In 1924 AAA Reframes Safety for Motorist Innocence, with Kids as Intruders on Road

Yesterday the Smithsonian magazine published a note on a terrible anniversary, "On This Day in 1899, a Car Fatally Struck a Pedestrian for the First Time in American History."

via Bluesky

It surveyed a little of the history, and cited Peter Norton's research prominently.

As the popularity of cars exploded, officials charged with keeping order in cities stood firm in their view that pedestrian safety was the responsibility of the motorist, much like it was with carriage drivers.

“Every time, the judge would say, ‘A pedestrian has no obligation to watch out for motor vehicles; it’s the motor vehicle operator’s responsibility to watch out for them,’” Norton explains. “This is Anglo-American common law tradition that says the street is a public space. Everybody’s entitled to use it, provided they don’t endanger others or unduly inconvenience others. [That] put the burden of responsibility on the driver, because the pedestrian is not endangering anyone else, but the driver is.”

Here's an example from a Salem editorial in 1914. It sides with people on foot.

July 6th, 1914

The piece at the Smithsonian discussed the 1920s rise of AAA, the invention of jaywalking, and the process to shift blame from drivers to other users of the road.

An early example of the shift is visible right here. Exactly 100 years ago on September 14th, the morning paper printed a piece from AAA about the menace to motorists from children bicycling. Motorists were the primary group imperiled, "often innocently involved in unfortunate fatalities," not the kids. Kids were endangering the motorists, were even the aggressors, and were to blame for being kids.

September 14th, 1924

Latest Version of Cannery Project Retreats from Walkability, but may offer More Housing

The City's now published a formal Notice for a Public Hearing on the former Truitt Bros. site. It will be before the Hearings Officer on September 25th.

We've already mentioned the big style shift for a mansard roof detail echoing the mansard roofs of the long-gone 19th century mill buildings just to the south.

That's essentially a decorative detail for a bit of historical context.

Last year's renderings with plaza/walk
and retained 1914 building (2023)

A more structural element is the way what had been represented as a central plaza and walk (above) is now a parking lot with a smaller path alignment (below).

New plan. Building 5 = 1914 structure
The courtyard/walk is now a parking lot

That really shifts the project from something centered on walking to something much more autoist. There's still a line on the map for a path, but it is more peripheral now.

Latest overall site plan = tiny path, lots of parking

The retreat from a pedestrianized plaza not a reason to oppose the project, but it is a reminder not to get too attached to the first concept drawings and the hype around walkability. This is going to be a much more autoist project.

At No. 7 a parking garage previously (2023)

One reason for the change might be that the third building is housing now instead of a parking garage. (The two images flip north from right to left.) It might be that the total number of parking stalls is less and the total amount of housing is more. That would be a good change!

Additionally, even if the project wins approvals now, the applicant does not yet own the property, a design for Front Street is not settled, and the details for it in the 2024 drawing remain speculative.

Note also that these latest drawings do include trees. On FB a person objected that the elevations showing the new mansard roof did not include trees, but the site plan does show numerous trees in the landscaping.

Once the Staff Report and applicant narrative is published there might be more to say. But with ownership not yet transferred and with a new design for Front Street a few years away (not to mention funding for it, which will not be small), it's hard to project this as a near-term project and it seems unwise to get very attached to any details.

See previous notes on the Truitt Bros. site and cannery here.

A Crooked Secretary of State, a Steamboat Magnate, and a House Move: 757 Center Street's Early Story

You'll recall a few days ago a note about the mystery and demolition of the old house at 757 Center Street. It turns out to have a very interesting history. While it was very possibly too shabby and too modified to restore, it deserved a better fate than silent demolition. Its early residents had real places in Salem history, and it might have been the last real vestige of the Piety Hill neighborhood.

757 Center Street from the west in 1978
(Salem Library Historic Photos)

The Bitsman had in fact written about the house, but because the OCR generated "T57 Center street," it never turned up in searches on the address. But it was nice to find finally, as it confirmed the outlines of what had seemed most likely.

The house was Samuel May's
Oregon's Second Secretary of State
(January 24th, 1933)

He wrote:

Samuel May was prominent in Oregon politics. He served as secretary of state two terms, from 1862 to 1870. The May home was a leading social center of old Salem, in the two story house that still stands, in excellent repair, at 757 Center street.

Samuel E May (OHS)

May is not very well known. Newspaper scanning is spotty from the period. The google also turns up a German wikipedia note, but no English one!

City Council, September 9th - McGilchrist Culverts

At Council this evening, there is an application "for U.S Department of Transportation funding to design and construct the Replacement of Railroad and McGilchrist Street SE Culverts on the West Fork of Pringle Creek."

Two culvert upgrades at McGilchrist

Staff say

the West Fork of Pringle Creek regularly overtops McGilchrist Street SE and floods undeveloped property located to the northeast, prompting road closures as often as four or five times a year. The proposed project includes design and replacement of the culverts at the railroad crossing on McGilchrist Street SE and existing railroad spur downstream. The improvements will meet fish-passage requirements, add flow capacity, and provide flood mitigation. The total estimated project cost is $4 million.

This is a resubmission:

The City unsuccessfully applied for this same grant in FY 2023. The application was strong in four of the seven criteria, reaching a Level 2 review. Staff attended a debrief with the U.S. Department of Transportation review team and they indicated that the application would have been more competitive if the local habitat was more demonstrably tied into the larger/regional program. For the FY 2024 application staff will enhance the narrative based on local habitat as it applies to efforts to improve the Salem area watershed, conservation benefits to anadromous fish, ecosystem benefits, and equity.

About some new code for housing production and a formal Public Hearing there has not seemed much to say. Both the Planning Commission and Historic Landmarks Commission endorsed the changes, but a few neighborhood associations have complained. Significantly, the HLC did not agree with the criticism from the neighborhood associations, which included comments on historic review processes.

Climate Committee takes September off, Scenario Planning shares Outreach

As we come out of the latest heat wave with wildfires and smoky air, last week the NY Times had a piece about "how climate change is reshaping daily life in ways Americans may not realize."

Yesterday

Its particular focus was on the ways extreme weather accelerated bridge ageing, leading to decay or collapse.

NY Times, last week

Last month they had a piece on extreme heat and medicine.

NY Times, August 2024

Here, the Oregonian wrote about our Kelp forests along the coast.

A Mansard Roof for the Cannery Project and other Infill Bits

Yesterday's announcement about removing a skybridge over Front Street at the old Truitt Bros. cannery complex suggested that the redevelopment project was moving along and worth checking on.

Indeed the file is thick and it's met some "completeness" milestones.

A Mansard roof for the main building

Maybe the most striking element is the Mansard roof proposed for the main building.

Capitol Flour Mill as design cue
(Detail, Salem Library Historic Photos)

The designers are clearly nodding to the long-gone flour mill buildings a block south on Front Street, just across the creek. Even the building height is about the same.

• See "North Front Street Study Likely to Reveal Interesting Archeology and History"
  

Other than what is a kind of post-modern rhyme with decorative detail, in basic form it looks like pretty standard 5-over-1 construction, five floors over a podium.

There will be more to say as the project moves along! The timeline is still hard to see with the question of reconfiguring Front Street. Even with the Federal grant to fund the study, actual construction remains a little distant. Probably we should not get too attached to any particular design details just yet.

An urban mode greeting the sidewalk,
but a flood-prone site

Separately, there's a small apartment block proposed for a long vacant lot on State Street. The homes are in front, and parking is in back, and that looks good. It might be the first new project on State Street after the corridor study with new zoning and an improved street design. But it's right at the diversion dam for the Mill Race, and in years like 1996 and 2012 it's flooded significantly. It will be interesting to learn more about what provisions are being made for flooding.

Also, just north of the Police Station and across the street from Grocery Outlet there are two mixed use buildings proposed for a different long vacant lot. 

These are nice to see and maybe there will be more to say later on these also.

Labor Day in 1924 brought a Restaurant Strike to a Close

The White House Restaurant, c.1913
In the Adolph Block on State Street
the former location of Cooke's Stationery
(Salem Library Historic Photos)

Back in the spring of 1924, restaurant workers at the White House Restaurant decided to strike. The morning paper said it was for an eight hour work day and six day work week.

May 22nd, 1924

The afternoon paper saw the strike as part of a larger union organizing effort, not only for closed shops at restaurants, but for other industries also.

May 22nd, 1924

It's hard to say exactly what was going on. The papers here were biased against unions and the coverage sometimes minimized the scope of efforts and sometimes exaggerated the threat from "agitators."

Oregon Labor Press, May 30th

The Oregon Labor Press had a longer piece, discussing underage child labor and lack of bathrooms and dressing rooms. They also highlighted that some restaurants here were "fair" and "100% union": The Coffee Shop, Valley Grill, and Stage Terminal restaurant.

The unfair restaurants were Grey Belle, Electric, Spa, Argo, Jack's Place, Home, and the White House. 

To that list the Statesman added as opposing the union effort, the Oyster Loaf, Royal Cafeteria.