HomeMy WebLinkAbout120 S. Grand Historic Nomination --- I�NTANA HISTORICAL/ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY 18 =- --- --- -
HISTORIC NAME. First Baptist Church 1,, 77-:
_-ADDRESS: 120 S. Grand, Bozeman
LEGAL BOUODARY: Alderson's Addition, . S -
Blk B/ Lots 11-14
- OWNER'S NAME: First Baptist Church
R.C. Stewart, et al. {•' 'Yfir
OWNER ADDRESS: 120 S. Grand, Bozeman
=- SPECIFIC DATE: 1911 - T _
ARCHITECT: Fred Willson
BUILDER: Unknown
ORIGINAL OWNER: First Baptist Church
_ORIGINAL USE: church
PRESENT USE: church i
UTM REFERENCE: 12/496960/5058030
ACREAGE: less than one
U.S.G.S. QUAD: Bozeman, 1953
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: ►
Applicable Criteria: A and C
Areas of significance: social history, architecture
Number of Contributing Properties: 1
_The First Baptist Church is a highly distinctive example of early 20th Century, Gothic
Revival style church architecture, and is representative of the overall cultural
diversification that accompanied the arrivall of the railroad in Bozeman. During the same
year the railroad arrived, 1883, Reverend L.S. wood organized Baptist Churches in Townsend,
Bozeman, and Livingston, on a trip from Helena that was intended to find all Baptists in
the eastern two-thirds of Montana. The number of Baptists in Bozeman may have increased 'as
a result of the economic growth brought on by the railroad. _Reverend Byron Morse, a friend
of Wood's, was enlisted to lead the Bozeman congregation. In December, 1883, the first
services were held in a private home, in Chesnut Hall (located in the first log structure
built on Main Street) , and in a hall in the Courier Building. The following year a small
log church was built on E. Babcock Street, and remained in use until 1911, when this church
was built. The new church was designed by Fred Willson, who was just beginning his
architectural career in Bozeman. In 1915, the First Baptist Church of Bozeman was
incorporated with 100 members.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: - -
This brick church has a rectangular plan with a projecting square tower at the entry with a
crenelated parapet. The one-bay facade is asymmetrical and consists of one-over--one -
double:-hung windows at the daylight basement level and an enormous Gothic arched stained
glass window in the center that has heavy wooden tracery in a Gothic and lancet arch
pattern. . Fixed, rectangular, stained glass windows with brick buttresses between each set
of three windows run down the southern and northern elevators. The stained glass windows
have plexiglass storms. There is a second, double wooden door entrance on the west facade
with a Gothic arch transom above. The brick construction is of a running bond pattern and
consists of corbeled stretcher over soldier, over corbeled header to form a water table.
The gable roof is covered with light grey asphalt shingles and features a small dormer with
stained glass insets and a large round ventilator on the gable peak.
_ mi ---
- _._ _ _First'Baptist Church (cont. ) )
In 1958 major interior alterations were made. The large, non-contributing brick stairway
=was presumably added to the front at that time. During more recent years, a handicapped
access ramp has been built up to the north doorway of the front facade. Despite these two
-�-changes, the building retains an overall high degree of historic architectural integrity.
_-BIBLIOGRAPHY: _
Bozeman Qaily CCS..12icle, Centennial Edition, March 31, 1983, Part V, p.4
John N. DeHaas, personal communication with Patricia Sick, 5/22/87.
FORM PREPARED BY: James R. McDonald, P.C. (1983-84) ; Matthew Cohen (1985-86 revision) ;
Patricia Sick (1987 revision) , State Historic Preservation Office, 225 No. Roberts, Helena,
Montana 59620 (406) 444-7715
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