Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Ryan Building
Helena South-Central Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2021
1. Ryan Building Marker
Inscription.
Ryan Building. Helena South-Central Historic District. Irish immigrant James M. Ryan owned a number of local rental properties, including this appealing wood-frame apartment building constructed as a duplex between 1885 and 1888. Rapid growth during the 1880s prompted neighborhood tenants to take in boarders, adding income and easing a troublesome housing shortage. This building provides an excellent example of the tenant/boarder relationship in its mix of both professional and working-class residents. In 1889 and 1890, these included a U.S. mineral surveyor, the Helena Herald city editor, a retired military officer, a blacksmith, a dressmaker, several clerks, and two domestics. When the 1935 earthquakes claimed the original brick veneer, shiplap siding added to the exterior walls was carefully cut, preserving the original arched windows. The entry vestibule to the two modern upper units, staircases, high ceilings, and several doors remain from the former era, lending period ambience. Modern residents still benefit from Ryans foresight in providing tenants attractive, well-located, and comfortable living quarters.
Irish immigrant James M. Ryan owned a number of local rental properties, including this appealing wood-frame apartment building constructed as a duplex between 1885 and 1888. Rapid growth during the 1880s prompted neighborhood tenants to take in boarders, adding income and easing a troublesome housing shortage. This building provides an excellent example of the tenant/boarder relationship in its mix of both professional and working-class residents. In 1889 and 1890, these included a U.S. mineral surveyor, the Helena Herald city editor, a retired military officer, a blacksmith, a dressmaker, several clerks, and two domestics. When the 1935 earthquakes claimed the original brick veneer, shiplap siding added to the exterior walls was carefully cut, preserving the original arched windows. The entry vestibule to the two modern upper units, staircases, high ceilings, and several doors remain from the former era, lending period ambience. Modern residents still benefit from Ryans foresight in providing tenants attractive, well-located, and comfortable living quarters.
Location. 46° 35.075′ N, 112° 2.062′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is on East Broadway Street near South Davis Street when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 425 East Broadway Street, 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 Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Myers Residence (within shouting distance of this marker); Holter Cottage #1 (within shouting distance of this marker);
Credits. This page was last revised on December 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 247 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on December 12, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
