Butte Citizens for Preservation and Revitalization

Demolition Prevented

This small house at 1004 Iowa Street has a new lease on life, thanks in part to the efforts of Butte CPR and others.

After its twin was destroyed by fire and needed to be torn down, this house was proposed for demolition as well. The thinking was that it would be cheaper for the county to tear down both houses at once rather than demolishing this one later should it be necessary.

The house, however, was structurally sound, although the inside was a mess. Mary McCormick, the county’s Historic Preservation Officer, put together a crew to clean out the interior of the house to make it more presentable. McCormick and Butte CPR worked to save the house, making the case for preservation to the Historic Preservation Commission.

Now the house has a new owner, who bought it recently at the public tax auction for $7,300. The new owner plans to rehabilitate the house, putting it back on the tax rolls and maintaining it as part of Butte’s stock of historic housing.

HOMES TOUR INSPIRES MULTIPLE RENOVATIONS

Peggy Guccione, of Lafayette, Ark., and a part-time Butte resident, attended CPR’s Dust to Dazzle homes tour more than a decade ago after seeing an article in the newspaper while on a visit. She recently wrote to Butte CPR to let us know the impact that day has had.

Here’s Peggy’s letter:

Dear Larry and all of the CPR,

 I would like to thank you as the grant award chair and the entire organization for the generous grant to fund redoing the windows at 834 West Galena. It is much appreciated and I believe adds to the restoration efforts of Butte.

 I became entranced with Butte as I began visiting it more than a decade ago. I am not sure if you realize that you and CPR are responsible for my efforts to contribute to restoration in Butte and the blossoming of my pre-retirement and now retirement hobby.

One Saturday in June, 2008 my husband and I had nothing particular to do and I saw an article in the paper about the Dust to Dazzle tour that day. So into town we came to take the tour. At the tea in one of the churches on Montana Street I saw you and Dick Gibson, geologists with whom I was vaguely familiar. We began to talk and that back-of-my-mind interest in restoring a house came to the front of my mind and has stayed there to this day.

You and Dick and CPR sparked my interest in historic restoration. Thank you all for what you have done for Butte, for Montana, and for me.

 I look forward to future projects and Dust to Dazzle tours. Most especially, thanks to CPR for pursuing the historic interests of Butte.

 Peggy Guccione

Butte buildings renovated by Peggy Guccione

• 105 North Excelsior (Hodgens Ryan mansion) - Extensive plumbing and electrical repair and upgrades, roof, and painting. It is now run as long- and short-term accommodation and bed and breakfast, and has a live-in manager.

• 620 West Silver – Extensive renovations, finished basement with two bedrooms and two baths, and built a garage in back. It is rented by a family. This is a historic renovation that earned a tax credit.

• 627 West Silver – Extensive renovations, finished the attic with two gables, two bedrooms, two baths, and a small study. Saved the two-car garage. It is rented by a family. Butte CPR helped to fund.

• 630 West Silver – Extensive renovations and deodorization, finished the basement with one bedroom, one bathroom, and a TV room. It is rented by a family. This is a historic renovation that earned a tax credit.

• 409/411 East Park – Extensive renovations on this four-plex apartment building, which is now rented. Butte CPR and URA helped to fund.

• 834, 836, 842 West Galena (William Clark Jr. Carriage House) – In progress. Renovations include roofing, brick work, structural retrofitting, renovating an office, apartment, and stable/carriage house. Butte CPR helped fund restoration of windows.

• 229 North Montana - In partnership with Keith and Heather Fortin, interior was renovated and a sound booth was built, the portico was re-roofed, and insulation was added. It is presently used by Ascent Church. Butte CPR and URA helped to fund.

Prismatic Glass Restoration

The iconic glass sign over the entrance to the former Sewell’s Hardware building is getting a new lease on life.

The transom sign, a feature of uptown Butte since 1916, is covered in 100 years of grit and grime and was in danger of collapsing.

The sign has been removed and will be cleaned and repaired before being reinstalled in its longtime location at 221 East Park Ave.

The sign is made up of glass prism tiles, designed to reflect maximum light into the interior of the building, and the Sewell’s name is spelled out in red stained glass. There are other transoms with prism tiles in Butte, but the Sewell’s sign is the only one that incorporates stained glass.

The restoration project is a joint effort between the Butte-Silver Bow Historic Preservation Commission, Butte CPR, and building owner Joe Floreen. The preservation commission was awarded a $3,250 grant from the Montana History Foundation, which will pay for supplies and guidance from stained glass expert Mike Winters of Great Falls.

Winters will instruct volunteers in how to clean the glass and repair the lead strips, or cames. This is a great opportunity for community members to not only help save a piece of Butte history, but to learn about stained glass restoration.

Sewell’s Hardware operated in that location from 1916 until 1971 when Walter Sewell Jr., son of the business founder, retired. Floreen currently uses the space as a warehouse.