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The Placer
Hotel (aka "Hotel Placer"), southeast corner of
Last Chance Gulch and Grand St.
Completed in 1913, the Placer was for many years Helena's
finest hotel; it has now been converted to condominiums.
The building was designed by George
H. Carsley in association with Cass Gilbert.
As an
unofficial headquarters for Montana legislators and lobbyists,
the Placer was the scene of much political intrigue over the
decades. Numerous celebrities called the Placer home during
their visits to Helena.
In 1912, there was a local controversy over the naming of the new hotel. The working name was alternately the "Lewis and Clark Hotel" and the "New Helena Hotel", the latter name meeting with opposition from stockholders for a couple of reasons. The posh Helena Hotel, located on Grand St. just a block from the new hotel, had been gutted by fire earlier that year, so stockholders were not keen to associate the new hotel with that unfortunate event. Also, naming something "Helena" seemed unimaginative and overdone. Most preferred the "Lewis and Clark Hotel".
It was during this controversy that the name the "Placer Hotel" was informally proposed. By the fall of 1912, newspaper items and ads were using the name "Placer Hotel".
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Thompson Block Demolished for New Hotel
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Postcard
View of the New Placer
Gold Beneath the Placer Hotel?
Not Much
The Placer ca. 1916
COURTESY
OF THE DAVID POOR COLLECTION
Native Americans and Others
Outside the Grand St. Entrance, 1915
Frank Linderman is on the Far Right
TAYLOR PHOTO COURTESY
OF THE MONTANA MEMORY PROJECT
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA COLLECTION UM013844
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Placer
Hotel, circa 1928
COURTESY OF TOM KILMER
1930s
Air Mail Envelope
Main
Street Entrance, circa 1930
Placer
Hotel Lobby
Placer
lobby from the Mezzanine
Placer
Hotel Mezzanine
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD
Placer
Hotel Cafe
Placer Hotel Ballroom
COLLECTION
OF NANCY GOODSPEED
Placer
Hotel Barbershop
THE
DAVID HULL COLLECTION
Chas. H. Pratt, Jeweler
COURTESY
OF THE DAVID POOR COLLECTION • CLICK
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The
Rathskeller, Basement of the Placer Hotel, 1923
FROM
THE 1972 LAST CHANCE STAMPEDE PROGRAM - COURTESY OF KITTY ANN QUIGLEY
TAALER
1940s
View of the Placer
Note the stylish and welcoming Cheerio Lounge sign.
Coffee Shop, 1941
JORUD PHOTO FROM THE BAIRD COLLECTION
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A 1950s
Postcard View
Luggage
Sticker and Trade Tokens
Decorative
Detail on Placer Hotel China
Placer
Hotel Matchbooks, Room Key & Corkscrew
1940s
1950s
Corner
of the Placer Hotel, Main at Grand, 1957
COLLECTION
OF KENNON BAIRD
John
F. Kennedy
Room 620
| Presidential
candidate John F. Kennedy stayed overnight at the Placer Hotel
in June of 1960. Accompanying him on the trip were Ted Kennedy
and Sargent Shriver. |
May
5, 1965 Arson Fire
NO
ARRESTS MADE
Frederick
Delano Killed in Elevator Accident, 1967
| Delano, an exterminator by trade in his younger days,
was 70 years old. His co-worker, Walter Favorit, was 59 at
the time of this accident. Favorit died in South Dakota in 1987. |
Main
Street Entrance, 1971
Helena High School Bengalettes
PHOTO
BY JAN BROWN, COURTESY OF RICHARD
ALBERTS
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ON IMAGE TO OPEN A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW
Constuction
on what was once Grand Street, 1970s
PHOTO
BY VIRGIE MILLEGAN BAIRD
Urban Renewal
eliminated Grand Street, along with all its Victorian buildings.
Walking Mall Construction on Last Chance Gulch, 1977
PHOTO
BY GEORGE HUBER, COURTESY OF THE MAYNARD FAMILY
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