As you head out of downtown on high street you will see some carpet warehouse buildings off to the left. Head just a bit further and you will hit the Broadway revitalization area. My swan feature this month is the Salem Cinema.
I’m a fan of movies and one of those people that likes to see movies that would be shown at Sundance. As such, I was really excited to see a better venue for our independent movies here in Salem. The high street cinema is still there, but the new Salem Cinema is so nice!
Heading to Boon’s Treasury pre or post movie is such a nice treat, or just walk across the street and hit Christo’s for some pizza. While there is still lots of work to be done is this area, this is a really nice addition that almost gives Salem an upscale feeling, even if it only lasts while you are in the theater.
So…for movie lovers looking to move to the Salem Oregon area, we have our regular theaters, and don’t forget to pay a visit to the new Salem Cinema.
Unless you have lived under a rock in Salem Oregon, you know something big happened in the Northgate Neighborhood of Salem Oregon: the Kroc Center.
Salem is one of 8 cities across the nation that was awarded a Kroc center by the Kroc family…you know the founders of McDonald’s. Upon her death in 2003, Joan Kroc established a trust and bequeathed to the Salvation Army 1.6 billion dollars to be used to establish community centers across the nation. Salem’s opened in the fall of 2009.
It is an incredible building and truly a gracious donation to the city of Salem and it’s residents. The building has an olympic size swimming pool, full basketball court, wave/splash pool, rock wall, fitness center, music lessons, dance lessons, drama, art…on and on. The first time I walked into this building, I was stunned with the beauty of the building and the incredible generosity of the Krocs. It is truly a wonderful gift and has turned just a portion of a really blighted area into a beautiful swan. They do offer scholarships for lower income families. The goal of the facility and the grant is that this building has to be accessible to lower income families. It is meant for the entire community, not just those that can pay the monthly fee.
For those of you considering relocation to Salem Oregon, this is a new gem that is a wonderful addition to our area.
Last month I talked about the recent renovation to the Union Street bridge that was converted into a pedestrian bridge in the first part of my series, but I have to say this this project was a real change for downtown Salem Oregon…the convention center and Phoenix Grand Hotel.
Taking a city block the Phoenix Grand Hotel and the Salem Convention Center are a mix of old style architecture and modern architecture. I personally like that they made the Hotel have an “older style” feel to the exterior to blend with the existing downtown architecture. With this improvement came Bentley’s Restaurant. Now Salem had a few good restaurants prior to Bentley’s, but Bentley’s brought with it a trendier atmosphere that Salem sorely lacked. A bit more hip, compared to other offerings, this restaurant set the stage for what downtown could become. I have yet to be in the restaurant when it isn’t busy.
As one of the first buildings that you see as you enter the downtown corridor, then hotel and convention center set the stage for a rejuvination of the downtown area. When this project was completed I know I thought, WOW…the downtown could look pretty awesome with projects like that…and projects like that continued to occur.
I love old architecture and am not a fan of tearing buildings down unless necessary. Honestly I can’t even remember what was on the corner of before the hotel and convention center went in downtown. I tried to scrounge online for some “pre” photos to link to but I didn’t find anything. If you are considering a relocation to Salem Oregon, just know that rejuvination projects have been occurring all over the downtown and central areas, improving Salem Oregon in positive ways.
Last month I talked about the recent 
projects like that…and projects like that continued to occur.
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