Hotel Oregon / McMenamins

310 NE Evans Street  |  Established 1905 

Local developers Frank Fenton and Walter Link financed the construction of Hotel Oregon for
$15,000. Completed in 1905 in the popular Richardsonian Romanesque style, the rectangular
building rises with native stone and brick. Although originally planned as four stories, the
initial structure stood only two stories tall. Thomas A. White opened it as the Elberton Hotel
that same year. Guests enjoyed 26 comfortable rooms priced at 75 cents and $1.00 per day, a
formal dining room, barbershop, cigar store, and ladies’ parlor. The hotel quickly became
McMinnville’s most elegant destination.

In 1910, the owners added the third and fourth floors in anticipation of Southern Pacific’s Red
Electric rail line. In the early 1920s the Elberton Grill, on the ground floor’s south side, served
fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables from the family farm. Students and professors from
McMinnville College (now Linfield University) frequently gathered here for what many called
“the best of eats.”

A later owner renamed the building Hotel Oregon, added a prominent neon sign featuring the
new name, and installed one of Yamhill County’s first Otis passenger elevators. In 1945, Arnold
“Nic” Nicolai, purchased Hotel Oregon and built a four-room apartment for his family in the
southwest corner of the fourth floor. The Nicolais operated the Paragon Room lounge on the
ground floor’s northeast corner, famous for its Naugahyde and neon décor, juicy steaks, onion
rings, and live performances by Heck Harper’s western band.

The McMenamin brothers purchased and restored the hotel in 1998, finishing the fourth floor.
Reopening in 1999 as McMenamins Hotel Oregon, the building featured 36 eclectic guest
rooms, the Paragon Lounge in its original location, a scenic rooftop bar and restaurant, and a
lively Cellar Bar in the basement. Hotel Oregon remains Yamhill County’s largest historic hotel
and a vibrant centerpiece of downtown life.

For images of the the property, and further details, check out the link below:

Historic Resources Inventory Documentation