Mike Mansfield Federal Building and United States Courthouse, government building in Butte, Montana
The Mike Mansfield Federal Building and United States Courthouse is a combined courthouse and post office in Butte, Montana, completed in 1904. The building features a U-shaped design expanded in the 1930s, with dark granite at the entrance, light-colored terra cotta on upper walls, and decorative elements including corner quoins and an eagle ornament above the main entry.
The building was designed by James Knox Taylor and completed in 1904 to support Butte's mining boom, serving to process immigration matters in one of the nation's largest mining cities. During Prohibition in 1924, a convicted bootlegger fired a gun in the courtroom and shot a hole in the judge's bench that remains visible today.
The building's name honors Mike Mansfield, a prominent Montana senator recognized for his leadership. It served as the place where thousands of immigrants became U.S. citizens during Butte's mining boom, making it a symbol of the many newcomers who arrived seeking work and built lives in the region.
The building is located at 400 North Main Street in downtown Butte and can be explored on foot to view the exterior facade and details from the street. Visitors can view the interior during business hours but may need to follow security protocols since it remains an active federal building with functioning courts and offices.
A bullet hole from 1924 still visible in the judge's bench came from a dramatic moment when a convicted bootlegger fired a gun in anger during a Prohibition-era courtroom incident. This unexpected reminder of the region's turbulent past captures a moment visitors often overlook but find striking when they discover it.
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