The Sunny-Brook Dairy was an active Corvallis business for decades. Its distinctive headquarters building at 1019 NW 9th Street, at the corner of 9th and Buchanan Avenue, is a local landmark. When the dairy closed, it was redeveloped as a venue for a series of businesses, the last of which – Taylor Street Ovens – vacated recently.
After that, there was a great deal of confusion surrounding the fate of the building. Was it going to be renovated for new business tenants? Was the owner trying to sell it, and if so, what prospective buyers were there? Rumors circulated that suggested it had been sold to one of the neighboring businesses, and that the new owners were going to demolish it for a new building or a new parking lot.
Lance Jones of the Power automobile dealership has now confirmed that the company has bought the building, and intends to expand onto the property. That almost certainly means the historic Art Deco dairy building will be destroyed, which will be a loss to the community. Since the building is concrete, it would be almost impossible for it to be moved from the valuable land it sits on.
Before the building could be demolished, there would have to be a public hearing about the proposal, but since it has never been legally designated an historic site, it’s unlikely that any official protection could be raised for it.
By John M. Burt
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