Today the Northern Hotel remains open as a hotel, marking 56 years since its forced rebuilding after a fire completely destroyed the original. The original hotel was three stores tall, with 69 rooms. A remodel in 1916 added another story, increasing the number of rooms to 200.
The new Northern Hotel stands 10 stores tall, with 160 rooms, 12 meeting rooms, four kitchens, a bar, two restaurants and a remodeled adjacent parking garage. In 2009 the building changed ownership, the new owners immediately setting to work doing a complete remodeling of the hotel. It was reopened in 2013 following the renovations. It has been voted "Best Hotel in Billings" every year since its reopening.
The Northern Hotel was designed by the architectural firm of
Holabird and Root, founded in Chicago in 1880 and today Chicago's oldest oldest architecture firm. While the recent renovations have left the exterior essentially as it was, all interior integrity has been lost, the original design intent of the public areas now gone.
NORTHERN HOTEL
For most of the twentieth century, the Northern Hotel was the only first-class lodging in Billings, Montana. The ten-story Northern Hotel fronts on North Broadway to the west and First Avenue North to the north and is located in the heart of downtown Billings, Montana.
The Northern Hotel was constructed in three phases. The original ten-story 1942 hotel rises from the southeast corner of First Avenue North and North Broadway. The second construction phase occurred in 1950 with the construction of nine stories above the North Broadway original one-story wing . The third construction phase in 1960 expanded the original two-story portion inside the Land completes the footprint of the Northern Hotel today.
On St. Patrick's Day 2013, the Northern Hotel celebrated its grand opening after four years of renovation. The overall exterior of the Northern Hotel reflects the original appearance and character of the 1942 building and 1950 addition designed by the architectural firm of Holabird and Root. Commercial buildings designed by the firm in the 1930s and 1940s were generally devoid of exterior ornamentation and displayed rather simple and stark architectural features.
The Northern Hotel's interior lacks integrity and no longer reflects its original historic appearance and character. In the early 1980s, the Northern Hotel experienced a complete renovation . The architect's original design intent of the lobby, restaurant and saloon has been lost. This renovation reduced the number of guest rooms from 212 to 160 although retaining original hallways. The second floor retains the original banquet halls from the 1942 and 1960 construction where many important events occurred in Eastern Montana. The original elevators still operate.
From the NRHP Registration Form