Granite Apartments
Construction of large apartment complexes represented a shift in multiple dwelling buildings from boarding houses, hotels, and rooming houses to larger facilities with self-sufficient units. Apartment living, complete with private bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, and living areas accessed by common interior hallways, offered residents a more private home life. The third of five complexes built in Anaconda during the 1910s, the Granite Apartments were constructed in response to a housing shortage created by the rapid growth of the Anaconda Company. Local builder John Lund Jacobson built the Granite in 1917. Lund, a Norwegian immigrant who came to Anaconda in 1885, is credited with building the city hall, the county hospital, and the original Our Savior Lutheran Church. His residential buildings and homes helped characterize Anaconda architecture. The Anaconda Bottling Works originally occupied the lot, but once the plant closed in 1896 Jacobson recognized the area’s potential and developed the site to serve the town’s growing population. The Granite, unlike other apartments in the company town, did not house Anaconda Company employees, but rather was home to local shopkeepers and business owners. Lipman Coldwater, proprietor of a successful shoe store for over fifty years, was an early tenant. The Granite has been in continuous operation for over eighty years and remains an excellent example of early-twentieth-century multiple dwelling construction. The restored interior features eight one-bedroom apartments of similar size and layout. The original fir woodwork and claw foot bathtubs remain intact and skylights highlight the second floor.
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