oUR HISTORY
IT’S 115 YEARS AGO IN DOWNTOWN MONTROSE, COLORADO AND EXCITEMENT IS IN THE AIR.
The General Contractors who built the K.P. Building (White & Okey) were responsible for many of the prominent downtown buildings in Montrose including the Montrose Fruit & Produce Building, the Masonic Temple, the Hartman Brothers building, the old City Hall, and the Montrose County Courthouse.
The Knights of Pythias were founded in Washington, D.C. by an act of Congress on February 19, 1864 by Justus H. Rathbone, who had been inspired by a play by the Irish poet John Banim about the legend of Damon and Pythias. Rathbone believed the Knights and their principles of Friendship, Compassion, and Benevolence could do much to heal the wounds of a country torn apart by the Civil War. Knights of Pythias lodges spread across Colorado (including Telluride, Crested Butte, Durango, Rico, Ridgway, Ouray & Silverton) and elsewhere across the country.
On October 19, 1909 the Montrose Free Press proudly reported that the fraternal organization and secret society Knights of Pythias Cascade Lodge #33 had successfully completed their magnificent new “K.P. Building” at the corner of South 1st Street and South Cascade Avenue in downtown Montrose.
They proudly reported that the magnificent new “K.P. Building” is characterized by an elegance of architectural lines and by an artistic finish that is scarcely every duplicated in cities far larger than Montrose…evidently built for the future…a building which will be a credit to the City of Montrose long after it has passed the highest mark set for it by the fraternal organization and secret society that built this beautiful building on this corner 115 years ago – the Knights of Pythias
The Knights of Pythias (KP) Building is located in Montrose, Colorado, approximately 175 miles directly southwest of Denver and 60 miles southeast of Grand Junction. Montrose was founded in 1882, with the arrival of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RGRR).
The KP Building is in the center of historic downtown, east of the Montrose Post Office, north of the Elks Lodge, across the alley west of the old City Hall & original Montrose Fire Department, as well as northeast of the Montrose County Courthouse and directly adjacent to the historic Fox Theater.
The KP Building continues to represent the civic aspirations of its early citizens, alongside these other important buildings.
The second floor of the Knights of Pythias building was used for multiple purposes, including dances, musical and dramatic performances, and stockholder meetings for the Montrose Fruit and Produce Association. The fire stairs (since removed) on the building were the first in Montrose.
The Knights held their meetings and events in their decorated ballroom on the second floor, and rented out spaces on the street level to different organizations including grocery stores, auto dealers, furniture stores, and the Elks Club before their building was completed across the street.
A List of first floor businesses that occupied the Knights of Pythias Building
• Fred Price & Co., Storage commission and second hand store - March 1916-October 1917
• Baker-Reinhardt Motor Company - November 1917-January 1918
• Swain-Van Derbur Motor Company (Purchased Baker-Reinhardt Motor Company - G. L. Swain and F. C. Van Derbur) - January 1918-October 1921, which became simply Van Derbur Motor Company by August 1919,
• Bennett, Schaler, Finch, and Loper, General Service Garage (C. E. Bennet, J. A. Finch, and Earl Schaller) - November 1921-February 1922 *x*
• Piggly Wiggly Market - In 1922, they were on the ground floor of the Masonic Temple on Main Street. We are unsure of the location of the store later in its history. Piggly Wiggly may have become part of Safeway stores in about 1929. It is possible that they were there until Safeway filled the space in 1944.
• Safeway - 1944-1947 (Fig. 5)
• Mash Appliance - early 1950s
• Hupp Furniture - 1955-1958
• C & R Furniture - 1960
• Gibson Furniture - 1963 Flairmont Furniture - 1964-1968 confirmed, but probably longer.
• Budgetline Furniture - 1994-2012 (Albert F. and Edward D. Moreland; Fire in 2012
A 2012 fire in the derelict apartments that had moved into the 2nd floor almost brought the K.P. Building down to the ground.
The past decade plus saw the building shuttered and in danger.
We made a bold commitment to bring the K.P. Building back as a community gathering space and viable place of business within Montrose’s downtown core and civic center.
We were honored to learn the K.P. Building met the extensive criteria to be added to the National Register of Historic Places and the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties, recognizing this property’s contribution to the heritage of Montrose and the State of Colorado.
From the very beginning, we, the Rathbone Team, aimed to preserve the building’s deep history while making it again the “credit to the City of Montrose” the Montrose Free Press envisioned 115 years ago.
FrienDshiP, HistorY & A PLaCe to BeLong
The Knights of Pythias believed friendship was an essential part of life, and we carry that spirit forward.
Honor the past
Enjoy the present
Make a new friend in an old place
StaY a WhILe. Cheers.
