Salem Sites

Currently the administrative center for the Oregon Department of Forestry, this site was first developed in 1936 as the maintenance camp for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which coordinated its activities with the State Forester's Office. From the first Civilian Conservation Corps camps in 1933 to their closure at the beginning of World War II, Oregon was second only to California in the number of camps west of the Mississippi.  Various state agencies supervised CCC work based on camp location and work program. The State Forester held jurisdiction over camps located in state forests or on private land. The state agency’s newsletter...

This small, rustic structure was built by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers as the administrative building for Oregon’s CCC headquarters. Today it serves as the Forest History Center of the Oregon State Department of Forestry. Oregon had as many as fourteen CCC camps under the jurisdiction of the State’s Forester during the corps’ operation between 1933 and 1942. When plans for construction of a State Forest Department headquarters began in 1935, a 4.5 acre site had already been acquired to the east of Salem to accommodate the state's CCC headquarters.  Located on the eastern banks of Mill Creek, the CCC headquarters...

"This building is somewhat removed from the center of the city but is located with reference to the school population and is situated next to the junior high school which is equipped with an athletic field. The structure is 2 stories in height, with a basement used only for storage purposes and the heating plant. It provides 23 classrooms, a commercial department of 7 rooms, 14 laboratories, a library, an art department of 2 rooms, a music room, 4 administrative offices, 5 teachers' rooms, and a clinic of 4 rooms. The auditorium is 88 by 100 feet and...

Historically identified as the Oregon State Forester’s Office Complex, the Oregon Department of Forestry Complex was developed by workers from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The Historic American Buildings Survey described this complex as a significant example of New Deal-era planning and development. It includes 4.5 acres originally utilized as the state headquarters for the Civilian Conservation Corps and 7.25 acres purchased for the Oregon State Forester’s Office and forest service supplies. Although new construction exists, the lay-out, buildings and landscaping are a legacy of WPA and CCC work and the collaborative contributions of the...

"The Oregon State Capitol replaces a structure which was destroyed by fire in 1935. It occupies the site of the former building and is the dominating feature of a well-designed city plan. A mall has been laid out from the main façade of the capitol, cutting through several city blocks, which will be flanked on each side by future buildings of the State government, one of which, the State library, has already been constructed. It is one of the few PWA projects for which an architect was selected through competition. The first floor is occupied by offices and work space for...

The Oregon State Forester’s Office was designed by a US Forest Service architect and constructed by Works Progress Administration (WPA) workers after preparation of the site by Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this structure is considered one of Oregon’s best examples of a building in the National Parks style. Timberline Lodge heads the list in this category but the Oregon State Forester’s Office, although significantly smaller, shows a remarkably high quality of workmanship as well. Linn A. Forrest, the US Forest Service Architect associated with Timberline Lodge’s floor plan and elevations, produced the...

Constructed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the interior of the Oregon State Forester’s Office demonstrates a high level of craftsmanship. Its interior was decorated by a wood carver employed in the Federal Arts Program of the WPA with finishes to window frames and wood floors provided by workers supported by the National Youth Administration (NYA). Making every room in the office building distinctive, different Oregon native woods were selected to panel each room – and each ceiling received a special treatment as well. Eighteen native woods are used in the interior. Eugene based artist Arthur Clough carved the stairway railing...

"This structure is the first of the buildings which will ultimately compose the 'Capitol Group' on the plaza which leads to the State capitol. It includes the stack space which occupies the entire central rear portion, the vaults and rooms connected with the library, and also 57,200 square feet of floor space for the offices of various departments of the State government. The stack space is furnished with elevators and a book conveyor. The construction is fireproof and the exterior walls are faced with marble. The building was 98 percent completed in June 1939, the estimated construction cost...

"This building to the west of the Capitol Building was built as Salem's Post Office at a cost of $310,000, and was dedicated on October 16, 1937. It was the only marble post office west of the Mississippi River beside Denver's. It served as Salem's post office until 1976, when a new building on 25th Street took its place (until 2012, when it was decided to cease operations at that location). Today it serves as the State of Oregon Executive Building."

This oil-on-canvas mural, entitled "Builders of Salem," was painted in 1942 by Andrew McD. Vincent, with funding from the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. The original post office lobby was subdivided into Conference Rooms A & B when the building became the Executive Building, and the mural now hangs in Conference Room A (https://www.oregon.gov/DAS/EAM/pages/building_info/executive.aspx).

"The former West Salem City Hall building was a Public Works Administration project, completed in 1936 at a cost of $30,000. This two-story Art Deco style brick building was designed by architect Lyle P. Bartholemew and served as City Hall for the City of West Salem from 1936 to 1949. It is one of only two Art Deco style buildings in West Salem. Until 1949, West Salem was an independent city, in Polk County on the west side of the Willamette River. It's location on Edgewater Street was in the heart of West Salem's business district. After being plagued by...