Filed Under Butte

Campana Building

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Swiss-born Rocco Campana came to Butte in 1886 when it was still a mining camp with a precarious future. Rocco first opened a saloon then, confident of the town’s potential, invested his savings in property on this corner. By 1890, three brothers had joined him. Clemens, Celeste, and Constante Campana operated a grocery, hay, and grain business while Rocco handled wholesale liquors and cigars. The entire family lived on the premises. In 1894, the Campanas hired Butte architect H. M. Patterson to combine the corner storefront with a new two-story building next door. The family residence then sprawled over both second floors above the grocery and bar. A feed store and stable were on the alley. In 1898, Rocco died leaving his wife Pellegrina and nine children, the youngest twelve days old. Pellegrina raised her children here, running the bar and grocery until her death in 1925. The centered name and date may not be the only reminder of this family prominent in Butte’s commercial history. Some recently claim to have seen the ghost of Pellegrina presiding behind the bar.

Images

Campana Building
Campana Building Campana Building (PAc 91-51 B3 RollJK11 F07). Front to side view of the building, facing north to northeast on West Park Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Jeff Kestle Date: 1984

Location

523 West Park Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Campana Building,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/2066.