City of Montrose adds building to historic register

Ryn Lewis
·2 min read

MONTROSE, Colo. (KREX) — Montrose City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to add the E.J. Mathews Mercantile/Callaway Bros. building to the city’s Register of Historic Places.

City Planner William Reis, in a presentation to the city council, said the building meets the criteria to be on the city’s register due to its significant contribution to local history and for the characteristics of the type, period and method of construction.

Officials say the city’s Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously to recommend the city council approve the building as a historic property.

We are happy that the new owners of this building have submitted an application to place the property on the city’s Register of Historic Places.

Montrose City Planner William Reis

The building, located at 346 Main Street, is a significant landmark to Montrose locals. Officials say the building has lived many lives since its construction in the early 1890s; originally built as a grocery store, the building has since been home to a cigar factory, a cabinet shop and a sausage factory.

The building is currently undergoing preservation and remodeling; officials hope to eventually start using the space again — primarily as a restaurant.

The E.J. Mathews/Callaway Bros. building is the 16th structure to be added to the city’s Register of Historic Places since the program was created in 2019.

The City of Montrose’s Register of Historic Places is as follows:

  • Montrose City Hall – 433 South First Street (added on Sept. 17, 2019)

  • Potato Growers Association Building – 39 West Main Street (added on Oct. 1, 2019)

  • The Missouri Building – 347 East Main Street (added on March 17, 2020)

  • The Block Building – 345 East Main Street (added on March 17, 2020)

  • The former BPOE Lodge Building – 107 South Cascade Avenue (added on Nov. 17, 2020)

  • Montrose Fire Department No. 1 Station – 24 South Uncompahgre Avenue (added on June 1, 2021)

  • Historic Montrose County Jail – 271 South First Street (added on July 6, 2021)

  • Denver and Rio Grande Depot – 21 North Rio Grande Avenue (added July 20, 2021)

  • S.H. Nye Building – 428 East Main Street (added March 1, 2022)

  • Knights of Pythias Building – 33 South Cascade Avenue (added Nov. 1, 2022)

  • Montrose Electric Light & Power Co. – 44 S Grand Avenue (added Dec. 6, 2022)

  • Montrose Radium Ore Sampler – 112 W Main Street (added Dec. 6, 2022)

  • Montrose Electric Light & Power Co. building – 7 S Townsend Avenue (added Feb. 21, 2023)

  • Methodist Episcopal Church of Montrose – 19 S Park Avenue (added Aug. 1, 2023)

  • Coors Building – 134 North First Street (added Sept. 5, 2023)

  • E.J Mathews Mercantile/Callaway Bros. building – 346 Main Street (added March 19, 2024)

To learn more about the City of Montrose’s historic preservation efforts, visit the city’s website.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WesternSlopeNow.com.