Construction of the original three-story Northern Hotel was begun in 1902 by two of Billings' early business tycoons, P.B.

[2] It hosted celebrities including Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Prince (later King) Olav V of Norway and his wife Princess Märtha of Sweden.

[4] Other downtown structures were threatened, although a five-and-a-half-hour battle with the fire saved the other buildings, and all the hotel's guests were evacuated with no serious injuries.

Construction of the current ten-story replacement Northern Hotel structure, designed by Holabird & Root, began in April 1941.

In September 2006, the Northern Hotel closed and in January 2009, the structure was sold at auction.