Filed Under Butte

929 South Main Street

Butte National Historic Landmark District

By 1891, South Butte was a flourishing suburb, linked by streetcar to the uptown business district and the mines. Nevertheless, this lot remained empty until after 1900. By 1913, carpenters had constructed a one-story, flat-roofed duplex notable for its prominent porch pediment and its corbelled brick cornice. At one time, more elaborate columns likely supported the porch roof, which features wide gable trim, decorative shingles, and an ornamental wooden sunburst in the gable end. William and Carrie Bennetts lived in the north duplex from 1913 into the 1920s, renting out the south side to tenants, who included teamster William Raper and his family. William Bennetts worked alternately as a watchman and a hoisting engineer. Carrie owned the duplex. As in this case, early twentieth-century deeds often list the wife as sole owner of the family residence. This legal arrangement sometimes provided a measure of protection from a husband's creditors. Salesman Jack Dorgan purchased the building in the 1940s, converting it into a single family home in the early 1960s.

Images

929 South Main Street
929 South Main Street 929 South Main Street (PAc 91-51 B2 RollJB16 F20). Front view of the house, facing west on South Main Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: John Byrne Date: 1982

Location

929 South Main Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “929 South Main Street,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1992.