T.G. Bligh Building - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: ddtfamily
N 44° 56.451 W 123° 02.207
10T E 497098 N 4976380
Historic Flower shop building damaged in Columbus Day Storm (1962)
Waymark Code: WMJACH
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/19/2013
Views: 2
1962 Photo |
2013 Photo |
The Columbus Day Storm of 1962 is infamous for the amount of damage it caused in western Oregon, hitting especially hard in the Willamette Valley. There were 46 fatalities and the storm caused many millions of dollars of damage from both high winds and flooding.
The historic photo, courtesy of the Salem Public Library, was taken in the days following the October 12, 1962 storm. The photo direction is looking northwest. It shows damage to the sign and awning on the historic T.G. Bligh Building, which has housed Olson Florist Shop since 1926. The building is of the Mission Revival style and features distinctive multi-curved parapets at the corners.
The building was erected for Thomas Gregor Bligh, a Canadian-born theater and hotel owner who moved to Salem around 1910. Bligh purchased this site from the Salem Elks. His son Frank Bligh took over operations following the elder Bligh's death in a car accident in 1924.