National Cash Register Building

National Cash Register (NCR) Building

The National Cash Register Building in 1905
Location in Portland
Former names St. Johns First Congregational Church
Alternative names St. Johns Theater & Pub
General information
Coordinates 45°35′19″N 122°45′6″W / 45.58861°N 122.75167°W / 45.58861; -122.75167
Opening 1904, 1905, 1906
Cost US$5,000
Renovation cost US$1,000 (1905);
US$1,200 (1906)
Owner NCR Corporation (1904–05);
St. Johns Congregational Society (after 1905);
McMenamins (present)

The National Cash Register Building, commonly referred to as the St. Johns Theater & Pub, was a building that was first erected in St. Louis, Missouri for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904 and then moved to Portland, Oregon the next year for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.[1][2] It was moved a third and final time to the suburb of St. Johns, Oregon, which is now a part of Portland. It was given to the St. Johns Congregational Society by the NCR Corporation.[3] It now houses a McMenamins theater and pub.

History

The NCR Corporation constructed a US$5,000 building for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri.[1] The building was uprooted for US$1,000 and transported to Portland, Oregon for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.[1] The building was constructed in sections so that it could be moved with ease.[1] The NCR Corporation passed out badges and sang songs on "NCR Day" at the exposition on September 4, 1905.[2] The Oregonian reported that the building was "crowded all day".[2]

After the exposition closed, the NCR Corporation donated it to the St. Johns Congregational Society of St. Johns, Oregon.[1] On June 3, 1906 the National Cash Register Building was dedicated by Rev. Fred J. Warren of the St. Johns Congregational Society.[3] Several ministers and parishioners of other Congregational churches were in attendance.[3] The First Congregational Church of Portland donated stained glass windows that read "The Bible and the Cross and Crown".[3] Another donation of US1,200 was given by the Congregational Church Building Society for the purposes of moving the structure.[3]

By 1930, the building was occupied by the YWCA.[4] It is currently used as a theater and pub by the McMenamins chain.[5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Church For St. Johns Congregational Society Receives the National Cash Register Building". The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon). 30 November 1905. p. 3.
  2. 1 2 3 "Its Success At The Fair; National Cash Register Day Largely Attended; Hospitality of the Building". Portland, Oregon. 5 September 1905. p. 14.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "New Church Dedicated St. Johns Congregationalists Are in Their New Home". The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon). 4 June 1906. p. 12.
  4. Gertsman, S. "Some relics of 1905 exposition still stand". The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon). p. 43.
  5. "About St. Johns Theater & Pub". McMenamins Theater & Pub. McMenamins. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, February 05, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.