Hot Lake Sanitorium (Closed)
La Grande, OR
Photo courtesy Allen Sandquist

The grand brick Hot Lake Sanitorium looks like an unlikely discovery outside La Grande. Beside the steaming mineral springs, the sprawling building hints at the days when visitors arrived hoping a stay and a hot bath might improve their health. It’s considerably more elaborate than the usual roadside soak. 08-09

The surviving brick wing dates to 1906 and escaped the 1934 fire that destroyed the complex’s wooden sections. Hot Lake later served other purposes, including a nursing home, before years of abandonment left its future uncertain. Restoration eventually brought the old landmark back from a very long rest.

UPDATE: The property now operates as Hot Lake Springs Resort, offering overnight lodging and mineral pools. Guests can also visit an onsite pub and a sixty seat movie theater. That’s quite a change from the years when the building looked ready to become another roadside ruin. 07-26

Fluhrer's Bread (Gone)
Medford, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The lettering at Fluhrer’s Bread deserves a careful second look. The unusual name and old advertising give this Medford building plenty of character, recalling a time when a bakery could leave its identity painted right across the wall. 03-06

William “Heinie” Fluhrer commissioned architect Frank Clark to design the bakery’s central section in 1933. Its Art Deco details helped distinguish the building from an ordinary industrial bakery. During paint removal in 2004, the old Fluhrer’s Bread wall advertisement emerged and was repainted in deliberately faded colors.

UPDATE: The bakery is gone, but the historic building survives at 29 North Holly Street. Listed on the National Register in 1983, it has housed other businesses, including an art supply center. The rediscovered wall sign gives the building a direct connection to its bread baking days. 07-26

Dixon Dry Goods (Closed)
Grants Pass, OR
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The faded Dixon Dry Goods lettering proves that a memorable downtown sign doesn’t need a single neon tube. Painted on the old brick building in Grants Pass, it still advertises a business that disappeared generations ago. That’s a pretty good return on a coat of paint. 03-06

The building at 125 Southwest G Street dates to 1894. After its dry goods years, it housed Smith’s Variety Store from 1913 until 1970, giving the property another long chapter in local shopping history. The old advertisement remained a reminder of the earlier tenant.

UPDATE: Josephine Interiors & Market now occupies the historic building. The Dixon lettering preserves a little of downtown’s early commercial character while customers browse a different selection of merchandise inside. It’s nice to find an old store still earning its keep. 07-26