Central Area in Salem in Marion County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Roth Company Building
1916
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025
1. Roth Company Building Marker
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1916.
Location. 44° 56.42′ N, 123° 2.309′ W. Marker is in Salem, Oregon, in Marion County. It is in the Central Area. It is on Liberty Street Northeast, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 102 Liberty Street NE, Salem OR 97301, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Oregon Wine Country and in the Willamette Valley. It is also on the American Pacific Coast, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, in the Cascade Range, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hughes-Durbin Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Ekerlen (Bishop) Building (within shouting distance of this marker); McGilchrist Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Gray Building (within shouting distance of this marker); All Aboard! (within shouting distance of this marker); Pomeroy Building
this page online
Additional commentary.
1. Contributing Building
The Roth Company Building is not individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places but is a contributing building as part of the Salem Downtown State Street-Commercial Street Historic District. The following verbiage is taken from the NRHP Registration Form from 2001:
History and Significance: The Roth Company Building, built in 1916, is a contributing property in the Salem commercial historic district. The second floor retains architectural integrity of exterior materials, window openings, and decorative details. In addition, the building is associated with Theodore and Emil Roth, L.H. Barnett, and Edward Schunke, all enterprising Salem merchants in the early 1900s. Clarence S. Hamilton sold this property to the Roth Company in February 1912. Four years later, both the Roth Company and the McGilchrist family, new owners of the adjoining parcel on the south, constructed
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025
2. Roth Company Building Marker
The marker is located at the center of the Roth Company building, facing Liberty St, as seen in the photo.
Upon completion, the Roth Company grocery moved into the ground floor. In 1900 Theodore and Emil J. Roth joined with Peter E. Graber in the grocery business, then in a retail store at the 400-block of State Street. By the early 1910s, the two Roths had partnered with Barnett and Schunke, and not long after erected the Roth Company Building at 120 Liberty, N.E. The Roth Company (with Theodore Roth as president, Emil Roth as vice-president, Barnett as director, and Schunke as manager) remained in their Liberty Street building through the 1920s. At that time, the YMCA (Young Mens Christian Association) occupied the second floor. Roth Company, Inc. moved to the 200-block of High Street in the 1930s. Theodore Roth became president-manager of the Willamette Grocery Company, Inc. (located on South Cottage Street) by the early 1940s. The Roth Company retained ownership of their Liberty Street property into the 1970s.
— Submitted October 21, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 48 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 21, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
