OHY_Lot233 Guide to the Equitable Savings & Loan Association Photographs Collection 1891-1980 Equitable Savings & Loan Association Photographs Collection Collection arranged and described by Mary Patton, 1983, and Sharon M. Howe, 2003 Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Oregon Historical Society, Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue Portland, Oregon 97205 Phone: 503-306-5240 Fax: 503-219-2040 E-mail: libreference@ohs.org
©2003 Encoded by ArchProteus August 2003 Finding aid written in English. Finding aid based on DACS ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard) Feb. 2007 Changed <acqinfo>, <controlaccess> terms, and <scopecontent>, MKF. May 2007 Corrected <controlaccess> terms, MKF. Oregon Historical Society, Davies Family Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue Portland, Oregon 97205 Phone: 503-306-5240 Fax: 503-219-2040 E-mail: libreference@ohs.org
Org. Lot 233 Equitable Savings & Loan Association Equitable Savings & Loan Association photographs collection 1891-1980 1940-1980 3.87 cubic feet 1852 photographs, 170 film negatives, and 400 slides in 5 document boxes, 3 oversize boxes, 2 oversize folders, and 6 photograph albums The photographs document one of the most important and longest-lived financial institutions in Oregon and its expansion into branch banking throughout the state and into Idaho, Utah, and Washington. The collection covers personnel, activities, and buildings, most notably three buildings for the Portland home office, all designed by noted architect Pietro Belluschi. The collection is in English.

In 1890, prominent Portland businessmen incorporated the Oregon Building & Loan Association, which was renamed the Equitable Savings & Loan Association in 1899. The association occupied space in a number of downtown Portland buildings before constructing its first home at the corner of Southwest Sixth Avenue and Stark Street in 1932. Another new building replaced that one on the site in 1948. In 1965, the Association built the Equitable Center at 1300 Southwest Sixth Avenue. Pietro Belluschi, noted architect, designed all three of the buildings.

Equitable began its expansion into branch banking in 1941 at Seattle, Wash. Its branches eventually numbered more than 50 in Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. Equitable was associated with GAC Corp. from about 1969-1972. When it merged with Benjamin Franklin Savings & Loan Association in 1982, Equitable was the oldest savings and loan in the Northwest.

Ralph Cake (1891-1973) was the association’s most prominent and longest-serving president (1938-1962). A Portland native and lawyer, he gained prominence as a national leader in the Republican Party and adviser to President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the early 1930s, he was part of the group of savings and loan leaders who helped to establish the Federal Home Loan Bank and Loan Insurance Corporation. He also served on the board of the Panama Canal Co., 1953-1960 and 1969-1972.

A history compiled by Les Woods for an employee orientation slide show is located in Box 4, Folder 8.

Presidents of Equitable Savings and Loan Association 1891-1894 Harry M. Grant 1895-1896 Walter C. Smith 1896-1899 Theodore B. Wilcox 1899-1920 C.E. Ladd 1920-1922 Edward Cookingham 1922-1924 Finlay McKarcher 1924-1933 A.C. Commack 1933-1938 William M. Cake 1938-1963 Ralph Cake 1963-1969 Harold H. Cake 1969-1970 J. Don Chapman 1970-1975 William E. Love 1975-1981 Howard L. Hubbard 1981-1982 William E. Love

The collection includes photographs from nearly all the period that Equitable existed as an independent institution, 1891-1982, but the bulk of them date from 1940-1980. The collection documents the buildings that the home office occupied in Portland and that branch offices occupied in Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. The most notable buildings were for the home office in Portland, all three designed by noted architect Pietro Belluschi and completed in 1932, 1948 and 1965, respectively. The 1948 building was the first high-rise building constructed in the United States after World War II.

The collections includes several images of Belluschi. It also includes company personnel and activities, special events hosted or promoted by Equitable, and a small quantity of other images related to company operations and presidents. Included are a significant number of images showing women at work in the home office and in branches. Photo-Art Commercial Studios produced the bulk of the photographs, but the work of several other photographers also is represented, including Walter Boychuk, Ralph H. Cake, and Leonard Hatsill Delano and Delano Studios and Aerial Photography of Portland, Or. Many early images are later reproductions made by Photo-Art. Formats include black-and-white and color prints and snapshots, 35-mm color slides, and 35-mm black-and-white negatives. Some of the images are included in six photograph albums, mostly documenting headquarters and branch buildings.

The Equitable Savings & Loan Photographs Collection is organized into the following series and subseries:

Series A: Home Office (Portland, Or.), 1891-1980, undated Subseries 1: BuildingsSubseries 2: PresidentsSubseries 3: EmployeesSubseries 4: Employee ActivitiesSubseries 5: Special EventsSubseries 6: Slide Show for Employee Orientation Series B: Branch Offices (Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington), 1949-1980, undated Subseries 1: BuildingsSubseries 2: Employees and Activities Series C: Other Images, 1940-circa 1970, undated

The collection is open to the public.

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any reproduction use. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.

Equitable Savings & Loan Association photographs collection, Org. Lot 233, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Library accession no. 16076 (Photo accession no. 1982D182).

Photograph albums were initially processed individually before being re-united with the collection. They were originally given Album numbers 706-711. The numbers are now Album 233-1 through Album 233-6.

The Equitable Savings & Loan photographs were separated from a manuscript collection (MSS 2353), which is described and cataloged separately.

Pietro Belluschi's architectural drawings for two of the association's buildings are located in Archival Collections at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library (Coll 2) and at Syracuse University in New York.

The photograph albums included in the Equitable Savings and Loan Collection have been cataloged and are findable through the keyword search in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's on-line public catalog.

The collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

Belluschi, Pietro, 1899-. Cake, Ralph H. (Ralph Harlan), 1891-. Boychuk, Walter, 1886-1967. Delano, Leonard Hatsill, 1908-1989. Equitable Savings & Loan Association (Portland, Or.)--Photographs. Portland Rose Festival--Photographs. Delano Aerial Surveys (Portland, Or.). Photo Art Studios Banks and banking--Northwest, Pacific--Photographs. Branch banks--Idaho--Photographs. Branch banks--Oregon--Photographs. Branch banks--Utah--Photographs. Branch banks--Washington (state)--Photographs. Photographic prints. Film negatives. Slides. Idaho Oregon Portland Seattle Washington (State) Photographs Business, Industry, and Labor City and Town Life Women

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Series A Home Office (Portland, Or.) 1891-1980 1,681 items.

The Home Office series is organized into the following sub-series: Buildings, Presidents, Employees, Employee Activities, Special Events, and Slide Show for Employee Orientation. The slide show history of Equitable Savings and Loan Association includes a copy of the script (Box 4, Folder 8). Folders are organized chronologically within sub-series. Many individuals are identified on the verso of photographs in this series.

 Subseries 1 Buildings 1/1 Worchester Building (home office, 1891-1893) circa 1892

Includes photographic reproduction of a drawing

 1/2 Locations 1893-1932 Old Chamber of Commerce Building (home office, 1893-1897) Concord Building, 242 Stark Street (home office, 1897-1902) Unidentified interior, 1904 Lumberman's Building, 1922-1932 1/3 Equitable Savings & Loan Building, Southwest Sixth and Stark (home office, 1933-1948) 1932-1940s

Includes exterior and interior views

 Equitable Savings & Loan Building, Southwest Sixth and Stark (home office, 1948-1965) 1/4, 6/1, 6/4, 8/1 Construction scenes 1947-1948

Includes photographic reproduction of Sixth Street elevation drawing

 1/5 Dinner held in building during construction undated 1/6 Grand Opening 1948

Includes many identified people, among them Pietro Belluschi, architect, and Ralph Cake, Equitable president

 1/7, 6/1, 6/4, 8/1 Exteriors 1948, circa 1950, 1973, undated

Includes black-and-white and color photographic prints and postcard views and one 35-mm color slide.

 1/8, 6/4 Interiors circa 1950 1/9 Christmas decorations 1959 Equitable Center, 1300 Southwest Sixth Avenue (home office, 1965-1982) 1/10 Ground breaking ceremonies 1963

Includes black-and-white prints and 35-mm color slides. Identified people include Pietro Belluschi, architect.

 1/11 Construction scenes 1963-1964 1/12-13 Dedication ceremony, open house, and dinner for employees and local businessmen 1965

Includes black-and-white and color prints and 35-mm color slides. Identified people include Pietro Belluschi, architect.

 1/14, 7/1, 7/4, 7/6 Exteriors and models circa 1963, 1965, 1970, undated

Includes black-and-white and color prints, some in albums.

 1/15, 7/5-6, 8/2-3 Interiors 1965, undated

Includes black-and-white and color prints, some in albums, and black-and-white snapshots of floor plans.

 1/16 Christmas decorations 1965, 1967, 1969

Includes black-and-white and color prints and a black-and-white contact sheet for negatives Lot 233-8 through Lot 233-10.

 Subseries 2 Presidents 2/1 Cake, Harold H. undated 2/2, 6/2, 7/4, 8/4 Cake, Ralph 1908-circa 1970, undated

Portraits and activities in college and Republican politics, including: With officers of Delta Gamma fraternity at White House, 1926.With Wendell Wilkie, Republican presidential candidate, 1940.With Republican National Committeemen from Oregon, 1941.Dwight D. Eisenhower portrait, autographed to Cake, circa 1955.With Richard M. Nixon, circa 1969.

Ranch on Metolius near Bend, Oregon, circa 1970

 2/3 Cake, William 1944, undated 2/4 McKercher, Finley 1906, undated 2/5 Other presidents undated

Including J. Don Chapman, A.C. Commack, Edward Cookingham, Harry M. Grant, Howard L. Hubbard, C.E. Lass, William E. Love, and Theodore B. Wilcox.

 Subseries 3 Employees Executive offices and others (solo portraits) 2/6 A-K 1938-1971, undated Arnold, Maribeth, 1970 Davis, Mike, 1969 Farrell, Pat, 1969 Friedenbach, Ruth Hagg, F.D. Hanke, Robert F., 1938 Hansen, M.C., 1944 Harvey, ? Harwood, C.A. Heacock, Ray, 1959 Helmer, Harold Hillyard, Faith Houke, Sandi, 1971 Howard, ? Jensen, Ralph John, B.P. Kay, Dennis Kearton, ?, 1952 Kraig, Chris, 1970 2/7 L-Z 1969-1970, undated Lance, James Lassell, Patti, 1970 Lewis, L. Lindgren, A.V., 1969 Lodge, Dave, 1970 McLaughlin, ? Mulvehill, Jim Ottoman, Kristi Paulson, Rod, 1969 Roson, Hugh Schelmirick, L.G Smith, Merle Sparks, Donn, 1970 Waldorf, Louis Waldorf, Warren Webb, Stan Woods, Les 2/8 Unidentified Departments (including office scenes) 2/9 EDP Department 1969 2/10 Mail Department and Addressograph Department 1962, 1970, undated 2/11 Purchasing Department 1970 2/12 Records Department 1969

Includes Dennis Kay.

 2/13 Savings Department 1969-1970, undated

Includes D. Gernhardt, Jim Truax, Terry Wohlgemuth, and Les Woods.

 2/14 Other Departments 1962, 1969-1970, undated Accounting Advertising Mortgage Loan Print shop Sales Switchboard Tellers 2/15 Committees 1971, undated Dress Code Committee Loan Committee Steno Manual Committee 2/16 Other home office group photos 1944-1980, undated

Includes: Barton, FrankBillings, DonBixel, LindaBachhofner, GusCake, RalphDevlin, Charles Ferlici, BettyFerris, JeanFry, Archie Gernhaardt, D.Greb, JackHancock, Bob Hansen, M.C Hidden, W. FosterHunt, PhilLarrowe, BertLedbury, A.N.Lewis, AnnieLindell, CharlesLindgren, AlMcCall, Gordon H.McDowell, ?Morby, S.E.Newkirk, LamarNokes, Dick Norby, S.E.Peyton, LesliePotts, ErnestRosson, Hugh E.Saunders, Jack Schenk, VernSmith, Bill Sparks, M. ReneStanton, GlennSwartz, MarvSyring, DickTruax, Jim Watkins, C. EarlWitt, HenryVeterans of 1965 move from Sixth and Stark to Equity Center: 10-year, 197515-year, 1980UnidentifiedUnidentified—at United Airlines plane

 2/17 Other groups 1960-1969, undated

Groups include: Boyer, HermanCake, Ralph H.Collier, Andrew M. Lindgren, Al V.McCaslin, Frank E.Meyer, LarryNorby, S.E.Stockman, LowellStout, G.R.Tillson, DonZentbauer, John A.At Jantzen plant, Vancouver, Wash.At unidentified retail storeBranch managers and officers with GAC Corp. managers, 1969Savings representatives, 1961, 1963Unidentified

 Subseries 4 Employee Activities

Includes many group portraits that are fully identified on verso

 Annual picnics 2/18, C/1-2 1933, 1939, 1940

Includes two group cirkut prints (8x10 reproductions in 2/18)

 2/19 1942 2/20 Undated (circa 1940s-1950s) 2/21 1948, 1951 2/22 1952 2/23 1953 2/24 1956 2/25 1957 2/26 1958 2/27 1959

Includes color slides

 2/28 Award dinners 1949, undated 2/29 Bowling tournament 1957 Christmas parties 2/30 circa 1890s, 1934-1936, 1938-1939, undated 2/31 1941,1943,1945 2/32 1949 2/33 1956 2/34 1958 2/35 1960s 3/1 1960-1961 3/2 1963 3/3 1967 3/4 1969 3/5 1970

Includes 35-mm color slides

 Easter breakfasts 3/6 1968 3/7 1970s 3/8 1970 3/9 1971

Includes 35-mm color slides

 3/10 1976 3/11 1980 3/12 Retirement dinners 1963, 1970, undated Carter, Jessie, 1970 Lindgren, Al Nelson, Emily (with Ralph Cake), 1963 3/13 Other activities 1940s, 1959, 1961, undated Awards presentations Blood donors, World War II era Dinners and luncheons Doll show, 1959 Flower show, 1961 Unidentified Subseries 5 Special Events Anniversary celebrations 3/14 50th Anniversary 1941 3/15 60th Anniversary 1951 3/16 75th Anniversary 1966 3/17 Home Planners' Institute 1944 3/18 Pacific Northwest Conference of Savings and Loan Associations circa 1955 3/19 Reception for Japanese Consul, Equitable Center circa 1970 3/20 Receptions for Junior Achievement Participants, Equitable Center 1966-1967 3/21 Reception for Swedish Ambassador, Equitable Center 1968 Rose Festival activities at Equitable Center

Including entertainment and luncheons for Rose Festival Princesses

 3/22 1966 3/23 1967 3/24 1968 3/25 1969 3/26 1970 1980 3/27 Clackamas Community College Jazz Band 1980 3/28 Columbia High School (Vancouver, Washington) band and chorus 1980 4/1 Enid High School (Oklahoma) band 1980 4/2 Grant High School (Portland) girls' vocal ensemble 1980 4/3 Portland Timbers Soccer Team appearance 1980 4/4 Luncheon for Rose Princesses 1980 4/5 Other images 1980 4/6 Undated 4/7 Signing of agreement with GAC Corporation 1969 Subseries 6 Slide Show for Employee Orientation 4/8 History of Equitable Savings & Loan Association circa 1980

Includes script written by Les Woods

 Series B Branch Offices (Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Washington) 1949-1980 466 items.

The Branch Offices series is organized into two subseries: Buildings and Employees and Activities. Each subseries is organized by state, alphabetically, and then by cities within each state, also alphabetically. Much of the Building subseries is comprised of images of grand openings. Images in the subseries include many people, but most are unidentified. The Employees and Activities subseries includes many photographs of building exteriors and interiors, as well as people. Formats include black-and-white and color prints and 35-mm color slides. A number of the prints that were used for exhibits are mounted.

 Subseries 1 Buildings 4/9 Idaho 1967-1979, undated Boise (includes color slides), 1967, 1976, undated Coeur d'Alene (color slides), 1978, undated Idaho Falls (includes color slide), 1967, 1978 Lewiston (color slides), 1977-1978 Payette (includes color slides), 1968, 1970, 1977 Pocatello (includes color slide), undated Twin Falls (includes color slides), 1970, 1978-1979, undated Oregon 4/10 A-C (includes mounted color prints and color slides) circa 1968-1978, undated Albany, 1978 Ashland, circa 1965, 1973 Astoria, undated Bend, circa 1965, 1978, undated Burns, 1966 Coos Bay, circa 1965, undated Corvallis, 1978 4/11 D-M (includes mounted color prints and color slides) 1949-1980, undated Eugene, 1949, circa 1965, 1978 North Eugene, 1980, undated Grants Pass, 1978 Hood River, circa 1965, undated Klamath Falls, 1964, 1978 Medford, circa 1965, undated 4/12 N-R (except Portland—includes mounted prints and color slides) 1965-1978, undated Newport, circa 1965, 1978, undated Ontario, 1970, undated Pendleton, 1965, 1978 Raleigh Hills, undated Roseburg, circa 1965, 1978, undated 4/13 Portland (includes mounted color prints and color slides) circa 1960-1978, undated Cedar Hills, circa 1965, 1978 Eastport Plaza, circa 1965, undated Hollywood, undated Lombard-Greeley, circa 1965, 1978 Mall 205, undated Midway-Division, circa 1960, undated Moreland-Sellwood, circa 1965, 1978 Sixth and Stark, 1965 Town Center, 1978 Washington Square, 1978 5/1 S-Z (includes mounted color prints and color slides) 1965-1980, undated Salem, circa 1965, undated Springfield, 1965, 1977-1978 The Dalles, circa 1965, undaated Woodburn, 1978, 1980 5/2 Utah and unidentified (color slides only) undated

Kearny, undated

 5/3 Washington (except Seattle—includes mounted color prints and color slides) circa 1960-1971, undated Overlake Park, circa 1965 Spokane, 1964, circa 1965 Tacoma, circa 1960, undated Vancouver, 1971 Yakima, 1964, circa 1965 6/5 Yakima 1964, circa 1965

Album of construction and other images assembled by radio station KUTI for the grand opening

 5/4 Seattle (includes mounted color print and color slides) 1967, 1978

Grand opening, 1967

 Subseries 2 Employees and Activities Idaho 5/5 Boise circa 1970

Includes: Bollertrees, ?Clark, DorisGood, ArnoldGrigsby, EllenJohnson, KarenThornton, BillVertres, BoWeek, Ingle

 5/6 Idaho Falls 1970-1971, undated

Includes: Kite, NavaeLarson, Lea

 5/7 Pocatello 1970, undated

Includes: Blair, SandraLanhaim, HenryMerrell, NormaRose, Clair

 5/8 Twin Falls circa 1970

Includes: Gentry, BarbaraRean, Kay

 5/9 Other Idaho offices 1970, undated Karcher Mall (Includes Betty Snell, Miss Rodeo America with prize saddle) Payette Oregon 5/10 Corvallis 1970 5/11 Klamath Falls circa 1970, undated

Includes: Chilcote, E.M.Haie, BerthaStampek, LesStemper, ?Waite, Ron

 5/12 Newport circa 1970

Includes: Todd, J.

 5/13 Pendleton 1970, undated 5/14 Salem 1971

Includes: Bolin, C.B.Colter, DarleneFrancisco, JeanHelliwell, RogerWashburn, Jerry

 5/15 Other Oregon offices 1969, undated Ashland Clark, JerryMartin, Janis Astoria Anderson, Don Walsh, Jack Eugene Pheifer, Carol Hood River Montgomery, Lee Medford Adkins, DolorisClark, Jerry Gardner, JillMoffitt, AnitaWhitlock, Marisue Roseburg Cook, DorothyHornschuck, MildredRoth, JerrySanders, Lavon Washington 5/16 Seattle 1970-1971, undated Burns, Sandy Foster, ? Henson, ? Holland, Beverly Lampman, Mary Mullens, Carolyn Norton, Alice Owens, Linda Repler, ? Sherwood, ? Stone, Ann Wright, ? 5/17 Spokane 1970 5/18 Tacoma 1970 Daugherty, Roger James, Dave York, Carol 5/19 Yakima circa 1970 7/2 Group photograph—employees from all branch offices 1966 Series C Other Images 1940-circa 1970 43 items.

Includes trips made by Ralph Cake, images used for advertising, and views of communities where Equitable did business.

 5/20 Other related images (includes color slides) 1956-1958, circa 1970 Apartment or condominium—exterior and interiors (color negatives only—Lot 233-27 and 233-28), undated Billboard—advertising half billion in assets, undated House, unidentified location, undated (Equitable Savings & Loan made its fourth loan on the house) Insurance agency—George Lutton, circa 1970 Trips by Ralph Cake Coos Bay, Oregon, 1958Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—Comty Rich House, 1956 (Ffirst house on which building and loan mortgage made, 1831)Topeka, Kansas, 1957 6/2 Charles McNary's acceptance speech for Republican vice-presidential nomination, Salem, Or. 1940 7/3 Klamath Falls, Oregon—Medical and Dental building circa 1950 8/5 Aerial views circa 1960, undated North Bend, Or. Portland, Or., circa 1960 Roseburg, Or.