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Jones Cash Store
Jones-cash-store.jpg
View of Jones Cash Store from SE Morrison Street near SE Water Avenue, in the 1930s
Location 111 SE Belmont Street
Portland, Oregon
Built 1921
Architect Houghtaling & Dougan
NRHP reference No. 05001148
Added to NRHP 2005

The Jones Cash Store was a unique business that started in Portland, Oregon, in 1882. It was created by a clever person named Henry J. Ottenheimer. This store was famous for selling things through a mail order catalog. Imagine shopping from a book and having items sent right to your home! The building where the store was located is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.

The Jones Cash Store: Early Days

Henry J. Ottenheimer started his business in a smaller building in downtown Portland. It was located at 80 and 82 Front Street. As more and more people in the Pacific Northwest wanted to buy things from his catalog, the business grew very quickly.

Building a Bigger Store

Because the mail order business became so popular, Henry needed a much bigger space. He bought land at 111 SE Belmont Street. Here, he built a huge, modern store. It was about 80,000 square feet, which is a really big building!

A Perfect Location

The new store was built in 1921. Its location was perfect for shipping and receiving goods. It was close to both the railroad tracks and the river. This meant that products could easily arrive by train, by steamboat, or by truck. The Jones Cash Store stayed in this building until 1929.

Sold to Montgomery Ward

In 1929, the Jones Cash Store building was sold to another well-known company, Montgomery Ward. This marked the end of the Jones Cash Store's time in the building.

A New Life for the Building

After 1929, the building at 111 SE Belmont Street was used for many different things. It became a cold storage facility, keeping food fresh. It was also used for distributing fresh produce. Later, it served as a warehouse for electrical supplies and even bicycle parts.

Saving a Historic Building

By 2009, there were plans to tear down this old building. But a group called Belmont & Morrison LLC decided to save it. They wanted to protect this important piece of Portland's history.

Modern Updates and New Uses

From late 2009 into 2010, the building went through a huge renovation. Workers made the building much stronger and safer. They used modern building standards but also made sure to keep its historic look and feel. Today, the building is used by a company called Rose City Self Storage & Wine Vaults. It provides storage space for people's belongings and even special vaults for wine.

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