Wright Building

406 NE 3rd Street  |  Built 1893

Elsia Wright came to Oregon from Illinois in 1871. While Wright was in the harness business, he also paved many of the sidewalks in the McMinnville area. During his time in McMinnville, he erected several buildings but his namesake Wright building was his crowning achievement. It cost a whopping $12,500 at the time. Elsia served on City Council and was active in various civic organizations. The building that bears his name was sold in 2005 to a property management company, and then sold again in 2009 to Rhonda Feero, and is home to La Bella Casa, home decor store.

The most ornate commercial structure in the city, it exhibits Queen Anne influence in its use of a variety of textures, tones and towering presence. The tall narrow one-over-one double hung windows on the second floor are original, but the ground level has been altered with glass and an inset entrance. 

Five floor-to-roof pilasters show decorative iron projections above the roofline. A peaked parapet decorated with penciled brackets, a filigreed rake board and lattice design pierces the roofline at center. A cornice of shell designs alternating with penciled brackets is displays small geometric designs. The inside panels above the windows display shells and garlands and additional panels between the windows are fluted and decorated. Much of the ornament appears to be stucco and has been highlighted with darker paint. 

                                                                 The building is in well preserved condition and continues to inspire and delight visitors to Third Street to this day.

                                                                 For images of the the property, and further details, check out the link below:

                                                                 Historic Resources Inventory Documentation