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THE COSMOPOLITAN
HOTEL
1878
newspaper ad for the Cosmopolitan
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The
Cosmopolitan Hotel, located at 37-39 South Main, was
for many years Helena's finest hotel. It was ideally
situated at the hub of banking and commerce during the
boom years, and attracted all the movers and shakers
of the era. During its peak, the Cosmopolitan was operated
by Sam Schwab and Ed Zimmerman.
Beginning
about 1920, the building housed the store of C. J. Bausch
& Sons, retailers of stoves and ranges. The two
upper floors were removed after being damaged in the
1935 earthquakes, that damage being caused in part by
a large heavy sign which had been mounted on the front
of the building.
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The Cosmopolitan
Hotel after the 1935 earthquakes.
THE WES AND CAROL SYNNESS COLLECTION
THE GRANDON HOTEL
| The Grandon
Hotel, southwest corner of 6th Ave. and Warren. Built in 1885,
it was destroyed by fire on March 14, 1968. Three lives were lost
in the blaze. The building was notable for the single granite
column supporting the northeast bay. |
Footprint of the
Grandon Hotel superimposed on a recent satellite image.
The site of the
Grandon, March 2007. COURTESY OF DEREK
EVERS
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1890s view taken
from Warren St., looking across 6th Ave.
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UNIDENTIFIED
HELENA HOTEL, ABOUT 1910
Lobby of an unknown
Helena hotel, 1910. Probably not the best accomodation in town.
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HOTELS AND
BOARDING HOUSES NEAR UNION DEPOT
Hotels and
boarding houses in the 1500 block of Railroad Ave., ca. 1900.
These establishments were directly across from the Union Depot.
Hap's Beer Parlor is located on this block today.
THE WES AND CAROL SYNNESS COLLECTION |
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THE PLACER HOTEL
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The Placer
Hotel (or Hotel Placer), southeast corner of Last Chance
Gulch and Grand St.
Completed in 1913, the Placer was for many years Helena's finest
hotel; it has now been converted to apartments. As an unofficial
headquarters for Montana legislators and lobbyists, the Placer
was the scene of much political intrigue over the decades.
COLLECTION OF KENNON BAIRD
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| Another version
of the previous view. Many postcards of this era had manipulated
images which didn't always depict reality. THE
DAVID HULL COLLECTION |
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1940s view of
the Placer. Note the stylish and welcoming Cheerio Lounge sign.
Gold beneath the
Placer Hotel, 1948.
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A 1950s view.
THE DAVID HULL COLLECTION
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The clubby Placer
Hotel lobby.
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The Placer Hotel
lobby from the mezzanine.
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The Placer Hotel
Cafe.
The Placer Hotel
Ballroom COLLECTION OF NANCY GOODSPEED
The Placer Hotel
Barbershop THE DAVID HULL COLLECTION
1930s Air Mail
envelope
Luggage sticker
and trade tokens.
Placer Hotel Matchbook
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THE HARVEY HOTEL
The Harvey Hotel,
10 N. Main, 1930s.
Looking south
toward the Harvey Hotel, early 1950s.
Passkeys from
the Harvey Hotel COURTESY OF INEZ
SLAYMAN, WHO WRITES...
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My mother in law was Lillian
Slayman. She was a maid at the Harvey up
until the time it caught fire and burned. I'm pretty sure the
pass keys
were hers. My husband's father also was the manager for several
years at the hotel.
My husband is Wally Slayman and he said he was about 6 years
old when it burned, so that may have been about 1965. He used
to hang around the hotel sometimes until his mom was done working,
and the Woolworth store that was just down the street.
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Stationery
from the Harvey Hotel
COURTESY OF INEZ SLAYMAN
House rules,
from a 1960s in-room directory COURTESY
OF INEZ SLAYMAN
| 1953 Fire
at the Harvey Hotel. The
Harvey was no stranger to fire when it was finally destroyed in
a huge blaze around 1965. On May 19, 1953, faulty wiring sparked
a fire in the basement of the building. It spread rapidly upward
inside enclosed walls and framed pillars between the hotel and
the cafe annex. About $100,000 damage was done (around $730,000
in today's money), and several Helena firemen were injured. One
hotel resident had to be brought out of the building by ladders,
over the top of the Eddy Bakery on Edwards St. Adjacent business
suffered smoke and water damage. |
TREASURE STATE
COURT
Cabins
with no toilets? Well, at least you had a choice. Treasure
State Court, probably 1940s. This postcard was very cheaply
printed. Located at 910 N. Main, Treasure State Court became
the site of the Main Motel, which was "modern" in
every respect.
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MAIN MOTEL
| The Main
Motel, 910 N. Last Chance Gulch, 1950s. Attached was a 4-B's
Cafe, one of several in Montana, owned by the Hainline family.
They're still in business, but not in Helena. |
Main Motel, 1950s,
with Carroll College in the background.
| Pre-demolition
phase of Main Motel buildings, 2004. On the right can be seen
the former Gertie's Drive-In building and the former Armory. COURTESY
OF JEFF SHERLOCK |
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SUNRISE MOTEL
The rather bleak-looking
Sunrise Motel, which was located on the east side of Helena,
on 11th Ave.
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CAPITAL
AUTO COURT - CAPITAL MOTEL
Located on the
northwest corner of Montana Ave. and 11th. Every Capital Auto Court
cabin had a cowboy silhouette above the door.
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BELL MOTEL
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Bell
Motel, 40 E. Lyndale. Pictured here in the late 1950s, it
was in operation by 1940 under the name of Treasure State
Cabins. In 1952, it was renovated and the name changed to
the Bell Motel. At that time, it was owned by Mr. & Mrs.
W. L. Bompart. Helena newspaper classified ads from the era
show that many of the units were rented on a weekly or monthly
basis.
The operation
was expanded, and by 1953 there were three seperate Bell Motels
in Helena: The one pictured here at 40 E. Lyndale, 1900 11th.
Avenue on the east side, and 1805 Euclid on the west.
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JORGENSON'S
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Concept
rendering of what would become Jorgenson's Holiday Motel
and Restaurant, at 1714 11th Ave. The origin of the "Sentry"
name is unclear, but to my knowledge it never operated under
that name. Note the menacing 30-foot-tall armed British "sentry"
signs, which were never built. Although the original buildings
are gone, the enterprise is still operating as Jorgenson's
Inn & Suites.
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| The story
goes that the builders of the Holiday Motel, Gene Billerbeck and
his wife, chose the distinctive color for the buildings after
seeing a "Cameo Coral" 1954 Ford Skyliner at a Helena
dealership. This is probably the Billerbecks, with said Skyliner,
posing for a Ford Motor Company promotional magazine photo. |
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| The sign
had rows of chasing lights on the yellow arc, which would run
up, over and down into the "Holiday", ending in a colorful
splash. |
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Another earlier
view.
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Jorgenson's Restaurant
- which has seen at least one addition, and now includes a casino
-- of course.
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LAMPLIGHTER
MOTEL - FORMERLY HELENA CABIN CAMP
| The Lamplighter
Motel (formerly the Helena Cabin Camp) 1006 Madison
Avenue. They're still in business, but let's hope they've scrapped
the crushed-velvet decor. |
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IMPERIAL 400
MOTEL
| The
Imperial 400 Motel, 524 N. Last Chance Gulch, ca. 1970. During
the 70s, the motel lounge had a reputation as a gay rendezvous.
Indeed, it was listed as such in at least one national gay guidebook
of the era. It's now a Budget Inn Express, sexual orientation
unknown. |
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IF
YOU HAVE PHOTOS OR EPHEMERA RELATING TO THESE ESTABLISHMENTS,
PLEASE LET ME KNOW.
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HOTELS
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BRISTOL
HOTEL - COURTLAND HOTEL - THE DAWN HOTEL - GRANDON HOTEL - HARVEY
HOTEL - MARTHA HOTEL - NASH HOTEL - PARK HOTEL - TEMPLETON HOTEL |
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MOTELS
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BELL
MOTEL - CAPITOL MOTEL - GRAND VIEW MOTEL - HELENA CABIN CAMP -
KOZY MOTEL - LOG CABIN MOTEL - MAIN MOTEL - STAR MOTEL - TOWER
MOTEL - SUNRISE MOTEL - JORGENSON'S HOLIDAY INN - LAUREL MOTEL
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