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

Rookwood Hotel

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

1. Rookwood Hotel Marker

Inscription. James Pratt, proprietor of the Red Boot and Shoe Company, spent $30,000 on the construction of this hotel/rooming house in 1912. The shoe company occupied the ground floor space through the 1930s. Large display windows and a Tudor-arched entry, designed to entice customers and guests, enhance the ground floor. Green tile embellishes the façade and caps the unique copper-clad cornice. Inside, a wrought iron staircase with marble treads leads down to the hotel lobby. Marble wainscoting and a marble floor recall its once-elegant hospitality. The lodging house above, renamed the La Salle Hotel in 1938, had more than forty-five rooms. During Prohibition in the late 1910s and 1920s, the hotel’s thirty working-class lodgers perhaps enjoyed the hidden bar tucked beneath the sidewalk. Discovered during cleanup of the building, the clandestine establishment had all the trappings of a period speakeasy including a secret entry and two-way mirror. The room continues the architectural motif with decorative Tudor arches spanning the ceiling. Elaborate support columns sporting carved griffins, terrazzo flooring, dark hardwood wainscoting,

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and marble trim expose a piece of Butte’s once-spirited underground.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 46° 0.806′ N, 112° 32.134′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. It is on North Main Street near East Broadway Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 24-26 North Main 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.

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

Rookwood Hotel Marker, inside the recessed entrance. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

2. Rookwood Hotel Marker, inside the recessed entrance.

within walking distance of this marker: Hirbour Block (within shouting distance of this marker); First National Bank, Butte (within shouting distance of this marker); City Hall (within shouting distance of this marker); 13 West Broadway (within shouting distance of this marker); Mantle Block (within shouting distance of this marker); Len Waters Music (within shouting distance of this marker); Metals Bank Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Butte Miner Building - Butte Floral Company (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Butte.

Additional keywords. Prohibition

Rookwood Hotel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

3. Rookwood Hotel

Rookwood Speakeasy promotional sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 12, 2021

4. Rookwood Speakeasy promotional sign

Credits. This page was last revised on November 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 261 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 3, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.