431 West Mercury

A round turreted entry with an elaborate porch is the focal point of this Queen Anne style home. Built circa 1890, its prefabricated decorative features were designed to add individuality and elegance to the homes of Butte’s working class. Turned posts, scroll brackets, stained glass transoms, and a cutwork frieze under the porch eaves are elements that enrich the personality of this Victorian-era home.

Originally an investment property, its first owner was Helena attorney Massena Bullard. By 1910, Michael Doody was the resident owner and landlord. He and his wife, son, and grandson shared half the house with several lodgers while a second family rented the other half. Doody came to the Mining City employed by the Northern Pacific, working on a construction crew when the tracks reached Butte in 1882.

Doody developed mining properties in Philipsburg and eventually settled in Butte working as a blacksmith for the mines. When he died in 1928, his daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth and Paul Ott, inherited the property. The Otts and later, their son, occupied the home until 1945.