R.R. Hardware Tin Shop - 1900 - Grants Pass, OR
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member NW_history_buff
N 42° 26.312 W 123° 19.698
10T E 472998 N 4698520
This dated historical building resides withing the G Street Historic District but is a non-contributing building located on H Street.
Waymark Code: WMN8KB
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/19/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
Views: 1

*NOTE* I have only waymarked the dated buildings within the G Street Historic District (or near it) that aren't contributing buildings for failing to maintain original historical integrity but have been noted by the Josephine County Historical Society as containing historical merit nonetheless.
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This dated building is known as the Rogue River Hardware Tin Shop Building and erected in 1900. The following text is taken from the G Street Historic District National Register of Historic Places nomination form to describe this building's history:

ID No. 024 - Historic Name: Rogue River Hardware Tin Shop

Built: c. 1900

This structure was apparently built c. 1900 following the destruction of the Grants Pass Hardware company warehouse which stood at this site and was destroyed by the 1899 fire. "The fire also extended south [from G Street] and completely destroyed every building on the west half of the block. "(Tidings 2-Oct-1899) The news accounts of that fire included:

The south side of this block [Block 49] was occupied mainly by warehouses, which burned with tremendous heat. Care was taken to remove the explosives from the hardware stores of Wolke and the Hair-Riddle Company...(Courier 5- October-1899, emphasis added)

Early owners of the lot include a variety of G Street merchants or property owners including J.O. Boot, Joseph Scott, and George Riddle. By 1907 the warehouse was is use as storage for the hardware store, presumably Riddle's Rogue River Hardware, and was also in use as the company's "tin shop." By 1911, although still a warehouse, the subject building was now used by a grocery business, probably the Valley Grocery Store. In 1930, most of this block still remained as warehouses or secondary uses. The subject building according to Sanborn Maps was vacant. Various small commercial uses continued to occupy the building throughout the 1940s to the present.

Eventually this building was acquired by Nan Carnahan, of the Herbert Smith Family, longtime Grants Pass merchants with a store located on G Street, and was sold by her estate. Smith, and Nan's husband Bill Carnahan, operated a garage on the adjacent lot for many years. [See above, Site No. 23]

Essentially a utilitarian, two story, brick structure, the Rogue River Hardware Tin Shop presents a typical storefront that is predominantly consistent both historically and aesthetically with the integrity of the G Street Historic District. Substantial original details remain. The second floor window is highlighted by twin classically-detailed columns and the rear elevation retains its original wood sash, arch-panel top, double-hung windows. The west elevation, visible throughout the historic period due to the lack of an adjacent structure, was rented out for advertising use, typical of such a situation around the turn of the century. The thin skim coat of the second-floor facade appears to date from an early period. Following the destruction of the Smith Garage Building by fire, the advertising signs were revealed and are now a prominent local landmark, adding to the significance of the Rogue River Hardware Tin Shop. The c. 1970s shingle clad canopy, while presently disruptive of the overall building's appearance, does not permanently diminish the ability of the Rogue River Hardware Tin Shop to convey the associations for which it is significant within the G Street Historic District.


The Oregon Historical Sites Database contains a web link to the Rogue River Hardware Tin Shop within the G Street Historic District and can be accessed here (you can open the PDF form in the upper left corner).

Year built or dedicated as indicated on the structure or plaque: 1900

Full Inscription (unless noted above):
R.R. Hardware 1900 Tin Shop


Website (if available): [Web Link]

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