Filed Under Butte

Harry W. Turner Residence

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Local legend has it that in 1915, Harry W. Turner jacked up the one-story 1890s house on this lot and constructed a new first floor beneath it. Telltale evidence is found in the twelve-foot first-floor ceilings—a height not typically found in one-story Butte homes—and gas pipes only on the second floor. Turner, a pioneer in the field of electricity, came to Butte in 1892 as general manager of the Silver Bow Electric Light Company. That company and several others consolidated to form the Montana Power Company in 1912 and Turner served on the board of directors. Syrian-born David Khoury, manager of a New York City-based carpet import business, later owned the home. Khoury founded the Syrian Peace Society, predecessor of the still-active Lebanese Peace Lodge. Lucille Bunker, who lived here from the 1940s to 1979, was an acclaimed caterer and “inventor” of the Butte cocktail pasty—a miniature version of the Cornish miner’s lunch. The home features deeply corniced beamed ceilings, a library with leaded glass doors, and a third-floor ballroom.

Images

Turner House
Turner House SE Elevation Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Julian Boughton and Martha Kohl Date: July 2022
Harry W. Turner Residence
Harry W. Turner Residence Harry W. Turner Residence (PAc 91-51 B1 Roll17 F19). Front to side view of the house, facing south to southwest on West Broadway Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Sept. 1981

Location

830 West Broadway Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Harry W. Turner Residence,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1892.