Hardin in Big Horn County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
James Reid's Pool Hall
Hardin Commercial Historic District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 19, 2021
1. James Reid's Pool Hall Marker
Inscription.
James Reid's Pool Hall. Hardin Commercial Historic District. The elaborate corbelling on the front façade and the parapet above the transom evoke the glory days of this building, which long provided recreation for Hardin residents. German immigrant Anton Becker, owner of the hotel next door, constructed the one-story building in 1910, only three years after Hardin was founded. The town’s earliest map shows the building as a dance hall, but by 1911, the brick structure housed the Pioneer Pool Parlor. Popular Hardin barber Matt Larkin shared the space from 1912 to 1918. In 1918, pool hall owner James Reid constructed a forty-foot addition at the back of the building and installed a double bowling alley. In the 1920s, in response to golf’s rising popularity, owners installed a nine-hole indoor golf course with a sand green. In later years, the space served as a meat market, grocery store, and then the Pastime Café. The plate glass storefront, glass block transom, and aluminum awnings are later modifications, but the top of the building remains as it was during Hardin’s boom years.
The elaborate corbelling on the front façade and the parapet above the transom evoke the glory days of this building, which long provided recreation for Hardin residents. German immigrant Anton Becker, owner of the hotel next door, constructed the one-story building in 1910, only three years after Hardin was founded. The town’s earliest map shows the building as a dance hall, but by 1911, the brick structure housed the Pioneer Pool Parlor. Popular Hardin barber Matt Larkin shared the space from 1912 to 1918. In 1918, pool hall owner James Reid constructed a forty-foot addition at the back of the building and installed a double bowling alley. In the 1920s, in response to golf’s rising popularity, owners installed a nine-hole indoor golf course with a sand green. In later years, the space served as a meat market, grocery store, and then the Pastime Café. The plate glass storefront, glass block transom, and aluminum awnings are later modifications, but the top of the building remains as it was during Hardin’s boom years.
Location. 45° 43.837′ N, 107° 36.367′ W. Marker is in Hardin, Montana, in Big Horn County. Marker is on North Central Avenue near 2nd Street West, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 204 North Central Avenue, Hardin MT 59034, United States of America. Touch for directions.
The marker is in the window to the left of the entrance.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 87 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 2, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
