Things to do / Travel Guide
In this land of cowboys and Native Americans, gun-touting outlaws, trappers, traders and gold-crazed prospectors, visitors to the Yellowstone area might expect the architecture to be rather modest. But the wealth of the region's residents, spawned from the gold rush and mining boom at the turn of the century, is evident throughout the region in the magnificent mansions and sophisticated architecture. You will likely find some untypical cowboy quarters that will induce "oohs" and "ahs" more than the "hees" and "haws". Even the log cabins can be considered extravagant. Railroad stations, Victorian homes, cottages, and mansions are just a sampling of the region's rich architectural diversity.
Yellowstone National Park Architecture
The timeless Old Faithful Inn is the largest log structure of its kind in existence, and is still one of the country's most majestic hotels. The building was designed by architect Robert Reamer and built in 1903-1904. The building has a steeply angled roofline that reaches seven stories high, with gables jutting out from the sides. Surprisingly, the hotel does not face the world-famous Old Faithful Geyser, but was designed facing sideways to allow newly arriving visitors the chance to see the geyser as they stepped out of their carriages into the hotel. The rustic split log front doors have hand wrought hardware, while the central lobby towers up 75 feet and is dominated by a large stone fireplace. Four balconies hang above the lobby.
Lake Yellowstone Hotel was built in 1889 by the Northern Pacific Railroad, originally as a rather box-like structure, and is the oldest lodging in the park. Robert Reamer, the architect who designed Old Faithful Inn, redesigned the hotel in the early 1900s. Unlike the grand log structure of Old Faithful Inn, the Yellowstone Hotel was transformed into a sprawling Southern colonial mansion with ionic columns. It is the second-largest wood-framed building in North America, requiring 500 gallons of paint each year to maintain. Today, the Lake Yellowstone Hotel is one of the most luxurious places to stay in the park.
Roosevelt Lodge was built in 1920 and named after President Theodore Roosevelt, a life-long supporter of Yellowstone who pushed for the legislation that reduced destruction of the park in its early years. The main building follows a hunting lodge style with two large stone fireplaces, a porch full of rocking chairs, and surrounding rustic cabins that provide simple accommodations.
Livingston, Montana Architecture
Practically this whole town has noteworthy architecture. Over 400 residential and commercial structures in the town of Livingston are listed on the national registrar. The facades of 20 buildings on Main Street have been restored to their original designs, representing an early 20th century Montana town. The Northern Pacific Railroad Depot is a turn-of-the-century depot designed by same firm that designed New York's Grand Central Station. It has recently been restored, and the building is now a museum and cultural center known as the Livingston Depot Center.
Uptown Butte Historic District Architecture
Boasting the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, visitors to uptown Butte, Montana will have no problem finding interesting architectural sites. The uptown historic district features over 4,000 structures, many preserved and restored, including the country's first tall buildings, elegant mansions, Victorian homes, boarding houses and hotels, and miners' cottages that housed 100,000 people.
Saint Helena Cathedral
In addition to hosting a number of magnificent mansions and 19th century architecture, one of Helena's unique architectural highlights is Saint Helena Cathedral, built between 1908 and 1914. The geometric gothic-style cathedral was designed by architect A. O. Von Herbulis of Washington D.C., who was chosen for his knowledge of European cathedrals. The cathedral was patterned after the Votive Church of the Sacred Heart in Vienna, Austria. Inside, over 60 stained glass windows, white marble altars, statues carved of Carrara marble, and gold leaf decorates the sanctuary. All the pews and woodwork are made out of hand carved oak. Majestic twin spires rise 230 feet above the street.
Moss Mansion, Billings, Montana
For a unique architectural look into the wealthy lifestyle of the early 1900's, Moss Mansion certainly delivers. The historic home was built by the family of Preston Boyd Moss, a Billings banker, in 1903. It was designed by New York Architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh whose credits include the original Waldorf Astoria, Plaza Hotel, and Copley Hotel. The mansion was built at a cost of more than $100,000 at a time when most homes averaged $3,000. It has 28 rooms, and rises to a height of roughly 45-feet above the foundation over an area of 60 square feet. The mansion captures early turn-of-the-century life – and wealth – in Montana, and its red sandstone construction makes it a truly unique regional charm. The blocks of Lake Superior sandstone used in its construction were shipped to the area by rail. Visitors will see the three-story home's original draperies, fixtures furniture, Persian carpets and artifacts, and even a well-kept garden. The mansion is located at 914 Division street in Billings.
Red Lodge Historic Architecture
Almost all of Red Lodge's downtown district is on the National Registrar of Historic Places, including many stone and brick buildings with restored facades dating from the 1880s to 1915. Visitors hungry for some 19th century architecture can check out the town's original railroad station house, built in 1889, and a group of buildings known as Old Town, which served as Red Lodge's business center in the late 1800s. The town has several different historically and architecturally rich neighborhoods, such as the Hi Bug district where visitors will find Victorian style “castles,” and the once glorious Theatorium built in 1921 by volunteers and decorated with marble statues imported from Italy.
Trail End Mansion, Sheridan Wyoming
Trail End is the luxurious town residence built for cattleman, governor, and U.S senator John B. Kendrick in 1908. The three-story brick mansion boasts the only example of Flemish-style Victorian architecture of its kind in the state, visible in the unique triad of curved gables on the façade. An architect from Montana (Glenn C. McAlister) and a New York interior designer (D. Everett Waid) oversaw construction of the house, which overlooks the Big Goose Valley and Bighorn Mountains in Sheridan, Wyoming. The house grounds also host a naturalistic garden, which were the first in the state of Wyoming to be professionally designed. They were done by a Minneapolis landscape architecture firm.
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