Anaconda in Deer Lodge County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Ida Block
Anaconda Commercial Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 6, 2022
1. Ida Block Marker
Inscription.
Ida Block. Anaconda Commercial Historic District. Anaconda grew practically overnight. Platted in June 1883, Anaconda already boasted eighty buildings by December 1884, including a wood-frame clothing store on this corner, built by pioneering Jewish merchant Wolfe (William) Copinus. In 1888, Copinus hired architect D. F. McDevitt to design this two-story, brick business block. The building’s recessed entrance, second-story rough-cut stone lintels, decorative molded window hoods, and corbeled (stepped) brick cornice reflect the era’s design aesthetic, which called for creating interest through texture and angles. Named the Ida Block after Copinus’s daughter, it originally housed a corner drugstore and an office and clothing store on Commercial Avenue. By 1896, a saloon had replaced the drug store, and for most of the twentieth century, the Ida housed a saloon or other business for male entertainment. In a brief exception, it was home to the Collier Preparatory and Commercial School, which offered classes, including drafting and blueprint reading, from 1912 to 1916. Women’s suffrage advocates met upstairs in 1913. Despite their efforts, Deer Lodge County rejected women’s suffrage by 59 to 41 percent, even as the amendment passed statewide.
Anaconda grew practically overnight. Platted in June 1883, Anaconda already boasted eighty buildings by December 1884, including a wood-frame clothing store on this corner, built by pioneering Jewish merchant Wolfe (William) Copinus. In 1888, Copinus hired architect D. F. McDevitt to design this two-story, brick business block. The building’s recessed entrance, second-story rough-cut stone lintels, decorative molded window hoods, and corbeled (stepped) brick cornice reflect the era’s design aesthetic, which called for creating interest through texture and angles. Named the Ida Block after Copinus’s daughter, it originally housed a corner drugstore and an office and clothing store on Commercial Avenue. By 1896, a saloon had replaced the drug store, and for most of the twentieth century, the Ida housed a saloon or other business for male entertainment. In a brief exception, it was home to the Collier Preparatory and Commercial School, which offered classes—including drafting and blueprint reading—from 1912 to 1916. Women’s suffrage advocates met upstairs in 1913. Despite their efforts, Deer Lodge County rejected women’s suffrage
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by 59 to 41 percent, even as the amendment passed statewide.
Location. 46° 7.828′ N, 112° 57.146′ W. Marker is in Anaconda, Montana, in Deer Lodge County. It is at the intersection of Main Street and East Commercial Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23 Main Street, Anaconda MT 59711, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically outhwest Montana, in Gold West Country, in Mining 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.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 6, 2022
2. Ida Block and Marker
The marker is on the East Commercial Avenue side of the building.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 7, 2022. It was originally submitted on September 7, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 246 times since then and 11 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 7, 2022, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
