Marion Car Rental and Park - Salem Downtown Historic District - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 56.380 W 123° 02.462
10T E 496762 N 4976249
Historic Contributing parking lot in downtown Salem
Waymark Code: WMFVZX
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 12/05/2012
Views: 2
If a competition was held to determine the "Least Appealing Historic Contributing Structure" in Salem's Downtown Historic District, this building would get my vote.
"The expansive two-story Marion Car Rental and Park structure, which occupies nearly a quarter of a block, was built on the site of the historic three-story Holman Building, constructed in the mid-1850s. The Holman Building is best remembered today as the meeting place of the Oregon State Legislature from 1857 to 1876 and also as the object of one of the first organized public efforts to preserve an historic building in downtown Salem. In 1946 the property immediately to the north was used for auto repairs. In late 1949, property owners Hawkins and Roberts announced their intention to tear down the Holman Building to make way for a filling station and parking lot." -NRHP Nomination Form
The Marion Car Rental and Park, completed in 1950, was likely the first elevated, rooftop parking structure in Salem. Many original 1950 features remain and the structure continues to be used for its original purpose, and because of the importance of the automobile and this structure's early role in providing parking for downtown shoppers, the structure is considered Historic Contributing to the Salem Downtown Historic District.