To spot the Hotel Finlen, just look for the tall brick building with lots of windows and a big, glowing sign on top that proudly says "HOTEL FINLEN"-you can’t miss it!
Alright, as you stand here outside the Hotel Finlen, picture yourself whisked back to New Year’s Day 1924. The streets were alive with excitement-Butte’s own slice of New York had just opened its doors! This place was the brainchild of James Finlen, who dreamed up a masterpiece inspired by the Astor Hotel. He must’ve thought, “If you can’t go to Manhattan, bring Manhattan to Montana!” They finished the first towering structure at the eye-popping cost of $750,000, which today would buy you about 1% of Manhattan, or so it feels. They almost built a second matching tower, but the 1929 stock market crash said, “Whoa there, cowboy!”-and all the plans froze.
Imagine the famous footsteps echoing in its marble halls: Charles Lindbergh, straight from his sky-high adventures, and Presidents Truman and Kennedy-maybe swapping stories or sneaking a peek at Butte’s nightlife. For nearly 100 years, this hotel’s watched Butte’s fortunes rise and fall, changed hands, changed times, but never lost that grand, slightly mysterious, old-world charm. Soaking it all in? Good! Let’s keep exploring, because every brick here has a story, and I’m only just getting warmed up!
