First Presbyterian Church

Just west on 8th from the Lombard House was the First Presbyterian Church. Built in 1883 it stood on the Northeast corner of 8th and Lawrence until it was razed for the construction of the W.O.W. Hall in 1931.

Lombard House

This prim, towered Queen Anne style house was originally built at 227 West 8th, now the approximate site of the St. Vincent De Paul housing complex. Mr. Lombard was a farmer and also a plasterer, working in many early Eugene homes. I can find no information as to the fate of the house, but it has been gone for many years. The commercial building that stood there for many years was a 1920's era structure.

National Guard Armory

Here is a view of the old National Guard Armory which stood on the northeast corner of 7th and Oak, now the site of Umpqua Bank. torn down around 1975 after much protest from early preservationist, nothing replaced the building until the early 90's and the corner served as a parking lot in the intervening years.

Shumway Metal Works 7th and Oak

This is an interesting shot of the intersection of 7th and Oak St. Probably taken about 1955, just prior to the demolition of the entire northwest corner, it shows the Shumway Metal Works with the old National Guard Armory across Oak St. How unusual that a manufacturing business and such dilapidated old buildings would survive in the heart of downtown until the mid 1950's. This corner has been the site of the Hilton Hotel and Convention Center for almost 30 years and was a parking lot in the interim. That large Oak partially hidden by the building with the false front survived until 2009.

Francis Marion Wilkins Home

This house has always held a special place in my heart. For many years I was a regular and fervent attendee of any and all Estate sales. Over the years I was lucky enough to stumble upon a sale for the the Estate of Gladys Wilkins McCready who with her sisters wrote the first definitive history of Eugene. From this sale, though late, I was able to purchase a framed copy of Gladys McCready's marriage announcement and a fantastic framed sequence of four of her baby photos, each delicately hand tinted and framed. Several years later I worked for a Antiques dealer in town who also conducted Estate sales. One of the few out of town sales we did was just outside Cottage Grove. In the attic we found a wonderful three piece Victorian Eastlake bedroom set made of ash. When we moved the mirrored dresser in preparation for the sale we discovered "F.M. Wilkins" stenciled on the back of the mirror case. Further investigation showed that the set had probably been manufactured in Portland, then shipped to Eugene (the bed and dresser both still retain wonderful salmon colored labels depicting a steam engine with EXPRESS FROM PORTLAND printed on then). To cut to the chase, with the exception of perhaps a dozen nights away from home I have slept in this bed every night for the last 13 years.

F.M. "Frank" Wilkins was the son of very early Lane County pioneers, Mitchell and Permelia Allen Wilkins, who settled just north of Coburg. He was a Eugene pharmacist and Mayor from 1905-1907. His brother Amos was the owner of the Johnson house on the corner of 5th and Lawrence (see my February 23 post). The F.M. Wilkins house was built about 1879 in the Italianate style which was so predominantly popular in Eugene at the time. It stood out from the others in its unusual window placement, cantilevered balconies and octagonal shaped rooms. A very vertical structure, a later remodeling added a large porch which helped to soften this effect. The house which stood on the northeast corner of Broadway and Charnelton at "Four Corners" was locally famous for its elaborate landscaping. There was a massive California redwood which stool on the grounds along with other exotic plantings. F.M. Wilkins passed away in the mid 30's, well into his 90's. The house survived until 1949 when it was leveled by the proverbial wrecking ball for construction of the Bon Marche building which now houses calling centers for Harry and David and Enterprise Car Rental.