Salem Labor Temple. 445/447 Center St in Salem. WHC Collections 2018.001.0010.013.

There is something satisfyingly poetic about the thought of shoppers in recent years, eagerly looking for Labor Day bargains in downtown Salem, inadvertently making a pilgrimage past the former site of Salem’s Labor Temple.  From 1944 – 1962[1], a three-story structure at 445/447[2] Center Street served as a meeting place for the 5000+ members of Salem’s 40 local labor unions.[3]  Today, the site is part of the Salem Center Mall.[4]

So, what exactly is a labor temple?  That is what I went in search of after finding this photo in the Willamette Heritage Center’s Collections.  Despite the religious overtones of the name, it was really a gathering place.  The naming convention was quite common in the first part of the 20th century with fraternal orders like Masons, Oddfellows, and the Elks often referring to their buildings as “temples.” The labor temple was home to the local labor council offices, a meeting place for local unions and provided a public forum for lectures, dances and other social events.

Salem’s Labor History

Individual labor unions had been a part of Salem’s history since the late 1800s, but a cooperative force was established in 1911 by the creation of Trades and Labor Council of Salem — a regional labor council chartered by the American Federation of Labor (AFL).[5]  Unions represented by the new council included painters, musicians, pressmen, carpenters, sheet metal workers, bartenders and brewery workers.[6]   The list would grow over the years to include even more unions in different industries from postal workers and teamsters to government workers and motion picture projectionists.[7]

Labor Temple

The building at 445/447 Center Street was not Salem’s first Labor Temple.  Newspaper articles as early as 1923 describe events hosted at the Salem Labor Temple”[8]  By the 1940s, however, the temple had been housed in leased buildings for a number of years and the local council was ready to invest in a building of their own.  They purchased the Center street site in 1944 under the auspices of the “Salem Labor Union Association, Inc.” and began to renovate.[9] The new headquarters would allow “eight unions [to meet] in the building at one time.”[10]  The large ballroom on the 2nd floor could comfortably seat 500 people and another 200 fit well in the banquet rooms on the 3rd floor.  The building also contained conference rooms, lockers, a kitchen, ladies’ lounge and plans were made for a basement gymnasium.[11]

In addition to hosting meetings of union organizers, the hall became a central gathering area for workers.  A 1951 article describes union members interested in night shifts at a local cannery to check in at the labor temple.[12]  Its spacious meeting rooms allowed for big gatherings, like the appearance of New York governor and presidential hopeful Thomas Dewey in 1948.[13]  There were also plenty of community programs like free teen dances (with “modern music” sponsored by the musician’s local)[14] and talent shows.[15]

Fraternal Temple and Mixed Use Building

The building had its start as a temple of a different kind.  Built in 1927 by the Fraternal Temple Association,[16] its original purpose was to provide meeting space for a variety of fraternal organizations in the area after a fire destroyed their first building.[17]  Designed as a mixed-use building, the first floor was designated as retail space (intended from the beginning as an automobile showroom).[18]  Loder Brothers Motors occupied this area for much of the building’s history[19] — starting out as a Graham Paige dealership and eventually branched out into more recognizable brands like Oldsmobiles, Studebakers, Buicks and Volvos.[20]  This design built in a steady source of revenue for association to help with building maintenance.  Meeting rooms upstairs provided gathering spaces for a wide variety of organizations including the Brotherhood of American Yeoman, Eagles, Knights of Pythias/Pythian Sisters, Modern Woodmen of America, United Artisans, Women’s Benefit Association, Woodmen of the World and Neighbors of Woodcraft.[21]

Demolition and Relocation (1962-1984)

The building was not fated for a long life.  It was purchased by the Portland-based development firm Commonwealth in 1962 and razed in 1963.[22]  After the sale, the Salem Labor temple moved its headquarters to the newly vacated Good Shepard Lutheran Church at 3184 South Commercial Street SE.[23] That building, too would be razed in 1984 to make way for the shopping center and office complex that is there now.[24]

We don’t bandy about the phrase “Labor Temple” too much anymore, but the institution behind it remains over a century later, through many name changes, now going by the name Marion-Polk-Yamhill Central Labor Chapter of the now consolidated AFL-CIO.  The holiday championed by the labor movement continues as well, a good opportunity to remember our past.[25]

SOURCES

[1] Early date.  See article here:  “Labor Unions Buy Building. Oregon Statesman 29 Oct 1944 pg 1 — describing purchase of the building by the Labor Temple from the Fraternal Temple.  Late Date: See article here:  “Salem Labor Temple Sold to Commonwealth.” Oregon statesman 20 Jun 1962 pg 1.

describing purchase by Commonwealth, Inc. of the property from the Labor Temple.  N.B. Typo of address (listed as 454 Center—really 445 Center.  See 1945 City Directory and “Possible Labor Temple Sale Aired at Meeting.”Oregon Statesman  24 Jan 1962 pg 5.  Note that the building wasn’t razed until 1963 (“Crane to Raze Former Labor Temple Building.” Oregon Statesman 27 Apr 1963 pg 7).  .

[2] Address varies depending on city directory.  1942 447 given as address for Fraternal Temple.  1945 445 Center Given as address for Labor Temple.  Article: “Labor Unions Buy Building. Oregon Statesman 29 Oct 1944 pg 1  give address 447.  Article: “No Slump appears in building here.” OS 14 Aug 1927 pg 12 gives address 445.  Varies throughout newspaper record.

[3] “Salem Labor Unions Purchase Fraternal Temple Building.” Oregon Statesman 29 Oct 1944 pg 2 and 8

[4] This calculation is based off of Sanborn Maps showing the building located on the North Side of Center Street between Liberty and High Streets.  See also this image from SPL Collections which provides context of Meier Frank (now Macy’s building) for context located on the northwest corner of High and Center Streets.

See also description of property in this article describing redevelopment: “Commonwealth to Raze Labor Temple Structure.” Oregon statesman 20 Jun 1962 pg 8.

[5] “Labor Council Organized.” Capital Journal 10 May 1911 pg 6; “Trades and Labor Council Organized” Oregon Statesman 10 May 1911 pg 2

[6] “Trades and Labor Council Organized” Oregon Statesman 10 May 1911 pg 2

[7] Zimmerman, Fred. “Union Growth Stteady in Salem Since 1902 Start .  Capital Journal. 05 Sep 1960v pg 1

[8] “Berry honored by Wilson and Served Abroad During War.” Oregon Statesman 10 Octo 1923 pg 1.

[9] “Labor Unions Buy Building. Oregon Statesman 29 Oct 1944 pg 1; “Salem Labor Unions Purchase Fraternal Temple Building” Oregon Statesman  29 Oct 1944, pg 8.

[10] “Salem Labor Unions Purchase Fraternal Temple Building” Oregon Statesman  29 Oct 1944, pg 8.

[11] “Salem Labor Unions Purchase Fraternal Temple Building” Oregon Statesman  29 Oct 1944, pg 8.

[12] Notice.  Capital Journal. 23 Jan 1951

[13] “Dewey Visits Labor Temple” Oregon Statesman  21 May 1948 pg 3

[14] “Free Teenage Dance.” Capital Journal. 10 Dec 1948 pg 17

[15] Talent Show Advertsiement.  Oregon Statesman. 04 Dec 1950 pg 3

[16] “Plan $30,000 Building For Salem Lodges” Capital Journal. 31 May 1927 pg 7; “Mausoleum Plans of Interest Here.” Oregon Statesman. 25 Sept 1927 pg 18; “No Slump appears in building here.” OS 14 Aug 1927 pg 12

[17] “Fire During Legion Meeting Results in Heavy Loss.” Capital Journal. 16 Aug 1932 pg 4.  Article makes note of first building burning in 1926.

[18] “Salem Labor Temple Sold to Commonwealth.” Oregon statesman 20 Jun 1962 pg 1.  Note build date is wrong 1927 not 1919.  See as proof:   “Plan $30,000 Building For Salem Lodges” Capital Journal. 31 May 1927 pg 7

[19] “Loder Bros. Open New Auto Agency.” OS 30 Jan 1929 page 7.

[20] Advertisement.  Capital Journal 05 Dec 1958 pg 23.

[21] See listing of community organizations in the 1930-1931 Polk’s City directory.  Lists meeting location as Fraternal Temple.

[22] “Salem Labor Temple Sold to Commonwealth.” Oregon statesman 20 Jun 1962 pg 1 and 8. “Crane to Raze Former Labor Temple Building.” Oregon Statesman 27 Apr 1963 pg 7

[23] “Ground Broken for Addition to Labor Temple.” Oregon Statesman 11 Jan 1963.

[24] “Work on Retail Complex to Begin.” Statesman Journal 13 Mar 1984 pg 11.  Development known as the Oak Towers.  Still there according to comparison with current building and artist’s rendering in this article and the build date of the building now at the southeast corner of Ewald and Commercisl Streets SE in the Marion County Assessor’s Office records.  At this time union headquarters were moved to site at 750 Browning Ave SE

[25] https://www.dol.gov/general/laborday/history.

This article was originally written by Kylie Pine for inclusion in the Statesman Journal newspaper on September 7, 2020.  It is reproduced here with full citations for reference purposes.