Hotel Metlen

National Register of Historic Places

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2024

1. Hotel Metlen Marker

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From the National Register Nomination prepared by Lon Johnson, Historical Architect, Montana Historical Society, 7/20/1983:
The Hotel Metten has played a prominent role in Dillon, Montana, as an architectural landmark dominating the downtown skyline and in the social lives of the local citizens. One of the finest extant examples of commercial architecture built in the Second

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2024

2. Hotel Metlen (southeast/front elevation)

The marker is mounted near the far right corner, between the doorway and the building edge.
From the National Register Nomination:  At the first story, beneath the tower, is located the original entrance to the hotel. Steps from the sidewalk lead to a pair of entrance doors. The recessed entry is topped with a compound, semi-circular arch. Each end bay opening on the first story is topped with a semi-circular arch identical in size and detailing to the one at the hotel entry. The left hand bay has a large single-paned window with a recessed brick panel beneath the lug sill. The opening to the right provides a secondary entrance to the building identical to the one in the center. Later alterations to the facade indicate an attempt at advertising gimmickry, using the entire facade of the building to attract attention to the business. A large neon sign with the name of the hotel stretches across the roof.

Empire Style in the state, it pays tribute to a time when its owner and the community envisioned Billon's rapid growth and development.

The Hotel Metlen was constructed on the site of the Corinne Hotel, the first hotel in Dillon, which was described as “a flimsy structure, a combination of thin lumber, cloth-lined partitions, and other combustible materials. It had been transported along the railroad, having originally been down in Utah or Idaho.” Metlen purchased the Corrine Hotel in 1884 and operated it until it was destroyed by fire in 1892.

By the time of the construction of the Hotel Metlen, Dillon was enjoying a position as the most significant railroad stop between Butte and the Idaho line and was well established as a ranching and agricultural center. The recent invention of the gold dredge was also spurring a resurgence of gold production in the county. With the promise of a bright future for Dillon, Joseph Metlen began the construction of the sixty room, $30,000 hotel in 1897. Metlen was lauded in the local newspaper for his enterprising effort. The completion of the new hotel was seen as marking “the dawn of an era of better things for the city.”

The Hotel Metlen was formally opened to the public on February 11, 1898. A public reception was held in the afternoon with a formal ball in the evening. Metlen's stature in state politics is clearly evidenced by the evening guest list, including Governor R.B. Smith and Chief Justice Pemberton. Metlen continued to operate the hotel until his death in 1906.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2024

3. Hotel Metlen Cornerstone

Located at the southeast corner, below the historical marker, facing South Railroad Avenue. Built by J.C. Metlen
1897

The Hotel Metlen was built in 1897 by Joseph C. Metlen. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It is prominent in the community. It was built to accommodate travelers and is located by the city's railroad stop — across the right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad from the main business district of Dillon. The hotel featured two historic saloons, dance floor, restaurant and a gaming casino. It is a two-story building made of sandstone bricks and is Second Empire in style.

Joseph C. Metlen was born in Pennsylvania in 1834. He arrived in Montana, in 1867, thirty years before he constructed Hotel Metlen. He and his brother worked as freighters from Corrine, Utah. Metlen valued his civic duty and represented Beaverhead County in the territorial legislature in 1871 and was elected as county treasurer in Dillion in 1883. The hotel closed in 2008, but two bars inside the building remain open. Current staff have said that keys go missing and furniture

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2024

4. Hotel Metlen (northeast elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The Bannack Street side of the building exhibits typical Second Empire detailing with the mansard roof, but the remainder of the facade more nearly reflects functional concerns rather than stylistic pretense. The openings are irregularly spaced and grouped, and a corbelled brick string course defines the division between the first and second floors.

moves, contributing to rumors of hauntings and strange activity. Most of the old furnishings and original woodwork remain intact.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 7, 2024

5. Hotel Metlen (east elevation)

From the National Register Nomination:  The Hotel Metlen exhibits the stylistic features of the Second Empire Style, which enjoyed widespread popularity in the United States during the third quarter of the Nineteenth Century. The mansard roof with projecting dormers, decorative patterned shingles, and the central pavilion are features generally associated with the style. With the Hotel Metlen, the Second Empire Style has been compressed into a compact rectangular plan. The central tower, projecting a story-and-one-half above the cresting line of the roof, and the central focus of the facade create the illusion of the characteristic pavilion plan without its space wasting projections on the street front. It makes full use of the city lot while still being grand in scale and rich in detail.