Filed Under Livingston

116 North Main Street

Livingston Commercial Historic District

After fire destroyed most of this side of Main Street in 1886, Chicago lawyer and financier James A. Danforth invested in building this double-front, brick commercial building. The original façade featured tall plate-glass windows divided by central and side entrances and was topped by a tasteful, stepped parapet. The building’s first tenant was clothing merchant Henry Frank. Frank moved into a new building next door in 1891. The next fifty years brought a variety of restaurants and saloons, including several Chinese restaurants between 1906 and 1927. The Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.) purchased the building in 1947. Livingston’s first Aerie No. 273 was established in 1902. In exchange for their charitable efforts (and membership dues), F.O.E. members received free medical care, an illness stipend, and a funeral benefit. Aerie No. 273 disbanded during the Great Depression, but renewed interest after World War II drew 119 charter members to the Yellowstone Park Aerie No. 2434. The Eagles modernized the façade of their new home with stucco and glass block windows and remodeled the interior. The Eagles Club remained a fixture on Main Street through 1980.

Images

116 N Main St., Livingston, MT
116 N Main St., Livingston, MT View looking east at South side of Main St. in Livingston. The arrow indicates 116 N. Main. Source: Photo courtesy of Yellowstone Gateway Museum and Montana Historic Property Record Form, on file at Montana State Historic Preservation Office. Creator: unknown photographer Date: 1923
116 N. Main St., Livingston, MT
116 N. Main St., Livingston, MT 1970s view of 116 N. Main. The Fraternal Order of Eagles remodeled the facade with stucco cladding and glass block windows. Source: National Register of Historic Places nomination form for Livingston Commercial Historic District. On file at https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/65aaa90a-8be8-4e6b-a37a-406e8bf2de00/ Creator: Kommers, McLaughlin, and Leavengood, photographers Date: May 1979
116 North Main Street, Livingston, MT
116 North Main Street, Livingston, MT View looking north at south elevation of 116 N. Main Source: Nunn, Jessie. Historic Property Inventory Form for 116 N. Main St., Livingston, MT. On file at Montana State Historic Preservation Office. Creator: Jessie Nunn, photographer Date: Nov 2018

Location

116 North Main Street, Livingston Montana | public

Metadata

Montana National Register Sign Program, “116 North Main Street,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/3043.