It is unfortunate that the city should choose to plant a tree in front of this building in particular as it "
has an unusually striking facade of intricate, high-relief, Neo-Gothic Revival style ornament in white, glazed terra cotta. " Striking indeed, the facade was likely created to advertise the building as a premium hotel, sure to please all who should choose to sign in. The facade, incidentally, was the design of
Fred Fielding Willson, Bozeman's most prolific architect of the twentieth century.
Following is a description of the building, from Wiki Commons.
NB - in the description below it is noted that the building is not contributing. Apparently that reference is to the annex on the east side of the building (address 132), and not the main building itself. The NRHP Continuation Sheet indicates it to be a
Primary Contributor.
The Fechter Hotel
Built in 1918 by saloon owner John Fechter, the three-and-a-half story hotel and retail building was designed by omnipresent Bozeman architect Fred Willson in the Neo-Gothic Revival style. It's one of Willson's more unique designs. The façade is white glazed terra cotta. Vertical cruciform shapes have been removed from the terra cotta, exposing the red brick beneath -- giving the building an even greater sense of height. Small faces were added to the line in the sandstone façade above the windows, and the rest of the sandstone facing intricately carved in bas relief and high relief.
The façade also has distinctive Arabian-arch windows with bronze grating over the upper portion, and a small, semi-circular iron and glass canopy over the door (any canopy is unusual for doors along the street). Over the years, "anchor" tenants like Woolworth's and J.C. Penney occupied the ground floor. The upper floors were originally hotel rooms, but over time became a mix of hotel rooms and apartments.
Although the building is located within the Main Street Historic District (listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 21, 1987), it is not a contributing property. (The canopy and main entrance have shifted from the middle of the structure to the left, sadly altering it.)
From the Wiki Commons