[Note: This structure burned down in 2009.]
The Shore-Newcom Store opened in 1900 in the Foster Building at 701 Main. Owned and operated by Thomas Shore and Wirt H. Newcom, the store handled mercantile goods. They moved to 709 Main in 1905, and upon the completion of this structure in 1914, the store expanded next door to include gentlemen’s and ladies’ ready-to-wear. By 1922, the company had grown into the third largest general merchandise business in the state. The partnership dissolved in 1922 but Shore remained involved in the venture. The Shore family continued operating a department store late into the twentieth century. Shore and Newcom, like building owner George Miles, were typical of Miles City businessmen who wanted to display their confidence in the city’s future through progressive and sophisticated buildings. Construction here represented a visible symbol of the partnership’s success as well as the city’s. Architecturally, the building is an outstanding example the Renaissance Revival style's streamlined appearance. One of the best surviving examples in Miles City, the building and its simple lines reflect the desire for a modern business district.
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