Historic Hood River
Hotel Oregon, Circa 1910
Notes
This Benjamin Gifford image of the Hotel Oregon is well known, as it was a popular postcard for many years. Markings on the back of this particular print indicate it was the original used by a printer to make cards for the Keir & Cass Company. The printer acknowledged receipt of the order on December 31, 1910.
But other markings on the reverse are the basis for this Monday’s mystery. The print is also labeled “Defendant’s exhibit ‘3’ in the case of Columbia Securities Co. vs. Baker Ross et al., State of Oregon, County of Hood River, Judge W. L. B?” I’ll bet some research in court records or newspapers could tell us what role this photo played in this court case. Anyone feel like doing some digging?
Of course there is much more to discuss about this photo. The two cars are a perfect match to the White 1908-09 steamer we saw a few months ago. There are no license plates, confirming a pre-1911 date. The Second Street facade of the hotel houses a real estate office and a barber shop. In the window you can see a reflection of the sign for the Hood River News across the street. The Cascade Street facade houses another real estate office, and there is a bakery in the next building to the west. And of course there is the great motorcycle between the two White steamers.
This building has had quite a life since 1910. The verandas are long gone, and the hotel closed in 1973. But the building lives on. For many years the ground floor was home to the River City Saloon, which has now been replaced by the Waucoma Club. Here’s a more recent view .
Tags: 1910s, automobile, Gifford, hotel, Hotel Oregon, Hotel Waucoma, motorcycle, Mystery Monday
Charlott
Interesting the sign under the Oregon Hotel sign":
New Annex Now Open
Headquarters for
Cloud Cap Inn
I am thinking and wondering if this might not have been a place where you could book transportation and lodging at Cloud Cap. I have seen this photo numerous times but never noticed that particular sign.
So sad that the galleries had to be demolished.
Here you have the old and the new. Automobiles and the horses and wagons on up the street.
Thinking back, someone once told me that there was a roof garden on top.
NancyR
What is in the upper floors of the building today? Does anyone know?
Arthur
Nancy, my understanding is the upper floors are unoccupied. They would require renovation to obtain an occupancy permit.
Charlott
You are right, they need massive renovation. At one time there was talk about totally renovation, but guess those plans didn’t materialize.
böB
Bob gave me a tour of the upper floors. I recall seeing a staggering number of tiny rooms and tiny bathrooms.. They would be perfect for a hostel now, except for the fire danger and ADA access.
Jan
According to internet research this building was first the Waucoma Hotel, built in 1904.
Jeffrey Bryant
The Hood River Glacier, June 2, 1910
Formal Opening Hotel Oregon
The new Hotel Oregon will keep open house to its friends Monday evening. The new and enlarged hostelry will be completely open for the first time, although guests have been received for several weeks in the new building. Manager E. C. Smith has planned a peasant reception and has extended an invitation to the public to attend and inspect the best hotel in the northwest located in a city of less than 5,000 and for comfort and service one not to be excelled even in the larger cities. An orchestra and the mandolin club will furnish music in the lobby and on the roof garden. The hours for the reception are from 8 to 11.
The Hood River News, June 8, 1910
GAYETY PREVAILS
AT HOTEL OREGON
The public opening if the Hotel Oregon which took place Monday night with Mr. and Mrs. Smith as host and hostess was highly enjoyed by a large number of city and valley residents. Several out of town guests were also present, among them Landlord Clark of the new hotel at The Dalles, and John Franz, day clerk of that institution.
Guests on arriving were escorted through the establishment from kitchen to roof garden and expressed their admiration of the completeness and convenience of its arrangement. Obliging maid showed visitors the rooms on the various floors. The new hotel now has 90 guest rooms, many with bath and handsomely furnished. The roof garden was prettily decorated with Japanese lanterns. Potted plants placed on the parapet added to the attractiveness of this feature of the hotel, which is covered with a wooden pergola. During the evening the Mandolin Club which was stationed there rendered pleasing selections. The Trio orchestra provided music for dancing in the dining room and lobby, while refreshments were served at dainty tables in the grill room. For several hours the floors of the establishment were thronged with guests who later congratulated Mr. and Mrs. Smith on the completeness of the hostelry and thanked them for a very pleasant evening.
Jeffrey Bryant
The Hood River Glacier, June 9, 1910
HOTEL OREGON
GRAND OPENING
New Hostelry Credit To City
Many Guest Enjoy Dancing and Inspect
The New Building Which is
Elegantly Equipped
The Open House at the Hotel Oregon Monday evening was a most enjoyable affair, many guests gathering to see the new hostelry which was for the first time thrown completely open. The whole building from kitchen to roof garden was brilliantly lighted and handsomely decorated in honor of the occasion and maids were stationed throughout the building to attend the guests and show them about the rooms. The hotel, although it has been operated continuously during the enlarging and modernizing process which has been going on for the past six months, could not be recognized on the interior as the Waucoma of a year ago.
On entering the enlarged lobby the guests were greeted by the crackling of the wood fire which blazed forth hospitality from the great fire place at the south end of the room. The big comfortable leather chairs had all been swung about with backs to the wall to clear the room for dancing during the evening. In a corner of the lobby next to the clerk’s desk is the well appointed writing room. Behind the counter, where obliging young men constantly preside over the register, is the private exchange which connects with a telephone in every room in the house, and has two trunk lines onto the main city exchange. The large plate glass windows and beautiful electric fixtures give excellent light for the lobby both day and night.
In the dining room the area of the original room had been cleared for dancing and Newman’s orchestra furnished rollicking tunes during the evening.
The room was prettily decorated with Jap lanterns, and flags and roses were on the tables in the new portion of the dining room where tables were arranged at which ice cream, strawberries and cake were served during the reception. A large bowl of cherries was on a stand in each corner of the dining room. The new portion of the room with high oak wainscoting is especially attractive and is lighted by wall and ceiling chandeliers of artistic design.
The guests were also welcome in the kitchen, where Jap Joe holds forth and is as proud as can be of his section of the hotel. The kitchen and serving pantry which are in reality on large room, are conveniently arranged and present a very clean, light and airy appearance. The new range is a model for handling immense quantities of food at once and in one corner of the kitchen in the large cold storage room with a capacity for a ton of ice in which large quantities of meats, vegetables, fruits, etc., may be stored.
The rooms on the upper floors of the hotel were thrown open for the inspection of the visitors and daintily capped maids ushered the people through the suites. The rooms are newly furnished, a vase of handsome Hood River roses in each apartment gave a pleasant touch to the nicely equipped rooms. A telephone and hot and cold water are a feature of every room in the house and more than 20 of the rooms which now total nearly 100, are furnished with a private bath. The rooms, which are carpeted with velvet and Brussels carpets and furnished with comfortable brass and iron bedsteads, compare well with the great fashionable hotels of larger cities. Dressers, tables, and chairs in most of the rooms are of golden oak, while in a half dozen of the more expensive suites, mahogany and birdseye maple were used in the manufacture of the furniture. Several parlor suites as well as groups of bed rooms with private baths, make very desirable apartments for families who are living in the hotel for an extended period.
Farthest from the front door, but not the least attractive part of the new hotel, is the roof garden which Monday night presented a fairy land appearance with Christmas trees on every hand the strings of flags Japanese lanterns all about the place. The mandolin quartette spent the evening on the roof playing good old tunes for the pleasure of the guests who wandered out for fresh air and to be refreshed at the punch bowl which was situated in a corner of the roof garden. Late in the evening the stringed orchestra went down stairs and grouping themselves on the landing played for the dancers in the lobby and dining room alternating with the other group of musicians.
There were guests present from town and valley and all thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of Manager and Mrs. E. C. Smith, who were ably assisted by Ira Judd, under whose efficient management the dining rooms of the Oregon are gaining an enviable reputation.
L.E.
Interesting about the accommodations.
A refrigerated cool room that can hold one ton of ice!
Hot and cold running water in each room.
Jeffrey Bryant
The Hood River News, August 17, 1910
A handsome pennant bearing the name of the Hotel Oregon was swung to the breeze Thursday on the new flagstaff recently erected on the top of the hotel. Just beneath it an electric sign, also bearing the name of the establishment, has been put in place. These new features of the hotel are both attractive and ornamental, and give the building an air of enterprise.
http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn83009939/1910-08-17/ed-1/seq-10/
Jeffrey Bryant
The Hood River Glacier, July 4, 1912, page 9
The Hotel Oregon is now using electricity in a portion of its cooking. All of the toast is made by a recently installed electrical appliance.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1912-07-04/ed-1/seq-9/
Jeffrey Bryant
Name of Hotel Oregon changed to Hotel Waucoma, Hood River Glacier, 1924-07-17, page 2.
https://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/lccn/sn97071110/1924-07-17/ed-1/seq-2/