The outdated Valley Lodge is alive once more | Enterprise

The old Valley Hotel in downtown Roseburg is filling up with people again after more than 40 years of vacancy – this time in the form of a residential building.

Owner Magnus Johannesson has renovated the historic building and sees the fruits of his labor pay off when tenants move in. Johannesson said he has leases with 11 tenants, mostly students from Umpqua Community College. Eight have moved in since April 1 and three had previously moved in, Johannesson said.

Another half a dozen or so is slated to move in sometime this month.

“Everyone’s pretty excited to be moving in,” said Cat Hughes, assistant property manager for the apartments.

The building at 950 SE Washington Ave. dates back to 1885 when the lower two floors were built, said Johannesson.

The third floor was built in 1910. The original name was the Valley Hotel. At some point it was renamed Terminal Hotel, Johannesson said. The southeast corner of the building was open so buses could pass through so passengers could get off under cover. In 1927 Oregon had four Terminal Hotels, one each in Salem, Eugene, Roseburg and Medford.

The 34 units – 17 on each of the top two floors – have been or are being converted into dorm-style apartments with wooden floors, sinks and refrigerators. There are shared bathrooms as well as a main lobby and common areas.

The rent per room is approximately USD 500 per month plus utilities.

This is the second building in downtown Roseburg that is rented to UCC students.

The Flegel Center at 1034 SE Oak Ave. is home to a number of UCC male student athletes. You moved in in December. The building was used as an armory from 1914 to 1977.

Johannesson also owns the historic building next to the Flegel Center on the southeast corner of Main Street and Oak Avenue that formerly housed the Mark V Grill & Bar. Johannesson said he plans to open a restaurant in this space in about a year, modeled after the popular Lighthouse Center Bakery in Umpqua.

Johannesson also said he plans to renovate the other floors in about 40 studio apartments. Johannesson hopes to complete the renovation of the building he has named Jane’s Vision by spring 2023.

Rents for the studio apartments are likely to be around $ 600 per month plus utilities, Johannesson said.