Download I`m very close to being finished with the restoration of

1161 Platinum Butte, MT Circ. 1959 1914
I'm very close to being finished with the restoration of 1161 Platinum.
Saturday, January 31st I will open the house to the public from 10:00 to
4:00. All are welcomed.
I have included an information (below) explaining the
historic significance of 1161.
I hope to see you there. Enjoy the beautiful weather
Take Care,
Steve
The building permit, A1180, for this stately Craftsman Bungalow was issued to Dr. Henry F. Carman on
May 1, 1914. Before describing the historical significance of this Craftsman Bungalow, I would like to
briefly set the historical stage, both locally and globally, from which this Craftsman bungalow made its
debut.
In 1914, Lewis Duncan, a Socialist, was in his second term as Butte’s mayor, (the 1st Butte mayor to have
been re-elected) demonstrating the solidarity the Socialist party had recently gained in hope of curbing the
excesses of corporate capitalism brought on by the Amalgamated Copper Company. To weaken this
solidarity amongst Butte miners, the “Company” would hire private investigators (Pinkertons) to
infiltrate and sabotage the workers’ unions, pitting miner against miner. The following is an excerpt
from Butte’s Labor Heritage by George Everett.
Frustration and mistrust had reached a peak in June 1914. Miners were being paid
$3.50 a day, the same wage as in 1878, despite the fact that the price of copper had
gone from 8 cents a pound in 1878 to 17 to 20 cents a pound by 1914.
On the annual celebration of Miner's Union Day, June 13, 1914, an angry crowd
ransacked the Miner's Union Hall after their own parade erupted into a riot. When
the acting mayor, Alderman Frank Curran appeared in the union hall to plead for
calm, he was told to "Go to hell," and then pushed out of the second story window.
All semblance of order followed him out the window. The mob removed the union's
safe from the building and took it to a field in the valley below. One miner doused
the safe with a liquid from a bottle that he swore was filled with nitroglycerin. When
it turned out to be whiskey instead, dynamite was used to blow open the safe.
On June 23, 1914, a mere ten days after the Miners’ Union Day “celebration,” rifle fire exploded from the
Union Hall and shortly thereafter 26 dynamite explosions reduced the Union Hall to rubble. Martial Law
was declared, initiating the deployment of the entire Montana National Guard, fully equipped with
armaments, to restore lawful order and democracy in Butte. Mayor Lewis Duncan, along with many
other civil servants, was removed from public office. The corporate influence of the Amalgamated
Copper Company had begun to regain its “laissez-faire” transactions with both union miners and public
officials, while under the protection of martial law until 1921.
On the global stage, frustration and mistrust also reached its peak amongst the European powers when on
June 28, 1914, nearly halfway around the world in Sarajevo, two gun shots reverberated worldwide as
Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated the heir to Austria-Hungary’s throne, Archduke Franz
Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. One month later on July 28, 1914 Austria declared war on Serbia,
August 1, 1914 Germany declared war on Russia, August 3, 1914 Germany declared war on France,
August 4, 1914 Britain declared war on Germany, October 29, 1914 Turkey sided with Germany, May
23, 1915 Italy declared war on Germany and Austria. The United States maintained its neutrality until
April 6, 1917 when we declared war on Germany.
By 1914, the Industrial Revolution with its new/efficient manufacturing processes was well established in
the “free”-market economy creating the ideal manufacturing environment for fulfilling the necessary
demands of WWI. An industrial military complex (war collectivism) took root; mass producing the everincreasing and highly sophisticated weapons. Through this manufacturing partnership, both Central and
Allied Powers were hopeful of winning the war and procuring a new social order. Some of these new
weapons were: Renault Tanks, U-boats, Airplanes, Zeppelins, Flame Throwers, Grenade Launchers,
Poison Gas (Tear, Mustard, and Chloride), machine guns etc…. The human cost was overwhelming,
within four years these weapons assisted in claiming more than 16.5 million military and civilian lives
with an additional 21 million injured.
On both local and global stages the principles of the Industrial Revolution was firmly in place; locally in
the division of labor within Butte’s mining industry and globally with the rise of nations’ international
influences through aggressive industrialization. It’s within this historical time setting which defines the
construction of this stately Craftsman Bungalow as a significant historic treasure for Butte. To fully
understand why, one has to understand how/why the American Craftsman Bungalow, developed within
the Arts and Crafts Movement (1860-1920), came into existence.
The inspirational writings of John Ruskin (1819-1900) and William Morris (1834-1896) initiated the Arts
and Crafts Movement in Britain during the 1860’s. The Movement’s goal was to lessen the social and
economic disparities, brought to bear by decades of Britain’s heartless industrial expansion, by improving
the quality of life and environmental aesthetics through the promotion of human creativity within the arts
and crafts. The ideal was to rediscover the joy of labor by honoring a simple lifestyle of loyalty and
appreciation of place. This would be achieved by being committed to creating an aesthetic environment
using traditional materials while maintaining a unity within a democratic design and integrity in
construction. Thus the Arts and Crafts Movement didn’t promote a specific marketable artistic style but
rather an approach to artistic creation within all mediums of expression pertaining to a cultural identity:
architecture, ceramics, stain glass, jewelry, furniture, fabric design, book making, illustrations, and
calligraphy are some of these artistic mediums (the antithesis to the Industrial Revolution’s ideals).
Although short lived (1860-1920), the Arts and Crafts’ philosophy became a worldwide phenomenon.
Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) is given credit for initiating the Arts and Crafts’ philosophy in America
when he introduced his “New Furniture” in the Grand Rapids, MI trade show in July 1900. He quickly
discovered his furniture didn’t complement the ornate Victorian decor of his era and immediately began
designing Craftsman homes (the bungalow being one style); 240 designs in all. Many architects
followed, two favorites are: Louis Sullivan (1856-1926) and most notably, Frank Lloyd Wright (18671959), both have been influential in the formation of the Prairie Home School of Architecture in Chicago,
IL. The Craftsman Bungalow is still the most popular of the Arts and Crafts home designs.
Efficiency in design, the Craftsman Bungalow emphasizes a harmonious symmetry in a visibly sturdy
structure. The exterior architecture consists of a low, gently sloping roof, wide overhanging eaves,
exposed rafters (rafter tails), and an inviting porch. The interior is crafted with exposed beams, central
fireplace, and built-in cabinetry, shelves and benches.
Now, was Dr. Carman fully aware of the political significance of constructing this stately Craftsman
Bungalow, a design rooted in socialist principles, upon the “Richest Hill on Earth?” I would like to think
so.
As it was in 1914 and still is today, the people of Butte honor the loyalty and appreciation of place. For
this reason, I found joy in restoring this stately Craftsman Bungalow. May this home represent the
people of Butte for another 100 years.
“The word that is best loved in the language
of every nation is home. For when a man’s
home is born out of his heart and
developed through his labor and perfected
through his sense of beauty, it is the very
cornerstone of his life.”
Gustave Stickley