Medford Furniture & Hardware Building - Medford Downtown Historic District - Medford, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 42° 19.635 W 122° 52.381
10T E 510462 N 4686119
Eligible Contributing structure better known as the "Woolworth Building"
Waymark Code: WMG1P6
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 01/02/2013
Views: 1
Built in 1911, this four-story (plus a basement) concrete structure was the largest and most expensive built in Medford during the "Orchard Boom" of the 1909-1912 period. It was built for the Medford Furniture and Hardware Company, a firm that resulted from the merger of Medford Furniture and Nicholson's Hardware shortly before moving into this structure. At opening, home furnishings and hardware were sold from the basement and first three floors while the fourth floor was used as rental space fro medical and other businesses. By 1921 the building was sold and the furniture company moved out. The building was renamed "Medford Center" and a series of furniture, jewelry and grocery stores utilized the lower floor while medical and dental offices were the usual tenants on the upper floors.
In 1937, F.W. Woolworth Company leased a small portion of the lower floor and moved from their previous location on Main Street. In 1949-1950, the building underwent a major renovation, was renamed the "Medical Center Building" and Woolworth took over the entire first floor. A major feature of the renovation was the addition of a "Moderne" exterior featuring glazed masonry and an off-center tower at the south end. Woolworth's moved out in 1988 and today the building displays several "For Lease" signs.
