Reminiscing 1024 oregon

I haven't done one of these posts in a while, so I figured what the heck. This apartment building is on the eastern boundary of sunset heights and is situated within one of the few clusters of old buildings still standing on Oregon St, just north of downtown. Not a very interesting building aside from the neat bay windows. I like how their dark paint scheme contrasts nicely with the lighter brick color. I've found the building was built in 1910. I'm not sure when this photo was taken, but it probably wasn't too long after that going by the adjoining buildings. There's a little victorian house just to its right, which was replaced 10 - 15 years later by another apartment building. The beautiful mansion just behind it hasn't been built yet either. It's interesting how you'll have neighborhoods redevelop from the single family homes of the late victorian era into multi family homes and apartment buildings (and the occasional mansion) just a decade or two later.

This is what it looks like now. Aside from the stunning absence of the bay windows it doesn't look too much different than it did back then. The wooden portico is still there as is the pressed tin cornice. I'd love to see the bay windows make their way back into the building. It was most definitely its defining feature.

I doctored this photo a bit so you can see the detail in the cornice.

First National Bank

Every once in a while it's fun to see the way things used to be back in the day and compare them to what's there now. Today's pick is the First National Bank. I don't know the exact year it was built, but going by other landmarks I'd guess sometime between 1905 and 1915. As is typical for early 20th century architecture downtown it has a heavy classical emphasis (Beaux arts? Maybe renaissance revival? Not sure the difference). It was full of intricate medallions and beefy corbels holdng up a distinguished cornice.

This is what it looks like today. It's been remuddled to hell and back. While this renovation aberration occurred most likely in the 60s or 70s, there is one last bit of character left that whispers to the grand detail that once personified this building. Appropriately enough it is the rear of the building, viewed from the alley.