Kleinschmidt Block
Also Known as the Harvard Block/Apartments - Standing Since 1892

The Kleinschmidt Block, N. Warren at Sixth, 1890s

COURTESY OF THE HELENA/LEWIS & CLARK CO. HERITAGE TOURISM COUNCIL
FROM THE JORUD PHOTOGRAPHY COLLECTION
CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE IN A NEW WINDOW

 

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 Loney’s 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 Helena’s nineteenth century buildings."

Thanks, Ellen!



South Side of the Kleinschmidt Block, 1949


COLLECTION OF BOB & SUSIE LINDEBERG

In this early morning view, we can see a portion of the unusual tapered oval dome, and the corner barber pole. Note the electrical or telephone wires strung on the building.



Southwest View, 2008


COURTESY OF KEITH NAY • CLICK IMAGE FOR A BIG VIEW IN A NEW WINDOW

Thanks to Keith Nay for this very sharp August 2008 view. The dome was removed sometime after 1958. If anyone knows about that, please drop me a line.