The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-02-11
BUILDING IS
| RATHER ! QUIT
work IN kEW sTRucTURES
8 SLIGHT in the WINTER.
SURVEY OF ACTIVITY
What e Going on About the City In
ths way of Observation-Disclosures
Temple Soon TO Rlse-Natatorium
Nearly Completed.
From Sundays Daily

OAA 9AANSy TUH
Winter has slowed down the build
ing activities OF Billings to some ex-
tent, but work is being done on some
OF the new structures q others that
have been long dormant are again
showing signs Of life.
TIE Masonic temple, which Is to be
erected at Third enu and Twenty
eighth street, but work On which has
been IN allegiance for some time, Will
soon begin to assume definite shape.
Steel for the. -:rame Of the building
Is now here and as soon as the
weather grows Just a little warmer &C
Ii the intention Of the builders to rush
it to complexion as fast as possible.
Plans for tire building are ambitious.
1t Will cost about 800, 900, be three
stories In height and De devoted, ex-
cept for the stores On the first floor,
exclusively to the purposes OF mason
". All the lodges and degrees will
be properly housed when the build,
ing Is done and Billings will have q
Masonic edifice Of which to be notably
PROUD.
Odd Fellows Hall.
Plans have been submitted and
ground will doubtless soon be broken
for the new Odd Fe.4ows' hall on
North Twenty-seventh street next to
the Bell telephone building. This
structure will cost $4,000, and will
contain, in addition to Its lodge rooms
and halls, a lodging house Of thirty
rooms
Inside work on the Northern hotel
annex Is progressing nlcely, M 1t 10
hoped in q few weeks to have the
rooms ready for occupancy and the
new dining Don decorated. Inside
work on the store portion Of the new
opera house Is also tending to compile
ton. The arcade leading to the the
alter proper has been walled with plate
glass windows which give on to the
two stores at eA.Aer side, and the floor
Of the arcade is now tiled for Its en-.
tire length. y
Reason for Delay.
core thing which makes building
slower here in the winter than IN
most places is the fact that nearly all
the foundations N Billings are built
OF concrete said a local architect
yesterday.
1T Is difficult to construct q salts
factory foundation OF concrete In the
winter unless there are all sorts OF
arrangements to keep the concrete
from freezing and to maintain an
even temperature as it hardens.
ut is more necessary, therefore"
said the architect, Ito wait for warm
weather here than it is in places
where stone foundations are more pop
ular. It is better to wait, anyhow, for
the concrete when put down w4.4 last
forever and Is absolutely impervious
to water"
Projected Work..
Several new residences are pro
jected about town, including tue Ten.
Eyck home. "A new scnoolhouse will
be put up in the spring on the south
side, and the heating plant on North
T~wenty-ninth street, as well as the
school near by is virtually finished.
Only hast week the Billings Cream
cry company moved into rs new quar-
.steHssnear the packing plant on First
avenue north, and is now turning out
butter from its new nome
Though no definite announcements
OF plans have been made, 1t is said by
builders that the present spring bids
fair to be an unusual one in the
amount Of building projected and Bill
ings will doubtless see q number Of
new editices started when the robins
nest again.