Carpenters Union Hall - Butte Anaconda Historic District - Butte, MT - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

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Carpenters Union Hall - Butte Anaconda Historic District - Butte, MT

in NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings

Posted by:  T0SHEA

12T E 380884 N 5096806

Housing many of the labour unions in a working man's town, this was one of the two most important labour temples in Butte, the other being the Miners' Union Hall.

Designed by N. T. Nelson, this union hall was one of the first to be built in the country. Though not aesthetically outstanding, it was, in its early life, one of the more important buildings in Butte, predominantly a town of workers and laborers. While the Carpenter' Union was chartered in 1890, this building was not constructed until 1906. Well crafted of brick, wood and stone, the building itself is a good example of the level of craftsmanship available in Butte at that time.

In this building were the union headquarters of not only the Carpenters & Joiners, but also the Iron Workers, Steel Metal Workers, Clerks, Boilermakers, Laborers, Teachers and Women's Protective Unions.

Though a similar union, The Montana Carpenters Local 82, exists in Butte today, they use another building. As far as we know there are no longer any unions which use the hall. Until the end of 2011 several unions continued to meet in the hall, but all were forced to find other accommodations when the building was emptied to undergo a thorough inspection due to its declining health. At that time demolition was even a possibility if the cost of remediation proved too great.

Carpenters' Union Hall

The sheer number of extant contributing resources and the unique industrial character of the district are extraordinary, and represent an era and a way of life tied to the industrial growth of the nation. Specific resources within the landmark district that embody these themes include:

• The more than 20 extant meeting halls where labor groups organized and met, most prominent among them being: Butte's Carpenter's Union Hall, Scandia Hall, Pioneer Hall, International Order of Odd Fellows and International Order of Good Templars Buildings and the M&M Building.

• The Carpenters' Union Hall on W. Granite, designed by N. T. Nelson, architect, [156 W. Granite, 1906] was a center of union solidarity, housing the Local Union of Carpenter's and Joiners along with the Iron Workers, Steel Metal Workers, Clerks, Boilermakers and Women's Protective Unions.
From the NRHP Registration Form, Page 83

CARPENTERS' UNION HALL
Butte’s reputation as the “Gibraltar of Unionism” in the Rocky Mountains was further strengthened with the construction of this finely appointed Renaissance Revival style labor temple, one of the first built in the United States. The Butte Carpenters’ Union, Local #112 chartered in 1890, financed the construction, which was completed in 1906. The temple housed most of Butte’s unions including the Women’s Protective Union, the Teachers’ Union, the Laborers’ Union, the Machinists’ Union, and the Butte Building and Construction Trades. The hall, which is still used as a union labor temple, provides a fine example of the talent and skills of local craftsmen of the time.
From the NRHP plaque at the building