Mike McLaughlin is an enthusiastic story teller when it comes to his historic buildings in downtown Vale.
He got the chance to spin the yarns during the annual open house conducted by the Drexel H Foundation at Vale’s Grand Opera House and Hotel Vale. The two-hour event on Tuesday, Dec. 31, provided a rare glimpse inside the downtown structures.
McLaughlin, a former Vale mayor, has a story for just about every portion of the buildings.
About the stonemason who paid off his bar tab at what started out in 1896 as the Grand Central Saloon with a stone fire hearth and stage.
About the Jaguar that came plowing through the front of the Vale Hotel.
About saving the 1908 hotel by literally jacking it up to keep it from caving in.
Restoration of the two buildings has been underway for years, funded by McLaughlin and by the foundation that has relied on donations and grants.
The year’s tour came as the Oregon Cultural Trust announced it would again support more work, this time on the Grand Opera House. The saloon was converted to a performance venue in 1908 after Oregonians earlier had voted to allow counties to impose liquor prohibitions, according to records of the National Register of Historic Places.
The cultural trust is awarding $23,728 to fund completion of bathrooms in the opera house. The total cost of the project wasn’t listed in the foundation’s application and its president, Sandijean Fuson of Vale, didn’t respond to messages seeking information.
READ IT: National Historic Places application
Getting bathrooms functioning would allow the building to “be occupied for use as a community art center and venue for Drexel’s programs,” the application said.
“Occupancy strengthens the capacity of our organization for potential income opportunities and more cultural and heritage activities,” the application said.
During the recent open house, guests trickled into the opera house to await the guided tours. Videos about the historic buildings and Malheur County played on a monitor.
On the second floor of the opera house, McLaughlin points to the restored tin ceiling panels, nearly all restored. He explains how insulation made by recycled jeans has been packed into the exterior walls. And he points out the fragment of a mural, high on a wall, with the outline of a fir tree the only discernible feature.
In the lobby area, restoration work uncovered a more complete mural – a forest scene. McLaughlin said there is no signature visible of the artist and its history is unknown.
He explains the dining options once available, including in the Pheasant Room, serving meals on white linens. Guests in the hotel could order room service at one time.
One mystery for McLaughlin is why a grand staircase in the hotel lobby was boarded off. Access to upper floors is now through a side stairwell. He hasn’t yet looked behind the wooden panels to see if anything of the staircase remains. The federal application for historic designation noted that the “1960 remodeling eliminated the main staircase” but doesn’t explain further.
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