Not some Dalles, but THE Dalles. The Dale, as in over-hill-and. The Sluice. Whatever the origin, it’s a peculiar name. Towns ought not have articles. Last week we looked at the standard downtown stuff of varying sizes and eras; odds and ends today.

We start with a classic:

That’s an old used-car lot, and if I had to say I’d pronounce it an OK Used Car lot. They had the blue-and-yellow color scheme. The OK lot was a Chevrolet invention, guaranteeing consumers a car that been rigorously inspected and pronounced OK.

An absolutely ordinary Federal building of no great distinction, turned out by the hundreds until the crash hit:

A town needs something like this. It gives the place stature and history.

Old signage from the era of wheeled chairs on sheets of plastic and metal drawers that clanged shut like a prison door.

"Mail-Well Envelopes," for those who have been disappointed by envelopes that mailed so poorly.

So they have a problem with jellyfish, it seems:

Rather desultory remodeling, but the signage is nice. Except for the Konica addition. Were people bursting into the store to ask if they had Konica gear, and management grew tired of the constant queries?

If you don’t like the time at the top of the tower, look down a bit and we’ve got another one for you:

It looks like City Hall had to go into the garden business to make ends meet. It’s a bar now.

Clock Tower Ales is located in the second Wasco County Courthouse built in 1883 and home to the last public hanging in 1905 (wish we had a photo of that). Join us in Historic Downtown The Dalles, Oregon for fine pub grub

Er, no

It's difficult to restore something to its original condition when such an immense alteration has changed it forever:

You can get around a lot of things, but there's something about those glass blocks that defies renovation or restoration. The glass over the door was removed a long time ago, and the effect - as always - seals off the interior and makes the front look dim and old.

All righty, students: let’s guess. The style doesn’t tell us what it was, necessarily - doesn’t seem like it’s a library or government building. Say, what are those letters on the corners - B, and E?

Might that mean there’s also a P and an O?

OUMB, or Obligatory Ugly Modern Bank:

Come here for your money. Not all of it. Come back tomorrow for some more. But not all of it.

Another OUMB:

The sixties lost the plot towards the end.

Finally, for comparison: Then.

Now.

From pinterest, a picture of the bygone days, with all its contradictions and anachronisms and mix-and-match styles . . .

. . . and here it is today.

Have a stroll around. You’ll find a lot I didn’t highlight.