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 Benton Hotel - Corvallis, OR
N 44° 33.875 W 123° 15.732
10T E 479179 N 4934616
This historic hotel, built in 1925, exists in downtown Corvallis, OR.
Waymark Code: WMFK55
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/28/2012
Views: 4
I was logging a benchmark imbedded in a sidewalk next to this hotel when I noticed a metal plaque designating it in the National Register of Historic Places.
In trying to do some online research on the Benton Hotel, I was able to find the National Register application form that was submitted in 1982. The following are highlights I've taken from the application form:
 The Hotel Benton, a seven-story building of reinforced concrete prominently sited adjacent to the courthouse square in downtown Corvallis, Oregon, was built in 1925 for a local corporation headed by Dr. Ralph Bosworth, whose house has been entered into the National Register of Historic Places. L. N. Traver, a local contractor, was the
builder, and the architects were Chester A. Houghtaling and Leigh L. Dougan, whose Portland firm of Houghtaling and Dougan produced a number of substantial buildings in 20th century period styles, including the Elks Temple, Washington High School and Medical Arts Building in Portland and the Civic Center in The Dalles. Of these,
the Portland Elks Temple and The Dalles Civic Center are listed in the National Register. With its formal facade organization, its restrained but unmistakably classical detailing, and its sixth story window arcade once punctuated with painted spandrel medallions, the hotel embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Italian Renaissance Style—one of a variety of styles based on historic periods popular in the 1920s and 1930s. In fact, Houghtaling and Dougan's Portland Elks Temple of 1923 is perhaps the most richly elaborated example of 20th century period architecture in the Italian
Renaissance style in the state. The Hotel Benton, the largest project of its kind ever undertaken in Corvallis, was accomplished, in part, through public subscription. Like many similar projects up and down the West Coast launched in the early years of the automobile age, it was considered an outstanding civic achievement. The objective of its Kiwanis Club instigators and other backers was to provide a tourist hotel of first class accommodation and encourage new business. The Hotel was the first in the Benton County seat to be considered fully "fireproof," and it represents an early use of reinforced concrete in Corvallis building construction. As is typical of small - city hotels of this vintage, the beginning of a gradual decline in the hotel's
prosperity is marked from the 1950s, following cancellation of railroad passenger service to Corvallis in the previous decade and the subsequent rise of motels. By the 1960s, the hotel was eclipsed in its original function and some impermanent revision of lobby space for commercial use, modification of ground story shop fronts, and
conversion of ballroom space for movie theater use resulted. The hotel is now the subject of a HUD UDAG-assisted rehabilitation for low-income housing and is considered the key to the city's overall downtown revitalization efforts. The Hotel Benton was determined eligible for inclusion in the National Register by the Keeper on September 30, 1981. It possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and association with the progressive climate of the early 1920s. The hotel is significant also as the hub of community social life for thirty-five years.
Here is some more interesting history I found very interesting regarding the Benton Hotel that had served as a centerpiece for social gatherings/events over the decades:
Athletic events have clearly played an important role in the development of the Benton Hotel as well as the community of Corvallis. As might be imagined in a college town, visiting teams and sports personalities have resided in the Benton Hotel prior to appearances and contests. In October, 1943, world heavyweight champion, Joe Lewis, visited the hotel prior to speaking to soldiers stationed in nearby Camp Adair. The sport of basketball was responsible for many changes to the hotel. Because of the large size of many of the players, seven-foot beds were ordered and installed to encourage various athletic departments' business. In 1955, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, Western Regional tournament, was held in Corvallis. The finals saw University of San
Francisco, behind center Bill Russell, defeat Oregon State University, 57-56 and go on to win the national title. All teams competing in the tournament were staying at the Benton Hotel. During a post-tournament celebration, chairs were thrown through the many windows and the police were called to quell the disturbance. Unable to do so, the local priest from the Catholic church held a midnight mass and order was restored. Subsequently, all the windows in the hotel were replaced with aluminum windows of the casement variety.
Political organizations were quick to recognize the resources provided by the Benton Hotel. Governor Dewey, a Republican presidential candidate, spoke at the hotel on his swing through the Pacific Northwest in 1948. John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy spoke at the hotel as well as Governor Ronald Reagan. Virtually every Oregon candidate for governor from 1925 to 1960 would either speak at or reside in the "Benton" while politicking in Con/all is. Others of note known to have stopped and spoken at the hotel during the period
of 1940 to 1960 include vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon; Governor John Rockefeller; Secretary of Agriculture Claude Wickard; and Representative Charles Hallick, Majority Leader of the 80th Congress.
Currently, I do not know if the Benton Hotel provides low-income housing for residents but I do know that there are a few commercial businesses housed in the ground floor units with other units remaining empty, a sign of the economic depression that has hit the country in recent years and Corvallis is no exception.
Street address:
408 SW Monroe
Corvallis, OR USA
97333
County / Borough / Parish: Benton County
Year listed: 1982
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event
Periods of significance: 1925-1949
Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic
Current function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture, Work In Progress
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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