1917: A Building Boom

The Butte City Directory for 1917 estimates the population in Butte and its suburbs at 91,000 people.  Butte was experiencing a great building boom during this time–the YMCA was under construction, the Knights of Columbus was building a hall just one block east of the YMCA, the Rialto Theater was finished in early 1917, and the Deaconess Hospital just off of Grand Avenue was dedicated in December of 1917.    There was a rash of building permits for these fine buildings as well as bungalows on the lower west side, flats, and chicken coop improvements. The Ben Bank building was under construction on Galena Street and it collapsed in early June sending five construction workers to the hospital.

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