---
title: "The Iron Front Rises: Historic Hotel Restoration Begins"
description: Crews started work on Helena's 138-year-old Iron Front Hotel, gutted by fire in 2023, reborn as 20 apartments and 5 luxury condos.
image: https://blog.evvnt.com/hubfs/wow-news/montana/montana-iron-front-hotel-restoration-begins-1200x675.jpeg
---

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# The Iron Front Rises: Historic Hotel Restoration Begins

[Richard Green](https://blog.evvnt.com/news/author/richard-green) Oct 6, 2026, 1:27:28 PM

![Historic 1870s photo of wagons and mule teams on Last Chance Gulch in Helena, Montana](https://blog.evvnt.com/hs-fs/hubfs/wow-news/montana/montana-iron-front-hotel-restoration-begins-1200x675.jpeg?width=1200&height=675&name=montana-iron-front-hotel-restoration-begins-1200x675.jpeg)

One of downtown Helena's great survivors is finally getting its second act.

Crews began Phase One of the Iron Front Hotel restoration this week at 415 N Last Chance Gulch. Built in 1888, it's on the National Register of Historic Places — Montana's only known building with a prefabricated iron facade. An August 2023 fire gutted it and displaced 30 residents. Now the comeback starts: a $1.5 million first phase covering exterior work, sidewalks, boilers, and historic preservation.

The plan: 20 apartments on the upper floors — described as relatively affordable for downtown — and five luxury condos on the fourth floor, branded the Windsor Collection, debuting in 2027 with asking prices from $665,000 to over $1.5 million. The ground-floor General Mercantile stays put.

A landmark reborn is always worth celebrating. The affordable-versus-luxury split will give Helena plenty to debate.

Watch the Gulch. The iron is rising again.

[WOW Helena](https://blog.evvnt.com/news/tag/wow-helena) [Montana](https://blog.evvnt.com/news/tag/montana)

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