Murray Hotel

Built circa 1904, this historic Livingston hotel began as the Elite Hotel, locally pronounced EE-light, when the town was a busy tourist hub tied to the railroad. Its unassuming brick façade reflected the great age of American hostelries, and antique furniture, red oak doors, a towering lobby, and 700 square feet of marble gave it a distinctive character. In 1922, the family of Senator James E. Murray of Butte financed an expansion to four stories, but foreclosed on owner Josephine Kline in 1925 and gave the hotel the Murray name. The hotel had the town’s only elevator, still in use, and its lobby was a favorite rendezvous. As rail travel declined in the 1960s, the hotel declined as well, but recent owners revived its rooms and suites. Among those associated with it were Sam Peckinpah and Jack Palance, and its Art Deco bar was patronized by Robert Redford, Peter Fonda, and Whoopi Goldberg.

Livingston, Montana · United States