Originally a hotel with ground-floor offices, this three-story masonry building typifies the combination lodging/commercial space demanded by Butte’s growing population. Lawyer James W. Forbis financed construction of the building circa 1889. He and John F. Forbis opened ground-floor law offices here in 1890, and James remained until after 1903. Though the masonry walls have been stuccoed, windows replaced, and the original storefront modified, stone windowsills and an outer staircase with wood beaded wainscoting remain intact. The Forbis Block is significant today for its associations with Butte’s copper boom years, 1888-1916, and retains its original residential/commercial function.