When you come for a visit at Tensegrity Physical Therapy, you may not know that you are entering a historic landmark! Our office is on the ground floor of Eugene Hotel, which just turned 100 years old in June of 2025. This special building has a rich history, and we are proud to be a small part of it.
The story begins at a time when Eugene was home to only about 10,000 people, and the primary method of transportation was by train. A time when Broadway was still 9th Street, and the Ducks played football at Kincaid Field (now the quad between 13th and Knight Library off Kincaid Street). It was around 1916 when a local cattleman named Bird Rose got the idea that Eugene needed a larger, classy place to house folks who travelled here. While there were other hotels, Rose had a grand vision of a building that would put Eugene on the map. A place that would welcome visitors to the city and leave an impression. So he began recruiting other local businessmen who would support such an endeavor. Together, he and 10 other investors formed a corporation and bought the land at the corner of 9th and Pearl.
As the family automobile increased in availability and popularity, the tourism and travel industries were growing rapidly. The Pacific Highway (Hwy 99) was completed in 1923, and newspapers often reported on the steadily increasing traffic. It became clear that it was time for the Eugene Hotel to make it’s appearance. In January 1924, the costs for construction of Eugene Hotel were crowdsourced, through the sale of bonds. These bonds were sold out the same day they had been offered. Local business leaders, the local bank, and the project’s architect were among investors, as well as many local citizens. Plans were submitted by the architect, John Hunzicker, in February 1924, and construction began in March 1924. On June 15th, 1925, construction was complete. Eugene Hotel immediately became the largest hotel in town, and retained that title until the 1970’s. It is one of the first examples of reinforced concrete construction in Eugene, and can still be seen from most viewpoints in town. It was built with an emphasis on durability, fireproofing, and modern amenities. Both newspapers at the time, The Eugene Daily Guard and The Morning Register, included 10-page spreads highlighting the hotel. The Eugene Daily Guard’s headline read “Another forward step in Eugene’s history.”
During it’s early decades, Eugene Hotel thrived as a social and cultural hub. In addition to being a luxurious place to stay, it also became a gathering place for the city. With spaces for banquets, large meetings, and celebrations, the hotel was home to many important civic events. Conventions, community organizations, sports teams, businesses, political campaigns, and many notable guests were drawn by the reputation of the full service hotel.There were hundreds of weddings, receptions, anniversaries, birthday parties, and other family events held there. It was simply referred to as “the hotel,” and everyone at the time knew what that meant.
Some of the most well known political guests through the years include Richard Nixon, Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Rockefeller, and Ronald Reagan. Robert F Kennedy stayed at the hotel just weeks before his assassination in California.
Many from the sports world also visited or stayed at Eugene Hotel. In 1939, the University of Oregon basketball team won the National Championship and celebrated their win at the hotel.
Visiting teams for the Pac-10 were patrons of the hotel. In 1972, athletes participating in the Olympic Trials were hosted there.
Many big names in entertainment had stays, including Jimmy Stewart, Jayne Mansfield, Ernest Borgnine, Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas, and more. Members of the cast and crew of 5 Easy Pieces, including Jack Nicholson, had Thanksgiving dinner at the hotel and stayed for multiple nights in 1969.
The hotel was also a major hub for musicians, particularly in the 1960’s and 70’s. Folks like Harry James, Emmy Lou Harris, Jimmy Buffett, Bonnie Raitt, and many more stayed and/or played there. In 1977, after filming the toga party scene for the movie Animal House, Robert Cray left to perform with Curtis Salgado in one of the ballrooms. John Belushi and other members of the cast and crew went to watch them. That fateful night in October, the band pulled Belushi up on stage. He and Salgado sang ‘Hey, Bartender’ together, and Belushi later acknowledged that that was when the idea formed for the Blues Brothers. He and Dan Aykroyd made their first appearance on SNL the following year, and the movie came out in 1980.
During the 1970’s the hotel went through multiple owners, and began to lose out to some of the local competition, including the new suburban Valley River Plaza development. In 1980, the hotel was declared not up to code and closed by the Eugene Fire Marshal. But instead of fading away, the building entered a new chapter. In 1982, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing it’s architectural and cultural significance. New owners carefully renovated and repurposed it into an apartment community for people over the age of 58. This transformation preserved much of its historic character while giving it a renewed life. Many elderly folks in Eugene jumped at the chance to live in the building that was such a large part of their and the city’s history. It remains a popular retirement community to this day.
In 2013, Tensegrity Physical Therapy was growing and ready to expand. We were lucky enough to find the space at the ground floor of the Eugene Hotel, and the rest is history! This is such a special legacy to be a part of, and we are grateful it worked out the way it did.
References: https://www.klcc.org/economy-business/2025-06-19/historic-eugene-hotel-building-turns-100