Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Kleinschmidt Block

(Harvard Block)

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2021

1. Kleinschmidt Block Marker

Inscription. Entrepreneur Reinhold H. Kleinschmidt built this block with five storefronts and upstairs lodging rooms circa 1892. Among his first commercial tenants was Charles Grossman, a wallpaper hanger and painter, whose business was in the corner storefront. A variety of tenants in 1900 included a U.S. bailiff, a photographer, and a Northern Pacific land examiner and their families. In 1905, real estate developer Richard Lockey purchased the building to serve as an annex to his Grandon Hotel and changed its name to the Harvard Block. The Grandon stood diagonally across Sixth Avenue. By 1929, Edward Loney’s barbershop in the corner storefront was the only remaining commercial space and the rest of the building functioned as housing. The building is a stunning example of the flamboyant Victorian-era architecture once common in Helena. Fluted iron columns and scrolled brackets frame the entry while the rounded brick arches on the second story reflect the Romanesque style. A spectacular copper dome originally capped the second-story oriel bay at the southwest corner. These elements contrast with the utilitarian rubble stone walls on

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the rear and north, common in Helena’s nineteenth-century buildings.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

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

Location. 46° 35.288′ N, 112° 2.163′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is at the intersection of North Warren Street and East 6th Avenue, on the right when traveling north on North Warren Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 301-309 North Warren 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 Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Kleinschmidt Block and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 16, 2021

2. Kleinschmidt Block and Marker

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Sixth Avenue Apartment (within shouting distance of this marker); Original Governor's Mansion (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Chessman Flats (about 300 feet away); C.B. Power Residence (about 400 feet away); Sanders Home (about 400 feet away); Jose H.K. Toole Mansion (about 400 feet away); Porter Flats (about 500 feet away); Child Carriage House (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helena.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 18, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 243 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 18, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.