Built in 1905 as a plumbing company office and shop, this building has, since then, been a paint and wallpaper store, a mortuary, ambulance service, an auto parts store, a bar & grill, and finally a cafe (below) and apartments above). While once substantially Art Deco in design only a bit of art deco remains in its design after two more rounds of remodeling. Today it appears to be the home of the
Backcountry Burger (& Beer) Bar.
In a several block long Historic district, this building's eclectic history rated it an entry in the National Register, while its neighbours must continue to exist as lowly contributing buildings.
CHARLES LUNDWALL BUILDING
Plumber Charles Lundwall capitalized on Bozeman’s state-of-the-art water system, locating here in his new building in 1905. Lundwall’s highly successful business outgrew this space by 1910 and a paint and wallpaper store then occupied the ground floor. In 1913, undertakers William Davis and Hiram F. West converted the building to a mortuary. At this time funeral homes were becoming the national trend as private homes held fewer wakes. The mortuary business tragically boomed during the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918, allowing West to buy out his partner. He added an ambulance service and from 1925 to 1929, served as County Coroner/Undertaker from his office here. Then, in 1931, the building’s interior was refitted as the Montana Motor Supply to serve the rising auto industry. William K. Shamanoff purchased the property in 1936 and commissioned architect Fred F. Willson to redesign the storefront as Bill’s Grill. With Willson’s Art Deco design, the building was converted to its final use as a cafe and two handsome upstairs apartments. While the upper story façade retained its original 1905 patterned masonry and terra cotta details, the ground floor further lost its identity to subsequent remodeling. In 1998-99, sensitive redesign of the storefront recaptured its historic ambience. Inside, the original pressed tin ceilings and 1930s furnishings remain almost pristine. The Lundwall Building is significant for the social patterns mirrored in its diverse history and as a superb complement to its vintage Main Street neighbors.
From the NRHP plaque at the building