Northern Hotel is a historic hotel located at 19 North Broadway in the Downtown Core of

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

History

Construction of the original three-story Northern Hotel was begun in 1902 by two of Billings' early business tycoons, P.B. Moss and Henry W Rowley. The hotel was completed and opened in 1904. It hosted celebrities including

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...

and Prince (later King)

Olav V of Norway Olav V (; born Prince Alexander of Denmark; 2 July 1903 – 17 January 1991) was the King of Norway from 1957 until his death in 1991. Olav was the only child of King Haakon VII of Norway and Maud of Wales. He became heir apparent to the Nor ...

and his wife

Princess Märtha of Sweden Princess Märtha of Sweden (Märtha Sofia Lovisa Dagmar Thyra; 28 March 1901 – 5 April 1954) was Crown Princess of Norway as the spouse of the future King Olav V from 1929 until her death in 1954. The presently reigning King Harald V is h ...

. The original structure was completely destroyed by a massive fire on September 11, 1940. Other downtown structures were threatened, although a five-and-a-half-hour battle with the fire saved the other buildings, and all the hotel's guests were evacuated with no serious injuries. Construction of the current ten-story replacement Northern Hotel structure, designed by

Holabird & Root The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern ...

, began in April 1941. The hotel was completed and reopened on July 7, 1942. In September 2006, the Northern Hotel was closed and in January 2009, was sold at auction. Under new ownership and management the building was stripped back to the beams and completely remodeled. The hotel had its grand opening on 16 March 2013. The hotel was fit with the latest technology, making it one of the most advanced hotels in the country. The four star hotel has been called the finest hotel in Montana. The hotel contains multiple meeting and conference rooms, a ballroom, 160 guest rooms, a gym, and two restaurants: TEN, a fine dining restaurant, and Bernie's Diner. The Northern's four level parking garage was torn down and the city of Billings built a new six level, block long, mixed use parking structure directly south of the Northern Hotel. The hotel has approximately 185 slots available to guests, as well as valet services.

References

Hotels established in 1904 Hotel buildings completed in 1942 Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Montana Buildings and structures in Billings, Montana 1904 establishments in Montana Holabird & Root {{Montana-struct-stub

History

See also

References