National Cash Register Building

The National Cash Register Building is a historic movable structure associated with three major locations in the United States. It was originally constructed by the National Cash Register Corporation for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri. Rather than being designed as a permanent commercial building, it was assembled in sections so that it could be dismantled and transported after the exposition. This construction method allowed the company to reuse the building for another major public event rather than abandon it after the fair closed. In 1905, the structure was moved to Portland, Oregon, for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. National Cash Register used the site to promote its business during the fair. On September 4, 1905, the company held an “NCR Day” program that included the distribution of company badges and organized singing. Contemporary reporting described the building as heavily attended throughout the day, indicating that it functioned both as an exhibition venue and as a branded public-relations installation. After the Portland exposition ended, the National Cash Register Corporation donated the building to the St. Johns Congregational Society in St. Johns, then an independent Oregon community and now a neighborhood of Portland. The structure was moved to St. Johns with assistance from the Congregational Church Building Society, which provided $1,200 for relocation purposes. It was dedicated for religious use on June 3, 1906, in a ceremony led by Reverend Fred J. Warren. Ministers and members of other Congregational churches attended the dedication, while the First Congregational Church of Portland contributed stained-glass windows bearing the words and symbols associated with “The Bible and the Cross and Crown.” The building subsequently served community and religious functions. By 1930, it was occupied by the Young Women’s Christian Association. Its later history reflects the repeated adaptation of older public buildings to changing neighborhood needs rather than a continuous use for its original commercial purpose. The building is now commonly identified with St. Johns Theater & Pub, a McMenamins venue. Its current use combines a theater, pub, and historic-building attraction. The site therefore retains links to the National Cash Register Corporation’s early twentieth-century exhibition strategy while operating in a contemporary hospitality and entertainment setting. Its significance lies in the unusual sequence of reuse: a corporate exposition building in St. Louis, a second exposition venue in Portland, a Congregational facility in St. Johns, a YWCA location, and finally a theater and pub. The structure’s survival is closely tied to its sectional construction, which made multiple relocations possible, and to the decisions of civic, religious, and hospitality organizations to preserve and repurpose it.

The National Cash Register Building originated as a corporate exhibition structure rather than as a permanent civic or commercial property. The National Cash Register Corporation constructed it in St. Louis for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition. The building cost $5,000 and was assembled in sections, a practical design that enabled it to be dismantled and moved after the fair. Its original role was to give NCR a physical presence at a large international exposition and to support the company’s public presentation of its products and identity. When the St. Louis exposition ended, NCR arranged for the building to be transported to Portland, Oregon, for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition. The relocation cost $1,000. During the Portland fair, the structure served as an NCR exhibition and promotional site. The company designated September 4, 1905, as “NCR Day,” distributing badges and leading songs as part of the event. The building reportedly attracted visitors throughout the day, demonstrating how exposition architecture could operate as both an exhibit and a corporate marketing platform. After the second exposition, NCR donated the building to the St. Johns Congregational Society. It was moved to St. Johns, Oregon, with financial assistance from the Congregational Church Building Society, which contributed $1,200 toward the relocation. The building was dedicated on June 3, 1906, by Reverend Fred J. Warren. The dedication brought together ministers and parishioners from other Congregational churches. The First Congregational Church of Portland supplied stained-glass windows with the words and imagery of “The Bible and the Cross and Crown,” helping adapt the former corporate exhibition building to religious use. The structure remained part of the local community’s institutional landscape for decades. By 1930, it was being used by the YWCA. This period illustrates the building’s transition from a temporary exposition installation to a neighborhood facility serving social and religious purposes. Its survival was made possible by the original sectional construction and by successive organizations finding new uses for it. In its current form, the building is associated with McMenamins’ St. Johns Theater & Pub in Portland. The venue combines theater programming, pub and dining services, and the experience of occupying a historic building. The contemporary use does not continue the original NCR commercial function, but it preserves the structure as an active public venue. Its history is distinctive because the building was moved multiple times and changed institutional roles repeatedly: NCR exhibition hall, exposition venue, Congregational facility, YWCA location, and McMenamins theater and pub. The building consequently represents both early twentieth-century corporate exhibition culture and the later adaptive reuse of historic structures.

1. 1930YWCA use

   The building was occupied by the Young Women’s Christian Association by this date.

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2. 1906Dedication in St. Johns

   The relocated building was dedicated on June 3 as a Congregational facility.

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3. 1905Relocation to Portland

   The sectional structure was dismantled and transported to Portland for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.

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4. 1905NCR Day at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition

   NCR promoted the building with a dedicated company day on September 4, distributing badges and organizing songs for visitors.

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5. 1905Donation to the St. Johns Congregational Society

   NCR gave the building to the St. Johns Congregational Society after the Portland exposition.

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6. 1904Construction for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition

   National Cash Register Corporation erected the building in St. Louis as an exhibition facility for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

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7. Adaptive reuse as St. Johns Theater & Pub

   The historic structure was later adapted for use as a McMenamins theater and pub in Portland.

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A heritage entertainment and hospitality venue that preserves a rare movable exposition structure while presenting theater, pub, and dining experiences under the McMenamins operating model.

• St. Johns Theater & PubTheater and pub venue

  The present-day operating venue associated with the National Cash Register Building. It combines theater entertainment with pub and dining services and presents the historic structure as part of the visitor experience. The venue is operated under the McMenamins name.

• National Cash Register exhibition buildingHistoric exhibition facility1904

  The building’s original function was to serve as a National Cash Register corporate exhibition facility at major expositions. It was first used in St. Louis in 1904 and then relocated to Portland in 1905, where it supported NCR’s public demonstrations and promotional activities.

• 1905NCR Day

  United States

  National Cash Register organized a dedicated promotional day at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition in Portland on September 4, 1905. Company representatives distributed badges and led songs, using the exhibition building as a focal point for public engagement.

  Outcome. Contemporary reporting described the building as crowded throughout the day, suggesting strong visitor participation.

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• 1905Reuse the exposition building in PortlandStrategy

  The structure had been built for the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, but its sectional design allowed it to be transported after the event.

  What changed. National Cash Register moved the building to Portland for the 1905 Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.

  Aftermath. The relocation extended the building’s exhibition life and gave NCR a second exposition presence before the structure was donated for community use.

  Relocation cost. $1,000 (1905)

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• 1905Donate the building to the St. Johns Congregational SocietyOther

  After the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, NCR no longer needed the temporary exhibition structure for its original purpose.

  What changed. The corporation donated the building to the St. Johns Congregational Society and supported its transition to a new community location.

  Aftermath. The building was moved to St. Johns and dedicated for Congregational use in June 1906.

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• Adapt the historic building for hospitality and entertainmentStrategy

  After earlier exhibition, religious, and community uses, the structure was repurposed as a contemporary public venue.

  What changed. The building was adapted for use by McMenamins as St. Johns Theater & Pub.

  Aftermath. The site continues to operate as a theater and pub while retaining its historic identity.

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• 1930Building used by the YWCA

  By 1930, the structure had become a location for the Young Women’s Christian Association.

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• 1906National Cash Register Building dedicated as a Congregational facility

  The building was dedicated in St. Johns on June 3, 1906, in a ceremony led by Reverend Fred J. Warren and attended by representatives of Congregational churches.

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• 1905Building relocated to Portland for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition

  After the St. Louis exposition, the sectional building was transported to Portland, Oregon, for the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.

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• 1905NCR Day draws visitors during the Portland exposition

  National Cash Register held a branded company day on September 4, distributing badges and organizing songs. Contemporary newspaper coverage reported that the building was crowded throughout the day.

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• 1905Building donated to the St. Johns Congregational Society

  Following the Portland exposition, National Cash Register donated the structure for use by the St. Johns Congregational Society.

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• 1904National Cash Register Building constructed for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition

  The National Cash Register Corporation built the structure in St. Louis, Missouri, as an exhibition building for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

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1. National Cash Register Building
2. St. Johns Theater & Pub