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 LONGEST RUNNING - Bordello in the U.S. Posted by:  T0SHEA
N 46° 00.691 W 112° 32.034
12T E 381251 N 5096470
Today euphemistically known as the Dumas Hotel, this was the longest operating bordello in the country, open for business for no less than 92 years.
Waymark Code: WMWFRT
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 08/29/2017
Views: 9
Built in 1890, the Dumas remained in operation until 1982, believed to be the longest running bordello in the U.S. It is one of a small handful of buildings which survive from Butte's Red Light District, a district which once encompassed two full city blocks.
Though still "Open For Business", the Dumas is now in a different line of work, operating as a museum, the Dumas Brothel Museum, open from April to September, Wednesday to Sunday from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM and October to March with varying hours. The museum will open by appointment year-round.
Butte, Montana: Historic Dumas Brothel Museum
This bawdy house was in business until 1982, qualifying it as America's longest-lived house of prostitution.
From Roadside America
Butte in 75, No. 53: Dumas brothel
Jul 21, 2014
The Dumas, 45 E. Mercury ST., is touted as the longest running bordello in the U.S. The brothel boasted more than 40 rooms; most of them remain intact to this day.
It was the first brick structure house of ill repute in the district. Tunnels connected Butte's red-light district to its business corridor, allowing those inside to flee if needed. During busier times, three shifts of prostitutes worked the brothel.
The Dumas ran from 1890 to 1982 and remains an attraction.
From the Montana Standard
The Dumas is an historic American brothel built during the Victorian era in 1890, in what can only be described as brothel style architecture. The Dumas has (42) rooms, each with a distinct layout and purpose, and nearly all are intact as originally designed. Rooms range from posh suites and grand parlors, to bare-bone “cribs” - tiny rooms with space only for a bed and scarce amenities… Clandestine tunnels connected the Red-Light district to Butte’s business corridor allowing clients & working girls to escape the area in the event of a police raid.
Until the mid 1980’s, the sole purpose of the Dumas was to serve the predominately male population that grew out of Butte’s mining boom. The “official” story is that the Dumas operated “illegally for 92 years from 1890 to 1982,” although rumor says it was still in operation through the mid-late 1990’s. Nevertheless, the Dumas is the longest running house of “ill repute” in America. The Dumas is truly the last vestige of Butte’s Red-Light district, and its authenticity as a true 19th Century brothel is unmatched anywhere in the U.S.
In 1943, the underground & alley cribs were sealed off, remaining closed until the mid 1990’s. These areas are now open, and are part of the Dumas Museum… In the 1970’s, the Dumas was listed on the National Register of Historic Places where it remains today as an active “bordello”.
From Visit Montana
Type of documentation of superlative status: Newspaper article - Roadside America Article - Others
Location of coordinates: At the site
Web Site: [Web Link]
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