Central Area in Salem in Marion County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)

First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building

1927

— Salem Downtown Historic District —

First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

1. First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building Marker

Inscription. Salem’s only skyscraper at 11 stories tall, this building was financed by Thomas A. Livesley, a leading hop grower as well as Salem politician and entrepreneur. Elaborate ornamentation decorates the exterior of the eleventh floor upward to the parapet; a standing human figure with stylized wings; bearded human faces in relief; statuary of griffins.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • 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 1927.

Location. 44° 56.398′ N, 123° 2.351′ W. Marker is in Salem, Oregon, in Marion County. It is in the Central Area. It is on State Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 380 State Street, 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: Gray Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Adolph Block (within shouting distance of this marker); Pomeroy Building (within shouting distance of this marker); All Aboard! (within shouting distance of this marker); Roth Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); McGilchrist Building (within

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shouting distance of this marker); Ekerlen (Bishop) Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Gray Belle Restaurant (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salem.

Also see . . . National Register of Historic Places Nomination-Registration Form (1986). Statement of Significance:

The old First National Bank Building at the southwest corner of the intersection of State and Liberty Streets in downtown Salem was opened for use in 1927 and served as bank headquarters for 20 years, until it was superseded by a building of International School design elsewhere in the central business district. The old bank building is eleven\ stories in height and is of reinforced concrete construction. The architect was Leigh L. Dougan, formerly of the firm of Houghtaling and Dougan, whose best-known work was the Elks Temple (1923) in Portland, a National Register property. The First National Bank Building is locally significant under National Register criterion "c" as the unsurpassed example of reinforced concrete skyscraper design and construction in the state capital. No commercial building in Salem is taller to the present day. With its strong vertical
Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

2. First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building Marker
The markers are located between the two entrances to the building facing State Street, as seen in the photo.
facade organization and uncapped parapet, the former bank and office tower is Modernistic in feeling but employs an historic Romanesque decorative program in its arcaded upper-story fenestration, its arcaded tenth story frieze, the engaged Romanesque columns on third story window mullions, and its array of gargoyles and grotesques. The ground story and historic banking interior were remodelled after the bank vacated the building in 1947. Remnants of the original ground story interior finish work remain, however, and the original spatial configuration is intact, though partially obscured by reversible false ceiling materials. The building was for many years known as the Livesley Building in recognition of Thomas A. Livesley (1863-1947), prominent businessman and Salem mayor who, as an incorporator of the First National Bank of Salem in 1923, did so much to promote construction of the city's ultimate modern office tower.

(Submitted on October 24, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

3. First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building

Credits. This page was last revised on October 24, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 24, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 70 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 24, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.