Railroads were crucial to facilitate industrial-scale copper mining, and it was South Butte that became the city’s great railway hub. Because a variety of industries located here along with the railroad, South Butte reflects a colorful ethnic and occupational diversity. This picturesque residential/commercial building was constructed circa 1903 for T. T. Fitzmaurice and adds significantly to the area’s architectural variety. The distinctive Tudor look, achieved with the use of half-timbering on the upper story, is unique to the area. The building long served as a neighborhood grocery store and residence catering to railroaders, laborers, teamsters, and others who lived and worked in South Butte. The top floor originally accommodated up to five tenants in separate rooms with a common kitchen and bath. Two exterior stairways provided access to the upper floor. From 1918 to 1920, Ellen Ivey operated her grocery here. English-born Mrs. Ivey was the widow of a miner and lived upstairs with her daughter, Nellie. Jess Dearborn, a miner, boarded with the family.
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