Angela Brandt
Havre Daily News
abrandt@havredailynews.com
Patrons and passers-by soon
will no longer be greeted by the
straight-mouthed yellow face
adorning the entrance of the
Corner Bar. As early as next
week, the building and the former
Sideshow Saloon building
will be demolished to make room
for a new venture by Boothill
Properties owners William and
Judi Dritshulas, who own the
site, and their son John, who
owns the liquor license from the
former Corner Bar.
William Dritshulas today
declined to discuss his plans for
the First Street and Sixth Avenue
location.
Dritshulas said workers will
remove asbestos from the
Sideshow Saloon building by
Monday and the demolition by
Baltrusch Construction Inc. will
follow in the next few weeks.
The two bars were purchased
from Jim and Sandi DeVries
about six weeks ago, Janna
Faber, chief operations officer
for Duck Inn Inc. said. Boothill
Properties also purchased the
old Havre Refrigeration building
at 624 First Street, Dritshulas
said. That building will remain
intact, he said.
The Corner Bar location has a
long history. It got its name in
the 1970s, after operating under
the name Wonder Bar for a short
period of time. The
bar and the adjacent
building,
which was built in
the early 1900s,
was owned by the
Louis Granier family
in 1913 when it
was called Last
Chance Saloon.
Granier ran a
saloon, grocery
store and rooming
house at the location.
The complex
was open for many
years but was
switched into an
Italian restaurant
during prohibition.
After Granier’s
death in 1948, his
family continued to
operate the location, which was
sometimes rented, until the
1960s.
The early 20th century brick
used in the building will find a
new home thanks to William
Dritshulas, Havre-Hill County
Historic Preservation
Commission preservation officer
Todd Hanson and Fort
Assiniboine Preservation
Association president Gary
Wilson. When Hanson and Wilson
heard about the demolition of the
building, they visited with
Dritshulas and asked if the commission
could
retain some of the
bricks to use at
Fort Assiniboine,
which has a structures
built with
similar bricks.
Dritshulas
agreed to the
request and will
donate the bricks.
He said he is not
sure how the
bricks will be preserved
during
demolition.
Hanson said
Havre city officials
have agreed to
allow the preservation
commission to
store the bricks on
city property until
the group can clean the bricks
and remove the excess mortar.
He said volunteers for the project
will be highly appreciated.
Wilson said he is very
pleased by the donation of
bricks, which are much needed.Fort workers have exhausted
their previous stockpile of bricks
and needed to replenish the supply.
“It’s really neat that we have
their support,” Wilson said.
The Dritshulas family also
owns the Best Western Great
Northern Inn Hotel, the
Emporium Food and Fuel station,
Havre RV Park and the
Duck Inn.
Along with the corner location
the couple and their son also are
building the 150-room Boothill
Executive Suites Hotel; an 18,000-
square-foot, six-store mall; and a
restaurant on a six-acre site
adjacent to the Montana
Department of Transportation
facility on U.S. Highway 2 West.
Construction has begun on the
first phase, which will include a
70-suite portion of the hotel along
with the lobby, a swimming pool,
workout room, lounge, and banquet
hall. The mall and restaurant
will be built at a later date.
“It’s really something, after
the redo of the post trader building,
there’s not a single brick
left,” he said.
