Telephone Exchange - Hamilton Commercial Historic District - Hamilton, Montana
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 46° 14.803 W 114° 09.591
11T E 718936 N 5125381
The Telephone Exchange building at 339-345 West Main Street in the Hamilton Commercial Historic District of Hamilton, Montana.
Waymark Code: WMFH9Y
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 10/20/2012
Views: 1
A single story brick building located at 339-345 West Main Street. The building was completed in 1937. The building is a contributing structure for the Hamilton Commercial Historic District which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Sept 1, 1988.
Text of sign on building:
State officials turned out on January 21, 1937, for the grand opening of Hamilton’s new telephone system. The event marked the modernization of telecommunications in the Bitterroot Valley. Ivan C. Gustafson owned this property and built the building, according to the telephone company’s specifications, for its exclusive use. The old quarters in the Teidt Building on Second on Second Street had been home to Hamilton’s telephone office for a quarter of a century. That facility had a huge six operator switchboard, but only two operators were needed at any given time. This streamlined facility offered a much more compact, two-person switchboard. A public phone booth, unlocked at all times, opened on Main Street to simplify night calls. In addition to its own hot water plant and stoker, the building’s amenities included an operators’ restroom off the main office, “fitted with modern lockers and a davenport,” and a two-car garage at the rear. The building of red brick features a prominent Romanesque arched entry and buff-colored brick trim. The small apartment was added in 1952, and the telephone exchange operated here until 1964.
Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Hamilton Commercial Historic District
Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link]
NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): [Web Link]
Address:
339-345 West Main Street
Hamilton, Montana 59840
How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Plaque on building (Photo in gallery)
Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link]
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