Hotel Baxter

Last updated
Hotel Baxter
Hotel Baxter 003 - Bozeman Montana - 2013-07-09.jpg
Hotel Baxter in 2013
USA Montana location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location105 W. Main St., Bozeman, Montana
Coordinates 45°40′46″N111°4′37″W / 45.67944°N 111.07694°W / 45.67944; -111.07694 Coordinates: 45°40′46″N111°4′37″W / 45.67944°N 111.07694°W / 45.67944; -111.07694
Arealess than one acre
Built1929
ArchitectH. J. Hamill; Fred F. Willson
Websitewww.thebaxterhotel.com
NRHP reference No. 84002469 [1]
Added to NRHPApril 19, 1984

The Hotel Baxter, popularly called the Baxter or Baxter Hotel, is a seven-story hotel built in 1929 in the Main Street historic district of Bozeman, Montana. Designed in Art Deco style by architect Fred F. Willson, it opened for business on March 2, 1929. The grand opening party was held Saturday, March 16, 1929. [2] The hotel is named after George Baxter, a prominent Gallatin County rancher who provided much of the funding. [3] It originally contained 76 rooms, [2] two bars, and restaurant facilities. An ornate lobby on the main floor includes a small water fountain. The mezzanine level features a large ballroom. Its upper floors today contain about 20 condominium-style residences, [2] mostly one and two-bedroom apartments. [4] Ted's Montana Grill and the Bacchus Pub are on the ground floor. [5]

Contents

Renovations

Baxter lobby, looking into the bar of Ted's Montana Grill Baxter Lobby 1.jpg
Baxter lobby, looking into the bar of Ted's Montana Grill

In the 1970s, an initial round of renovations to the first floor upgraded the historic Bacchus Pub and added a fine dining Italian-style restaurant. In 1982, a new owner renovated the entire hotel and converted the upper floors to residential condominiums. [3] After some years of decline and a series of owners, in 2004, David Loseff, a private equity investor and part-time Bozeman resident of 14 years, obtained a majority share in the building from a previous owner who had obtained the building in 1999. Loseff took over management and began a new round of renovations to the hotel. He initially brought in live music, upgraded the Robin Lounge (now the bar of Ted's), and operated a casual restaurant while locating new tenants to run the restaurant and the Bacchus Pub. [6] Ultimately, Ted's Montana Grill, owned by media mogul Ted Turner, opened in June 2008. [7] To accommodate the new venture, the old restaurant space as well as the former Robin Lounge were remodeled and reconfigured, [8] so that Ted's now encompasses 4,800 square feet (450 m2). [7] The Bacchus Pub, an institution throughout the history of the hotel, had been closed for almost four years, but was renovated and reopened under its current management in December 2008. [9]

The Bacchus Pub

Bacchus Pub Monk detail 1.jpg
Bacchus Pub Monk detail 2.jpg
Detail of Monk's heads which adorn the walls of the Bacchus Pub. Carvings alleged to be of actual monks who operated a beer brewery in Europe

The Bacchus Pub, designed with a medieval European decor, features unique carved, painted heads of monks that line the walls and center beam of the ceiling, [10] as well as stained glass originally designed for the business. It operated continuously under a series of changing owners and themes for 30 years. The facility was closed from 2005 until 2008, when the current owners agreed to operate under its traditional name and concept. [11] The space had mostly been a pub that served food and beverages, but had also been operated as a Mexican restaurant and a small Italian grille in intervening years. The new owners of the Baxter building turned down offers for various themes and held out for a tenant who was willing to restore the original pub design and atmosphere. After the business reopened, a brief legal squabble ensued over the legal ownership of the "Bacchus Pub" name, which had been purchased by another local restaurant owner, but a settlement was soon reached, allowing the pub to operate under its original name at its original location. [9]

Unique features

Illuminated sign atop the Hotel Baxter sign.jpg
Illuminated sign atop the Hotel

Unique features of the Baxter building include a 32-foot high by 45-foot wide electric "Hotel Baxter" sign on the roof. Erected when the building was completed in 1929, it was intended to be seen from the top of mountain passes up to 70 miles away to "serve as a beacon for travelers." [2] The red neon sign was nonfunctional for about 40 years, but was refurbished, repaired, and officially re-lit on January 10, 2013, in a ceremony, where U.S. Senator and part-time Bozeman resident Max Baucus called it "A crown jewel of Bozeman." [12] However, a researcher at Montana State University has raised concerns about light pollution, generating some local controversy. [13] The roof of the building also features a flashing blue light, which is turned on throughout the winter to alert local skiers when new snow is falling at the Bridger Bowl Ski Area. [2] First installed in 1988, it is activated each time Bridger Bowl accumulates two inches of fresh snow, and remains on for 24 hours thereafter. [14] Local skiers depend upon the beacon because the ski area can have a great deal of fresh powder snow, dubbed "cold smoke" by the locals, even when it is not snowing in Bozeman. For this reason, maintenance of the light is a priority for skiers and only once in 20 years was it out of operation for two days. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bozeman, Montana</span> City in Montana, United States

Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, MT Micropolitan Statistical Area, consisting of all of Gallatin County with a population of 118,960. It is the largest micropolitan statistical area in Montana, the fastest growing micropolitan statistical area in the United States in 2018, 2019 and 2020, as well as the second-largest of all Montana's statistical areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montana State University</span> University in the United States

Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 fields through its nine colleges. More than 16,700 students attended MSU in fall 2019, taught by 796 full-time and 547 part-time faculty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Montana</span> Region of Montana

Western Montana is the western region of the U.S. state of Montana. The most restrictive definition limits western Montana only to the parts of the state west of the Continental Divide. Other common definitions add in the mountainous areas east of the divide including Beaverhead, Gallatin, Jefferson, Lewis and Clark, Madison, and Park Counties. The region is sometimes considered to be part of the Inland Northwest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallatin National Forest</span> United States National Forest in Montana

The Gallatin National Forest is a United States National Forest located in South-West Montana. Most of the Custer-Gallatin goes along the state's southern border, with some of it a part of North-West Wyoming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport</span> Airport in Belgrade, Montana

Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport is located in Belgrade, Montana, United States, eight miles (13 km) northwest of Bozeman. Owned by the Gallatin Airport Authority, it has been Montana's busiest airport since 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rainbow Room</span> Event space and restaurant in New York City

The Rainbow Room is a private event space on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza at Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Run by Tishman Speyer, it is among the highest venues in New York City. The Rainbow Room serves classic and contemporary American cuisine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridger Bowl Ski Area</span> Ski area in Montana, United States

Bridger Bowl is a ski area in the western United States, near Bozeman, Montana. It serves the local population of Gallatin County, including Montana State University. The summit elevation is 8,700 feet (2,650 m) above sea level, with a vertical drop of 2,600 feet (790 m) on east-facing slopes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brick Breeden Fieldhouse</span>

The Brick Breeden Fieldhouse is a multi-purpose indoor arena located on the campus of Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. It is the home of the Montana State Bobcats of the Big Sky Conference; the primary venue for men's and women's basketball and indoor track and field.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted's Montana Grill</span>

Ted's Montana Grill is an American restaurant chain. The company was founded by media mogul and bison rancher Ted Turner along with restaurateur George McKerrow Jr. with the help of corporate chef Chris Raucci as a for-profit effort to stop the extinction of the American bison. The first Ted's Montana Grill opened in January 2002 in Columbus, Ohio. Today it has 39 restaurants in 16 states. Its first Montana location opened at the Baxter Hotel in Bozeman in June 2008. The company is based in Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seward Hotel</span> Historic building in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

The Seward Hotel, also known as the Governor Hotel, is a historic hotel building in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States, that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Built in 1909, it is one of two NRHP-listed buildings that make up the Sentinel Hotel, the other being the 1923-built Elks Temple. The Seward was renamed the Governor Hotel in 1931, closed in the mid-1980s, and reopened in 1992 joined with the former Elks building, and thereafter formed the east wing of a two-building hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallatin Gateway Inn</span> United States historic place

The Gallatin Gateway Inn is a Spanish-stucco style railroad hotel at Gallatin Gateway, Montana. The hotel is one of the "Historic Inns of America." The Gallatin Gateway Inn was opened on June 18, 1927. Constructed and operated by The Milwaukee Road, the luxury hotel was reached by electrified railroad branch line that connected to the Milwaukee's main line at Three Forks, Montana. It was among the first hotels in Montana with telephones in every room, and offered travelers access to Yellowstone National Park. Park buses took passengers from the hotel to the park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savoy Hotel and Grill</span> United States historic place

The Savoy Hotel and Grill was a historic hotel and restaurant in Kansas City, Missouri. The Savoy Hotel was the oldest continuously operating hotel in the United States west of the Mississippi River until it closed in 2016 to undergo extensive renovation by 21c Museum Hotels and reopened in 2018. In 1974 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as "Savoy Hotel and Grill". It is now called "21c Museum Hotel Kansas City".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Story</span>

Nelson Story Sr. was a pioneer Montana entrepreneur, cattle rancher, miner and vigilante, who was a notable resident of Bozeman, Montana. He was best known for his 1866 cattle drive from Texas with approximately 1000 head of Texas Longhorns to Montana along the Bozeman Trail—the first major cattle drive from Texas into Montana. His business ventures in Bozeman were so successful that he became the town's first millionaire. In 1893, he played a prominent role in the establishment of the Agricultural College of the State of Montana by donating land and facilities. He built the first Story Mansion on Main Street in Bozeman in 1880 and later built today's Story Mansion at the corner of Willson and College for his son, T. Byron Story in 1910. In his later years, he became a prominent real estate developer in Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred F. Willson</span> American architect

Fred Fielding Willson, most commonly known as Fred F. Willson, was an architect in Bozeman, Montana who designed many buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gallatin County High School (Bozeman, Montana)</span> United States historic place

The Gallatin County High School was a public high school in Bozeman, Montana. It was built Romanesque/Classical Revival style in 1902, expanded in c. 1914, and gained an Art Deco addition in 1936–37. The c.1914 and 1936-37 work was designed by architect Fred F. Willson; it was renamed Willson School following its conversion to a junior high school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spieth and Krug Brewery</span> United States historic place

The Spieth and Krug Brewery, also known as "Union Hall" and "Maxey Block", is a brewery established in 1867 in Bozeman, Montana, by two German immigrants, Jacob Spieth and Charles Krug. The current building was built in 1882. In 1895 the brewery was bought by Julius Lehrkind, whose descendants still operate beverage businesses in Bozeman.

The Bozeman Brewery Historic District, located in Bozeman, Montana, at 700–800 N. Wallace Avenue, consists of five structures, all still closely connected to the Julius Lehrkind family and their Bozeman Brewery business. Lehrkind and his brother, Fred, were brewers who immigrated to America from Germany. Lehrkind and his extended family eventually settled in Bozeman, and the family continues to operate businesses in the Bozeman area. The five structures in this historic district are:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arvon Block</span> United States historic place

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.

Glen Lake Rotary Park is an 83-acre recreation area in Bozeman, Montana, United States. The lake was originally a water filled old gravel pit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bozeman station</span> Former train station in Montana

Bozeman Depot is a former train station in Bozeman, Montana, opened in 1883 by the Northern Pacific Railway. The current brick station house was built in 1892 and expanded in 1924.

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Ricker, Amanda (June 5, 2009). "Baxter celebrating 80th birthday". The Bozeman Chronicle. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  3. 1 2 "The Baxter—A Community Icon". The Baxter Hotel. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Accommodations". The Baxter Hotel. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to the Hotel Baxter". The Baxter Hotel. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  6. ↑ Brown, Kellyn (August 20, 2005). "The Baxter hoping to get back to its roots" . Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  7. 1 2 "Ted's Montana Grill Comes Home To Montana". Ted's Montana Grill. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  8. ↑ Davis, Seabring; Hurlbut, Brian (2007). Yellowstone and Grand Teton (6 ed.). Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. p. 104. ISBN   978-0-7627-4411-4.
  9. 1 2 Ricker, Amanda (December 30, 2008). "Businesses negotiate for Bacchus Pub name". The Bozeman Chronicle. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  10. ↑ "United States Nightlife - The Bacchus Pub". Condé Nast Digital. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  11. ↑ Ricker, Amanda (November 30, 2008). "Bacchus Pub to reopen". The Bozeman Chronicle. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  12. ↑ Ricker, Amanda (January 11, 2013). "'Hotel Baxter' sign shines again". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Turcio, Eric (January 16, 2013). "Re-lit hotel sign causes issues for researchers". KTVM Television. Archived from the original on 16 February 2013. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  14. 1 2 Chronicle Staff (December 19, 2007). "Baxter's blue light back in service". The Bozeman Chronicle. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.