Filed Under Butte

Montana Tech Campus Main Hall

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Montana architect John C. Paulsen designed this first campus building, completed in 1897, thereby setting the standard for later buildings on the school grounds. Paulsen, who died before its completion, was one of the Rocky Mountain region’s most prominent architects. Main Hall is significant for that reason, but it is also one of Montana’s best preserved examples of the Renaissance Revival style. Terra cotta “torch” keystones and wolf’s head gargoyles highlight the arcaded main entrance of the formalized façade. The third level features stone cameos of pioneers in the mining-related sciences: physics (Franklin), geology (Hunt), mineralogy (Gaetzschman), metallurgy (Percy) and chemistry (Holley). Original interior finishings include an open granite stairway with brass railing and wrought iron balustrades framed by polished granite columns. Although the twenty-five rooms of the imposing brick building stood unused until the school opened in 1900, Main Hall was considered “the most substantial and solidly built public structure in the state.”

Images

Montana Tech Main Hall
Montana Tech Main Hall Montana Tech Main Hall, facing northwest, view of front doors. Source: MontanaPictures.net Creator: MontanaPictures.net Date: June 2008

Location

1300 West Park Street, Montana Tech Campus, Butte, Montana | Public

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Montana Tech Campus Main Hall,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/31.