Missoula Laundry Company - Missoula, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 46° 52.419 W 113° 59.513
12T E 272011 N 5195469
This is a building afflicted with multiple personality disorder, exhibiting vernacular architecture from 1915, Art Deco from the late 1920s and Western commercial style of the 1940s. It's a building which has continued to grow as it aged.
Waymark Code: WMKPHN
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 05/11/2014
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member silverquill
Views: 1

In 1915, Nettie and Joseph Hagen expanded their Model Laundry Company by purchasing the Missoula Laundry Company and moving their business into the newly completed west section of this building. That original structure and its later additions represent three different commercial architectural styles. Built during the construction boom that followed the advent of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad in Missoula, the first of the laundry’s three parts features the crenelated roof and ornamental brickwork of a vernacular style.

In 1928 and 1929, architect H. Elmer Kirkemo, then associated with the distinguished Missoula firm of Gibson and Bakke, designed the two stylistically sophisticated, pre-Depression era additions. The central portion dominates, with its terra cotta parapet, window sills, and detailing providing one of Missoula’s best examples of the mature Art Deco style.

The final addition on the east end reflects the Western commercial style and features a concrete cornice and pilasters that echo the styling of the center section. The Hagens sold their business in 1947 to nephews Larry, Herman, and Karl Topel, and it has since remained in the Topel family. The old-fashioned advertising signs painted directly on the brick speak to a bygone era, reminding customers of long-standing service.
From the NRHP Plaque
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Street address:
111 East Spruce
Missoula, MT USA
59802


County / Borough / Parish: Missoula County

Year listed: 1990

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture

Periods of significance: 1925-1949, 1900-1924

Historic function: Commerce/Trade - Business

Current function: Commerce/Trade - Business

Privately owned?: yes

Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2014 To: 12/31/2014

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Hours of operation: Not listed

Secondary Website 2: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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