Florence Hotel | |
Location | 111 N. Higgins Ave., Missoula, Montana |
---|---|
Coordinates | 46°52′14″N113°59′40″W / 46.87056°N 113.99444°W |
Area | less than one acre |
Built | 1941 |
Built by | Alloway & George |
Architect | G.A. Pehrson |
Architectural style | Moderne |
MPS | Missoula MPS |
NRHP reference No. | 92000782 [1] |
Added to NRHP | June 18, 1992 |
The Florence Hotel is a seven-story Moderne-style building in Downtown Missoula, Montana, which was completed in 1941. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. [1] [2]
Standing at 7 floors it is the 5th tallest building in Missoula. It is located at 111 North Higgins Avenue.
Since its original construction in 1888, The Florence Hotel offered weary railway travelers and settlers a comfortable night's lodging. When it burned in 1913, The Florence was rebuilt as a major 106-room hostelry and was a longtime regional gathering place until it, too, was destroyed by fire in 1936. Missoula's lack of a major hotel had serious implications, and even though the nation was then in the midst of the Great Depression, Walter H. McLeod and other influential businessmen secured community support to rebuild.
Constructed in 1941 on the same site as the two earlier buildings, today's Florence was brought to life by Spokane, Washington architect G.A. Pehrson who masterfully designed the $600,000 “jewel of a hotel” in its current Art Moderne style. For the next three decades the Florence continued to welcome visitors to downtown Missoula and Big Sky Country. In fact, “Howdy” met Hollywood when John Wayne famously slumbered at The Florence—adding to the romantic notion of the Wild West mingling with the opulent splendor of the hotel's signature style. The Florence was ahead of its time with the Northwest's first central air conditioning system, novel glass shower doors, underground parking for the growing number of Americans traveling by automobile, and first-class interior appointments in a “harmony of color.” The Florence remained a hotel until the 1970s when the building was transformed once again—this time into an office complex with retail businesses occupying the main floor.
The current owner is a structural engineer from Dallas, Texas, Thomas Taylor, [3] [4] whose goal has been to maintain the building's "old-fashioned" aesthetic or "nostalgic charm". [5] [6]
Texas and Pacific Station, commonly known as T&P Station, is a terminal Trinity Railway Express and TEXRail commuter railroad station is located at 1600 Throckmorton Street in Fort Worth, Texas, on the south side of downtown. It is the current western terminus of the TRE commuter line, and is located near the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Fort Worth Water Gardens, Sundance Square and Tarrant County government facilities. T&P Station features free parking which can be accessed from West Vickery Boulevard.
The Miami Beach Architectural District is a U.S. historic district located in the South Beach neighborhood of Miami Beach, Florida. The area is well known as the district where Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace lived and was assassinated by Andrew Cunanan, in a mansion on Ocean Drive. It is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Sixth Street to the south, Alton Road to the west and the Collins Canal and Dade Boulevard to the north. It contains 960 historic buildings.
The National is a 52-story, 191 m (627 ft) skyscraper in the Main Street district of downtown Dallas, Texas, adjacent to the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Akard Station. It is the tenth tallest building in the city. In January 2010 the building was closed due to low occupancy rates. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.
The Joule Hotel is a four-star, 160-room hotel developed by Headington Hotels, owned by Timothy Headington. Located at 1530 Main Street, between Akard Street and Ervay Street, the building was constructed in 1927 as the Dallas National Bank Building, and was known later as the SPG Building. At the end of Stone Street Plaza, it is in the Main Street District of downtown Dallas, Texas, and with the Kirby Building, one of two Gothic high-rises in the city.
The Superior Oil Company Building is a 12-story marble-clad high-rise building located at 550 S Flower St in Downtown Los Angeles. It was converted to The Standard Downtown LA hotel in 2002. The hotel closed in 2020 and reopened in 2023 as The Delphi Hotel.
The Wort Hotel was built in downtown Jackson, Wyoming, United States by brothers John and Jess Wort, who were significant figures in the transformation of the economy of Jackson Hole from ranching to tourism. The somewhat Tudor-style building was the first luxury hotel in Jackson. The two-story building features brick facing, with half-timbering and stucco on the second floor and a series of gables facing the street.
The Blackstone Hotel is the tallest hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, at 268 ft (82 m) tall. Located on the corner of Fifth and Main Streets, it is noted for its Art Deco design with terracotta ornamentation and setbacks on the top floors. The hotel was constructed in 1929 and operated for over 50 years before it sat vacant for nearly 20 years. The Blackstone Hotel guest list is full of notable people including Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon. The hotel was also host for a few movie stars such as Bob Hope, Clark Gable, and Elvis Presley. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 1984. The building was restored in the late 1990s and is still in use today as the Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone, although it is still known as the "Blackstone Hotel" to those who live in or have ties to Fort Worth.
The Tower Petroleum Building is a historic Art Deco Skyscraper located at 1907 Elm Street in the City Center District of Downtown Dallas. The tower, a contributing property in the Dallas Downtown Historic District and the Harwood Street Historic District, features Zig-zag Moderne styling and was designed by architect Mark Lemmon.
Downtown Missoula is the central business district in Missoula, Montana, and West-Central Montana. Downtown Missoula's rough boundaries are the Clark Fork River to its south, Madison St. to its east, the old U.S 93 highway/ North Orange St. to its west, and West Alder St. to its north, though parts south of the Clark Fork River are also at times mentioned. It is home to Ogren Park at Allegiance Field which is the venue for the Missoula PaddleHeads. Downtown is also home to several parks, and historic buildings such as the Wilma Building.
The Renwick Building is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties since 2000. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. It is known locally for the large painted sign on the north side of the building depicting the Bix 7 Road Race.
Albert John Gibson was one of the most prominent and well-known architects in Missoula, Montana who designed a number of buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Capt. Christopher Powers Higgins was an American Army captain and later businessman who with Frank Worden founded the Hellgate Trading Post and the nearby city of Missoula, Montana. He erected one of the first lumber and flouring mills on the Clark Fork River near present Downtown Missoula as well as many of Missoula's first buildings and establishments. He was one of the original county commissioners, member of first legislature of the Montana Territory, and incorporator of The Montana Historical Society. Higgins Avenue and bridge as well as the Higgins block in Downtown Missoula are named after him. He is buried in Missoula Cemetery.
The Palace Hotel is a building located in Downtown Missoula, Montana. Built in 1909, it became one of Missoula's first multi-story hotels. Today, the building houses apartments. Its architectural style is Renaissance revival. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.
The Arvon Block is a historic building located in Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. Constructed from 1889 to 1890 by wealthy rancher and city booster Robert Vaughn in the Western Commercial architectural style, the buildings are some of the oldest in the city of Great Falls. They originally functioned as a hotel, and served passengers arriving in the city via train on the Montana Central Railway. The single structure was later divided internally into three buildings, now housing a boutique hotel, and an Irish-themed pub and restaurant. The Arvon Block was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 26, 1991.
The Missoula station in Missoula, Montana, was built by the Northern Pacific Railway in 1901. The current structure is the third depot built in Missoula by the Northern Pacific, which reached Missoula in 1883. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, as the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot.
The State National Bank Building is a high-rise office building located at 412 Main Street in downtown Houston, Texas. Designed by architect Alfred Charles Finn, the building was built in 1923 in the Spanish colonial style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1982.
The Terrace Plaza Hotel is an 18-story International Style mixed-use building completed in 1948 in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. It sits at 15 Sixth St West between Vine and Race Streets.
The Black Building at 114-118 Broadway in Fargo, North Dakota was a "pivotal" historic resource in the Downtown Fargo District, in the listing of that historic district upon the National Register of Historic Places. In 2016 it was also individually listed on the National Register, as its "owners chose to pursue the honor of individual listing for its architecture and for its association with George Mumford Black and his strategies in commerce and communications. Black had the upper floor of the Art Moderne building designed for WDAY (AM) radio and ensured the station signed off each show with “this is WDAY with from the Black Building, Fargo” and he is credited with creating the one-cent sale."
The Ward Hotel, at 925 Main Street in Thompson Falls in Sanders County, Montana was built in 1907-1908 by Edward Donlan. Edward Donlan is very likely the most significant individual in Thompson Falls history. He was a substantial land owner, entrepreneur and politician. He was elected state senator from Missoula in 1902, 1906, 1910 and 1918.
The Sinclair Building is a Zigzag Moderne skyscraper in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. Located on the west corner of Fifth and Main street, the 200-foot-tall, sixteen-story tower neighbors fellow Art Deco landmarks the Kress Building and Blackstone Hotel. Opened in 1930, the Sinclair has served as office space for a variety of tenants over a number of renovations until 2013, when Sinclair Holdings Group purchased the building with the intention of converting the space into hotel rooms. Currently, the Sinclair operates as an upscale hotel under the Marriott company's Autograph Collection.
Owner of a Texas engineering firm with expertise in building preservation and a long history of such projects.
Media related to Florence Hotel (Missoula, Montana) at Wikimedia Commons