Schilling Building

238 NE 3rd Street  |  Built Prior to 1894

Pioneers erected the Schilling Building prior to 1884 as one of the earliest brick structures on
Third Street. It appeared on the city’s first Sanborn map that year as a saloon. In the 1880s it
housed the lively Boss Saloon, and the building continued to host various saloons until around
1911. Farmers, merchants, and laborers gathered there to swap stories and quench their thirst
after long days of work. Saloons served as important social hubs in the growing settlement of
McMinnville.

In 1905, John Schilling purchased the property and covered the original exposed brick façade
with stucco. He added a raised ornamented parapet and a distinctive tin pediment inscribed
“Schilling 1905” that still crowns the building today. McMinnville voters approved dry measures
in 1909, bringing the prohibition of alcohol sales to the city.With the saloon era ended by 1911, a
grocery store operated out of the ground floor briefly before Schillingopened a variety store.
The space became the first home ofRutherford’s Variety Store, which added aluminum-framed
storefront windows and a paintedmetal marquee to the building in the mid-1920s. Families and
shoppers flocked there for affordable treasures – candy, toys, fabric, and household goods
priced at 5¢, 10¢, 25¢, and $1.

The building later housed other retailers, including Sears Roebuck during the 1950s and 1960s
After purchasing the Schilling Building in 2001, Kathy Stoler removed the non-historically
sensitive updates, and restored the building to its turn-of-the century glory. La Rambla, a
Spanish tapas restaurant, began serving meals here in 2002, and the building also houses a
wonderful loft apartment on the second floor, which serves a vacation rental.

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

Historic Resources Inventory Documentation