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Home My WebLink About33-39 E Main 1985 VIONTANA HISTORICAL AND ARCHITECTURAL INVENTORY Site# Legal Description: 0ri inal Townsite Lots E 24' of 10, all 11 & 12/Blk F f- 7' fabrics n' Address: 33-39 East: Main Ownership:name: Dieru F. & Bradford ❑ brivate address: Box 849 rR011 N 82 Frame N 1 9 public m r{ltPuY6 AA t L_ ),s t • Historic Name: Story Block I r rr Common Name: Unknown ❑ I� � �1.� �� estimated I` Date of Construction: 1901 IM documented Architect: Unknown �r _ T j Builder Unknown Original Owner. Unknown M1 Original Use: St_QMM� ci_ck___ Present Use: Commercial Structure. Research Sources: I t T 't +� I r "� ❑ abstract of title ❑ city directories { ❑ plat records/maps C sewer/water permits I t � t El tax cards ❑ obituaries i1 w ❑ building permit ❑ biographies Z12 Sanborn maps—dates, 1904 Bibliography: ll. Lu ' Q i Q I PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Describe present appearance of structure/site,then contrast and compare that with it's original appearance, noting additions,alterations,and changes in materials.Discuss significant architectural features. This attached two-story- commercial structure has a flat overhanging with a pentrally located pair of steep gable overdoors , and brick pilasters forming three bays on the upper level . Two central entrances are featured on the symmetrical facade with aluminum storefront windows. On the second level three sets of two 1/1 double-hung windows with closed transoms are featured, one in each bay, and all have limestone sills and lintels at window openings. There is elaborate cornice detailing of sheet metal , brick and terra cotta. The brick con- struction has a flat built-up roof which lies perpendicular to the street. The remodeled storefront obscures the original details at street level . IISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Justify how the persons,important events,and/or historical patterns associated with the structure/site and surrounding area lend the property significance. This property is significant because it is associated with a person important to Bozeman history, Nelson Story. Story, an early Bozeman merchant who amassed a fortune in cattle, built several business blocks on Main Street. The block at 2-12 East Main was the site of the Story's first house, built in 1869 and moved in 1889 to make way for the block. An architect from Livingston, Galbraith, designed this building. Other business blocks built by Nelson Story on Main Street include 33-39 East Main, the Story Block in 1901; and the building at 23 West Main in 1903. This structure qualifies as a contributing element within a potential historic district due to its association with the commercial aspect of the Civic Phase of Bozeman 's historic/architectural development. INTEGRITY: Assess the degree to which the structure/site,and surrounding area accurately convey the historical associations of the property. The historic integrity of this property has not been retained due to change in original design and materials. INFORMATION VALUE: Explain how the extant structure/site may demonstrate or yield information about its historic use or construc- tion. None. FORM PREPARED BY: GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Name_._ LAMES R. MCDUNALD ARCHIT[rre Acreage: Address: P. U. RUX 8163 _ USGS Quad: Date: I',ISSOULA, h9UNTANA UK7 UTM's: j ja?i REVISED Matthew A. Cohen Bn-A--,-n, Montana ,,trt V . rr1^FP9PFQ long; 33-39 E. Main 1985 revision Matt Cohen, surveyor One of the largest commercial blocks in the district, the Story Block was built in about 1901 by Nelson Story, Bozeman pioneer, millionaire, and major figure in the history of the city. With the exception of the storefronts, the building retains exceptionally high integrity inside and out, including alley signs painted on the rear (north) wall by the original ground floor tenants. The unusual design of the 6-bay building, which has a slightly lower parapet above the east 3 bays than the west three, is apparently the work of Livingston architect Galbraith (inventory form, 1984; undocumented source) . Galbraith is known to have designed at least one other building for Story, 2-12 E. Main, a decade previous to this one. Contiguous brickwork on the rear wall confirms that this building was erected all at once, and not in two parts. Layed up in the brick walls are bands of decorative terra cotta bricks - a feature shared by at least one other building in the district, the Willson Co. store built across the street two years later (101 E. Main) . The clapboard, Greek Revival style Gay House, later called the Northern Pacific Hotel , which originally stood on this site and was noted by Matt Alderson in 1833 as having been Bozeman' s "leading hotel " for many years (Alderson, p. 28) , was demolished by Story to clear the site for this building. Another frame building on the site was moved back to Mendenhall Street. During construction of the building, according to Bob Bradford, one of the masons killed his wife, and buried her in the foundation, but Story would not allow her to be dug up as construction continued. Many interior features of this building survive, such as a spacious pressed tin ceiling in the western half of the first floor store. Upstairs, original sky- lights, door frames and transoms, and even the original louvered stall doors and soapstone sinks in the bathrooms remain intact. Among the numerous offices upstairs was a hall , leased in 1905 by the Gallatin Valley Commercial Club, organized in that year " . . .for the purpose of promoting the business, commercial , financial and social welfare" of the city and county. The hall was used for various exibits and recreational functions (The Coast, in Bozeman' s Historic Resources, rpt. , pp A 71-72; includes interior photograph of the hall) . A later upstairs tenant, which relocated here some time between 1916 and 1927 from the upper floor of 10-12 E. Main, was the Bozeman Business College. Mrs. Rosalia L. Bell was principal of the day and night school . On the rear(north) wall of the building are rare, original , very tall 4/4 sash windows. Above the easternmost delivery doors on this rear wall is a painted sign (c. 1901) that reads: "Gallatin Drug" - the original occupant of the easternmost of the four original stores in the building. Gallatin Drug remained here for about 50 years. A similar sign corresponding to the next store to the west reads : "The Hub- Howards/ Everything For Men/Walkover Shoes/Stetson Hats" - another original occupant that remained for decades. The farthest sign to the west, mostly illegible, was for Hollingsworth Dry Goods Store, which remained here until about 1930 (City Directories, 1927 , p. 177; 1933, p.22) . George McCracken' s department store was the next tenant in this section (Directory, 1933, p. 22) . The proprietor, George McCracken, was probably the brother of J.N. McCracken. The latter sold out his department store in the Lovelace Building (20 E. Main) to the J.C. Penney Co. in 1929 (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, March 9, 1929) . J.N. McCracken signed an agreement with J.C. Penney to stay out of business, though his brother, probably George McCracken, felt no such obligation, and opened his own store. The defiant brother won against J.C. Penney in court, but soon lost to the retail giant in an ensuing price war (Louis Spain, interview, 9/4/85) . (Note: a reference to George McCracken' s store in 1937 appears on the Fred Willson job list - see biblio- graphy) . In 1946, Powderhorn Sporting Goods occupied the second store from the west. The store' s original neon, streamlined, Moderne sign of that date that once hung above the storefront, is now on the back of the building, having been replaced in 1948 by the present hanging neon sign, which depicts a rifle and target. The latter sign ti was made by the Bud Lowe Sign Co. , Lowe being a former Bozeman mayor. _ Other tenants in 1946, aside from Gallatin Drug, were a Firestone store in the far west, and a store run by Cresap McCracken (third from the west) . Later tenants have included Montana Music, Boersma Sewing Center, the Diana Shop, and Vera Fabrics. In 1975 Vera' s and Powderhorn took up their present positions, which is the approxi- mate date of the present storefronts. t Bibliography Bob Bradford, interview, 9/5/85 Louis A. Spain, interview, 9/3/85 The Coast, 1908, reprinted in Bozeman's Historic Resources, pp. A 71-72. Sanborn Maps, 1904, 1927 City Directories, 1927, pp. 33, 177, 1933, pp. 22, 94 Alderson, p. 28 Bozeman Daily Chronicle, March 9, 1929 Application for Sewer Connection, October 1 , 1902, 35 E. Main, Nelson Story Jr. f Miscellaneous Newspaper photo with caption, c. 1940, from MSU Special Collections clipping file, no reference. Fred F. Willson Job List, 1937, job #3735 - "Store Front - George McCracken. "