Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Placer Hotel
Helena Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 14, 2021
1. Placer Hotel Marker
Inscription.
Placer Hotel. Helena Historic District. Artist C. M. Russell illustrated the program for the formal ball, held April 12, 1913, inaugurating the largest hotel between the Twin Cities and the Coast. Built almost entirely with donations as a public enterprise, Helena felt real pride of ownership and the Placer quickly became the center of civic activity. Its name derives from the placer gold washed from the gravel during the excavation of its foundation. Architect George H. Carsley designed the building in consultation with Cass Gilbert, architect of New York’s famed Woolworth Building. The Placer’s wrought iron balconies, overhanging eaves, and wide cornice are reminiscent of the nearby Montana Club, designed by Gilbert in 1905. The seven-story hotel was constructed of reinforced concrete and Western Clay Manufacturing Company (now the Archie Bray Foundation) brick. Each of its 172 guest rooms, arranged around a U-shape, opened onto the outside. Custom-made china, cutlery, and bed linens, supplied by Helena’s New York Store, all bore the hotel’s prospector insignia. The hotel featured a carriage entrance, a lobby fireplace built for seven-foot logs, and a state-of-the-art kitchen with an automatic dishwasher and central refrigeration system.
Artist C. M. Russell illustrated the program for the formal ball, held April 12, 1913, inaugurating the largest hotel between the Twin Cities and the Coast. Built almost entirely with donations as a public enterprise, Helena felt real pride of ownership and the Placer quickly became the center of civic activity. Its name derives from the placer gold washed from the gravel during the excavation of its foundation. Architect George H. Carsley designed the building in consultation with Cass Gilbert, architect of New York’s famed Woolworth Building. The Placer’s wrought iron balconies, overhanging eaves, and wide cornice are reminiscent of the nearby Montana Club, designed by Gilbert in 1905. The seven-story hotel was constructed of reinforced concrete and Western Clay Manufacturing Company (now the Archie Bray Foundation) brick. Each of its 172 guest rooms, arranged around a U-shape, opened onto the outside. Custom-made china, cutlery, and bed linens—supplied by Helena’s New York Store—all bore the hotel’s prospector insignia. The hotel featured a carriage entrance, a lobby fireplace built for seven-foot logs, and a state-of-the-art
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kitchen with an automatic dishwasher and central refrigeration system.
Location. 46° 35.242′ N, 112° 2.351′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is on North Last Chance Gulch near East Broadway Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 21 N Last Chance Gulch, Helena MT 59601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Gold West 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
Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 494 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 23, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
