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

McGilchrist Building

1916

— Salem Downtown Historic District —

McGilchrist Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

1. McGilchrist Building Marker

The bottom marker reads:

McGilchrist Building
Salem Downown Commercial Historic District
1916
This property has been listed in the
National Register of Historic Places
by the National Park Service
in partnership with the
Oregon State Historic Perservation Office.

Preservation of this historic property is supported by the
Oregon Special Assessment Program.

Inscription. This Revival style is inscribed with the builder’s name in bas-relief on the upper level. The elder generation of the family operated the “White House Restaurant” on State Street. Son James, part owner, established a furniture, restaurant and real estate business. He became the first Capitol guide, a position he held until 1953.

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° 56.399′ N, 123° 2.299′ W. Marker is in Salem, Oregon, in Marion County. It is in the Central Area. It is on State Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 416 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

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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 Belle Restaurant (within shouting distance of this marker); Roth Company Building (within shouting distance of this marker); All Aboard! (within shouting distance of this marker); Gray Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Hughes-Durbin Building (within shouting distance of this marker); First National Bank, Old/Capitol Tower Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Ekerlen (Bishop) Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Pomeroy Building (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Salem.

Additional commentary.
1. Contributing Building
The McGilchrist 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 McGilchrist

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

2. McGilchrist Building Marker

The marker is located at the southeast corner of the building facing State Street, as seen in the photo.

Building, constructed in 1916 at the corner of Liberty and State streets, contributes to a visible sense of Salem’s downtown commercial development. The architectural integrity, including the windows of its second-floor facade is largely intact. The building is associated with the McGilchrist family, prominent in the commercial, social, and agricultural life of the community.

William McGilchrist, Sr. and his wife, Jane Oliver Caffrey, immigrated from Scotland to the United States in the early 1890s, and settled in Portland, Oregon, with their children. After operating a meat market and grocery there for a couple of years, the family moved to Marion County and took up farming on a thirtyacre fruit ranch south of Salem. In 1908 the family moved to Salem, and operated the “White House Restaurant” on State Street.

The families of both William, Jr. and James McGilchrist acquired an interest in the McGilchrist property in 1913. Around this time, James McGilchrist, Jr. established a furniture store. In 1918 he sold his furniture business and engaged in the real estate business. By the mid-1920s, James McGilchrist and his wife, Eva Savage

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, October 14, 2025

3. McGilchrist Building Marker

McGilchrist, owned several business blocks in Albany and Salem, including the McGilchrist Building, as well as a farm on Mission Bottom twelve miles north of Salem.

James McGilchrist, part owner of the building, became engaged in Salem business as the owner of Royal Cafeteria and, later, the manager of the Woolworth’s store. In 1939, after completion of the new state capitol building in Salem, James McGilchrist became the first capitol guide, a position he held until his retirement in 1953. William and Eva McGilchrist and James and Elsie M. McGilchrist retained an interest in the McGilchrist Building into the 1960s.

— Submitted October 25, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 53 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.