Hafer, Edgar F., House - Medford, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 42° 19.494 W 122° 52.701
10T E 510023 N 4685857
Built in 1905, served as Perl Funeral Home for approx. 75 years
Waymark Code: WMG32W
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/06/2013
Views: 2
This 1905, two and a half story home is possibly the oldest Colonial Revival style structure in Medford. For most of its existence, the house served as the Perl Funeral Home, named for John Perl who purchased the vacated Hafer House in 1920 and moved his embalming business into the ground floor while using the upper floors as the Perl family residence.
The architect of the house is unknown, but it was built for Edgar F. Hafer, an Iowa native who arrived in the Rogue Valley around 1900. Hafer served as president and general manager of the Crater Lake Lumber Company. Hafer had this house built in 1905 and it was reported to be the most expensive home built in the city during that year.
Perl, who moved to the Rogue Valley around 1908, was an Ohio native who by 1900 had established an embalming business in Illinois. After a brief attempt at an orcharding business, Perl purchased the funeral portion of the Medford Furniture and Hardware Company in 1912. Perl ran his funeral business in this home until his retirement in 1954, when his son Frank took over. In the mid-1990s, the Perl Funeral Home business moved to Siskiyou Memorial Park and the house was sold. Today, the Hafer House serves as the office for the adjacent St. Mark's Episcopal Church.
Note: Click a photo to enlarge
