Perched atop The Original Montana Club, the Sixth Floor Banquet Hall has been the architectural crown of Montana's most celebrated private club for more than 140 years. Rebuilt after the great fire of 1903 and reopened in 1905, this remarkable space was designed by renowned American architect Cass Gilbert—the visionary behind the Minnesota State Capitol, the Woolworth Building in New York, and later the United States Supreme Court.

After the devastating fire of 1903 destroyed much of the Club's original building, its members chose not simply to rebuild—they chose to create a landmark worthy of Helena's prosperity and ambition. They commissioned renowned American architect Cass Gilbert, whose Beaux-Arts approach blended classical symmetry, refined craftsmanship, and enduring elegance with the confidence of a rapidly growing nation.

Completed in 1905, the rebuilt Montana Club reflected the optimism and sophistication of America's Gilded Age. Every proportion, window, cornice, and architectural detail was designed with intention. Gilbert understood that great architecture should elevate the people who gather within it, creating spaces that inspire conversation, celebration, and civic life.

The sixth-floor banquet hall became the architectural crown of the building. Elevated above the streets of Helena, it offered sweeping views of the city and surrounding mountains while providing a setting unlike any other in Montana. Beneath its soaring ceilings, generations of Montanans celebrated milestones, welcomed distinguished guests, forged partnerships, and shared the conversations that helped define the state's civic and business history.

Gilbert would later become one of America's most celebrated architects, designing landmarks including the Minnesota State Capitol, the Woolworth Building in New York City, and the United States Supreme Court Building in Washington D.C., His work at The Original Montana Club remains one of Montana's finest surviving examples of Beaux-Arts architecture and a lasting symbol of Helena's remarkable Gilded Age.

Today, 1885 continues that legacy from the very room Cass Gilbert envisioned more than a century ago. Every dinner is served within an architectural masterpiece where exceptional cuisine, historic craftsmanship, and Montana's rich heritage come together high above Last Chance Gulch.