Federal Art Center (site) - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 56.581 W 123° 02.118
10T E 497215 N 4976621
Former Salem High School & Federal Art Center site, now a Macy's
Waymark Code: WMFHYE
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2012
Views: 1
Photo of sculpture class for blind and visually impaired children, Salem Art Center.
"12. FEDERAL ART CENTER (open 10-5:30 Mon.-Fri.; 10-5:30, 6-9 Sat.; 1-5 Sun.), 460 N. High St., established in 1937 by a Salem citizens' group in cooperation with the Federal government, is housed in the old Salem high-school building. The program being carried out by the sponsors includes a free art school, public school and library extension work, art library and reading room, lectures, and exhibitions of the work of American and foreign artists and of students." -Oregon: End of the Trail, 1940
Like the American Guide Series of books, the Federal Art Center was part of a Works Progress Administration initiative, the Federal Art Project.
"In Oregon, the first discussions about opening an art center began in April 1937 and Salem was chosen as the target community...For their building, the committee chose to refit the old high school at 460 North High Street to house the new art center and its three studio rooms, three galleries, office and workroom...The Salem Federal Art Center opened on June 5, 1938 and the Mayor declared June 4-11 Art Week to celebrate its opening. 1000 people attended the opening and 328 of them signed up for the center's first round of free art classes forcing them to close registration. The first two teachers were Portland artist, Louis Bunce and Charles Lemery, a painter. The sculptor, Erich Lamade, joined the staff in July. In October, Val Clear began supplementing his staff with temporary artist/teachers from art projects in other states, particularly New York and Chicago. Instructors were paid $94 a month for 100 hours of work." -Source: CultureWork (Mar 2003, Vol 7, #2, University of Oregon)
Today, a historic marker at the site makes no mention of the former Federal Art Center but does describe the location as the site of the old Salem High School building, now a Macy's department store. The text of the marker reads:
An Oregon Tradition
Meier & Frank Company, located on this site in
October 1955, after the move of Salem High School to
its present North Salem High School/14th Street NE
setting. It was the first Meier & Frank store outside
of Portland. Gerry Frank, Store Manager and great-
grandson of Meier & Frank founder Aaron Meier,
used innovative marketing strategies to lead the
Salem department store into a national first place
sales position. Salem's Meier & Frank store operated
from 1955 to 1965 as a family-directed business; it
was then sold to the May Department Stores, who
continued to operate under the Meier & Frank name.
In 2006, the institution again changed hands, this
time to Macy's, where it continues an Oregon
department store tradition since its 1857 origins.
