University Area in Missoula in Missoula County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Swift Building
University Area Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 7, 2022
1. Swift Building Marker
Inscription.
Swift Building. University Area Historic District. Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad administrators envisioned a bustling warehouse district paralleling its spur line along South Fourth St. East. That district never materialized, but by 1912, the warehouse stood here, kitty-corner to the freight depot. The Swift Co., a national meat processor, occupied the solid brick structure from 1913 into the 1920s. The company shipped freight cars full of meat and meat byproducts (including soap, glue, and fertilizer) from its Chicago processing plants to warehouses like this one across the country. Designed to hold heavy loads, the warehouse relied on massive timbers and rebar-reinforced brick walls to bear the weight of the stored freight. The architectural format is typical masonry construction and exhibits a craftsman's flair in the raised brick accents (quoins) at the corners. Two large front openings (now window bays) once served as loading docks, reflecting the building's original function. After 1927, Blair Transfer and Storage occupied the warehouse into the 1960s.
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad administrators envisioned a bustling warehouse district paralleling its spur line along South Fourth St. East. That district never materialized, but by 1912, the warehouse stood here, kitty-corner to the freight depot. The Swift Co., a national meat processor, occupied the solid brick structure from 1913 into the 1920s. The company shipped freight cars full of meat and meat byproducts (including soap, glue, and fertilizer) from its Chicago processing plants to warehouses like this one across the country. Designed to hold heavy loads, the warehouse relied on massive timbers and rebar-reinforced brick walls to bear the weight of the stored freight. The architectural format is typical masonry construction and exhibits a craftsman's flair in the raised brick accents (quoins) at the corners. Two large front openings (now window bays) once served as loading docks, reflecting the building's original function. After 1927, Blair Transfer and Storage occupied the warehouse into the 1960s.
Location. 46° 51.954′ N, 113° 59.604′ W. Marker is in Missoula, Montana, in Missoula County. It is in the University Area. It is on South 4th Street East near Gerald Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 315 South 4th Street East, Missoula MT 59801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Western Montana and in Glacier 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 Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on March 27, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 203 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on March 27, 2023, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
