Filed Under Anaconda

O'Leary's Feed Store

Anaconda Commercial Historic District

Butte architect James Calloway Teague designed this commercial and warehouse building in 1915 to house James O’Leary’s Feed Store. Teague’s design is simple in comparison to the more exuberant buildings on Park and Commercial Avenues. Nevertheless, soldier (standing) courses above and below common-bond (staggered) courses add tasteful decoration, as do the recessed square panels in the parapet. For thirty-five years O’Leary sold hay, grain, coal, and gasoline from this location. Born in Ireland, he arrived in Anaconda in 1895 and, three years later, served in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. He married French-Canadian Exilda Beausoleil in 1902 and together they raised ten children. In 1919, O’Leary joined with other fuel dealers in town to publish a full-page Anaconda Standard advertisement encouraging citizens to purchase Liberty Bonds to support the war effort. By 1930, the O’Learys’ daughter Margaret had joined the business as a bookkeeper and son Harry drove the delivery truck. After James’s death in 1950, Harry ran the store until 1957. Other businesses renting at number 110 included a barber, lawyer, real estate agend and an undertaking parlor.

Images

O'Leary's Feed Store
O'Leary's Feed Store O'Leary's Feed Store. Front view of the building, facing northwest on Oak Street. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Kim Morrison Date: Apr. 1994
O'Leary's Feed Store
O'Leary's Feed Store O'Leary's Feed Store. Close view of the front entry of the building, facing northwest off Oak Street. Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Joe Furshong Date: July 2020
O'Leary's Feed Store
O'Leary's Feed Store O'Leary's Feed Store. Close view of the front entry of the building, facing west to southwest off Oak Street. Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Joe Furshong Date: July 2020
O'Leary's Feed Store
O'Leary's Feed Store O'Leary's Feed Store. Front to side view of the building, facing southwest on Oak Street. Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Joe Furshong Date: July 2020

Location

110 Oak Street, Anaconda, Montana | Public

Metadata

Montana National Register Sign Program, “O'Leary's Feed Store,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/2838.