Lewistown in Fergus County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Warr-Lane Building
Lewistown Central Business Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 17, 2019
1. Warr-Lane Building Marker
Inscription.
Warr-Lane Building. Lewistown Central Business Historic District. The banner year of 1913 saw close to $1.5 million spent in Lewistown on construction. Two thirds of that sum went toward new, elegant business blocks. The city’s rapid growth, from approximately a thousand people in 1910 to over five thousand in 1914, predicted a market for commercial space. Entrepreneurs stepped forward to fill the need, among them the founders of the Lewistown Commercial Company, whose principals included local businessmen Austin Warr and James Lane. The company invested $25,000 to construct the three-story Warr-Lane Building, which offered commercial space on the first floor, offices on the second, and two apartments on the third. Renowned Montana architectural firm Link and Haire designed the Beaux Arts style edifice; the firm had a branch in Lewistown, a testament to the community’s sophistication and growth. The architects relied largely on terra cotta to ornament the building. Imported from large, out-of-state manufacturers, the lightweight and easily produced material brought big-city glamour to central Montana. In the Warr-Lane’s case the flamboyant terra- cotta façade features lion heads, Grecian urns, and other ornamental motifs.
The banner year of 1913 saw close to $1.5 million spent in Lewistown on construction. Two thirds of that sum went toward new, elegant business blocks. The city’s rapid growth—from approximately a thousand people in 1910 to over five thousand in 1914—predicted a market for commercial space. Entrepreneurs stepped forward to fill the need, among them the founders of the Lewistown Commercial Company, whose principals included local businessmen Austin Warr and James Lane. The company invested $25,000 to construct the three-story Warr-Lane Building, which offered commercial space on the first floor, offices on the second, and two apartments on the third. Renowned Montana architectural firm Link and Haire designed the Beaux Arts style edifice; the firm had a branch in Lewistown, a testament to the community’s sophistication and growth. The architects relied largely on terra cotta to ornament the building. Imported from large, out-of-state manufacturers, the lightweight and easily produced material brought big-city glamour to central Montana. In the Warr-Lane’s case the flamboyant terra- cotta façade features lion heads, Grecian urns, and other ornamental motifs.
Erected by Montana Historical Society; Department of the Interior, National Register of Historic Places.
Location. 47° 3.908′ N, 109° 25.576′ W. Marker is in Lewistown, Montana, in Fergus County. Marker is on West Main Street (U.S. 87) near 3rd Avenue North, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 309 West Main Street, Lewistown MT 59457, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 11, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 114 times since then and 6 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 11, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
