First Congregational Church - Corvallis, OR - Presbyterian Churches on Waymarking.com

The First Congregational Church was built here in 1917 to serve a congregation that had outgrown its original 1889 building at Third and Jefferson streets. Designed by architect Roy Dobell, a former instructor at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC, now OSU), this structure is an example of neoclassical architecture popular during the American Renaissance movement. Reverend E. T. Sherman led the effort to move the congregation from the old downtown "church district." The building committee's selection of this lot, four blocks west of the old church, was explained by the local newspaper: "With the growth of Corvallis westward, the church found the necessity of building near the center of population, and followed the people westward." On April 5, 1918, Oregon Congregationalists dedicated the new Corvallis church, built at a cost of $15,000.

The Congregationalists occupied this building until 1932, when they joined the Presbyterians to form the Federated Churches, using the existing 1909 Presbyterian Church at Monroe and Eighth streets.

In 1935, the building was purchased by J. B. Hollingsworth, a local funeral home director. He hired Portland architect and OAC graduate Rowe D. Kennedy to adapt the structure as a mortuary. Kennedy introduced a notable array of fine ornamental plaster throughout the chapel, and added living quarters in the basement.

In 1941, Hollingsworth sold the business to Raymond A DeMoss, who had been active in a variety of Corvallis businesses. DeMoss took on Ernest Britt as partner and mortician, and called the business DeMoss-Britt Funeral Home. In 1948, Donald E. Durdan joined the business, which became the Demoss-Durdan Funeral Home.

The funeral home operated here until 1979. From 1985 to 1999, the building was leased to the City of Corvallis and used for the Municipal Court, City Council and offices. Stanley and Charla Nudelman purchased the building in 2002 and renovated it for residential and office use.

Wikipedia also tells us:

The First Congregational Church, also known as DeMoss–Durdan Mortuary, is a historic former church building in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

The Congregationalists of Corvallis were formed as a splinter group from the First Presbyterian Church in 1883. Originally occupying a church building at 3rd Street & Jefferson, members of the church began to discuss their need for a new building as early as 1909. Under the direction of the new Reverend Edwin T. Sherman, a formal campaign was launched in 1912. In 1913, the church requested $10,000 from the Church Building Society and finally purchased the lot off of Madison St. & 8th in 1916. At a total cost of $15,000, construction was completed in 1917 and the church held its first service on April 5, 1918.

The First Congregational Church sponsored Boy Scout Troop One, the oldest troop in the Oregon Trails Council, who were organized at the church in October 1919, and continued to meet there until the change of ownership.

The building continued to be used by members of the Congregationalist church for 17 years, before being sold to J. B. Hollingsworth and his business partner Raymond A. DeMoss, Corvallis funeral home directors, in 1935. They renamed the building DeMoss–Durdan Mortuary, and operated the building as a mortuary until Mr. DeMoss's death in 1978.