Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1930-06-12
BUTTE'S OLDEST
HOTEL REPAIRED
NEW FRONT is PLACED IN BUILD
ING WHICH HAS BEEN STAND
ING FIFTY YEARS
Jerry Clifford, Tenant For II Years
With Only Verbal Lease From Late
Jim Hamilton, Suggests Renovation
to Avoid Razing Structure.

Butte's oldest hotel, the Windsor,
on Broadway near Main street, is
now Showing a fine 'front.'" to use
the language of its ground floor
tenant, Jerry Clifford. The front,
which is of Lewistown pressed brick,
was only recently completed and has
converted a somewhat shabby build
ing into an attractive appearing one.
The Windsor hotel is approximately
SO years old. No other hotel in Butte
has seen such continuous service. It's
weather boarding had become old
and gray and its appearance above
the second floor not in keeping with
the marble and plate-glass front Of
the lower floor.
The state fire marshal decided that
the only course would be to raze the
building and erect a new structure.
This meant the scrapping of about
$780, 900 that had been spent by Jerry
Clifford in fitting up the downstairs
as well as much inconvenience to the
tenant.
James Hamilton, the landlord, who
had given Jerry Clifford a verbal
lease, a lease which, in the case OF
Jim Hamilton was better than an
other mans bond, demurred. Legal
proceedings followed. Finally a reme-
DIV wa hit upon-the substitution OF a
brick front for the frame, the general
strengthening of the structure and the
reflooring of the upstairs rooms.
C. C. Goddard, who built the Nc
Kinley school, was called in. He de-
clared the plan a feasible one. Holes
we're sunk along the front about ~
feet apart, concrete foundations were
poured and brick pillars erected to
the top of the first story. A strong
steel beam was placed on these pillars
to support the brick front which was
then laid on the steel girder.
With the front finished, the con-
tractor proceeded to brace up the cell
ing, repair the roof, lay new flooring
rebuild the partitions and put in new
windoWs-and now the half-century
old Windsor looks like an entirely new
structure.
Honorable Man
The property now belongs to the
James Hamilton estate. The owner
passed on before the work had been
we'll started, to join the great major
ity. Those who knew Jim" Hamll-
ton intimately, among whom is Jerry
Clifford, who had been his tenant for
II years, declared that the deceased
landlord of the Windsor IA some
what of a puzzle to many because,
despite the fact that he was a million
aire, he insisted on doing mental tasks
about his properties.
Jim Hamilton was n of the
whitest men I ever knew" is Mr. Cliff
fOrd'S tribute to the memory Of his
former landlord. Il never had a lease
from him, nothing but his word. We
spent q large sum OF money in fixing
up this place with no other guarantee
that we would not be ousted than his
simple word.
There was another thing about him
He never raised the rent on his tenants
Conditions might change materially
from what they were when the premi-
ses were rented, but Jim Hamilton's
promise was sacred.
ION more than one occasion Mr.
Hamilton was offered by other dealers
considerably more rent than we were
paying. In n instance he was Of
fered four times as much as our agree
ment called for. To every offer his
answer was the same: I would like
very much to have the additional
money, but you will have to see Mr.,
Clifford. 1 told him when he became
my tenant that he could have the
place as long as he wished at the rent
then fixed. Jim Hamilton keeps his
word. He would be a poor man indeed
II he broke it,"
Jim Hamilton, Mr.. Clifford stated,
abhorred waste. He washed the win
dows and repaired the roofs OF some
Of his property because he had the
time and felt he should not waste 1t.
He was an industrious, frugal,
thrifty, honorable mar who gave often
to charity" his former tenant states,
and he was one of the best landlords
that any tenant ever had"