Coolidge Building - 1918
This building was built in sections. It started out as one building and within four years it was expanded to include two additional stand-alone structures.
C.B. Coolidge moved to Lander from Lead, South Dakota where he had other business ventures. He recognized an opportunity to make an investment in Lander and purchased property to build his building.
The Coolidge building was advertised in May 1918 as the “new two- story brick building” built next to the City Drug Store. As soon as it was completed, John Benson moved his furniture store into the building
It did not take long before Coolidge started work on another building, located right next to the first one. He had plans to rent the building out to Lander Rubber Works. The upstairs would be divided into office rooms.
Mr. Coolidge had several partners, and one of them was Miss Maude Faust. In 1921, she purchased the next lot and Coolidge built the third section of the complex. This section was rented out to the Golden Rule Store, later re-named J. C. Penney, Co. The upstairs was divided into apartments. The apartments were known as the “Faust Apartments.”
