PENDLETON — Pendleton is a city known for its historic buildings, and visitors and residents have the chance to go inside some of those buildings March 1-2 and May 10-11.

History Preserved Pendleton, part of Pendleton Urban Renewal, is again hosting historic building tours to give people an opportunity to see what those historic buildings look like on the inside.

“Pendleton is fortunate to have both a rich history and a significant number of historical buildings,” said Stephanie Huffman, event organizer and planning technician for the City of Pendleton. “A tour like this lets the public explore these structures and learn how and why Pendleton Urban Renewal is involved in their renovation. Guests will be able to tour the upstairs of multiple historic buildings that are generally not open to the public. They will learn about the history of the buildings about any renovation projects currently taking place.”

In October, about 300 people attended the first historic building tours under History Preserved Pendleton, and that success drove organizers to expand and repeat the experience.

These guided tours will feature nine official stops: Bond Building (Sisters Café), 1904; Bowman Hotel Building, 1905; Christian Science Church, 1926; Frazier Office Supply Building, 1889; Masonic Hall (Great Pacific), 1887; Oak Hotel, 1904; Odd Fellows Temple, 1897; Rainbow Café, 1880; and the Rivoli Theater, 1900.

Charles Denight, with Pendleton Urban Renewal, said most of the tour buildings’ upper stories look similar to how they looked 60 to 70 years ago while others have been restored or are in the midst of a restoration.

The tour will also feature some of the first recent tours of the former Christian Science building at the corner of Southwest Byers Avenue and South Main Street. Opened in 1926, the building was recently donated to the City of Pendleton by the Bisnett family, and the city is entering into a community feedback process to determine the next steps. Huffman said she is thrilled to have the building on the tour.

“The building is a beautiful example of the Spanish Mission style. The previous owners recently donated it to the city so it will be exciting to hear tour guests’ feedback on it,” she said.

Participants on the tour will be some of the first provide feedback on the building’s future.

Tour organizers note that most of the upper stories are accessed by steep staircases and some have poor lighting. The hosts are providing flashlights for some of the darker corners, but those who are unable to or uncomfortable with accessing those locations, there will be a “Sit-down Tour” from 6-8 p.m. on March 15 at Heritage Station Museum.

During the sit-down tour, architect Mark Seder will speak about the history and restoration of the building.

Huffman said both the guided walking tours and the sit-down tours are open to people of all ages and prior knowledge of history is not required.

“We’ll be passing out pamphlets on the buildings, so there’s no need to research beforehand,” Huffman said. “As for the tour itself, I would suggest wearing comfortable walking shoes. We’ll be walking outside between buildings, so dressing for the weather is good preparation.”

The Historic Building Tours are made possible by the building owners, Pendleton Urban Renewal, the City of Pendleton, the Pendleton Downtown Association, the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce and the Umatilla County Historical Society.

Tours

Guided tours will begin every half hour from 1-4 p.m. on March 1 and 2, starting from the Umatilla County Historical Society’s Heritage Station Museum, 108 SW Frazer Ave. As part of the tours, the museum will provide free access to its exhibits during the tours.

Participants will also receive a passport featuring images of the tour buildings, and, at each stop, those passports can be stamped. A stamped passport can be used for special offers — including discounts or free items — from multiple downtown merchants.

No registration is required; however, organizers do ask that any large groups sign up in advance.

For information about the tours, or to volunteer or schedule a field trip, contact Huffman at stephanie.huffman@ci.pendleton.or.us or call 971-978-7603.

More information on the tours and “then-and-now” photos of the building are available at pendletonurbanrenewal.com.

Take a tour

Tours of Pendleton’s historic buildings on March 1 and 2 will run from 1-4 p.m. There are nine locations but one, the Rivoli Theater, won’t be open. The tour features:

Bond Building, 1904

Bowman Hotel Building, 1905

Christian Science Church, 1926

Frazier Office Supply Building, 1889

Masonic Hall, 1887

Oak Hotel, 1904

Odd Fellows Temple, 1897

Rainbow Cafe, 1880

Rivoli Theater, 1900