A4 THE SPOKESMAN • TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2022
Apartments, retail going up downtown
Renovated 1919 bank to host
two retail space, apartments
BY NICK ROSENBERGER
Redmond Spokesman
Drive past the intersection of Sixth
and Deschutes streets in down-
town Redmond and it’s hard not to
notice the imposing columns and
white brick of the former First Na-
tional Bank — or the construction
crews hard at work, renovating the
105-year-old building into new re-
tail storefronts and a five-apartment
complex.
The project, headed by Mission
Building and Renovation, is bringing
to life a downtown building steeped
in Redmond history.
The renovated bank, built in 1919,
will lease space to two retail busi-
nesses. Jessica Klein has already
signed a contract on one of the store-
fronts, with plans to open a retail op-
eration similar to her former Corval-
lis clothing and boutique called Mod
Pod Decor. Her Redmond business
will be called Desert Prairie Bou-
tique.
The other space is still available,
according to Francis Senger, owner
of Mission Building and Renovation.
The Bend-based general contractor
often focuses on revitalizing historic
buildings.
The five apartments behind the
bank, meanwhile, will feature a
one-bedroom unit with parking on
the first floor. The second and third
floors will host both a one- and
two-bedroom unit.
The apartments, once completed,
will have a brick façade that matches
the bank, said Senger.
The building, located now at 404
SW Sixth, is an iconic image of Red-
mond. It was built just nine years after
the city was incorporated and 15 years
after Frank and Josephine Redmond
Nick Rosenberger/Spokesman
The First National Bank building at 404 SW Sixth in downtown Redmond sits under construction as Bend-based Mission Building and Renovation LLC converts it into two retail
spaces and five apartments.
first settled amid the surrounding
juniper and sage. It was the second
bank to be built in the fledgling town
and was constructed by Ole. K. Olson.
The pillars gave off an Egyptian air
and the building housed U.S. National
Bank from 1937 to 1973.
Its most recent renovation began
in summer 2021 and is expected to be
completed in November, said Senger.
“People really identify with it,” he
said. “It brings a unity to how peo-
ple view the town instead of being all
spread out.”
If you’re talking about revitalizing
a downtown space, Senger it makes
sense to renovate one of its oldest
buildings. There’s a community need
to bring those buildings back to use-
fulness.
“It provides a real clear picture for
people downtown,” he said.
It hasn’t been the easiest renova-
tion. The bank needed structural
upgrades and a new roof. Plus, there
was the 14-inch thick vault, which
had to be removed by hand.
“(It) took a couple guys like a week
of hitting it with jackhammers,” Sen-
ger said.
Much of what will soon be apart-
ments had to be demolished, which
was difficult to do without damaging
the historic bank, Senger said.
“Retaining the building in its ba-
sic form helps people identify with
where they’re at and the history of
the town,” he said.
█
Reporter: nrosenberger@redmondspokesman.
com
Minnie the mouser lounges on the job, picks books
Herringbone adds
a bookstore cat
BY LEO BAUDHUIN
Redmond Spokesman
Minnie takes great pride
in her staff picks shelf at Her-
ringbone Books. One of her
latest displays includes Minnie
Mouse’s bedtime storybook and
the children’s titles “They All
Saw a Cat” and “Cat Problems.”
“She’s probably sold more of
her books than we have of ours,”
Herringbone owner Brandon
Weimer said.
Most of the day, Minnie
lounges in her tree near the front
window of the bookshop, lo-
cated at 422 SW Sixth in down-
town Redmond. From time to
time, she offers a meow to greet
an approaching customer or get
to her feet and pad over to the
adjacent display table for pets.
Minnie, a black-and-white
house cat, has been a store staple
for since roughly Aug. 12, ac-
cording to employee Leila Irwin.
Weimer said he has al-
ways wanted a bookstore cat
and plans fell into place when
BrightSide Animal Center put
him in touch with two young
women who were looking to
rehome a cat they couldn’t take
care of anymore.
Fortunately, Minnie fit
Weimer’s requirements. She’s
friendly, likes to window watch,
doesn’t try to make an escape
every time a customer enters
the store and — miraculously
— walks into her pet carrier “al-
most like a dog” — so it’s easy
enough for Weimer to take her
home at night. The only draw-
back is that she doesn’t interact
well with dogs, but Weimer or
Irwin will make sure she stays
out of the way if a customer
wants to bring their pup into the
store.
“She’s just been a great addi-
tion,” Weimer said.
And she’s been a hit with cus-
tomers, as well.
Weimer and Irwin said they’ll
have customers stop by just to
say hi to Minnie.
“I get people who come in
like, ‘We always see you Bran-
don. Where’s Minnie?’” Weimer
said. “Oh, okay, now I’m
chopped liver.”
█
Reporter: lbaudhuin@
redmondspokesman.com
Photo by Leo Baudhuin/Spokesman.
Minnie relaxes in her cat tree in the window of Herringbone Books.
LOCAL BRIEFING
Man found dead in river
near Terrebonne
A man who went swimming
in the Deschutes River near Ter-
rebonne on Saturday, Aug. 13,
was found dead the following
day, the victim of an apparent
drowning near Lower Bridge.
According to the Deschutes
County Sheriff’s Office, crews
responded after 9 p.m. Saturday,
August 6 to Lower Bridge Way
for a report of a missing per-
son. A caller told deputies that
he had been swimming with a
friend that afternoon and left
to run an errand. When he re-
turned, his friend was missing.
Deputies, two search and
rescue volunteers, a drone with
thermal capabilities, and a po-
lice dog searched the area in
the dark, without success. Af-
ter 7 a.m. the next morning, a
full crew returned to the area
to continue searching. About
noon on Sunday, the missing
man was found dead roughly
a half mile downstream from
Lower Bridge Way.
The man’s identity is being
withheld until next of kin have
been informed. As of Sunday,
police said nothing suspicious
was noted in the investigation,
which is not criminal.
Dates set for 2023
Sisters Rodeo
Tickets for the 2023 Sisters
Rodeo will be available Sept. 1,
the Sisters Rodeo Association
Board of Directors announced.
The annual rodeo has been
set for Wednesday June 7, 2023,
with following rodeo perfor-
mances running from Friday
June 9, 2023 through Sunday
June 11, 2023.
Tickets will be exclusively
available online at tickets.sis-
tersrodeo.com/p/tickets.
The board also announced
that tryouts for next year’s rodeo
queen will take place Saturday,
Sept. 10. Next year’s queen will
have the opportunity to rep-
resent the 83rd annual Sisters
Rodeo in promotional events
across the state.
The competition is open to
women who live in Oregon and
will be between the ages of 18
and 25 as of June 1, 2023.
Applications are available
online at sistersrodeo.com/
Central Oregon
Disability Support Network
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diversity in a welcoming community..
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www.codsn.org
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Redmond police officers rescue ducklings
By Spokesman staff
Over the course of three days
last month, Redmond Police of-
ficers twice rescued and reunited
stranded duckling. On July 16,
community service officers Sara
Fenno and CSO Casselman, with
assistance from Central Oregon
Irrigation District, saved a duck-
Redmond officer Sara Cassel-
man rescues ducklings from a
drainpipe last month.
ling stranded in a locked drain-
pipe. Three days later on July,
officers Jonathan Manski and
CSO L. Barajas, with the assis-
tance from the Redmond Public
Works Division, reunited five
ducklings with their mother after
they got stuck in a storm drain,
according to Redmond Police.
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service &
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Bus: 541-548-6023