As the automobile gained popularity in the 1910s, stables and garages existed side by side until motor travel prevailed over horses in the 1920s. The succession of businesses at this address documents the transition that must have been hard on old-timers like Joseph P. Nagle, who first advertised his livery at this location in 1896. By 1912, at least one nearby business catered exclusively to the automobile, but Nagle continued to serve customers preferring horse-drawn conveyances. When the paving of this block of West Main Street in 1914 forecast the area’s development as an automobile-related business corridor, Nagle still held out. The present building replaced the stable after 1918. By 1921, the Main Street Motor Company advertised repairs and rental space for 70 vehicles. Most automobile owners in the early years stored them in garages for $15 to $20 a month, where they could be maintained and protected from cold weather. The spacious second floor, accessed by an interior ramp, served as such a facility. A Chevrolet dealership operated here in 1930, and in 1936, Louis Nybo sold Studebakers, the choice of the Missoula police force, until the 1950s. A vibrant example of 1920s utilitarian commercial architecture, the crenelated polychrome corner parapet with its repeating cloud-shaped ornamentation is an exceptional example of deco style “arc ziggurat.” The original industrial steel-frame show windows, carefully refurbished, illustrate design elements associated with the early auto industry.
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