The Dalles Civic Auditorium

The Dalles Civic Auditorium is a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places located at the corner of Fourth and Federal streets in The Dalles, Oregon. It is currently owned by the Civic Auditorium Historic Preservation Committee, a non-profit corporation formed specifically for the purpose of purchasing it from the City of The Dalles to save it from scheduled demolition, restore it, and operate it as a local and regional cultural center."The Civic," as it is most commonly called, was once an important center of cultural and recreational activity for its community and region, and after more than a decade of dereliction and disuse, has been partially restored with plans in place for complete rehabilitation. The facility is becoming, once again, the site of public and private events.ArchitectureThe Civic was designed by the Portland architectural firm of Houghtaling & Dougan, whose work includes the Jeffrey Center Building in Portland, and countless other prominent Oregon buildings, many still standing. The light tan brick building occupies nearly one-quarter of a city block, and is an example of the neoclassical style common to public and governmental buildings of its era, more frequently implemented in stone or concrete block construction.In addition to its over 1100-seat auditorium proper (or theater), with balcony, which is still at the planning stage for restoration, the building also boasts a grand ballroom with "floating" hardwood floor with its own balcony (or mezzanine), a "fireside room," for meetings, and a gymnasium.