Recently, we gathered community leaders, local officials, and regional partners for a property tour showcasing historical downtown spaces that sat quiet for decades. Today, these long-vacant upper floors and storefronts are coming back to life with renewed purpose. Above all, the tour highlighted what can happen when a community rolls up its sleeves and works together.
Justin Aufdermauer, Executive Director of the Tillamook Area Chamber of Commerce, opened the event by looking back on how far these efforts have come. The Chamber’s direct focus on downtown housing began in 2019 with rare intern Alex Jonas, who drafted our first Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant. That early work helped pave the way for major transformation projects across downtown, including the Jones-Knudsen Building.
The tour brought together key champions of downtown renewal, including representatives from Oregon Main Street, members of the Urban Renewal Agency and Housing Commission, and local leaders such as Senator Suzanne Weber and Commissioner Erin Scar.
As Justin pointed out, projects like these require heavy coordination and shared investment. Restoring historic downtown structures is far more complex than building from scratch. Bringing second stories up to modern building codes is a major financial undertaking, yet expanding these upper-level spaces remains essential to our local economy.
The National Bank Building
A highlight of the tour was the newly renovated National Bank Building at the corner of Main and 3rd. Upstairs, the space once housed the Moose Lodge before sitting largely vacant after 1952. Property owner Terry Phillips took on the challenge of reimagining the site three years ago, starting with removing old metal-clad siding and re-opening storefront windows along the plaza.
Those efforts paid off: the lower level now features seven commercial retail spaces, with six already leased—four of which brought brand-new businesses to downtown Tillamook. Upper-level renovations added one-bedroom apartments, which filled quickly upon completion.
Making those units livable required major structural work. Backed by grant support and public funding from Oregon Main Street, the Urban Renewal Agency, and the Housing Commission, investments went straight into core infrastructure: structural steel support beams, shear walls, fire suppression systems, and foundational work beneath the floorboards.
For Terry, the goal was always bigger than a single property—it was about driving foot traffic and building momentum across the whole district.
“By creating more business, we’re all helping each other,” Terry noted during the tour. “I’m going to sell more cheeseburgers at the cafe, retailers can sell more clothes… it’s contagious.”
As housing options expand downtown, local leaders are making sure practical needs keep pace. The city is actively developing manageable parking options to accommodate tenant vehicles and support long-term residential growth.
The Jones-Knudsen Building
Next, the tour headed down the block to the Jones-Knudsen Building, right next door to the Tillamook Coliseum Theater. Owner Lisa Greiner walked the group through the property.
Lisa shared how the project originally took shape and led a walkthrough of the spacious upper floor, which spent decades as massive, open storage space, now transformed into modern apartments. The tour also headed downstairs into the basement to highlight the massive, invisible work that goes into revitalizing historic properties. Lisa detailed the extensive structural upgrades, sub-floor engineering, and utility systems required beneath the surface to make second-story housing safe, code-compliant, and viable for downtown.
Looking Ahead to the Beals Building
Across rural communities nationwide, downtown second stories often sit underutilized or empty. Tillamook is actively reversing that trend. From new apartments on Main Street to upcoming work on the Beals Building, every step proves that targeted grant support combined with local private investment can reshape our town center.
The tour wrapped up with a look into the future at the Beals Building—another long-underutilized downtown footprint. Once home to an antique store, a theater shop, and even a former upstairs boxing ring, the building is being reimagined as a central gathering space. Plans designed over the last six months call for an indoor food court featuring seven unique kitchen spaces, common indoor seating, a small bar, and a dedicated corner space for an old-fashioned candy store. Upstairs, the space will be converted into eight residential apartments.
Transforming a historical structure of this scale brings significant behind-the-scenes challenges. Delivering sufficient electrical service and installing required fire suppression systems totals roughly $300,000 in preliminary work before framing or drywall even begins. Supported by an existing grant through the Tillamook Urban Renewal Agency (TURA)—which has already funded a new roof and exterior repairs—the project highlights the creative public-private funding needed to unlock dormant space. With permitting targeted for early next year, this multi-phase project represents the next major step in downtown’s ongoing growth.