This Historic District, listed in 1961 only in Butte, was expanded in 2006 to include Walkerville and Anaconda. This made it the largest Historic District in the country in terms of number of contributing properties, which totals 6,013.
In the Historic District are 5975 contributing buildings, 37 contributing structures and 1 contributing object. The district encompasses 27,200 acres, or 42.5 square miles. As the largest Historic District in terms of number of contributing properties, it has also been designated a
National Historic Landmark. The whole shebang was the result of a couple of hills in the area containing vast amounts of copper ore and lesser amounts of other metals, such as gold and silver.
One of the four "Copper Kings" of Butte in the late nineteenth century was William Clark, also one of the richest individuals both in Butte and in the U.S. at the time. If you're the son of someone like that, this is the type of house you build for your young bride. Ostentatious? Yes. After all, how is one to make good use of 26 rooms? And how long does it take to clean 26 rooms?
Today the building is home to the
Historic Clark Chateau, an arts center and a museum.
CHARLES WALKER CLARK MANSION
The eldest son of copper king William Clark built this twenty-six room mansion for his bride, Katherine Quinn Roberts, in 1898. Massachusetts architect Will Aldrich reputedly modeled the residence after a French chateau the couple visited while honeymooning in Europe in 1896. The exterior features patterned brick enhanced by gray limestone, steep slate-covered roofs and circular turrets. Yale-educated Charles spared no expense on details: exquisite stained glass, hand-painted wallpaper, a stately curved stairway and the use of many kinds of rare woods reveal the work of talented craftsmen. The structure now serves Butte and Silver Bow County as a heritage museum and arts center.
From the plaque at the building