Pendleton in Umatilla County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
The Empire Block
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, June 30, 2017
1. The Empire Block Marker
Inscription.
The Empire Block. . Constructed in 1907, Henry Schwarz and Frank Greulich named the building The Empire Block for their business, the Empire Meat Market. At the dissolution of the Schwarz and Greulich partnership in 1916, the building was purchased by Frank Greulich and was maintained by his heirs for many years. The five ground floor store fronts were occupied by many different retail businesses. On the second floor, the Empire Rooming House, later named Spur Hotel, was of questionable reputation, the proprietress being jailed in 1916 for immoral behavior. , Ironically, the preservation of the original store fronts is primarily due to the low rent tenants in the building for many years who weren’t interested in remodeling as the tenants on Main Street were. The result being that all five of the store fronts are essentially original. , The basement network interlinked access for the seamy enterprises of the era: prostitution, prohibition, gambling and persecution. All is now the core of the Pendleton Underground. Together with the Hendrick's Building and Empire Meat market to the east and the Masonic Hall Association Building across the street, this block provides a remarkable glimpse into Pendleton's history.
Constructed in 1907, Henry Schwarz and Frank Greulich named the building The Empire Block for their business, the Empire Meat Market. At the dissolution of the Schwarz and Greulich partnership in 1916, the building was purchased by Frank Greulich and was maintained by his heirs for many years. The five ground floor store fronts were occupied by many different retail businesses. On the second floor, the Empire Rooming House, later named Spur Hotel, was of questionable reputation, the proprietress being jailed in 1916 for immoral behavior.
Ironically, the preservation of the original store fronts is primarily due to the low rent tenants in the building for many years who weren’t interested in remodeling as the tenants on Main Street were. The result being that all five of the store fronts are essentially original.
The basement network interlinked access for the seamy enterprises of the era: prostitution, prohibition, gambling and persecution. All is now the core of the Pendleton Underground. Together with the Hendrick's Building and Empire Meat market to the east and the Masonic Hall Association Building across the street, this block provides a remarkable glimpse into Pendleton's history.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1907.
Location.
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45° 40.228′ N, 118° 47.219′ W. Marker is in Pendleton, Oregon, in Umatilla County. The marker is on the exterior wall to the left of the main entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21-37 SW Emigrant Avenue, Pendleton OR 97801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. The Empire Block building is open for Underground Tours as it has underground tunnels and rooms built by Chinese immigrants and the upstairs had been a brothel.
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 24, 1997
2. The Empire Block Marker
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 24, 1997
3. The Empire Block Building-Underground Tours
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 24, 1997
4. Upstairs in the Empire Block Building
Empire Rooming House of questionable behavior.
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 24, 1997
5. Upstairs in the Empire Block Building-brothel bedroom
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 24, 1997
6. The Empire Block Building-Underground Rooms built by the Chinese
Chinese Laundry underground
Photographed By Don Morfe, June 24, 1997
7. The Empire Block Building-Underground Gambling Parlor
Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 428 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1. submitted on December 16, 2017, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 14, 2016, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.