HISTORIC LANDMARKs

MODERN HOTEL

The Modern Hotel is directly associated with the initial period of downtown Whitehall's development that followed the arrival of the Northern Pacific and Montana Railroad's Butte Short Line in June 1890 and the town's official founding just two months later.  Originally built in 1913, the Modern Hotel was one of the earliest two-story brick commercial buildings in downtown Whitehall, representing the second generation of the community's early building forms and types as well as the Western Commercial architectural style typical of the day.  The Modern Hotel is also significant for its 1919, 1929, and 1941 additions, of which the latter two reflect evolving trends in architectural design during the first half of the twentieth century through the vision of Fred Willson, one of Montana's premiere architects.  In addition to offering lodging, the Modern Hotel's first floor commercial spaces accommodated rail and auto traffic with its restaurant and bar from the time it was built through May 1971 when Hilda Borden, widow of original owner Lot Borden, died at the age of 91.

Source: Excerpts from the file, "National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks Program Records: Montana, 1964-2012," created by the Department of Interior and National Park Service; located on the website, National Archives (http://archives.gov), accessed 23 May 2022.  Photograph taken in September 1918; located on the website, National Archives (http://archives.gov).

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