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 Mike Mansfield Federal Building and United States Courthouse - Butte, MT Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 00.981 W 112° 32.154
12T E 381107 N 5097010
Dedicated in in December of 1904, the Federal Building initially housed federal courts and Butte's main post office.
Waymark Code: WMWFJW
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 08/28/2017
Views: 0
The Place:
Ground was broken for the new Federal Building in 1902, with completion coming about in 1904. Later the post office was relocated, the main post office now being located at 701 Dewey Boulevard, and offices of the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Bureau of Investigation established in the building. In 1932-33 the building was expanded with an addition to the rear, nearly doubling the building's size. Built in a similar style using similar materials as the original section, the addition is quite noticeable by its lack of quoining.
In August of 2002 the building was renamed the "Mansfield Federal Building and United States Courthouse" in honour of Mike Mansfield, a respected and well liked former Congressman, Senator and Ambassador, who passed away the year previous on October 5.
The building, which was constructed to serve as a combined courthouse and post office, was designed by Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department James Knox Taylor, who was noted for designing many post office buildings between 1897 and 1912. The cornerstone of the building was laid in May 1903. The building was constructed for a cost of $300,000, and was dedicated on December 8, 1904. At that time, it was within a block of several mines and dozens of wood frame lodging and commercial buildings. After the building opened, the elaborate courtroom was the site of numerous naturalization ceremonies as thousands of immigrants became citizens.
One of the most dramatic incidents in Butte history occurred in the courtroom on May 21, 1924, during Prohibition, which outlawed the sale, manufacture, or transportation of liquor. John O'Leary, a convicted bootlegger, began shooting a gun wildly about the crowded courtroom before turning it on himself. O'Leary survived, and no one else was injured. One bullet hit the bench, narrowly missing the judge, and a bullet hole in the upper portion of the side rear courtroom door remains.
From the U.S. General Services Administration
FEDERAL BUILDING
For one dollar copper king Marcus Daly and J. H. Leyson donated the land to construct this massive brick and stone civic building. Local builders Shackleton and Whiteway won the bid for the $279,000 building, and ground-breaking took place in October of 1902. An excellent representation of early-twentieth-century civic architecture, the design features elements of the then-popular Beaux Arts style with neo-classical embellishments and an ornately appointed interior. Dedication took place in December 1904, with the U.S. post office and federal courts as the first occupants. The building later housed offices for the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
From the NRHP plaque at the building
The Person:
Michael Joseph Mansfield
was born in New York City, New York, in 1903. His mother died in 1910. After his father was injured the same year, Mike and his siblings were sent to live with their Uncle Richard in Great Falls, Montana. At age 14, Mike enlisted in the Navy. From 1919 to 1920, he was in the Army, and from 1920 to 1922 he served in the Marines. By 1922 Mike was working as a miner in Butte, where he met Maureen Hayes. They married in 1932. In 1933 Mike graduated from Montana State University in Missoula. He continued his education until earning a PhD from the University of California. He was elected to the U. S. House of Representatives in 1942, and served until 1952, when he was elected to the Senate. Mike remained in the Senate until 1977. For the next 11 years he served as U. S. ambassador to Japan. Mike died in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 5, 2001. Biographer Oberdorfer wrote that Mansfield was one of the "most important and admired public servants of the Twentieth Century."
From Wiki History
Year it was dedicated: 2002
Location of Coordinates: Building Entrance
Related Web address (if available): [Web Link]
Type of place/structure you are waymarking: Building
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