Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, this is one of two mansions built by the Clarks, Williams Senior and Junior, within a block of each other, this one on Broadway, the other on Granite Street, a block northwest.
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?
, an arts center and a museum. In the museum are thousands of artefacts and works of various types of art and literature.
CHARLES WALKER CLARK MANSION
The Clark Chateau is an historic mansion located in Uptown Butte, MT, dedicated to interpreting Butte’s fascinating and diverse history through the exploration of the humanities. Local artists, academics, writers, and performers are invited to utilize the space as a means of discussing the issues facing Butte today, placed in the larger context of the world around us.
For the first time in years, the Chateau is finally regularly open to the public. We welcome our community to take advantage of this unique space, to make it their own, to ask it: what do you want to be? and find the answer. Join us on the journey of, once again, bringing the Chateau to life.
We are operated by the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives and funded by the Friends of the Butte Archives, a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
From The Historic Clark Chateau
Built in 1898 as a home for Charles Clark, son of William A. Clark the Copper King, the Arts Chateau Museum serves the Butte-Silver Bow community as both an arts center and a museum.
The wonderful entryway combines beveled glass windows, ornate wrought iron, sandstone and a vaulted brick ceiling. The interior features a freestanding spiral staircase, 26 rooms adorned with exotic woods from around the world, hand-painted wallpaper by Marshall Field, several stained glass windows and a redwood paneled fourth floor ballroom.
On display in the mansion are thousands of historic artifacts including textiles, books, vintage clothing and accessories. The museum also has the furniture collection on permanent loan from the University of Montana.
There are three galleries located on the first and second floors. Featuring works by local, regional and national artists, the museum displays traveling exhibits that cover the areas of traditional, historic and contemporary genres. The Annual Youth Art Exhibit, Painting by Steve Wellman and the work of Elizabeth Lochrie are on permanent display.
From Travel Montana