Single Floor 4th St. beauty got a lotta zig & zag left in its roofline - Seeks new idea

Old Building Seeking New Ideas; Single Floor Fourth Street beauty got a lotta zig & zag left in its roofline

The Dalles, Ore., March 14, 2025 — Washington Federal Bank will be selling its building at 115 E. 4th Street in The Dalles once it moves to its new location on April 14, according to WAFD Chief Communication Officer Brad Goode in Seatle.

“We’ll clear it all out and our real estate folks will get it ready to sell,” he said on Tuesday, March 11, “Hopefully, we’ll get another business in town that wants to move in there.”

This old bank, once Bank of America, comes with a lot of atmospher and 20-foot ceilings to boot. What business would be perfect for this location?

WaFd is set to close on Friday, April 11 on Fourth Street and then move to its brand new building on 1014 W. Sixth Street, across the street from the Barbecue Restaurant and bar. It will then officially open on Monday, April 14, Goode said.

He pointed out that they are looking for a seamless transition for customers and noted that WaFd is proving its commitment to remain in rural communities throughout Oregon with major investments into brick and mortar, such as this one.

“We remain steadfast to Oregon and our communities when a lot of banks have chosen to leave small towns,” he said. “We want to be in The Dalles and all of our small towns within our 9 state footprint. We want to be there.”

The construction of the new bank in The Dalles is part of WaFd’s branch optimization plan which is looking to create greater efficiency while reducing overhead through clean, efficient buildings.

“We don't want to be wasteful and at the same time we want to add all the modern banking amenities,” he said.

That said, Goode agreed the building on 4th Street at 4,000 square feet with 20-foot ceilings is cavernous. It’s current real market value is over $1 million, according to Wasco County Tax records.

So what would you do with it, dear readers?

Tell CCCNews your ideas on what business might work in this classic 1961 building. Send your answers to tom@cccnews.com by Sunday, March 16 at 6:23 p.m. and I will post them all in a story early next week.