The Butte Miner declared this “the largest apartment house between St. Paul and Spokane” when it opened in 1916. The $80,000 building, constructed by Charles C. Goddard, included forty apartments around a U-shaped plan. Each unit was designed so that the living room faced an exterior wall, thus allowing plenty of light. Amenities included built-in bookcases, separate ventilating systems, and refrigerators. The fourth floor housed a ballroom, parlors, restrooms, and kitchen while laundry facilities were located in the basement. The splendid building features a myriad of intricate patterns of Clayton tapestry and Salt Lake bricks offset by granite and ornamental wrought iron. Today, the Tripp & Dragstedt remains untouched by time in both function and appearance: even the original Otis elevator continues to transport residents. The building is still Butte’s largest apartment house and serves as a visual bridge between the mixed commercial and residential elements of the neighborhood.
Images
