Jones Cash Store facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Jones Cash Store
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![]() View of Jones Cash Store from SE Morrison Street near SE Water Avenue, in the 1930s
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Location | 111 SE Belmont Street Portland, Oregon |
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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.
Contents
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.