NEWBERG, Ore. — Newberg’s oldest commercial building is back on the market after nearly two years of renovations that updated two rental units on the upper level and two commercial spaces on the ground floor.
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Building owner Steve Everley said he plans to list the property at 811 E 1st Street for $2.59 million, citing the refurbished apartments with period-appropriate design and furnishings, as well as the completely rebuilt main floor.
“It’s time to move it along,” Everley said. “I’m really proud of the work we did, and I’m excited to move this to an owner who wants to take it to the next level and provide something great for the Newberg community.”
Everley said the decision to sell was made as a family. Renovating a historic building from the 1800s proved taxing, and he said he and his family have been deeply involved in the project to prepare the space for tenants.
“It’s gotten to a point where it was more stressful than fun,” he said. “We had a talk and decided it was time to offload it and come back to enjoy it as a customer, not an owner, when the businesses are running.”
The historic brick building at the corner of First Street and Meridian Street was purchased by Everley and former business partner Kelly Koch in May 2024 for $689,920, according to Yamhill County records.
The main floor previously housed Pacific Crest Real Estate Advisors and Right On Computers, both of which have relocated, as well as Shear Expressions Hair Salon, which moved to another unit in the building. During renovations, Everley removed plaster to expose the original brick and beams, removed walls to connect the main space, updated all plumbing and electrical systems, and installed a hood for a commercial kitchen.
Everley said he is still seeking a tenant for the main space, and despite the kitchen build-out, it does not necessarily need to be a restaurant.
The ground floor includes two spaces. The corner space at First Street and Meridian Street has been retrofitted for a restaurant and remains available for lease. Wolves & People Brewery has announced plans to lease the garage space attached to the main building, which owner Christian Debenedetti confirmed remains the plan.
Debenedetti said there is no confirmed timeline for opening the new bar. He said he had originally hoped to open by November, but a series of setbacks pushed the opening date to early 2026. He said he hopes to be open by Newgrass Festival, a bluegrass festival he co-operates, in March.
His GoFundMe fundraising page, launched to help with some of the build-out costs, has raised $17,211 as of Feb. 9.
According to George Fox University’s “Mapping Our History” project, the building has housed numerous businesses and residents since opening in 1888, including a bank, a specialty glass retailer, the Newberg Graphic, a tax service, and a real estate office, before becoming Right On Computers. There is a gap in available records between 1907 and 1961. Radical Rubies Hair Salon closed its Newberg location on July 5, 2022, and moved all operations to McMinnville, according to a Facebook post.
Everley and Koch completed renovations on the upstairs apartments first, opening them to the public in December. The two later dissolved their partnership as Koch began work on another project, Bronco Kelly’s, which opened in August 2025.
Everley is hosting an open house on Friday, Feb. 13, from 3 – 6 p.m., allowing members of the public to tour the renovated building.
