Livingston in Park County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Frank Block

Livingston Commercial Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 24, 2021

1. Frank Block Marker

Inscription. A Jewish immigrant from Poland, tailor Henry Frank first arrived in Montana in 1867. He and his wife Barbara followed the Northern Pacific Railroad to Livingston, where they built the city’s first brick business block in 1883 on East Park. In 1890, Frank purchased a one-story wood-frame building on Main Street, which housed a grocer and a barber. The next year he cleared the lot to build this ornately decorated commercial block, “one of the most handsome and substantial structures in the city.” The façade features decorative brickwork, stone ornamentation, and an elaborate cast-iron cornice manufactured by Mesker Bros. Iron Works in St. Louis. Metal cornices, designed to look like carved stone for a fraction of the cost, were sold through the mail and shipped by rail in eight-foot sections. Advertising himself as the “merchant tailor,” Henry Frank offered men and boy’s clothing—from fine suits to the “heavy substantial clothing required by hunters, miners, [and] cowboys.” Although the building has housed Bob’s Outdoor (formerly Bob’s Army Store) since 1958, ghost signs still advertise Frank’s Clothier and the Levi Strauss

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overalls it sold.

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. 45° 39.711′ N, 110° 33.62′ W. Marker is in Livingston, Montana, in Park County. It is on North Main Street near East Callender Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114 North Main Street, Livingston MT 59047, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Yellowstone Country

and in Greater Bozeman.

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 distance of this marker: 112 North Main Street

Frank Block and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 24, 2021

2. Frank Block and Marker

The marker is at the right edge of the building.

(a few steps from this marker); 116 North Main Street (a few steps from this marker); 108 North Main Street (a few steps from this marker); Harvat Block (a few steps from this marker); Hefferlin Mercantile Company (a few steps from this marker); Danforth Block (a few steps from this marker); I. Orschel and Bro. (within shouting distance of this marker); The Mayne Store (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Livingston.

Photographed by Google Maps screenshot

3. Frank Block

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 24, 2021

4. Frank Block

is the "Outdoor" building in this view of the east side of the 100 block of North Main Street.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 30, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 318 times since then and 45 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 30, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 2. submitted on January 31, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 3, 4. submitted on January 30, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.