The National Cash Register Building, commonly referred to as the St. Johns Theater & Pub, was a building that was first erected in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

, for the

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federa ...

in 1904 and then moved to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

, the next year for the

Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition The Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, commonly also known as the Lewis and Clark Exposition, and officially known as the Lewis and Clark Centennial and American Pacific Exposition and Oriental Fair, was a worldwide World's fair, exposition h ...

. It was moved a third and final time to the suburb of

St. Johns, Oregon St. Johns is a neighborhood of Portland, Oregon, United States, located in North Portland on the tip of the peninsula formed by the confluence of the Willamette River and the Columbia River. The iconic St. Johns Bridge crosses the Willamette f ...

, which is now a part of Portland. It was given to the St. Johns Congregational Society by the

NCR Corporation NCR Voyix Corporation, previously known as NCR Corporation and National Cash Register, is a global software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and Electronics, electronic products. It manufactured Self-c ...

. It now houses a

McMenamins McMenamins is an American chain of Pub, pubs, restaurants, hotels, breweries, and other entertainment venues in Oregon and Washington (state), Washington. McMenamins is notable for rehabilitating historic properties for many of their establishment ...

theater and pub.

History

The

constructed a $5,000 building for the 1904

. The building was uprooted for $1,000 and transported to

, for the 1905

. The building was constructed in sections so that it could be moved with ease. The NCR Corporation passed out badges and sang songs on "NCR Day" at the exposition on September 4, 1905. '' The Morning Oregonian'' reported that the building was "crowded all day". St Johns Pub

After the exposition closed, the NCR Corporation donated it to the St. Johns Congregational Society of

. On June 3, 1906, the National Cash Register Building was dedicated by Rev. Fred J. Warren of the St. Johns Congregational Society. Several ministers and parishioners of other Congregational churches were in attendance. The First Congregational Church of Portland donated stained glass windows that read "The Bible and the Cross and Crown". Another donation of $1,200 was given by the Congregational Church Building Society for the purposes of moving the structure. By 1930, the building was occupied by the

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

. It is currently used as a

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The performers may communi ...

and

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

by the McMenamins chain.

References

{{Theatres in Portland, Oregon 1904 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in St. Johns, Portland, Oregon Cinemas and movie theaters in Oregon Churches in Portland, Oregon McMenamins NCR Corporation Religious buildings and structures completed in 1904 Relocated buildings and structures in Oregon Restaurants in Portland, Oregon Louisiana Purchase Exposition Theatres in Portland, Oregon World's fair architecture in the United States YWCA buildings Portland Historic Landmarks Former churches in Oregon Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition