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 City Hall - Anaconda, MT Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 07.768 W 112° 56.888
12T E 349504 N 5110277
In the hope that Anaconda would soon become Montana's capital, the powers that be at the time furnished the city with a rather ambitious City Hall. Completed in 1896, though it no longer serves as Anaconda's City Hall, it remains a city landmark.
Waymark Code: WMMN79
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 10/13/2014
Views: 3
Of substantial brick and stone construction, the city hall originally housed the city government, the police department, and the city fire department, all in separate sections of the building, the police department occupying the basement. Many years later the city police moved out of city hall and joined the county police in the new Anaconda-Deer Lodge County Law Enforcement Center near the courthouse. The fire department departed some time later and the city government has moved to newer premises, but the jail cells in the basement remain, now housing the historical society.
City Hall
Copper magnate Marcus Daly had great expectations for Anaconda when the town was platted in 1883, hoping one day the town would become Montana’s capital. It was with that goal in mind that plans for a magnificent city hall were conceived. Architects Lane and Reber of Butte, winners of a competition for the building’s design, drew the blueprints for the symbolically and historically significant civic landmark, completed in 1896. Built in a “straightforward manner … using local materials,” the architects employed pressed brick, Anaconda granite, and Anaconda copper trim. The complex design illustrates the passionate eclecticism of the late Victorian era, incorporating elements of a variety of styles. A massive corner tower, bays, and pavilioned entrance visually define the original separate functions of the building: city government, fire hall, and police department. Contrasts of round and square forms serve to augment these divisions. Classical detailing, Roman and Romanesque style arches, Moorish “keyhole” windows, Gothic tracery, and a Chateauesque style roof capping one of the bays are a visual feast and showcase local craftsmanship. Abandoned in 1976 and slated for demolition, the building was rescued by local citizens in 1978. Though a clock tower housing the fire bell was removed, the rehabilitated City Hall Cultural Center is once again a thriving and impressive source of civic pride.
From the NRHP Plaque
Type: Other / Ex-Police Buiding
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Visit Instructions:
To log a visit, you must post a photo of you in front of the building described, with your GPS in the photo. No drive by photos.
I have had NO problems with taking photos of Police stations but please respect the fact that some services may be nervous about having their photo taken and inquire as to why... I have found that once things are explained they are more than happy to let me photograph the building, crest, chief... (they are people too!)
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