Oregon Electric Station
Passenger service by the Oregon Electric Railway was discontinued in 1933, and the station was used as an office and for storage.
Slate Tractor opened an Allis-Chalmers dealership in Eugene on October 22, 1937 with a temporary location on 7th Avenue, moving to the Oregon Electric Station building February 3, 1938. On July 15, 1938, Edward C. (E.C.) Papé purchased the dealership, starting what is now known as The Papé Group, Inc. E.C. operated his dealership at the station for four years before relocating the business to West 1st Street.
In 1961, the station became a branch of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the Southwest Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (SWOMSI). After breaking with OMSI in 1978, the Willamette Science and Technology Center (WISTEC) sold the station and gave the proceeds to Lane County to build a children's museum in Alton Baker Park. SWOMSI's displays included train cars adjacent to the building. The train cars became part of the dining facilities for later restaurants located in the station.
Work began to convert the station into a restaurant in 1977. The first restaurant in the space was called "Andy's Eugene Station".
The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station, in 1979.
The Oregon Electric Station restaurant operated in the station until permanently closing in 2020. The Portland-based restaurant chain Old Spaghetti Factory opened in the space on January 10, 2024.
See also
- Eugene station (Amtrak) — adjacent mainline railroad station also on the NRHP
Preceding station | Oregon Electric Railway | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Terminus | Main Line | Lasen toward Portland
|
References
- ^ "History". Oregon Electric Station.
- ^ "Tractor Company in New Quarters". The Eugene Guard. February 3, 1938.
- ^ "Tractor Firm Purchased by Local Company". The Eugene Guard. July 15, 1938.
- ^ Archival documents of The Pape Group, Inc.
- ^ "Eugene Science Center: A Brief History" (PDF). November 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
- ^ "Oregon Electric Station". Architectural Associates. Archived from the original on February 5, 2001.
- ^ "This Week In History". The Register-Guard. May 13, 2007.
- ^ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
- ^ Young, Olivia. "Local Restaurants Are Excited to Open Up to Indoor Dining Under New 'High Risk' Category". KPIC/KVAL.
- ^ Blyth, Bob (January 7, 2024). "The Old Spaghetti Factory will open in historic Eugene building". KLCC.
External links
- Historic photos of Oregon Electric Passenger Station from the University of Oregon Libraries