Bozeman in Gallatin County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Electric Block
Bozeman Main Street Historical District
Photographed By Barry Swackhamer, July 25, 2021
1. Electric Block Marker
Inscription.
Electric Block. Bozeman Main Street Historical District. Bozeman’s extensive streetcar system offered reliable transportation from 1892 until 1922. In 1901, the Gallatin Light, Power, and Railway Company built this facility as an office and barn for its trolleys. After 1904 when the second story was finished, various lodges and clubs including the Elks and the American Legion held meetings in the upstairs rooms. When streetcars had become a thing of the past, the car barn was used as an auto repair shop. By this time Eagles Aerie #326 met regularly upstairs. The group purchased the building for $5,000 from the Metals Bank and Trust Company in 1932. Prominent architect Fred Willson remodeled the storefront for them in 1945, replacing the trolley barn doors with the present brick and ornamental cinder block but leaving the fine 1901 brickwork intact. The neon sign, now a local landmark, was also installed in the 1940s. As the Eagles of Aerie #326 celebrate their centennial in 2003, this historic building is still their lodge hall. It is Bozeman’s only surviving remnant of the streetcar era and a model of adaptive reuse.
Bozeman’s extensive streetcar system offered reliable transportation from 1892 until 1922. In 1901, the Gallatin Light, Power, and Railway Company built this facility as an office and barn for its trolleys. After 1904 when the second story was finished, various lodges and clubs including the Elks and the American Legion held meetings in the upstairs rooms. When streetcars had become a thing of the past, the car barn was used as an auto repair shop. By this time Eagles Aerie #326 met regularly upstairs. The group purchased the building for $5,000 from the Metals Bank and Trust Company in 1932. Prominent architect Fred Willson remodeled the storefront for them in 1945, replacing the trolley barn doors with the present brick and ornamental cinder block but leaving the fine 1901 brickwork intact. The neon sign, now a local landmark, was also installed in the 1940s. As the Eagles of Aerie #326 celebrate their centennial in 2003, this historic building is still their lodge hall. It is Bozeman’s only surviving remnant of the streetcar era and a model of adaptive reuse.
Location. 45° 40.753′ N, 111° 1.953′ W. Marker is in Bozeman, Montana, in Gallatin County. Marker is on East Main Street (Business Interstate 90) near South Rouse Avenue, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 316 East Main Street, Bozeman MT 59715, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on February 13, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 133 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 13, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
