McMorran and Washburne Department Store Building explained

McMorran and Washburne Department Store Building
Location:795 Willamette Street
Eugene, Oregon
Coordinates:44.0511°N -123.0926°W
Built:1902
Builder:Nels Roney
Architecture:Chicago commercial
Added:March 2, 1989
Refnum:89000125

The McMorran and Washburne Department Store Building, also known as the Tiffany Building, is a four-story commercial structure in Eugene, Oregon, in the United States. The original two-story building was constructed in 1902 by Nels Roney as a dry goods store owned by former Eugene mayor J. H. McClung. The building was expanded to four stories in 1913.[1]

History

John H. McClung arrived in Oregon and began farming in 1856. With his uncle, he established the first drug store in Eugene in 1859. In 1902 he built the two-story McClung Building at Eighth and Willamette, operating a dry goods store under the name, Cockerline and Fraley. The building featured elements of what came to be known as Chicago commercial style, with large display windows and reduced ornamentation.[1] [2]

George H. McMorran and Carl G. Washburne became business partners, opening a dry goods store in 1909. The two had worked as store clerks for Samuel H. Friendly in Eugene.[3] In 1913 McMorran and Washburne purchased and renovated the McClung building, adding two floors. McMorran and Washburne became Eugene's premiere dry goods store, and in 1927 the store outgrew its location and was moved to a new building at the corner of Broadway and Willamette.[1] [4] [5] [6]

When McMorran and Washburne vacated the building, it was purchased by drugstore owners Albert Tiffany and George Davis, and the name was changed to the Tiffany Building.[1] [7]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places March 2, 1989, under the historic name, McMorran and Washburne Department Store Building.

Current usage

Restaurant and retail businesses occupy the ground floor of the building, and the three upper stories have been converted to apartments.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: [{{NRHP url|89000125}} NRHP Nomination Form: McMorran and Washburne Department Store Building ]. National Park Service . February 26, 2016.
  2. Book: Moore . Lucia . McCornack . Nina . McCready . Gladys . The Story of Eugene . Lane County Historical Society. Second . 1995 . Eugene, Oregon . 263 . 0-9648434-0-4.
  3. News: Lengthy Career Recalled as Carl Washburne Dies . Eugene Register-Guard . Eugene, Oregon . Guard Publishing Co. . March 30, 1948 . A1 . November 24, 2013.
  4. News: Congratulate George H. McMorran and Carl G. Washburne . The Eugene Guard . Eugene, Oregon . 5 . Guard Publishing Co. . September 1, 1927 . November 24, 2013.
  5. McMorran and Washburne occupied the new building until 1939, when J.C. Penney opened at the site. In the 1970s when J.C. Penney vacated the building, the name became the Center Court Building. News: Weinstein . Nathalie . Glory days again for Eugene's Center Court? . Daily Journal of Commerce . Portland, Oregon . The Dolan Company . December 16, 2009 . November 24, 2013.
  6. A history of the Center Court Building is here: Web site: History of the Center Court Building . Daily Journal of Commerce . November 24, 2013.
  7. Tiffany-Davis had moved from across the street, having started business two years prior. News: Drug Concern to Open New Eugene Store . The Eugene Guard . Eugene, Oregon . Guard Publishing Co. . August 25, 1925 . A1 . November 24, 2013.