201 East Main Street -- the Montgomery Ward Company Building:

This building, on the corner of Main and North Bozeman, is

one of the more noteworthy commercial designs of Fred

Willson, Bozeman’s most significant historic architect.  The

building was constructed in 1928 to house the new Bozeman

store of the Montgomery Ward Company, one of America’s

best-known 20th century retail and catalogue companies.  After

Wards closed its Bozeman store, the building housed a clothing

store and furniture retailer before becoming home to the Rocky

Mountain Rug Gallery.  This building was damaged by the fire,

though not destroyed.

 

209-215 East Main Street -- the Ellis, Davis & Sperling Block:

Dating from 1929, this building was constructed by the same contractor who built the Montgomery

Ward building next door.  Its three-part façade, detailed with polychromatic brick, was typical for smaller

commercial buildings of the time.  The building was designed to house three separate businesses, and

by the 1940s the westernmost storefront had become home to one of Bozeman’s most famous watering

holes -- the Rocking R Bar.  The “R Bar” later expanded into the central storefront, as well, and though

its original small-town ambience was lost in a recent remodeling the bar’s historic neon sign remained a

quintessential symbol of downtown.  The eastern storefront was last home to Boodles Restaurant, but

long-time Bozemanites still fondly remember the Cowboy Cafe, a downtown institution that occupied

that space for many years.

219 East Main Street -- the Joyce Theater:

                                            One of the most handsome and unique landmarks on Bozeman’s Main Street,

                                            the street façade of this building dated from about 1936, when A. M. Russell

                                            established the Joyce Theater here, named for his daughter.  Russell likely

                                            designed the building himself, creating a striking Streamline Moderne

                                            structure that was reflective of the time.  (By the 1930s Russell also owned

                                            the Rialto and the Ellen, Bozeman’s other downtown movie houses.)  The

                                            Joyce was the first of Russell’s theaters to close, and it became a pet shop

                                            after it was sold in 1970.  In recent years the building was home to the

                                            Montana Trails Gallery.

223 East Main Street -- the IOOF Hall:

Bozeman’s ornate and well-crafted IOOF building dated from 1891, and

was Bozeman’s best example of the commercial Queen Anne style of

architecture.  The building’s asymmetrical design, carved limestone

detailing and large windows made it a Main Street landmark for 118 years. 

The International Order of Odd Fellows constructed the building and used

its upstairs meeting room for decades,  renting out the storefront to a

long succession of businesses, beginning with a nineteenth-century

hardware store.  In more recent years, the storefront housed an antique

dealer and then the LillyLu children’s clothing store.  The Bozeman IOOF

lodge disbanded years ago, and its former space was last used by the

Montana Ballet Company.

225 East Main Street -- the American Legion Building:

                                            The American Legion building was either constructed or heavily rebuilt in

                                            1949, using plans prepared by Fred Willson.  The brick-and-glass façade

                                            was representative of the International Style of architecture -- the only such

                                            building in downtown Bozeman.  Throughout its existence, the building was

                                            home to Gallatin Post #4 of the American Legion, its distinctive backlit sign

                                            marking a comfortable bar that was part of the Bozeman scene for nearly

                                            60 years.

229-233 East Main Street -- the Osborn Block:

The Osborn (or Osborne) Block is one of Main Street’s oldest surviving

commercial structures, and the largest building remaining from

the city’s boom years of the 1880s.  The two-story Italianate

building was erected in 1882 for Dr. S.H. Osborn, who operated

a pharmacy in one of the storefronts.  The other storefront

contained a bank, and the second floor rooms were rented out

as offices.  A long succession of business called the building

home over the next 125 years.  In 2009, the still-handsome

building was home to the Great Rocky Mountain Toy Company and

Starky’s Authentic Deli.  Despite the fact that the Osborn Block

survived the 2009 fire, the building’s owner later announced that

he planned to destroy the building.

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