Here is
a succinct history of the Kleinschmidt Block, courtesy of
historian Ellen Baumler:
"Entrepreneur
Reinhold H. Kleinschmidt built this block with five storefronts
and upstairs lodging rooms circa 1892. Among his first commercial
tenants was Charles Grossman, a wallpaper hanger and painter,
whose business was in the corner storefront. A variety of
tenants in 1900 included a U.S. bailiff, a photographer, and
a Northern Pacific land examiner and their families.
In 1905,
real estate developer Richard Lockey purchased the building
to serve as an annex to his Grandon Hotel and changed its
name to the Harvard Block. The Grandon stood just across Sixth
Avenue.
By 1929, Edward Loneys barbershop in the corner
storefront was the only remaining commercial space and the
rest of the building functioned as housing.
A stunning example
of the flamboyant Victorian-era architecture once common in
Helena, its rounded brick arches on the second story reflect
the Romanesque style. Fluted iron columns and scrolled brackets
frame the entry. A spectacular copper dome originally capped
the second-story oriel bay at the southwest corner. These
elements contrast with the utilitarian rubblestone walls on
the rear and north, common in Helenas nineteenth century
buildings."
Thanks, Ellen!
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