Historic Hood River
Laraway Jewelers
Notes
The shop window at Laraway Jewelers on Oak Street is showing off all the prize cups for the 1909 Fruit Fair. I can read “Best Plate Display/Apples/Hood River 1909” and “Second Best/Fine Box Display/Hood River 1909”. You can also see the reflection of the building on the north side of Oak Street in the glass.
I think “38 Ounces” refers to the weight of the large apple on display.
I’ve been escaping the recent heat by working in the well air-conditioned photo archives scanning the newly acquired W.F. Laraway Collection. With 600+ glass negatives to scan this will take some time. Each negative takes a couple of minutes to scan, and that doesn’t include cleaning before scanning labeling and wrapping each plate for long term storage. But there’s so much rich detail to look at in each image I sometimes have trouble moving on to the next one in the stack.
There are some question marks about the history of this building. Sally Donovan’s survey says the Keir Medical Building was built in 1905, and remodeled to its current Art Deco motif in 1927. She makes no mention of the second floor being added, but we know from the Laraway photos it was a one story building in 1909, and the 1909, 1916, and 1928 Sanborn maps all show a one story building. The 1942 map is the first to show a two story building. It is my suspicion the Art Deco remodel also added a second floor. It may have been a couple of years later than 1927, or the 1928 Sanborn map revision might have missed he recent renovation.
Tags: 1900s, jeweler, jewelry store, Laraway, Oak Street, silver, trophy
Norma
I can remember visiting Dr. Herb Lewis's office above the Keir Bldg. in the late 1940s. Can think of at least three dentists that later had offices up there.
L.E.
Dust collectors that several generations later wonder, “what do I do with this?”
Bill Seaton
In the 1940's, my first dentist was Homer Ireland, and he had his office up there on the second floor.
Elizabeth Bickford
One could always ask Zella Laraway. She just turned 99! She is Bill Laraway’s widow.