Filed Under Hardin

T.E. Gay Building

Hardin Commercial Historic District

On May 4, 1917, Hardin celebrated the “formal opening of the Gay block . . . with a grand ball in the south store room of this magnificent structure.” The storage area’s hardwood floor was perfect for dancing, and construction of the two-story brick business block merited a celebration. Merchant T. E. Gay had hired the Billings architectural firm of Link and Haire to design the structure, only the second architect-designed building in Hardin. His investment in the $50,000 business block reflected his confidence in the town’s future. In the understated style of the day, Link and Haire ornamented the building with a bracketed cornice, decorative parapet, and a large glass block clerestory that visually separated the first and second floors. Recognizing that many of his customers would be farmers in town for the day, Gay had a “commodious ladies’ rest room” included in the plans. Among the five businesses occupying the first floor, Gay’s hardware and implement store was by far the largest. Tenants of the second-floor’s twenty-two offices included attorneys, physicians, and the Hardin Chamber of Commerce.

Images

T.E. Gay Building
T.E. Gay Building Southwest-facing still image capture of T.E. Gay Building, Hardin, Montana. Image information drawn from print verso. b&w print. Source: Official records of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office, Helena, Montana Creator: Fredric L. Quivik, RTI Date: July, 1984

Location

10 West 3rd Street, Hardin, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “T.E. Gay Building,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/92.