Montana Tech Campus Mill Building
Butte–Anaconda Historic District
Only nine of Main Hall’s twenty-five rooms were originally furnace heated. To remedy that situation, the mill building was constructed during 1907 and 1908 to house a large heating plant. This second campus building furnished steam heat to Main Hall and, later, to other campus buildings. Although no longer in use, its huge boilers remain intact. The mill building also accommodated the assay laboratories, which were moved from Main Hall’s unheated south basement. The assay equipment was modernized in 1923 and a flotation plant installed a few years later. At one time resident faculty occupied its upper floor. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style to architecturally complement Main Hall, but not overshadow its grandeur, the mill building’s subtle ornamentation includes brick string courses that horizontally divide its façade and a steplike frieze below the cornice. A band of lunettes adorns the west end of the north façade while a three-story capped chimney towers above.
Erected by Montana Historical Society.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Education
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Location. 46° 0.682′ N, 112° 33.449′ W. Marker is in Butte, Montana, in Silver Bow County. It can be reached from Montrose Avenue just south of West Park Street. The marker is on the right side of the Mill Building front/north entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1300 West Park Street, Butte MT 59701, 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 walking distance of this marker: Montana Tech Campus Main Hall (within shouting distance of
Regarding Montana Tech Campus Mill Building. The Montana Tech Mill Building is a contributing property in Butte–Anaconda Historic District, National Register of Historic Places № 66000438.
From the National Register Nomination prepared by Derek Strahn, 1/2006:
Many of the buildings on Montana Tech's campus carried on the Renaissance influences established with the completion of Main Hall. The Engineering Building designed by C.S. Haire (1910) complemented Main Hall. The brick building has Renaissance-Revival influences and classical detailing. The Mill Building (1908) continued this unified look, its brick construction having a more functional purposeas the campus heating plant and assay laboratory.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 6, 20243. Mill Building (northwest elevation)The Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology is a formal circa 1900 campus, located on the edge of Butte's west side. It overlooks the city of Butte from its perch on the ridge sloping down from Big Butte. The historic design of the campus is highly intact and is centered around substantial nineteenth-century brick buildings that date to the founding of the school. The campus with its stately buildings and mature trees can be seen from much of the city. Montana Tech, reflecting the primary role of industrial education in the NHL district, retains a high level of integrity within its historic core. A mature campus setting is well preserved, where courtyards, conifers and brick buildings create a contemplative atmosphere for study. The historic campus design and buildings form the center of and dominate the complex. They are a strong symbol of the abiding ties of this college to the advancement of deep mining, and its importance to the Butte-Anaconda Historic District.
Montana Tech had its origins in the Enabling Act of 1889, and its provision of federal land grants to new states, for the purposes of establishing mining schools. Montana's legislature located the state's School of Mines in Butte, and the mining city enthusiastically supported the institution, donating land for the campus and coming to the school's aid financially during its early history. The first class graduated in 1903, launching its long tradition as one of the country's leading programs in mining engineering, with emphasis on mineral sciences and deep mining.
Also see . . . Montana Tech Campus Mill Building (Montana Historical Society).
Credits. This page was last revised on August 19, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 16, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1. submitted on August 18, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 19, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
