Corvallis crack whores losing part of their local heritage

Downtown Corvallis is a thriving retail district, full of wonderful little shops and upscale boutiques. The few restaurants in town where dressing up is actually required (okay, suggested...it's still the Pacific Northwest) are there, along with our stellar independent cinema.

Then we have the other major retail region in town, NW 9th Street. Unlike the downtown region, 9th Street is chock full of faded facades and fast food joints. Improvements and upgrades are sometimes attempted, such as the revised Cannery Mall, which still remains mostly empty five years after Borders moved in, but mostly, the businesses that do well are the 50-year-old plumbing supply stores and used car lots.

Another such improvement will soon be made, when the Jason Inn is torn down. The Jason Inn is one of those rare motels that still advertises waterbeds in some rooms, for the low price of $36 per night. The TV sets still have actual knobs that have to be turned and if you are lucky enough to get a bathroom where the tiles aren't broken, you're still going to get a screaming case of athlete's foot. The decor screams 1975, with disco-themed polyester bed spreads and gold shag carpeting. The on-site restaurant changes ownership on a monthly basis, but the bar has usually done a brisk business, if you like that meat market sort of atmosphere.

The place has been sort of an in joke for many local residents, who have long steered frugal visitors from out of town toward the Econo Lodge or Motel 6, where at least you could be sure that the towels had been washed since they were last used. With the Jason Inn going the way of the C.E.W. Motel, which was torn down a decade ago, Magic Fingers and all, the high school kids saving up for that special afternoon and the meth-addled party crowd will have to turn to the two remaining under-$40 motels in Southtown where you still don't need valid ID or a credit card to rent a room.

I don't think anyone will really miss the Jason Inn, but they could've torn it down to build something that might really bring retail dollars to the area. When the C.E.W. was demolished, it was replaced by Bed, Bath and Beyond, DVD World and Starbucks. This time, we're just getting a Carl's Jr.