Butte in Silver Bow County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Mueller Apartments

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

1. Mueller Apartments Marker

Inscription. Turn-of-the-century critics called apartment living “a shortcut . . . to the divorce court.” These moralists believed that the proximity of bedrooms to living areas—and the easy access to both by neighbors—encouraged promiscuity, while apartment dwellers’ limited housekeeping duties encouraged a dangerous lack of domesticity among wives. Nevertheless, apartments increasingly attracted middle-class residents, particularly young, childless couples, older couples whose children had grown, and bachelors and working women, who didn’t need as much space as larger families. White-collar workers occupied the five-story, fifty-five-unit Mueller Apartments, built in 1917 as an investment by A. H. Mueller, president of Centennial Brewing Company. The building incorporates Italian Renaissance style design elements: a symmetrical façade, a rusticated first story, keystone arches over the first-floor windows, and paired brackets and dentils under the cornice. Stained glass windows decorate the front entrance while a belt course and a distinct window pattern distinguish the fifth-floor penthouse apartments. These elegant, yet restrained

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architectural details announce the building’s respectability and, by extension, the respectability of its tenants, who included teachers, a doctor, salesclerks, accountants, and business owners.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Women. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 46° 0.842′ N, 112° 32.612′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. It is at the intersection of West Granite Street and North Jackson Street, on the right when traveling west on West Granite Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 501 West Granite Street, Butte MT 59701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining Country. It is also in the 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.

Mueller Apartments and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

2. Mueller Apartments and Marker

The marker is at the right front of the left tower.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 414 West Granite (a few steps from this marker); 410 W. Granite (within shouting distance of this marker); John Benton Leggat Residence (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chope Residence (about 300 feet away); 412 W. Broadway (about 400 feet away); 301 North Crystal (about 400 feet away); Largey Flats (about 400 feet away); Eugene Carroll House (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Butte.

Mueller Apartments image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

3. Mueller Apartments

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 25, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 429 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 25, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.