Missoula in Missoula County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Apartment Building at 116 West Spruce
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2019
1. Apartment Building at 116 West Spruce Marker
Inscription.
Missoula boasted twenty-six manufacturing enterprises by 1909, including such diverse production as candy, bricks, gas, marble, and meat products. By 1910, the Northern Pacific Railroad shops employed over three hundred workers and the town’s role as a major urban center was secure. Although the first streets were not paved until 1912, the well built business district gave evidence of the town’s substance and permanency. Multi- family housing like this fine two-story apartment building was once common in Missoula’s commercial neighborhoods. Constructed circa 1902, by 1912 it shared the half-block to the west with another dwelling. A stone-cutting business occupied the lot to the immediate east. Other businesses lining this side of the block to Higgins Avenue included two print shops, a tailor, an automobile tire repair, a restaurant, a confectionery with a billiard room in the back, and a corner grocery store. At this time the Linn family occupied at least half of the building. Landlord/owner Mike Linn was the longtime proprietor of the Waldorf Bar on West Front Street. After his death in 1927, Mike’s widow, Tillie, assumed
Click or scan to see this page online
ownership. Although parking lots now surround it, time has been kind to this exceptionally well preserved remnant of Missoula’s past. Rusticated sandstone trim complements the decorative brick veneer. A polygonal bay, transomed doorways, and the original two-story front and back porches with turned supports and balusters beautifully illustrate the Queen Anne style as it was expressed after the turn of the twentieth century.
Erected by Montana National Register Sign Program.
Location. 46° 52.471′ N, 113° 59.623′ W. Marker is in Missoula, Montana, in Missoula County. It is on West Spruce Street near Ryman Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 116 West Spruce Street, Missoula MT 59802, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana and in Glacier Country. It is also in the
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 21, 2019
2. Apartment Building at 116 West Spruce and Marker
American Mountain West and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 20, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 324 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 20, 2020, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
