User:Jencool17/Woods and Caples General Store

The Woods and Caples General Store, also known as the Grove Furniture Store, is a commercial building located in Forest Grove, Oregon. The building was originally a mercantile business, meaning a general store that sells a wide selection of retailing goods, that was founded by J.W Caples and his partner J.C. Wood, and the function of the business contributed greatly to the commercial development of Forest Grove. The building's Italianate style of architecture has remained virtually untouched since 1913 when the storefront was modified, allowing it to represent Forest Grove's 19th century commercial history. The building was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 1985.

History

Owner John W. Caples was born in Ohio in 1840 and made his way to Oregon Territory in 1850 to pursue a career as a merchant. He married his wife Harriet in 1866 and the pair relocated to Forest Grove in the spring of 1883. Woods was an active member of the Forest Grove City Council beginning in 1893, and the two merchants sought out business opportunities together. By 1895, however, the partnership had come to an end when one of Caples’ sons married the daughter of Arthur B. Thomas, who was a competing merchant in town at the time.Following the end of Caples’ and Woods’ partnership, the building became home to the “Hoffman and Allen Company General Merchandising” store. A.E Hoffman was a local builder and he joined forces with Marion Allen, a local merchant, after buying out Allen's partner, F.A Waltrous. Hoffman had purchased the building after the Caples and Woods relationship had cesed, working with Allen until February of 1913, when Hoffman had secured the entire interest of the store.The ownership of the store was handed over to Martha Taylor through a family settlement and partition agreement in 1930, which would eventually lead to the purchase of the property in 1935 by Simon Isenstein. The family relocated to Forest Grove from Vancouver, Washington where the Isenstein family had managed a used furniture store. The building was then titled the, “Grove Furniture Store'' and the building was given to Isenstein’s daughter and her husband, Brenda and Mordechai Pilcevich, in 1972. In 1985, Brenda and Mordechai proposed that the store be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The building currently houses "Corner Antiques and Collectables", operating as an antique mall with over 20 experienced dealers.

Architecture

The rectangular building boasts three projecting bays from the second level and storefront openings were present under those bays as well. Underneath the pent roof there are belt courses and a frieze to add to the aesthetic appeal of the building, while the interior includes a mezzanine that works alongside an open floor plan that promotes a flow of commerce. Six wood columns divide up the main floor and the ten steps up to the second floor will lead you to over 5 different rooms. This second floor layout also once housed a fraternal lodge due to its expanse, however, the upstairs only provides customers with one common bathroom.