9 North Excelsior (William Symons Residence)

Built: 1908
Map

A graceful rounded portico with Ionic columns and a central square bay with French doors highlight the perfect symmetry of this grand Classical Revival style residence of tan brick veneer and red sandstone trim. Elegant details include elaborate brackets, dentils, a round window, and full-width veranda. Classical harmony carries through to the interior in a perfectly symmetrical floorplan. Fine turn-of-the-century appointments include a dining room with the original leather-clad walls, inlaid oak flooring, and pocket doors throughout the first floor. Local contractor Byron Whitney built the home circa 1908 for the William Symons family. Symons, with his brother Harry, founded Butte’s premier department store in 1897. Wholesale grocer Charles Youlden was the next owner from the mid-1920s until his death in 1940. Among his many philanthropic and civic contributions, Youlden was the longtime director of the YMCA. The prestigious, well-maintained home remains a prominent Butte landmark and attractive neighborhood anchor.

Resources: Historical plaque by Montana Historical Society. Photo by Richard I. Gibson.

414 West Granite

Built: 1908
Map

Butte’s architectural diversity is legendary, and this Mission style home adds to that reputation. The Mission style traces its roots to Hispanic California and in Montana, it most frequently appears in civic, rather than residential, buildings. Butte’s copper king W. A. Clark, for example, employed the style for his celebrated Columbia Gardens amusement park. This is Butte’s only residential example of the style.

414 W. Granite in 1909.

A stucco exterior; heavy, square columns; and a shaped parapet are the style’s hallmarks. The stucco covers all-concrete exterior construction, a much-touted building material in 1908. Its rich interior features ceilings with exposed beams, inlaid floors, and oak, teak, and walnut woodwork. The original cloth tapestry wallpaper and an exquisite stained glass window grace the dining room. Arthur L. Schimpf acquired title to the property from the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company and built the home in 1908, at a cost of $17,000, a very handsome sum at the time. Schimpf was the proprietor of the famous Atlantic Saloon on the south side of Park Street between Main and Dakota, a Butte fixture that reputedly had the longest bar in the world.

Longtime property owners Michael L. and Christy McGrath, also bar owners, brought an additional unique connection: Christy’s grandfather was once a bartender at the Atlantic Saloon.

Source: Expanded from historic plaque text by Montana Historical Society; additional resource: Anaconda Standard, Dec. 19, 1909 (historic photo). Modern photo by Richard Gibson.