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 Federal Building - 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. Both photos here were taken from across Main Street, looking generally southeast.
Waymark Code: WMWFJY
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 08/28/2017
Views: 2
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 honor 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
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Federal Building - 1950s |
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Federal Building - 2017 |
Year photo was taken: ca 1950
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