Montana Tech Campus Residence Halls
Butte National Historic Landmark District
The Montana School of Mines continued to grow even during the lean years of the Great Depression. One of the challenges facing early students was locating living quarters within a reasonable distance of the school. Credit for the building of this H-shaped residence hall goes to Francis A. Thomson, president of the school during the 1930s, who organized and saw to completion this phase of campus improvement. An appropriation from the Federal Emergency Relief Administration of Public Works (PWA) made construction possible. The residence hall was one of only nine Montana buildings constructed with PWA assistance. Completed in 1935, the brick and terra cotta-trimmed building features a main hall with two entirely separate wings occupied by the Theta Tau and Sigma Rho fraternities. The hall originally provided accommodations for 110 students as well as apartments for the house mother, proctor, instructors, and guests.