Oregon’s Oldest Commercial Building
The Waldron Bros. Drug Store (also knowns as the Gitchell Building/Apartments) is a mid-1800’s example of stone and cast iron Italianate architecture, which was popular on the west coast of the United States at the time. Built ca. 1867, it is the oldest building in The Dalles, Oregon, and considered to be the oldest surviving commercial building in the state of Oregon.
Waldron Bros. Drug Store, The Dalles, Oregon
Waldron Bros. Drug Store, East Facade, The Dalles, Oregon
Waldron Bros. Drug Store, West Facade, The Dalles, Oregon
Waldron Bros. Drug Store, The Dalles, Oregon
Waldron Bros. Drug Store, The Dalles, Oregon
Waldron Bros. Drug Store, The Dalles, Oregon
Located at the intersection of 1st and Washington Streets, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as being a primary resource to The Dalles Commercial Historic District. The building is also listed by Restore Oregon as one of Oregon’s Most Endangered Places.
The ornate cast iron features of the facade have been stored away for safe keeping, and the original double-hung wood windows boarded up for their own protection. Historic painted billboards (wall art), add to the history of the area, can be seen from the Intestate 84.
Built by pharmacists Henry and George Waldron to be a drug store, and has had a storied life as a mercantile, residential apartments, a Mason’s Lodge, and U.S. Post Office.
Multiple attempts to demolish this historic edifice have been thwarted, and local groups have fought hard to preserve the structure. Due to it’s difficult location, next to the railroad tracks, there have been discussions about relocating the structure for it’s own safety.
Learn more about The Dalles, Oregon
Learn more about The Dalles and it’s historic downtown by visiting The Dalles Main Street website.
You can help!
If you’d like to help support the preservation of this old building, please contact Friends of the Waldron Brothers Drugstore webpage.
Also check out the Cultural Trust of Oregon website.
Keywords:
Architecture, Cast Iron Architecture, Columbia River Gorge, Double-Hung Windows, Endangered Place, Gitchell Building, Italianate Style, National Register of Historic Places, Oregon, Stone Architecture, The Dalles, The Dalles Commercial Historic District, US Post Office, US Postmaster, Waldron Bros Drug Store
