Famed Montana artist Charlie Russell urges guests to “drink up.”.
A jazz quintet plays in the Montana Club’s member’s lounge.
Overlooking the dining area in the member’s lounge.
Few Helena-area buildings cut as stylish a figure as the six-story, red brick Montana Club, with its striking profile and boldly over-hanging eaves. Over the decades the action inside has often been lively and impactful – a perception new owner Ajitpal “Sunny” Pannu hopes to renew.
At the club’s New Year’s Eve flapper party, more than 150 smartly dressed guests sipped traditional cocktails, slurped fresh oysters, and sashayed to American standards, with many recalling past incarnations of the club.
“This 1920s feel, it’s perfect,” said Kendall, a 22-year-old Helena native home on break from her studies in Missoula. Sitting at the bar sipping a cocktail, she was visiting the club for the first time. “Everyone’s so dressed up. The women have gone all out. This scenery, the music, the outfits – it feels like time traveling.”
Founded by a group of Helena businessmen in 1885 – four years before Montana became a U.S. state – the Montana Club soon emerged as the go-to destination for the Capitol’s bankers, barons, and politicos, with gambling, fine dining, and private conversation areas.
Gutted by fire in 1903, the building was quickly rebuilt. Completed two years later, the Cass Gilbert-designed terracotta structure still looming over Sixth Avenue near Last Chance Gulch today is widely seen as an architectural gem. Cassie Stephens, the club’s director of experiences, views it as the perfect space for a bit of “Gatsby glamour” – and she has a point.
In the member’s lounge, New Year’s Eve guests came across a century-old bar and 1940s-made crystal chandelier. A jazz trio played classics like “Take the A Train,” while a catering table heaved with oysters, shrimp cocktails, fried clams, and more. Hanging from the vaulted ceiling, flowing swatches of white fabric evoked an angel’s wings.
Women in loose yet slim-fitting sequined dresses swanned about with feathers in their hair as dapper men in sharp suits grinned under tophats and tweed newsboys.
“We love it here. They always have amazing events like this where it’s all nostalgic,” said Beau, a forensic psychologist who lives on Lake Hauser, waiting for a drink at the bar with his wife Krista, a neuropsychologist.
They had visited the new club several times and saw it as filling a local nightlife gap. “This kind of establishment is absolutely needed in Helena,” Beau added. “A classy place people can go to, have a drink, listen to music, eat a good meal and enjoy a nice evening.”
Krista concurred. “I love the history of this place, the special events,” she said, “and the feel of the different areas like the speakeasy.”
When Pannu bought the club just over a year ago, the basement space was in bad shape. He put in plush U-shaped booths, new lighting, a new ceiling, stained glass, a new central bar, a live music stage, a wine cooler, and a walk-in fridge. Since opening in April, the Rathskeller’s revenues have been way ahead of initial projections, according to Pannu.
And with the August opening of the member’s lounge, the Montana Club began offering membership. Pannu, who owns a home east of Lake Helena, set a target of signing up 250 members in the first year. He says he already has more than 200 after five months.
“It’s going great so far. But this is a marathon, not a sprint,” he explained, sitting at the Rathskeller’s shared central bar. “I love this community. I love the people, and they have come out to support us. But I hope they will have patience because we’re only going to keep getting better.”
Next on his to-do list is finishing renovations on the 6th-floor steakhouse, which Pannu hopes to open in early March. As he laid out his plan to The Monitor, Pannu’s wife Amber strolled past and he paused to introduce her as the visionary behind the second-floor garden room, which offers tea and brunch reservations.
The couple had yet to agree on their design plan for the 6th-floor restaurant. “History meets fine cuisine,” said Amber, explaining her vision. “You’ll feel like a king.”
Pannu has been traveling the state tasting various cuts of beef, seeking only the best for his steakhouse. “I want to bring a Michelin star to Montana,” he said, mentioning that Boulder’s Windsor Bar had served him a standout steak. “We’re going to pick the best steaks. We’re going to do dry aging. I want to highlight what Montana has to offer.”
From 1885 until 2018, when the club became a cooperative open to the public, Montana’s Capitol offered one of the best private clubs west of the Mississippi. But the co-op soon faced financial difficulties, leading to multiple lawsuits, bankruptcy, and in March 2024, closure.
“It was really sad when it collapsed, but we’re happy this place has come back,” said Lake Hauser resident Beau, whose mother and grandfather lived in the building several decades ago. “That was way before my time, but we have roots kind of buried in this place.”
Leslie, a retired insurance risk adjuster from Montana City, seemed to be enjoying expressing her femininity. Visiting the club for the first time, she had gone all-in on her costume, donning a form-fitting flapper dress and glittery silver strips beneath her eyes.
“It’s great here, a cool environment,” she said as the clock ticked toward midnight. “My friends always complain that they have nowhere to go to dress up and have a classy night out. This seems like that kind of place – where you can go and feel like a woman.”
Mark Runkle and Rebecca Ryland, developers who live in Montana City, were marking their 16-year anniversary, which would arrive at midnight. This event compared favorably to a Montana Club New Year’s Eve party they’d attended a dozen years before.
“There are more people this time, and better music. It’s alive with energy. Last time it was very quiet, just a woman singing,” said Runkle. “We’re excited that the Montana Club is back.”
Pannu feels much the same, yet still sees much to do. He has plans for a third-floor cigar bar and a club-related podcast. He points out that a key element of membership is full access to the club’s special offers and upcoming events.
In early January, the club launched its winter menu in the Rathskeller. A few days later the club hosted a vegan wine tasting. Next up is an immersive, 1925-set murder mystery produced by Red Ink Players, on Feb. 7. Then the club plans to organize a Valentine’s Day event that will include Galentine’s Day options for women only.
Stephens expects to announce more events in the coming weeks, which seems wise as many guests at the New Year’s event planned to return. “It’s wonderful, they’ve done a great job tonight,” said top-hatted Helena lawyer John Morrison, standing with his wife, Catherine Wright, near the bar. “The food is excellent, the music is great.”
Members in the 1990s and 2000s, the couple recalled holding their wedding rehearsal dinner in the 6th-floor dining room in 1991. “That was the night before we got married,” Wright said as they grinned at each other.
The couple, who in 2008 created an annual award for Montana’s best health educator, reckoned that they had not been to the club since 2017. A month ago Morrison saw an ad for the club’s New Year’s Eve party and figured why not. Now, with their cherished rehearsal dinner space set to reopen as a steakhouse, they’re mulling becoming members again.
“It’s got such a great history,” Morrison said of the club. “This is a Montana institution.”
Find event pricing and membership details at https://themontanaclub.com/.