Contractor John Jacobson built this brick store and boardinghouse in 1915, during a time of rapid commercial and residential expansion in Anaconda. Downtown Anaconda property owners developed every square foot of their lots during this boom, remodeling storefronts, adding second-story lodging, or starting fresh with modern two-story masonry buildings. Jacobson’s upstairs rooms housed a steady stream of single men, while a wide variety of short-lived businesses occupied the first-floor storefront. In January 1916, Israel M. Citron opened The Economy Store, offering men’s and boy’s clothing and shoes. Citron went out of business the same year, and Orton Bros. Pianos opened for a few months. Gibson Studio offered portrait photography in 1918, but left by 1919, leaving only the painted sign outside on the west wall. Other brief tenants included two grocery stores, a meat market, and an ice dealer. William Schmidt, who worked for Sullivan Plumbing next door at 404, changed the tide of renters. He established Schmidt Plumbing here in 1928, and even after his retirement in 1972, his son Carl continued the plumbing business here until the mid-1980s.
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