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Montana Memory Project
Historic Buildings of Butte: A Walking Tour
Butte, Montana is a city with a long and colorful history. The town's history and lifeblood are the minerals found beneath the surface: first silver, and then copper. Fortunes were made, particularly by the famous "Copper Kings" of the city, Marcus Daly, William A. Clark, and F. Augustus Heinze. Butte played a key role in the labor movements of the early 20th century, and these movements often became violent.
Visitors to Butte today are struck by the massive open copper pit dominating the skyline - the Berkeley Pit, one of the nation's largest Superfund sites. But visitors who choose to explore the streets of Butte are rewarded by the sight of many historic buildings, little changed from their original construction a century ago.
This exhibit is intended as a companion piece to the Montana Memory Project walking tour of Butte, through our partnership with Adventure Lab. If you walk the tour, you will be able to compare the historic photos below with the views you see today in the 21st century. Additionally, many of these sites have plaques marking them on the National Register of Historic Places - we encourage you to read them on your walking tour to learn more. For those who don't have the chance to visit these places in person, we have linked Google Street views to each photo, which will allow you to compare Butte today to the Butte of history.
This walking tour will launch very soon - stay tuned!
On the corner of Main and Broadway stands the First National Bank building. The bank itself was founded in 1877 by Samuel T. Hauser, and later run by his identically named nephew Samuel T. Hauser. The building was completed in 1909, with an expansion in 1915. If you compare to the photo here soon after completion, you will note distinctive awnings that no longer exist. The building itself remains mostly the same, but the cornice at the top is radically different, without the dramatic overhang that existed 100 years ago.
Photo at right: View of the First National Bank in Butte, Montana. Between 1909-1920
See what this building looks like today on Google Street View
A surreal scene from 1916 during an Elks Convention, with a giant elk statue standing in the middle of the intersection of Main Street and Broadway Street. The view looks east down Broadway. The tall, slender apartment building at left remains relatively unchanged today.
Photo at right: Giant elk towers above street car, automobiles and buildings during the Elks Convention in Butte, Montana. A street car is on the hill. Cars can be seen along the street. Pedestrians walk on the sidewalk. Numerous flags fly from the buildings. Circa 1916.
See what this intersection looks like today on Google Street View
Construction on the joint courthouse and post office in Butte began in 1903, and was completed in December 1904. Per local ordnance passed after a savage fire in the town in 1879, the building was designed to be fireproof. The building was enlarged in the 1930s, and the post office moved offsite in 1965. Further alterations to the building were made in the 1990s. The building is now called the Mike Mansfield Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse.
Photo at right: Photomechanical postcard view of the Federal Building (post office and courthouse) at the northeast corner of Main and Copper streets in Butte, Montana. Postmarked Butte, Oct. 23, 1907.
See what this building looks like today on Google Street View
At this location, you'll find nothing more than a crumbling wall, and a historic marker. The Miners' Union Hall no longer exists - and it met a violent end. Butte, the home of some of the most prolific mines in American history, has a long history of labor organization, and at times, violence. In 1914, a dispute was raised over the effectiveness of the union representing miners. The dispute became violent on June 13, a riot ensued, and the Union Hall was looted. The turbulence continued that month, and came to a head at a union vote on June 23. The streets around the hall were packed, and by evening, violence and gunfire broke out. Miners used dynamite to repeatedly blast the Union Hall, leaving it a total wreck.
Photo at right: View of the remains of the Miners' Union Hall in Butte, Montana, after an explosion destroyed the building. A crowd of people is gathered near the building in the lower right. Photographer is provided as 'Westphal.' June 24, 1914
See what this location looks like today on Google Street View
This 1937 scene shows the festivities in Butte on the Fourth of July, looking west down Park Street. Note that the photo is taken from an elevated view, possibly from a window of the Rialto Theater on the other side of the intersection. On the left the vertical sign for the Rialto Theater can be seen. The Rialto opened in 1917, and closed for good in 1962 and was demolished. It was later replaced by a bank. The distinctive red Curtis Music Hall, with its pointy turret, can be seen further down the street on the right. Built in 1892, this building looks much the same today as it did in 1937.
Photo at right: Street scene during the 3 day Fourth of July celebration in 1937.
See what this location looks like today on Google Street View
The massive Hennessy department store - Montana's first - located at the corner of Granite Street and Main Street was built in 1898. Store founder Daniel Hennessy financed the construction in conjunction with one of Butte's Copper Kings, Marcus Daly. The partnership continued, and in 1901 Daly's Anaconda Copper Mining Company moved their headquarters to the upper floors of the building. It was later owned by the Montana Power Company, and with modern renovations it remains a business center for Butte.
Photo at right: Hennessy's big store in Butte, Montana. Buildings and streets are decorated with US flags (of different time periods) as if for the 4th of July or for a parade. Pedestrians walk along the streets. Circa 1908.
See what this building looks like today on Google Street View
The Hotel Finlen opened in 1924, and is a truly unique hodgepodge of design. The original design was influenced by the Hotel Astor in New York City. The facility planned a second tower to match the first, but the crash of the stock market in 1929 foiled this plan - note the stubby second tower that remains. In 1950, the design underwent a radical transformation, with the construction of an addition, modeled after a rather mundane motor lodge. Both sections of this historic hotel survive to this day and are available to rent.
Photo at right: Photomechanical postcard of an artist's rendering of the Finlen Hotel, Butte, Montana. Between 1920-1930.
See what this building looks like today on Google Street View
The Silver Bow County Courthouse is the second facility to serve this purpose, opening in July 1912. The facility served as a barracks for the militia during 1914, with martial law in effect. This was due to violent labor disputes - read more about this on the location for the Miners' Union Hall on this tour!
Photo at right: View of the Silver Bow County Courthouse in Butte, Montana, a large multi-story, masonry building, viewed from the front, or south elevation, and the side, or west elevation. Between 1911-1920.
See what this building looks like today on Google Street View
This colorized postcard looks east down Broadway Street around the turn of the 20th century. Note the stagecoaches lined up on the left side of the street, and that the road itself appears to still be dirt. The old City Hall is down the street on the right, with the large clocktower. Built in 1890, this building served as City Hall from 1891 to 1977. The clocktower has changed quite a bit, sporting a more modern look.
Photo at right: Colorized postcard of East Broadway in Butte, Montana. Personal note on back. Postmarked December 13, 1907.
See what this location looks like today on Google Street View
On the at the northeast corner of Park and Main streets today, a modern Northwest Energy building looms above the street. A century ago, this block looked very different. For decades a five story brick masonry structure with a prominent tower at the street corner sat on this corner of the Owsley Block, named after former mayor William Owsley. Occupants of this large structure included Butte Business College. This building was destroyed by fire in 1973.
At the far right edge of the photo the former Hoffman Hotel, also built in 1889. This building still stands and looks much the same today as it did then.
There is a second view of this block below.
Photo at right: View of the the Owsley Block (the 3rd and largest Owsley building built in 1888) at the northeast corner of Park and Main streets, Butte, Montana, between 1888-1892.
See what this location looks like today on Google Street View
Photo at right: Looking north on Main Street from Park Street, Butte, Montana. Streetcar tracks run down the center of the street. Horse-drawn vehicles can be seen along the sides of the street. Spectators are lined up on the sidewalk. Circa 1908.
See what this location looks like today on Google Street View
Biblilography
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives. "Courthouse." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://buttearchives.org/courthouse/
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives. "Miners’ Union Hall Explosion." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://buttearchives.org/miners-union-hall-explosion/
Cinema Treasures. "Rialto Theater." Accessed November 17, 2022. http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/19081
Historical Marker Database. "Butte Miner's #1 Union Hall." Last Updated October 29, 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=184879
Historical Marker Database. "Owsley Block." Last Updated November 2, 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=185069
Hotel Finlen. "About Us." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://www.finlen.com/our-story
Montana Historical Society. "City Hall, Butte." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://historicmt.org/items/show/1867
Montana Historical Society. "Curtis Music Hall." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://historicmt.org/items/show/2027
Montana Historical Society. "First National Bank, Butte." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://historicmt.org/items/show/1970
Montana Historical Society. "Hennessy Building." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://historicmt.org/items/show/1929
Montana Historical Society. "Owsley Block." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://historicmt.org/items/show/2020
Montana Historical Society. "Silver Bow County Courthouse." Accessed November 17, 2022. https://historicmt.org/items/show/1937
National Park Service. "Butte-Anaconda Historic District, Montana." Last modified November 2, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/places/butte-anaconda-historic-district.htm
U.S. General Services Administration. "Mike Mansfield Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, Butte, MT." Last modified August 13, 2017. https://www.gsa.gov/historic-buildings/mike-mansfield-federal-building-and-us-courthouse-butte-mt
Photo Credits
Billings Public Library
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
Montana Historical Society Research Center
University of Montana Mansfield Library
Historic Buildings of Butte: A Walking Tour. Montana Memory Project, accessed 02/02/2023, https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/102247
