Filed Under Butte

Chester Block

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Businessman Charles Steele financed the $4,500 construction costs of this exceptional commercial block, designed by Butte architect James C. Teague, in 1917. The building is architecturally significant for its striking terra cotta ornamentation and historically important as the founding site of the Teamsters Union Local No. 2. This powerful group held its first meetings in the upstairs hall. The building’s upper story, with its multilight windows, terra cotta quoins, decorative name plate, and cornice, remains in pristine condition. Terra cotta, here painted cream-color in stunning contrast with the red brick, is a feature seldom seen in Butte. The original mosaic-tiled floor spans the length of the three ground-floor entrances. A cutlery shop long occupied one of the two commercial spaces, while the other once housed a mortuary.

Images

Chester Block
Chester Block Chester Block (PAc 91-51 B1 RollCBD06 F10). Front view of the building, facing north on East Park Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 1985
Chester Block
Chester Block facade Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Bryan Baldwin Date: August 8, 2022

Location

71 East Park Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Chester Block,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/2022.