electric was founded in 1938 by a group of West Salem residents led by Harry Read. Mr. Read stubbornly refused to limit SE's growth into downtown Salem commercial area, linking its West and North Salem service areas. During 1968, after several years of discussions, Salem Electric and PGE reached agreement on service boundaries for the Salem/Keizer area. In 1972, Salem Electric received its third point of delivery, Brush College Substation, from Bonneville Power Administration, providing a 70% increase in the co-op's available capacity. In 1975, Salem Electric's Board approved a $1 million loan to continue its acquisition of the remainder of PGE facilities and for conversion of overhead to underground facilities in the downtown area. When the project was complete, Liberty Street gained this improved appearance (seen in 2007) as part of a revitalized business environment.

When you visit
Salem Electric has moved from its former headquarters adjacent to downtown Salem. In 1968, Salem Electric had constructed a new office building and warehouse located adjacent to the old headquarters on the northwest corner of Front and Union Streets. But in 1976, the City of Salem condemned the co-op's eight-year-old headquarters as a part of its Front Street widening project. The current headquarters are on Seventh Street in West Salem.

The historic downtown, one of our most attractive civic features, has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the designated Local Landmark buildings have informative plaques at their entrances. For an online walking tour, please click on that image on the homepage of SHINE. For a copy of the 2011 booklet that is a guide through the history of downtown Salem, call the Community Development Department at 503 588 6173.

Other Events

• Craig Metten provides a dramatic sight for pedestrians on the ground as he scales the First Methodist Church tower during repairs. The steeple is replaced at this time. An even more startling photograph is taken looking down at Craig and the street below at the intersection of State and Church Streets.

View from Methodist Church steeple

Dining atop the Equitable Building

• The new Equitable Building at Center and High Streets, now completed, rises above the one-story businesses to the south at Chemeketa Street. This new six-floor tower has a bank on the ground floor with offices above. But the real treat is the opportunity for a downtown view from one of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Loft Restaurant on top floor. Unfortunately, the restaurant was open only a few years.
• The Oregon State Capitol undergoes an expansion this year with wings at the north and south along State Street.
• Karr's Tavern occupies the historic Boon Store; the renovation to contemporary use of this 1860 building is yet to come. The interior had the appearance of a living room in a residence. The 1846 Boon House had been removed to Mission Mill Museum property and placed on the National Register of Historic Places the year before.
• Our McNary Airfield Air Control Tower receives an award for meritorious service by the Oregon National Guard. United Airlines is serving Salem this year with regularly scheduled commercial and passenger flights.
• In August, Salem residents enjoy rides over the city in a Goodyear blimp. Refer to Oregon Historic Photographs Collection for many aerial views of Salem in 1948 and 1976.
• The Downtown Development Advisory Board is created this year. Composed of a total of 11 members, 6 presently represent the interests of business, property owners and others with interest in the Riverfront Downtown Urban Renewal Area and 5 represent the community at large. Two members represent West Salem specifically.

The Reed Opera House undergoing renovation

• A major rehabilitation of the Reed Opera House provides space for almost two dozen small retail stores in the basement and first floor. An attractive mezzanine opens the area for attractive vistas of the interior. Due to the attention being given to Salem historic preservation, the building is successfully nominated for the National Register in 1978. The Reed Opera House is featured on the Historic Downtown walking tour slide show on SHINE website.

Five neighborhood associations are organized this year:

• Morningside, which is generally bordered by Madrona and Kuebler Drive as you travel south, east of Commercial and west of Fairview Industrial Drive. Businesses line both sides of Commercial Street, but the neighborhood remains residential. It was originally an area of orchards and a few properties still reflect that history. The SHINE Morningside photograph album shows 2 Local Landmark structures moved to the neighborhood, 3 that were in orchards, a significant International style home and another associated with one of Salem's most prominent early families.
• Southeast Salem Neighborhood Association (SESNA) is located south of State Street where early middle class families as well as laborers of the Kay Mill and the railroad built their small craftsman houses 100 yeas ago.
• Sunnyslope, is a relatively new South Salem section of the city and has had little historical research. The Wingate house on Kuebler Drive is the only representative so far.
• Highland was organized by Henry Minthorn as a Quaker community. It later featured the suburban Hollywood Business area along Portland Road.
• Grant, just north of downtown, is one of our oldest neighborhoods (and the smallest), containing many historic properties. The neighborhood is working on establishing a historic district. The city maintains support of these organizations and provides information on the Neighborhoods page of the city website.