Though much of the artistic detail on this Victorian building is above the frieze proper, much has been done on the frieze itself. Sunrise patterns, especially, repeat over each upper window and just below the cornice, while the cornice is decorated with what is either pressed metal or terra cotta. Too, the cornice brackets all carry intricate little designs and medallions.
An exuberant ambassador of the late nineteenth century and its more Spartan complement comprise this architectural duet, whose history spans Missoula’s development. The older and more impressive Headquarters Building, designed by architect John Larkin for Mitchell and Bennett in 1888, was originally built as a gambling house and saloon. West Front Street was then an unpaved, dusty thoroughfare in a rough neighborhood, where many like establishments catered to the boarding house culture that followed the railroad. In 1892, the Headquarters Building witnessed a major fire and the mysterious murder of Maurice Higgins, son of a Missoula founder. In 1909, its prominent corner was the scene of fiery IWW rallies and related arrests.
During Prohibition, when many neighborhood taverns became speakeasies, J. R. Daily located retail offices for his full-service meat company in the old saloon and built the 1917 annex as its meat production plant. The company operated here for the next fifty years. Remodeling in 1932 and 1967 sheathed the façades in aluminum, stucco, and paint. Removal of these coverings during 1990s restoration unveiled the simple annex and its spectacular Victorian-era companion. Windows, masonry, and the cast-iron storefront of the Headquarters Building remained intact, while other spirited details have been carefully reconstructed. Pedimented pocket and swing doors, exquisite wainscoting, and exceptional oak trim of the handsome upstairs club rooms were carefully preserved as reminders of the time when high stakes could make or break a patron.
From the NRHP Plaque