Newport
Newport, OR · Arts & Culture
Lincoln Chronicle
Statesman Journal
The tragic end of Salem's most famous hotel
The Marion Hotel was built in 1870 at the southeast corner of Commercial and Ferry streets in downtown Salem and hailed as the largest and finest hotel north of San Francisco. It soon became the center of social, cultural and political activities, perhaps best known as the unofficial second capitol. More deals were reportedly struck and laws shaped in its back rooms and basement lounge than in the official chambers of state government. The hotel’s storied history ended in tragedy 55 years ago, when a pre-dawn fire Nov. 12, 1971, destroyed the four-story brick building and left the grand old showplace a smoking heap of blackened brick and twisted metal. By then, the hotel complex had grown to cover the entire block, and local firefighters considered the 101-year-old portion a firetrap. “We knew it was going to happen someday — it was just predicting the exact time,” the Salem fire chief told a Capital Journal reporter. “It was the kind of thing firemen took bets on.” Marion Hotel had high-end amenities such as speaking tubes Salem’s most famous hotel opened as The Chemeketa House on the day after Christmas in 1870. The glitzy opening-night dinner featured a speech by then-Gov.
Lincoln Chronicle
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The Portland Mercury
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) Announces New Director and Location
Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA) revealed the location of its new headquarters and events space Thursday afternoon. With the news, the 31-year-old arts organization also announced the appointment of its current development director, Betsey Brock, to the role of executive director. Brock has been with PICA since November 2025,...