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

St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory

Butte National Historic Landmark District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 13, 2021

1. St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory Marker

Inscription. Five Sisters of Charity came to Butte from their motherhouse at Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1881 to found St. James Hospital. The sisters opened a school of nursing in 1906. Under Sister Superior Mary Marcella Reilly, this residential dormitory for students and nurses was built in 1917 to meet the latest standards required for school accreditation. Adjacent to the original hospital, the L-shaped brick-and-tile building cost $46,000. The residence offered students a library and laboratories as well as comfortable living accommodations. For more than six decades, the St. James School of Nursing was renowned for its topnotch graduates. Sensitive renovation in the 1990s converted this dormitory into a medical clinic, with dorm rooms becoming examination rooms. Original exterior details, including the handsome leaded glass and copper awning with its cross above the entry, are reminders of the contributions made by the benevolent Catholic sisters to medicine and education in Butte. The building is an integral part of the Catholic Diocese complex surrounding the historic St. Patrick’s Church.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Notable Buildings • Religion & Religious Structures • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 46° 0.638′ N, 112° 32.451′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. It is at the intersection of West Mercury Street and South Idaho Street, on the left when traveling west on West Mercury Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 West Mercury 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 within walking

St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 13, 2021

2. St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory and Marker

distance of this marker: St. Patrick's Catholic Church (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal (South) Church (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Virginia Apartments (about 300 feet away); 321 West Galena (about 400 feet away); B'nai Israel Temple (about 500 feet away); 423-425 West Mercury (about 500 feet away); Emanuel Lutheran Church (about 600 feet away); St. Patrick's Convent (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Butte.

St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 13, 2021

3. St. James Hospital Nurses Dormitory

Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 12, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 337 times since then and 56 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 12, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.