Rankin Block – 1891
Now Open – The Rankin Block
John Rankin, the proprietor, announces the opening of the Rankin Block, on East Front street, opposite M. M. Co.’s store. This new and elegant three-story brick building is now ready for occupancy and will be rented to suit. Store rooms, offices, dwelling rooms, either furnished or unfurnished at the option of the lessee. Steam heat, electric light, electric bells, hot and cold water. Patent closets, wash stands and and bath rooms on every floor. Hydraulic elevator. First-class restaurant on the premises. A modern building in every particular and suitable for hotel purposes if desired. Located in the heart of the city and adjoins the opera house, postoffice and First National bank. For further particulars apply on the premises.
John Rankin.
The above notice appeared in The Missoula Gazette, October 3, 1891.
John Rankin was the father of Jeannette Rankin, the nation’s first female congresswoman. She was born in Missoula in 1880.
An article also appeared in the Gazette the same day.
A MODERN STRUCTURE
The Beautiful Rankin Building Ready for Occupancy.
Finally completed and ready for occupancy, the new Rankin building on Front street presents an unusually handsome appearance and upon inspection is found to be a modern business structure completely fitted out with all the known appliances which make such places comfortable and desirable. J. A. Gibson was the architect, and the building, since its commencement a year ago, has been under direct supervision of Jno. Rankin and has never been carried forward with a rapidity incompatible with good, honest work. The cost was $35,000.
The building is a three story brick, eighty-six by ninety feet with a handsome modern front of the style most approved for metropolitan buildings. There are on the first or ground floor, four rooms for stores, commodious and well lighted, each with a basement, and in the basements, in addition to storage space, are some finely fitted and well lighted rooms suitable for barber shops and bath rooms and similar purposes. The stores have handsome fronts of plate glass and iron. Above the ground floor are sixty-eight rooms, reached by a hydraulic elevator, heated with steam, lighted with electricity and furnished with electric bells. The hallways are spacious and well lighted, with both front and back staircases, and all the floors are fully supplied in both front and rear with fire and rope ladder escapes. At the rear there are also porches. Throughout, the building is supplied with patent water closets and hot and cold water arranged most conveniently. The arrangement of windows for light is also excellent and there is a liberal supply of those most needed things – closets. The interior woodwork is in natural finish. The rooms are suitable for hotel and lodging purposes or for offices, being admirably arranged for either.
The above article appeared in the Missoula Gazette, Oct 3, 1891.
A. J. Gibson was the designer of many buildings in Missoula. A link to Gibson appears below:
http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/DocumentCenter/Home/View/8153