Page 127 - Corvallis, OR Historic Preservation Plan

Historic Preservation Plan

Knotts-Owens Farm, 3525 Hwy 99W

The 1849 Knotts-Owens Farmstead, an excellent example of pioneer
farming and early Oregon settlement patterns, was home to four
generations of the Knotts-Owens family. Original farm buildings, located i
on their original sites, are surrounded by production agricultural fields
and oak savanna. In 1995, an attempt to annex the property for housing
failed public vote. In 2002, a consortium of Samaritan Health Services, Knotts-Owens Farm
the Greenbelt Land Trust, and the City of Corvallis purchased the farm’s
312 acres. Samaritan gained 85 acres for future expansion; Greenbelt
secured 95 acres to preserve native oak and wetland habitats, and the •'■i . ■ *
City retained 132 acres as open space. The City envisions hiking trails, 5S llA’i
educational and recreational opportunities, and views Knotts-Owens
Farm as a northern gateway to the Corvallis open space system. III
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Madison Street Methodist Church, 501 SW
Madison Ave (City Hall) Madison Street Methodist Church

This 1924 Classic Revival church building replaced an earlier church on mm
this site. During WWII, the building housed the USO Canteen where ML.
Camp Adair and OSU servicemen gathered for recreation. After the \ Ff 5
war, this structure became an OSU women’s dormitory. In 1948, the
city entered into a lease with the federal government that provided a Is
purchase option, and the building became known as the Community
Center Building. In 1956, when the former Corvallis City Hall was razed,
this building provided City Hall headquarters. The shared histories of
Corvallis and OSU are inextricably intertwined, and this building is the
embodiment of that shared past.
Majestic Theater
Majestic Theatre, 115 NW 2nd St
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Built for Whiteside & Small, Corvallis theater pioneers, the 1913
Majestic Theatre housed international violinists, opera stars, vaudeville
acts, college plays, local choruses and bands. When the owners put the 4
theater on the market, its future became uncertain. In 1985, responding V4
to well-organized public advocacy, a public/private partnership
formed when the City of Corvallis purchased the building and a local
management organization contracted for theater operations. In the
fall 2014, leadership, staffing, maintenance funding and fund-raising l,< . 1 ..
challenges caused the management organization to let their contract r
with the City lapse. In January 2015, the City’s Parks and Recreation
Department stepped up and assumed operations management of the 3S|fa§
Majestic adding to Corvallis’ diverse cultural environment. ■ •-»

Riverfront Commemorative Park, 1st »
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Street along the Willamette River Riverfront Commemorative Park
Once an eyesore strewn with abandoned cars, and then a proposed
highway bypass, Riverfront Park development prompted a vigorous

Final: November 15, 2017 121