Hughes Tire Service Building

The Hughes Tire Service Building (c. 1920) at 213 South Water, is one of several buildings in the Salem Historic Downtown district that were originally constructed for automotive use and maintain that connection today. Many have changed from their original uses as car dealerships to auto related service uses, such as tire and body shops. Smaller dealerships have consolidated, closed, or moved to other locations.

The Hughes Tire Service Building features the steel bow string truss roof, characteristic of the Water Street corridor. Its high parapet wall is capped with tile coping and contains a row of six rectangular brick panels, framed with header courses. On the store front level, seven brick pilasters support a wide lintel frieze accentuated with brick corbelling and cross shaped stations. Above the two plate glass windows are transoms which have been closed. Other bays have been modified to house garage doors. The south bay shows the most integrity with a single double hung window and door. The door features divided lights at the top and panels beneath and is topped by a single pane transom. Many steel sash divided light windows line the side walls of this building.