Butte in Silver Bow County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Pekin Noodle Parlor
Butte National Historic Landmark District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 13, 2021
1. Pekin Noodle Parlor Marker
Inscription.
Pekin Noodle Parlor. Butte National Historic Landmark District. Butte’s Chinese community settled on this block in the 1880s. Dwellings, club rooms, laundries, restaurants, and stores selling Chinese goods crowded its thoroughfares and alleyways. This business block is a lone survivor displaying Asian roots. G. E. DeSnell designed the building on speculation for Butte attorney F. T. McBride. Upon completion in 1909, Hum Yow moved his Mercury Street noodle parlor to the second floor and soon owned the property. Upstairs noodle parlors were common in urban Chinese communities and the Pekin’s central stair and sign long beckoned customers. Close proximity to Butte’s once teeming red light district has fueled local legends about the Pekin’s curtained booths. However, these booths were a fixture in Asian restaurants and simply offered diners privacy. The two ground-floor storefronts housed Hum Yow’s Chinese Goods and Silks and G. P. Meinhart’s sign painting business. Hum Yow and his wife Bessie Wong, both California-born first-generation Chinese, raised three children in the rear living quarters. The Hums retired to California in 1952 and several more generations of the family have maintained this landmark business.
Butte’s Chinese community settled on this block in the 1880s. Dwellings, club rooms, laundries, restaurants, and stores selling Chinese goods crowded its thoroughfares and alleyways. This business block is a lone survivor displaying Asian roots. G. E. DeSnell designed the building on speculation for Butte attorney F. T. McBride. Upon completion in 1909, Hum Yow moved his Mercury Street noodle parlor to the second floor and soon owned the property. Upstairs noodle parlors were common in urban Chinese communities and the Pekin’s central stair and sign long beckoned customers. Close proximity to Butte’s once teeming red light district has fueled local legends about the Pekin’s curtained booths. However, these booths were a fixture in Asian restaurants and simply offered diners privacy. The two ground-floor storefronts housed Hum Yow’s Chinese Goods and Silks and G. P. Meinhart’s sign painting business. Hum Yow and his wife Bessie Wong—both California-born first-generation Chinese—raised three children in the rear living quarters. The Hums retired to California in 1952 and several more generations of the family have maintained this landmark business.
Erected by Montana Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Asian Americans
Location. 46° 0.703′ N, 112° 32.134′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. Marker is on South Main Street near West Galena Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 117 South Main Street, Butte MT 59701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 9, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 9, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 111 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 9, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
