Montana Post-World War II Architectural Survey and Inventory, December 2010

Painter, Diana; Painter Preservation and Planning

From summary: "This survey of selected examples of Montana‟s post-World War II building stock, and the creation of this survey report and historic context statement, took place between August 2009 and December 2010. Planning for the survey took place in the months preceding the field survey work. Staff of the Montana State Historic Preservation Office solicited possible subject properties with local Historic Preservation Officers and others throughout the state. Properties reflected in this work are in Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Havre, Helena, Lewistown and Warm Springs. The intent of the work is to document and promote an understanding of mid-century architecture in Montana. Building types include office buildings, both public and private, civic buildings, academic buildings, other educational facilities, commercial and industrial buildings, and one multi-level residential structure. After World War II, many Montana cities experienced the growth characteristic of this era throughout the country. Nationwide, the post-war era saw rapid expansion of suburban neighborhoods, commercial centers, churches, schools, universities, medical clinics, and commercial office buildings; in short, all the facilities needed to serve a growing population. Montana in particular had an infrastructure deficit as well as a need to replace outmoded building stock. Following on twenty-five years of economic stagnation, Montana‟s communities required an infusion of new construction to alleviate pent-up demand and to respond to a new economic era... Several buildings and complexes represent Montana‟s version of innovative forms and expressions that architects also experimented with elsewhere. Two examples are the Hedges High Rise Complex and Miller Dining Hall at Montana State University at Bozeman, a megastructure complex designed by Sigvald Berg (not surveyed here). Another example is the Armory Gymnasium on the Montana State University – Northern campus, a hyperbolic paraboloid building designed by Oswald Berg Jr. The Walt Sullivan Department of Labor & Industry Building (originally the Unemployment Compensation Commission building), by the young firm of Evans, LaMont & Cole, is worth mentioning as an early (1961) example of a building that integrated energy efficiency measures with its design. Montana‟s most talented architects left a legacy of extraordinary buildings that are singular in expression and uniquely reflect their times and circumstances. Examples include Johannes and A. A. van Teylingen‟s Receiving Hospital at Warm Springs and the Kennedy School in Butte by John G. Link & Co. Interestingly, a number of Montana architects who established practices before World War II developed some of the most interesting and striking modern buildings after the war, including John G. Link, George Shanley, and Johannes van Teylingen." Funding was provided in part by a 2008 Preserve America grant to the Montana State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 30-08-AP-4024) for the project Montana Places: Expanding the Cultural and Historical Record of Montana. The grant was administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Preserve America is a federal initiative that encourages and supports community efforts to preserve and enjoy our priceless cultural and natural heritage. The goals of the program include a greater shared knowledge about the nation's past, strengthened regional identities and local pride, increased local participation in preserving the country's cultural and natural heritage assets, and support for the economic vitality of our communities..

Montana Post-World War II Architectural Survey and Inventory, December 2010

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