Considering Vancouver is one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest, it has very few historical commercial buildings. So it’s sad to see the old Schofield Building on the corner of Sixth and Main streets being dismantled, brick by historic brick. At least it’s a dignified end to the structure, which was built in phases beginning in the 1880s. It’s considered to be Vancouver’s oldest commercial building. Remarkably, it’s still owned by the Schofield family, which operated a store on the property as far back as the 1860s. The building itself wasn’t particularly remarkable. Built of brick, the front portion was two stories tall and resembled other buildings of its era. Several single-story additions were tacked on over the years, until the property reached Sixth and Washington. The portion being demolished housed a variety of small businesses over the years, most notably Cameo Main Street Loan, which was one of downtown’s many pawn shops. Until 2015, the building also was home to the Magenta Theater. I’ll remember it best for the Top Shelf, which was for several years downtown’s leading martini bar.

The last tenants, Kindred Homestead Supply and Ronald Records, were notified by the Schofield family last year that the building was no longer fit to occupy and they would have to relocate. Apparently the building had developed some leaks, and it’s likely its masonry construction wouldn’t be cost-effective to repair and stabilize. So its demolition isn’t surprising. As I drove by the building the other day and saw all the scaffolding, it struck me that a century ago, Sixth and Main must have been one of downtown’s power corners. So I checked some of our old Polk directories, an annual book that was sort of the internet of its day, full of information about local people and businesses. Sure enough, in the early 20th century the Schofield Building was very busy. For decades, the ground floor was taken up by a drug store (600 Main St.) which had several names over the years; Padden’s Men’s Clothing (602 Main St.); and Marshall-McCall Hardware (606 Main St.) Upstairs tenants included doctors, lawyers, accountants and a dentist or two. Across Main Street was the five-story U.S. National Bank Building, which also housed lots of doctors, dentists and lawyers. To the south was the small but swank Vancouver National Bank building, and beyond that, on the corner of Fifth and Main, stood the five-story Evergreen Hotel. When it opened in 1928, the Evergreen was one of the largest and perhaps most impressive commercial building in Vancouver. Across from the Evergreen stood another hotel, the Monterey.

In other words, Sixth and Main was once the epicenter of wealth and professional services in Vancouver. That changed over the years. It’s still a busy corner, but instead of traffic arriving from the south, it now comes from the east, as both Interstate 5 and Highway 14 dump traffic onto Sixth Street. Right now it is a bit of a mess, as the city of Vancouver’s contractor is rebuilding Main Street. When work moves north of Seventh Street, and the Schofield demolition is complete, lower Main Street will still be left with several historical buildings. The U.S. National Bank Building, now called the Heritage Building, has been restored and holds office tenants. On the ground floor is Brewed, a nice coffee/beer/wine bar. The Evergreen Hotel, now an assisted living center, is still there, and next door the Vancouver National Bank has long been home to Firehouse Glass, an art glass foundry. On the corner of Seventh and Main stands another restored building similar to the Schofield, and three blocks north of that, at 916 Main St., is the historic Vancouver Elks building. Built in 1911, it’s arguably one of the best old commercial buildings in town. The Schofield family says they are envisioning a new building that fits into the district’s historic context, much like the Hudson Building successfully replaced the Monterey Hotel. If so, the family’s legacy on this corner could continue for at least another century.