The strength of Butte’s early financial community is well represented in this monumental steel, brick, and stone skyscraper completed in 1906. Copper king F. Augustus Heinze financed the $325,000 bank building, incorporating the newest steel-frame and curtain-wall construction techniques. Nationally renowned architect Cass Gilbert 1859-1934 drew the blueprints and Montana architects Link and Haire supervised the local work. Gilbert’s best known work is New York City’s sixty-story Woolworth Building 1913 and the U.S. Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C. 1932-1935. One of Montana’s first skyscrapers, the Metals’ eight floors add significantly to Butte’s urban skyline. A copper-trimmed entry complements the gray stone. Above, brick walls and stone arches culminate at the sixth floor. Ornate wrought iron balconies punctuate the second and seventh floors. An open wrought-iron staircase carries this element inside, where copper-trimmed windows with African mahogany frames and a marble-walled elevator lobby reflect 1906 Butte’s wealth. A huge polished steel bank vault recalls the building’s first use.

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Occupying a place of prominence in the business district, this eight-story Main Street landmark of steel and brick was one of Butte’s first skyscrapers. Owner S. Emanuel Hirbour constructed this showcase of architectural detailing in 1901 to house a first-floor shop with rooms to let above. “H” medallions at the corners between the first two floors, egg-and-dart moldings with dentilation between the lower three floors, and display windows set in fancy metal frames characterize this fine, well-preserved example of Butte’s elaborate, commercial architecture during the city’s prosperous boom years.

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