Thanks in part to an Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant that covered a tiny portion of the restoration costs, Albany chef Matt Bennett intends to relocate his well-liked Sybaris Bistro into a historic electric train station in the city’s downtown next year.
The majority of the 112-year-old railroad building’s original craftsmanship is still present despite decades of use as a pizza and Oregon Lottery video poker venue.
Bennett stated it was fortunate for everyone that no one had permanently altered or updated the rail station. After removing several coats of paint, old-growth timber, ceramic tiles, and ornamental ceilings were found.
Bennett and his wife, Janel, have successfully managed their restaurant through good times, hard times, and pandemics while renting another downtown property for 23 years. Bennett has been recognized twice by the James Beard Foundation as the best chef in the Northwest.
The pair now has a greater interest in the history of the city thanks to funding from Albany businessman and philanthropist Buzz Wheeleras and a $200,000 state redevelopment grant.
On July 4, 1912, the Oregon Electric Railway station in Albany opened to the public. The Bennetts intend to reopen the renovated and enlarged structure on July 4, 2025.
The train station, located at 133 S.E. Fifth Ave., was a stop along the 122-mile Willamette Valley route of the Oregon Electric Railway.
Electric trains started running between Portland and Salem on New Year’s Day, 1908. According to the Oregon Historical Society, lines catering to commuters, students, and shoppers arrived in Forest Grove in 1908, Woodburn in 1909, and Albany and Eugene in 1912.
In 1913, a last branch line was operating between Albany and Corvallis.
Historians claim that once ridership peaked in 1920, competition from cars, trucks, and buses led to the termination of electric train passenger service in 1933.
Matt Bennett, who moved from Michigan to Oregon in 1994, had only known the railroad building on a highly visible half-acre corner lot as Ciddici s Pizza. He now views it as a priceless piece of history.
When Albany was a thriving lumber town vying with Portland for supremacy in the state, this station—dubbed the jewel of the line—was constructed as a civic statement, according to Bennett.
Unique materials draw attention to the building’s excellence. During construction, wire-cut bricks were sent to Albany in place of bricks manufactured there. Bennett claimed that the mason went crazy with enthusiasm upon seeing the bricks.
The restoration of the railroad building is expensive and the cost for building materials, labor and interest on a loan have risen since the Sybaris Bistro group, under Wheeler s Monteith Square LLC, bought the property for $900,000 in May 2022.
The state s revitalization grant, awarded to building improvement projects that bring tourism dollars to downtown businesses, is only a fraction of the growing renovation cost. Still, said Bennett, there is no way we could have started this project without the grant.
In April 2024, Bennett unsuccessfully requested a $545,000 forgivable loan through anAlbany revitalization programthat had ended. Bennett told the Corvallis Gazette-Times that he missed the train on that program.
Bennett told The Oregonian/OregonLive in December that he and his wife remain committed to the project. You just write a big fat check and improvements happen, he said with a what-else-can-you-do? laugh.
From the start, Bennett and Lori Stephens ofBroadleaf Architectureagreed to move slowly with final plans to protect original elements not yet visible to them and achieve the best use of the space without costly missteps.
They waited until the pizza parlor decor and other cosmetic modifications were removed to see what the rooms wanted to be, he said.
Bennett hired Matt Pyburn ofPyburn & Sons, a family-owned building and remodeling company that has been restoring historic buildings in Albany for three generations.
One day, Bennett, Matt Pyburn and Pyburn s uncle Peter Pyburn were standing in the middle of the station, looking at a black-and-white photo of the original interior. Suddenly, Pete Pyburn looked at the ceiling.
He grabbed a ladder, climbed up, pulled out a penknife and started scratching the ceiling, recalled Bennett. Pete uttered an expletive and said, It s all here.
The decorative coffered ceiling was underneath beige paint, and what looked like bricks turned out to be red paint covering green tiles that match the station s distinctive ceramic roof.
Another fortunate discovery: The pizzeria kitchen was built in the original baggage room. Once we pulled out the kitchen stuff and scraped all the nasty away, we reached the original exposed brick, said Bennett.
When Sybaris Bistro opens in its new location, visitors will sip drinks in the stylish baggage-room lounge. Diners will be seated at tables in the main room of the station and the former ticketing area, and the bistro s kitchen will be housed in a new addition to the back of the building.
Bennett will continue Sybaris Bistro s award-winning Northwest cuisine, with made-from-scratch dishes and a menu that changes every month based on fresh, sustainably farmed ingredients he buys from growers and producers in the Willamette Valley and other parts of the region.
We really want to pay respect to the history of the building, but we are not creating a train themed restaurant, he said.
Improvements were made to an original bathroom, which was widened by six inches to make it, like the rest of the ground floor, accessible to people using mobility devices.
And a terrifying steep staircase, which long ago replaced the original ship s ladder used to descend into the basement to fuel the boiler, was removed, Bennett said. The location of the former sawdust chute is the new, safe way into the basement.
Bennett said he was helped by theState Historic Preservation Office, people in the community who provided information, and artisans, from the past and today, who worked on the railroad building.
Each of the original ceramic roof tiles has been numbered and set on pallets as rafters with wood rot are replaced and a new roof underlayment is installed.
I have absolute respect for people who make beautiful buildings, Bennett said, and people who protect historic buildings.
He learned there was a push in the 1970s to tear down old Albany buildings to make way for a shopping mall and other new development. But no-nonsenseMayor Platt Davisand youngCity Councilor Dick Olsenjoined forces to save the downtown, Bennett said.
How deep did the Bennetts go into researching historic details to guide their restoration choices? Three apple trees in a side yard are exactly the varietiesYellow Newtown, Winesap and Baldwincity founders Thomas and Walter Monteithplanted on their homesteads in the 1840s.
Revitalization grant
Lise Grato of the Albany Downtown Association encouraged Matt and Janel Bennett to apply for the state s revitalization grant, and28 were awarded in 2022.
Grato said the Oregon Electric Railway station project fills a well-defined need and met the grant s criteria of having public and partner support and the city s endorsement.
The Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant awards up to $400,000 in matching funds and can be used to acquire, rehabilitate and construct buildings on properties in designated downtown areas.
Grato said the Bennetts having a strong historic vision, a skilled team and the ability to complete the project on time following allSecretary of the Interior s Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Placeswere key to receiving the grant.
Stephens of Broadleaf Architecture, who designed the renovation plans, said the project is a prime example of historic preservation through adaptive reuse. Relocating Sybaris Bistro to a landmark property that was once the hub of Albany, will reestablish the Oregon Electric Railway station as an anchor destination for downtown Albany, especially given the reputation of Sybaris cuisine, she said.
More important, restoring the interior and areas of the original freight loading section allow people to experienced spaces not seen since the 1930s.
Nicole Possert, executive director of the nonprofitRestore Oregonhistoric preservation organization, said the Oregon Main Street program helps communities find valuable and long-lasting uses for historic properties that define a local heritage.
Albany adaptively reusing a former railway station as a restaurant will bring economic investment and long-term vitality to their downtown, Possert said.
For more information:Oregon Heritage State Historic Preservation Officestaff can answer questions andreview applicationsfor an Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant (503-986-0690,oregon.gov/oprd/OH).
A free online workshop specific to the grant is offered from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 9.Registrationis required. The 2025 grant application deadline is March 13.
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Janet Eastman covers design and trends. Reach her at 503-294-4072,[email protected] follow her on X@janeteastman.
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