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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