Editor’s note: Building Salem is a twice-monthly feature from Salem Reporter to highlight planned building projects around the city. Is there a building going up that you’re curious about? Let us know by emailing [email protected].
Name: The Forge (formerly Liberty Plaza)
Project type: Renovation, retail and commercial
Location: 285 Liberty St. N.E. (Downtown Salem)
The need: The project will transform a major downtown building that’s sat mostly vacant since Covid into a “vibrant hub,” of dining and salon space according to a description from AJ Nash, principal broker with Tradition Real Estate Partners. “The Forge symbolizes not only a place of creation but also a catalyst for change and progress.”
Cost: $8 million
Size: 73,000 square feet
Estimated completion: Exterior renovation July or August; interior renovation early 2025
An array of dining options, salon spaces and a new corporate headquarters are planned for the former Liberty Plaza, a four-story building at the southwest corner of Liberty and Chemeketa streets downtown.
Renovations are underway to revitalize the property, which has been home to an array of businesses but sat largely vacant since the Covid pandemic, when the Max Fitness that occupied the lower level and portions of the first floor closed.
Chris Blackburn, a commercial developer who owns construction firm Clutch Industries, purchased the property last August through another firm he owns. Tradition Real Estate Partners is overseeing leasing for the building, which should open in early 2025.
The top floor will be a new corporate headquarters for accounting firm Doty Pruett Wilson PC.
Plans for the second floor include a 21 salon suite “Beauty Collective” which will be leased to beauty professionals, Nash said. The plans also boast the “best women’s restroom in Salem,” according to developer description, though Nash said the details of the amenities are still being worked out. A champagne, seltzer and martini bar will be adjacent to the collective with an “experience curated for women,” he said.
Leases for the ground floor and lower level are still in the works, with several dining and entertainment ideas under consideration. Patio dining on the sidewalk is part of the plan.
Nash said some of the target ideas they’ve discussed include a family-friendly sports bar with games and entertainment, a private bourbon and wine tasting lounge, fine dining and a juice bar. A small entertainment venue like a music or comedy club is also a possibility.
“We are currently open to ideas, and working hard to locate the right concepts to make this space a destination for elevated food and entertainment,” Nash said.
Leasing is expected to be mostly complete by the end of summer.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
