Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station

Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station
Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station is located in Eugene OR
Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station
Location in Eugene, Oregon
Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station is located in Oregon
Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station
Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station (Oregon)
LocationEugene, Oregon, USA
Coordinates44°03′16″N 123°05′32″W / 44.05455°N 123.09227°W / 44.05455; -123.09227
Built1914
ArchitectA. E. Doyle
Architectural styleGeorgian Revival
NRHP reference No.79002087
Added to NRHPMarch 13, 1979

The Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station is a historic railroad station in Eugene, Oregon, United States. It was built in 1914 as a station for the Oregon Electric Railway and was designed by A. E. Doyle.

Passenger service by the Oregon Electric Railway was discontinued in 1933, and the station was used as an office and for storage.[1]

Slate Tractor opened an Allis-Chalmers dealership in Eugene on October 22, 1937 with a temporary location on 7th Avenue, moving to the Oregon Electric Station building February 3, 1938.[2] On July 15, 1938, Edward C. (E.C.) Papé purchased the dealership, starting what is now known as The Papé Group, Inc.[3] E.C. operated his dealership at the station for four years before relocating the business to West 1st Street.[4][additional citation(s) needed]

In 1961, the station became a branch of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI), the Southwest Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (SWOMSI).[5] After breaking with OMSI in 1978, the Willamette Science and Technology Center (WISTEC) sold the station and gave the proceeds to Lane County to build a children's museum in Alton Baker Park.[5] SWOMSI's displays included train cars adjacent to the building. The train cars became part of the dining facilities for later restaurants located in the station.[6]

Work began to convert the station into a restaurant in 1977.[7] The first restaurant in the space was called "Andy's Eugene Station".[6]

The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the Oregon Electric Railway Passenger Station, in 1979.[8]

The Oregon Electric Station restaurant operated in the station until permanently closing in 2020.[9] The Portland-based restaurant chain Old Spaghetti Factory opened in the space on January 10, 2024.[10]

  1. ^ "History". Oregon Electric Station.
  2. ^ "Tractor Company in New Quarters". The Eugene Guard. February 3, 1938.
  3. ^ "Tractor Firm Purchased by Local Company". The Eugene Guard. July 15, 1938.
  4. ^ Archival documents of The Pape Group, Inc.
  5. ^ a b "Eugene Science Center: A Brief History" (PDF). November 2022. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Oregon Electric Station". Architectural Associates. Archived from the original on February 5, 2001.
  7. ^ "This Week In History". The Register-Guard. May 13, 2007.
  8. ^ "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  9. ^ Young, Olivia. "Local Restaurants Are Excited to Open Up to Indoor Dining Under New 'High Risk' Category". KPIC/KVAL.
  10. ^ Blyth, Bob (January 7, 2024). "The Old Spaghetti Factory will open in historic Eugene building". KLCC.