The smaller section on the west end of the block was completed in 1884 while the remainder of the building was completed on a larger scale in 1890. Both sections are Italianate in style. The original structure had a wooden roof extending over the sidewalk at the first story and a stairway on the East side to reach the second floor. At one time this building housed the U.S Post Office. The newer portion of the block was designed to match the original section with considerably taller portions.
The LaDows settled in Pendleton in 1868. Col. George LaDow, pioneer lawyer, had purchased about one-half of the town plat of Pendleton in 1869 from Moses Goodwin. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1874 but died before he could take office in 1875. LaDow's widow, Martha LaDow, carried on her husband's extensive real estate pursuits in Pendleton. She began construction of the first section in 1884 and completed the second larger section in 1890. In 1905, a disastrous fire destroyed the top floor and damaged many of the businesses on the main floor. In 1913, a new owner, W.F. Matlock, remodeled the second floor into apartments. His daughter, Nellie Matlock Laatz, later inherited the building and by 1938, the building became known as "The Laatz Apartments." In 1951, another major fire closed down the second floor and it has remained
vacant since that time. Matlock's Great-grandson, Mat Mims, sold the building to Elnor Alkio who undertook the restoration of the entire block. In 1982, the building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Some of the businesses that occupied the ground level included the Oregon Bakery, Pendleton Service Station, The Fix-It Shop, Tullis Market, Natural Gas Company, P.S. Cook Plumbing and many more.
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