INN HISTORY

Built around 1901, the two-story brick building located at 602 E Main Street has been a landmark in Cottage Grove for over 120 years. According to the book Cottage Grove Illustrated – Volume 2, “A 1901 newspaper article suggests that local brickmaker and mason, Charles Hamilton Wallace, was responsible for the construction of this early masonry building. It was originally a two bay commercial storefront with the east bay entrance recessed behind a masonry arch which was the theater.”

Over the years, the building has been home to several businesses. Records indicate it was first occupied by a general store with offices on the second floor. Around 1912 a theater occupied the east side of the first floor. By 1920, the Long and Cruson Service Garage occupied the west side of the building while Hemenway Dry Goods occupied the east and the Moose Lodge occupied the second floor. In 1934, Safeway Grocery Store was located on the first floor and in 1939 the offices of the Daugherty Piling Company and Daugherty Lumber Company occupied the second floor. Divots from hob nail boots loggers wore when visiting the company offices are still visible in the wood floors.

Around 1940, Knickerbockers Variety Store occupied the entire first floor of the building and operated here continuously until 1988 when a liquidation store moved in. In 1989, the first floor was the home of Hoover’s Self Selecto Shoes which operated there until around the turn of the 21st century. The next building occupant was Pandora’s Box Fabrics, a merchant of quilting fabrics. In the early 2000’s, Pandora’s Box constructed a commercial kitchen in the NW corner of the first floor and for a few years operated a restaurant on the west side of the first floor while operating the fabric store on the east.

NEW LIFE

In 2022, area business owner and real estate developer, Ryan Thomas, purchased the property with plans to restore the building and transform it into a historic, boutique hotel. Thomas’ development company, Ferndale Properties, specializes in revitalization of historic properties and The Bohemia Inn is a prime example of the ideal. The property is located in the largest continuous historic district in Lane County, Oregon.

When complete, The Bohemia Inn will include a restaurant, retail space and 10 guest rooms. The original second-floor offices, which have survived decades with very little change since original construction, will become 9 wonderful guest rooms and a shared lounge room overlooking historic East Main Street. The first floor will include a restaurant accessed by the west main entrance. The original second, east entrance will be brought back to the building façade for access to the first floor of the inn including the 10th guest room and a commercial retail space. Original arched window openings on the west brick wall which were bricked in after a mid-20th century fire, will be re-opened and infilled with new windows. The main entrance to the inn will be located on 6th Street, bringing back another historic building entry point.

The Bohemia Inn will provide comforting, historic accommodation for guests to enjoy the history, museums, great restaurants, theaters, antique stores and other long-standing businesses in historic downtown Cottage Grove. This vibrant historic district is a destination hub to enjoy and explore other nearby destinations including Umpqua and Lorane Valley wine regions, covered bridges tours, Cottage Grove Lake and Dorena Reservoir, biking and hiking routes, the Bohemia Mining district and more.