Filed Under Butte

Leonard Apartments

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Turn-of-the-twentieth-century social critics viewed apartment living as “the most dangerous enemy American domesticity has had to encounter.” Butte investors ignored this admonition, constructing the fashionable Leonard Apartments in 1906 to help solve an unprecedented demand for housing. Designed by Butte architect William A. O’Brien, this massive brick building with its graceful twin curved bays, overhanging cornice, and decorative lion medallions lent the city an urban flair. In 1910, the Leonard Cafe advertised that it was “the best place in Butte to dine.” Patrons could enjoy a complete dinner for fifty cents. Even today the upward sweep of the building’s façade is impressive, proclaiming the caliber of its architect.

Images

Leonard Apartments
Leonard Apartments Leonard Apartments (PAc 91-51 B1 Roll20 F30). Front to side view of the building, facing northwest on West Granite Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Sept. 1981
Leonard Apartments
Leonard Apartments Leonard Apartments (PAc 91-51 B1 Roll20 F31). Front to side view of the building, facing north to northeast on West Granite 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

205 West Granite Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Leonard Apartments,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1939.