The mid-century history of the just-shuttered Withnell Dodge dealership site is quite interesting. On the edge of the city at that time, it cycled through several types of business before settling on the car dealership for a half century. It may be only coincidental, but that history has an amusing echo of the Ike Box and Starbucks on Ferry and Church, both of them also on the sites of former mortuaries. It also is another instance of a mid-century move of a car dealership from downtown farther out.
The redevelopment started with Ladd Funeral Home in 1940. In 1938 Thomas W. Ladd had proposed to open one on Cottage and Marion, but the school board opposed it so near to Garfield School. He was able to secure a different site, apparently just far enough from McKinley that proximity to a school was no longer a problem.
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| April 14th, 1940 |
The mortuary lasted only a few years at that site, and immediately after the war the building became a nightclub, the Normandy Manor.
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| December 23rd, 1945 |
That didn't last long either.
You may recall Brazier Small, the original owner of the house on the corner of Church and Mission that is being converted to a short-term rental. He was a member of the American Legion in 1949 when they made a new club house out of the building.
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| August 2nd, 1949 |
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| August 3rd, 1949 |
For whatever combination of reasons, after 15 years the Legion decided to downsize their building, moved farther out south, and sold the Legion hall.
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| New Hall: August 6th, 1964 |
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| September 12th, 1964 |
At the time of sale there was speculation it would be more shopping center, but that did not happen and after two years Chrysler bought the building and site.
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| September 30th, 1966 |
In late July of 1967 they opened the Dodge dealership, which had moved from multiple downtown sites to consolidate on this one site.
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| July 28th, 1967 |
Now the latest dealership is closed.
There's been a lot of churn at this site, though the last phase, 50 years of car dealership, is relatively stable.
Apparently the neighboring dealership has designs on it, but it would be so nice if it could be scrubbed - who knows what the environmental remediation might be after 50 years of oil, gas, and other chemicals - and an early instance of apartments with retail in our new mixed-use zoning. It is currently zoned MU-III.
There might be more to say another time. Next door was an auto camp, and it might be interesting to look more at that. And there is much more to discover and say about the role and movement of car dealerships in our history.
Previously see:
- On the first settlers here, the Fabritus Smith family, and the historic house behind the dealership, "Italianate Smith-Ohmart House of 1870 up for Historic Design Review" (2017)
- A little on Brazier Small and the Legion, "Everson House actually the Small House: A Gap in the Historic District and a Hearing on Short-Term Rental Proposal" (2022)
- On debate over MU-III zoning on lots immediately next door, "City Council, October 24th - Zoning on Commercial, Deceptive Airport Estimates" (2022)
- On early dealerships downtown and moving to what is now the new Police Station site, "Soil Contamination and Monitoring Wells Point to History of UGM Site" and "Traces of Old Hotel at New Police Station Site? Archeology Day Offers Glimpse of Older Salem!" (both 2018)
- On the Bonesteele dealership at the Civic Center site, "1922 LTE on Zoning Shows Exclusionary Impulses and Still Echoes Today" (2022)
- On one of the earliest big dealerships, and the transition from bikes to cars, "Santiam Bicycle's Building in Transportation History: The Story of Otto J. Wilson" (2012)
- On the Vick Building, now WOU, "Christmas in 1920: Vick Bros. Building, Music, Appliances, Santa" (2020)
- On a dealership at the current downtown Transit Center site, "Vick Bros Sell to Watt Shipp et. al., who form Valley Motor Company" (2019)
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