What's that being built near the Santiam River in Mill City?
Location: 160 N. First Ave., Mill City
Description: More than three years after the 2020 Labor Day wildfires ravaged much of the Santiam Canyon, a new project is coming to Mill City with the hope of drawing tourists and residents to its boutique historic hotel and upscale dining.
The property on First Avenue and Wall Street near Hammond Park and Mill City Falls Park overlooks the Santiam River. Built in 1906, the spot has a storied history as a Hammond Lumber Co. general store. Lumber workers had their own form of currency they could use to buy supplies at the store.
The building went on to be Sears and Roebuck, a jewelry store and a bank. It neighbors the now-defunct Mill City Independent Press. The local newspaper shuttered in 2014.
Plans for The Mill House Restaurant & Hotel have been in the works for years. The first floor will be an upscale American classic restaurant. The second floor will have a large common area to be used as a possible venue and eight unique hotel rooms overlooking the North Santiam River. Rooftop dining with a view of the river will also be available. Three undetermined retail spaces will also be included on the first floor on the block.
For Mill City residents and owners Mike Erdman and Cathy Worcester, it's been a "labor of love."
Joshua Hamill, a representative of the owners, said Erdman and Worcester saw the potential in the property and are working to restore it.
"They're trying to keep as much of the main building as structurally possible to honor its heritage as a mill house," Hamill said. "They've even reincorporated some of the original elements in new ways ... reclaimed them and reincorporated them into a modern design."
He pointed to one of the original bank vaults converted and restored to be used as bar storage and reclaimed lumber and bricks reincorporated into the construction.
The project was publically announced in the summer of 2020, just months before the Labor Day wildfires. The fires spared the building but torched its entire lumber supply.
Even after the devastation of the fires and supply chain challenges, work continued on the project. Old exterior walls were removed last summer and construction commenced.
The owners hope The Mill House will draw local tourism and recreation into the city. The rooftop overlooks one of the most popular takeout points for rafting on the river. Hamill hopes to cross-promote and provide people rafting with a place to stay and connect guests to local rafting excursion companies.
An opening date has not yet been set.
No hotels or motels currently show up in an online search of Mill City. Hamill said people in the region seem eager for a destination like The Mill House. "There's been a ton of support," he said.
Source: The Mill House/Oregon e-permitting records
Read more: What's that under construction in the Salem area?
Is there something under construction you'd like to tell us about or find out more about? Contact reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodworth@statesmanjournal.com
This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: What's that hotel being built near the Santiam River in Mill City?
