Anaconda in Deer Lodge County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Morse/Palace Block
Anaconda Commercial Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 11, 2021
1. Morse/Palace Block Marker
Inscription.
Morse/Palace Block. Anaconda Commercial Historic District. Thomas Silha and sisters Mary Vollenweider and Margaret Morse hired architect Joseph White to design this commercial/residential building in 1911. The $20,000 brick building originally featured identical storefronts with glass display windows topped by prismatic glass panels that reflected daylight deep into the interior. Furnished rooms upstairs offered housekeeping services. In 1912, Thomas Silha’s Palace Block on the south housed a confectionery and cigar store and Orton Bros. Pianos in the rear. In 1915, Charles Tescher and wife Marion ran a pool hall and furnished rooms in the Morse Block on the north, but by 1917 they had moved into Silha’s confectionery next door and added a Brunswick bowling alley. Earl Tucker and William A. J. Thompson ran the alley from 1928 until the mid-1930s. Thompson’s grandson Jack opened a bar by 1952. Next door, Morse and Vollenweider managed tenants upstairs, and Morse’s son John ran a pool hall and confectionery until the early 1940s. Both widows, Vollenweider and Morse incorporated their business in 1928 and became well known real estate investors in both Anaconda and Butte, an unusual profession for women at the time.
Thomas Silha and sisters Mary Vollenweider and Margaret Morse hired architect Joseph White to design this commercial/residential building in 1911. The $20,000 brick building originally featured identical storefronts with glass display windows topped by prismatic glass panels that reflected daylight deep into the interior. Furnished rooms upstairs offered housekeeping services. In 1912, Thomas Silha’s Palace Block on the south housed a confectionery and cigar store and Orton Bros. Pianos in the rear. In 1915, Charles Tescher and wife Marion ran a pool hall and furnished rooms in the Morse Block on the north, but by 1917 they had moved into Silha’s confectionery next door and added a Brunswick bowling alley. Earl Tucker and William A. J. Thompson ran the alley from 1928 until the mid-1930s. Thompson’s grandson Jack opened a bar by 1952. Next door, Morse and Vollenweider managed tenants upstairs, and Morse’s son John ran a pool hall and confectionery until the early 1940s. Both widows, Vollenweider and Morse incorporated their business in 1928 and became well known real estate investors in both Anaconda and Butte—an unusual profession for women at the time.
Erected by Montana Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture
Location. 46° 7.728′ N, 112° 57.184′ W. Marker is in Anaconda, Montana, in Deer Lodge County. Marker is on Main Street (State Highway 1) near East Park Avenue, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 213 Main Street, Anaconda MT 59711, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The marker is at the left side of the entrance, below the Thompson's Bar sign.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on October 9, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 90 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on October 9, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
