Construction of the Southern Hotel began in April of 1906, with the
finishing touches being applied in October. Long since turned into apartments, the only feature by which the hotel might be identified is a sandstone panel, centered high on the west wall, marked
19 SMITH 06. The "SMITH" is for the owner, Luther S. Smith, who built the hotel and remained its owner until 1945.
The two story red brick building remains in reasonably good condition. On the front, west, end of the building is a timber framed porch, much smaller than the original, full width, porch. At the rear, east, end of the building a lean to garage, added about 1927, is still attached.
Southern Hotel
This building is significant as playing a central role in the commercial development of Joliet. The hotel provided a temporary residence for new settlers to the area and for the "increasing transient patronage" passing through Joliet during the early 20th century. This building reflects the initial commercial development of Joliet between 1903 and 1907, the period in which Joliet established itself as the trading center for the surrounding agricultural community. Similiar to other small town hotels, the Southern also served as a social center.
Mrs. Jane Young had purchased the [two lots] between 1901 and 1903 from the Joliet Townsite and Improvement Company and had ran a hotel at the corner of Main and Central. In October, 1905, she sold the lots to Luther S. Smith from Absarokee for $2,500. Smith, after building a barn for his prize racehorse 'Bill Nevitt', began, by April, 1906, to excavate the basement for a new hotel. In May, the Joliet Journal reported that "the stone masons had about completed the foundation and the basement walls of L.S. Smith's big new hotel building, erected by Wengel and Marshal of Bear Creek. In June, the newspaper reported that Smith had decided to erect a brick structure instead of a frame building, using "excellent quality brick from the recent kiln" of Tom Collins of Joliet. In September, 1906, Smith christened his new hotel "The Southern" and hoped to open to the public by October. P.C. Miller, a local painter, did the interior "finishing touches".
Later that year, Smith added a "good, wide porch" and in 1907 added a "substantial sidewall and approach" to the front of the hotel. Smith owned the hotel until 1945.
This two story common bond brick building is one of the most substantial commercial buildings in the town of Joliet. It has a rusticated irregular sandstone ashlar foundation. The structure is perpendicular to Main Street and the long axis parallels Central Avenue. This flat roof building has a decorated brick cornice, with corbelling and recessed paneling on the walls and recessed panels facing the streets. A centered concrete embossed panel marked 19 SMITH 06 distinguishes the façade. The doors and windows on the façade have rusticated sandstone sills and lintels. The fenestration on the sidewalls is symmetrical with 1/1 double hung windows.
From the Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory