EDIT - February, 2023
In the early morning of February 12, 2023 the
Graves Hotel Burned to the Ground. This was the second time that Harlowton's Graves Hotel was destroyed by fire, the first time occurring
in 1907.
The Graves Hotel's sign is pretty "Googie", obviously having been added several years after the hotel was built in 1908-1909. While the hotel has recently undergone renovation, it appears that their sign is also undergoing refurbishment, with one side missing its neon, possibly removed to make repainting easier.
In 1907 a fire took out 24 buildings in Harlowton's business district, including the town's only hotel. Following the fire an ordinance was passed requiring fireproof construction for all new construction. As a result the present business section is built, in the majority, of sandstone which, fortuitously, happened to be in abundance almost under the feet of the town's residence. One of the first sandstone building go go up was the Graves Hotel, built from sandstone quarried just a stone's throw downhill from the hotel.
A. C. “Chris” Graves chose to build his hotel nearer the railway depot than was the previous hotel, as its main source of revenue came from the railroad. As a result, the rest of the commercial district followed suit, thereby moving the whole district nearer the train depot. Designed by architects Kent and Shanley, the hotel is finished in sandstone on the outside and oak on the inside, causing newspaper reporters to gush that this was surely the finest hotel for hundreds of miles around. The grand opening of the hotel, held on june 19, 1909, following a year of construction, was a gala event attended by a "Who's Who" of Central Montana.
With the cessation of passenger service to the town by the
Milwaukee Road, both the hotel and the town fell into decline, from which neither have fully recovered. After being closed for several years, in recent years the hotel has been renovated to the tune of a million dollars. It presently offers a restaurant, lounge and bar, with guest rooms scheduled to open in the near future. This may or may not come to pass as, due to health reasons, as of January, 2018, the hotel has been put up
For Sale.