The devastating fire of July 16, 1928 destroyed the building on this site, along with many others on the west side of Main Street. The F. W. Woolworth Co. store had move into the building just the year previous, in 1927. Undaunted, the Granite Building was rebuilt and F. W. Woolworth moved back into the newly completed building. Woolworth's would remain in the building until its closing in 1981.
The new Granite Building, being built in the late 1920s, was built in one of the newest styles of the time, Beaux Arts. While the name of the building may have
Granite in it, it appears that the building itself has
Limestone in it. The building's face appears to be limestone and was given six recessed decorative panels that would normally be of terra cotta, but here appear to be of limestone. Each panel is above a large window. The six panels across the facade have garlands comprised of fruits which hang between shields, both heart shaped and square. A stepped pediment in the centre has several more decorative panels with shields carved in them, while atop the pediment is a limestone urn sitting on a small plinth flanked by ogee brackets.
Name Address Style Date Status
Granite Building 36 NLCG* Beaux Arts 1928 Contributing
*NLCG=North Last Chance Gulch
From the NRHP Registration Form
26.
Granite Block, 34–36 North Last Chance Gulch (1929)
The terrible history of Helena’s fires continued on July 16, 1928, when lightning sparked a conflagration that destroyed most of this block, leaving only the corner Power Block (#30) unscathed. Roomers in the Granite Block moved trunks, grips, and everything they could carry out of the building and into falling rain. The rain drenched everything but the fire itself. This replacement, built by Kleinschmidt family interests, is a stunning complement to its neighbor.
From the Helena Walking Tour