Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Terrill Apartments
Northside Residential Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019
1. Terrill Apartments Marker
Inscription.
Terrill Apartments. Northside Residential Historic District. Apartment buildings were good investments in rapidly expanding communities like Great Falls, which grew from 17,000 to 26,000 between 1910 and 1920. Owners reported waiting lists for units, which ranged from rooms in old-fashioned “apartment hotels” to elegant flats in modern buildings constructed specifically as apartments. By 1923, Great Falls boasted fifty-two apartment buildings. That year, Genevieve and Clarence Terrill hired the prominent contracting firm Pappin and Sons to construct this three-story, twelve-unit building, worth $30,000 by 1930. Genevieve managed the apartments; Clarence worked as a buyer for the Standard Furniture Company. A pedimented entrance, with the name “Terrill” embossed on the gable, and a frieze distinguished by diamond- patterned brickwork ornament the otherwise simple but solid western commercial style building. Rent in 1930 ranged from $45 to $62 per month, and the building attracted middle-class tenants: engineers, salesmen, small business owners, and stenographers. The Terrills also made their home here, Clarence until his death in a tragic car accident in 1931, and Genevieve into the 1940s.
Apartment buildings were good investments in rapidly expanding communities like Great Falls, which grew from 17,000 to 26,000 between 1910 and 1920. Owners reported waiting lists for units, which ranged from rooms in old-fashioned “apartment hotels” to elegant flats in modern buildings constructed specifically as apartments. By 1923, Great Falls boasted fifty-two apartment buildings. That year, Genevieve and Clarence Terrill hired the prominent contracting firm Pappin and Sons to construct this three-story, twelve-unit building, worth $30,000 by 1930. Genevieve managed the apartments; Clarence worked as a buyer for the Standard Furniture Company. A pedimented entrance, with the name “Terrill” embossed on the gable, and a frieze distinguished by diamond- patterned brickwork ornament the otherwise simple but solid western commercial style building. Rent in 1930 ranged from $45 to $62 per month, and the building attracted middle-class tenants: engineers, salesmen, small business owners, and stenographers. The Terrills also made their home here, Clarence until his death in a tragic car accident in 1931, and Genevieve into the 1940s.
Erected by The Montana National Register Sign Program.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture
Location. 47° 30.578′ N, 111° 18.163′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. Marker is at the intersection of 4th Avenue North and 3rd Street North, on the left when traveling west on 4th Avenue North. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 314 4th Avenue North, Great Falls MT 59401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Terrill Apartments (now Blackstone Apartments) and Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 161 times since then and 8 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 26, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
