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HISTORIC PROPERTIES SOLD IN BUTTEThese interesting and historic buildings have FOUND caring new owners. Click here for properties still available; other building descriptions can be seen here.See also our links page for connections to rehabilitation work by Silver Bow Properties, the Leonard Hotel, and the Park Hotel-Dodge Brothers buildings.Sears Building • YMCA • 701 N. Excelsior • 88 E. Park (Greek Cafe) • Copper Mtn. Coffee Co. • Leonard Hotel • Sears Building, East Granite Street
In April 2006, the BSB Council of Commissioners chose the proposal submitted by Nicholas Kujawa to develop a hands-on science museum on the first floor, and apartments on upper floors and public access to a rooftop deck. This project has been supported by Montana Tech professors Don and Andrea Stierle for more than seven years, and its development will be the top priority of Mr. Kujawa. The Sears building is located in the Central Business District of Butte. This district has been in existence since the 1800s and is part of the second largest Historical Landmark District in the country. The Sears building built in 1900 during the era of significant copper production from the Butte mines, has approximately 55,000 square feet of space on four floors. The original use of the building was a grocery store and office space. The building has been vacant for a number of years. The building's first and second floor have been gutted and prepared for remodeling, all hazardous materials have been removed. The upper floors would make idea individual office space. The roof and joist system was replaced in 1994 and is in excellent condition. A state of the art generator has already been purchased for the building and is ready for installation. The property is also located within the Urban Revitalization Agency (URA) district. Any investment into the property therefore qualifies for partnership from the URA in the form of matching grants (up to $150,000 annually for 3 years) and low interest loans ($300,000 annually for 3 years). Partnership by the URA can reach $450,000 annually for 3 years, more information about the URA and its programs is available upon request. Please call (406) 497-6467 if you have further questions. Butte YMCA Building
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| 88 East Park at the corner of Wyoming. The Imperial and Ivanhoe Blocks (to right in picture) are presently undergoing renovation. |
Butte-Silver Bow (city-county government) is owner of this commercial property in the heart of the Butte National Historic Landmark District. It plans to advertise the building for sale in the summer or fall of 2006, making it available to a responsible developer at a minimum price (probably $1,000). Recent in-house discussions suggest that, through the local Urban Revitalization Agency, Butte-Silver Bow will offer an attractive incentive package to a developer who will stabilize and rehabilitate the building and install one or more viable businesses there.
Description of Building's Structural Shell. The Greek Café building is a substantial structural shell constructed in 1917. Due to this comparatively late date for construction in Uptown Butte, it started with a strong base of a reinforced concrete foundation. The exterior brick bearing walls of the upper two floors are three bricks (12 inches) thick with a high-fired hard face brick on the primary north and east facades. The building's basement and main and upper floors provide a gross square footage of a little over 13,600 square feet.
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| 88 East Park showing the Wyoming Street façade. |
The main floor consists primarily of storefronts, large glassed areas spanned by cast iron posts and beams supporting the brick walls above. The floor area is divided into six store areas, three facing Park Street and three facing Wyoming Street stepping down the hill. The south half of the building has bearing walls running east-west and the north half has bearing walls running north-south. It would appear that this change in structural direction is primarily responsible for the long central crack in the east wall and the brick bulge at the north end of the east storefront. There are also more openings here at this central point to induce a crack and the weight of debris inside the building may also be a contributing factor. These main-floor 16-foot-wide stores, defined by bearing walls, add some rigidity to the lower floor whose façade is primarily open glass front.
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| Historic "ghost sign" on the Wyoming Street façade of 88 E. Park. |
The upper floor's sheathing is extensively deteriorated, particularly at the central area of the missing roof and from the impact of the failed wood truss. A previous owner removed most of the failed wood truss components. The floor sheathing and floor are extensively damaged and the majority of the floor, particularly toward the center where there is now no roof, will need to be replaced. The perimeter floor areas of the second floor are in better condition because the truss failure introduced a path for water flow. The floor area under the one-third of the remaining roof, to the west, is in surprisingly good condition.
The roof over two-thirds of the building is completely missing, due to the failure of the saddle support of the east wood truss. As with the truss components, the previous owner removed the majority of the roof's joists after the failure of the wood truss.
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| Cornice detail on the Wyoming Street façade of 88 E. Park. |
Additional Information Available. About five years ago, the local Urban Revitalization Agency demonstrated an interest in and commitment to 88 E. Park Street when it authorized a structural analysis of the building. A copy of that report can be reviewed at Butte-Silver Bow's Community Development Department office. Anyone interested in this property should contact Karen Byrnes, URA Director and head of Community Development: E-mail; phone 406-497-6266.
Sit back, relax, and pour yourself a cup-a-joe in this 110+ year-old newly restored coffee house. Most recently, it was renovated to accommodate the Copper Mountain Coffee Company, but in the last century this distinctive building has been used as a bank, barber, mortuary, and residence.
At approximately 3,500 square feet, this 1891 building, with its decorative brickwork, recessed entries, and copper covered cupola, mimics the architectural detail found in eastern U.S. industrial cities of the time. The businesses that it housed were a contributing element to the Central Business and Landmark District of Butte.
Apartments on the second level have been restored and upgraded. Large bay windows provide a magnificent view that overlooks the city of Butte and reaches east to the Continental Divide and south to the Highland Mountains.
Construction on the Leonard was begun in March of 1906. Butte was experiencing an economic boom, and there was a great demand for rental units in the growing city. The site chosen for the Leonard was considered excellent at the time of its construction: "It is close enough to the business district to be convenient, and yet far enough out to be in the fashionable residence district." (Butte Miner, March 25, 1906). It was built from the start to house several classes of tenants. The spacious front apartments for wealthier tenants had extremely tiny kitchens; as the building featured a dining parlor in the basement, it was assumed tenants would take their meals there. The apartments in the center of the building for middle-class tenants included full bathrooms and moderately-sized kitchens. At the rear of the building, apartments consisted of a single room with a closet and a sink; bathrooms were shared with other tenants. Many of the tenants in earlier years were single women: store clerks, teachers, and nurses. The Leonard was considered very respectable housing. Sold Fall 2007.
The Sears building located at 32-40 East Granite Street in uptown Butte was offered by Butte-Silver Bow County for redevelopment in mid-February 2006. The building was offered through the Developer's Process. The building is currently owned by the City & County of Butte Silver Bow, and is considered one of our surplus properties. As a result of this, this property can be made available through the Developer's Packet Process for $10,000. The incentive of a low price being that additional investment is made into the building, and the deed will not be turned over until such investment is made. 
The interior is in remarkably good structural condition and features much of its original interior decor. The top three floors were the hotel portion of the building and are currently used for storage. The first three floors are public rooms and include a gymnasium with a second-story jogging track and a beautiful tiled interior swimming pool, both in excellent condition. The public floors also had a bowling alley, billiard room, and reading room, the basics of which are still there. The rest of these floors are original office and classroom space. 
People did do some damage when they removed some built-in cabinets and some of the trim, but the damage is relatively minor.
