Hotel Metlen, historic building in Dillon, Montana, US
Hotel Metlen is a three-story sandstone building erected in 1897 in the Second Empire style, originally offering sixty rooms and serving railroad travelers. The structure features a mansard roof with tin covering, decorative woodwork from Michigan and Oregon, and retains original cast-iron radiators and call bells throughout its rooms.
Joseph Metlen built the hotel in 1897, replacing an earlier structure destroyed by fire in 1891, with an opening ceremony on February 11, 1898 attended by the governor and chief justice. The building witnessed Dillon's growth as a railroad center and embodied the technological advances of the era, including early electrical systems and steam heating decades before such features became common.
The ground floor saloon served as a gathering place where travelers and locals mixed, reflecting the hotel's role in community life during the railroad era. The building represents how transportation hubs shaped social and economic activity in frontier towns.
The hotel sits on South Railroad Avenue directly near the train station, making it easy to locate and walk past while exploring the town's railroad history. Its position allows visitors to see how the building relates to the transportation network that shaped Dillon's early growth.
The original coal-fired boiler with 65 horsepower was converted to natural gas in the 1960s and continued running until the 2010s, now resting in the basement as a testament to early industrial innovation. The cast-iron radiators made by the American Radiator Company remain original throughout the building, showcasing the craftsmanship invested in every detail.
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