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MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
For the Montana National Register of Historic Places Program and State Antiquities Database
Montana State Historic Preservation Office
Montana Historical Society
PO Box 201202, 1410 8 th Ave
Helena, MT 59620-1202
Property Address: Montana State University Campus
Historic Address (if applicable): NA
City/Town: Bozeman
Site Number: 24GA1868
(An historic district number may also apply.)
County: Gallatin
Historic Name: Medical Science Research Building
Original Owner(s): Montana State College of Agriculture
and Mechanic Arts
Current Ownership Private Public
Current Property Name: Cooley Laboratory
Owner(s): Montana State University--Administration
Owner Address: 201 Main Hall / PO Box 172440
Bozeman, MT 59717-2440
Phone: 406-994-2001
Legal Location
PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 5E
SW ¼ SW ¼ NW ¼ of Section: 13
Lot(s):
Block(s): 25
Addition: Capital Hill Year of Addition: 1890
USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987
Historic Use: Laboratories
Current Use: Laboratories
Construction Date: 1960 Estimated Actual
Original Location Moved Date Moved:
UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2
NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred )
Zone: 12 Easting: 495995 Northing: 5057122
National Register of Historic Places
NRHP Listing Date:
Historic District: Montana State University-Bozeman HD
NRHP Eligible: Yes No
Date of this document: July, 2013
Form Prepared by: Jessie Nunn / Consultant
Address: 600 Meadowlark Lane, Livingston, MT 59047
Daytime Phone: 406-208-8727
MT SHPO USE ONLY
Eligible for NRHP: yes X no
Criteria: A B C D
Date: October 2013
Evaluator: Kate Hampton
Comments: Non-contributor in MSU-Bozeman Historic
District – alterations.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 2
Architectural Description
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION
Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: International; Postmodern: Neo-Rennaisance (2012 Revovation)
Property Type: Education Specific Property Type:
Architect: Architectural Firm/City/State: Sigvald L. Berg / Helena, MT (original bulding); Architect Design
Group / Kalispell, MT (2012 Renovation)
Builder/Contractor: Company/City/State: Otto Eickhof / Minneapolis, MT (general); Frank Trunk / Bozeman,
MT (plumbing & heating); Palmquist Electric / Helena, MT (electrical); Dick Anderson Construction / Bozeman, MT
(2012 Renovation)
Source of Information: University Records, 58-0002 Cooley Lab; MSU Facilities, Planning & Construction Website
Setting & Location
Cooley Laboratory (1960) was built approximately 20’ west of the 1923 Italian Renaissance Revival style Lewis Hall with
its south elevation set back approximately 40’ from the older building’s façade. It is connected to Lewis Hall by a first-story
annex and a third-story enclosed walkway. Another addition, Teitz Hall, was constructed behind (south of) Lewis Hall in
1985. Lewis Hall, which has always housed the Biology Department, was included in the 1917 George Carsley / Cass
Gilbert Plan at its present location on the western end of the core campus’s east / west axis (Garfield Street, now
Centennial Mall). Cooley Laboratory and Lewis Hall sit on the south side of Centennial Mall, across from Sherrick Hall
(1973) and Reid Hall (1959) and west of Leon Johnson Hall (1973) and the center of campus, Montana Hall (1898). The
oldest building on campus, Taylor Hall (1894) sits immediately north of Cooley Laboratory and the 1970s Creative Arts
Complex (Clever, Howard and Haynes Halls) is located to the west across 11 th Avenue. Overall, the western portion of
campus is characterized by Modern transitioning into the Late Modern architectural styles, the former of which Cooley
Laboratory exemplified prior to a recent renovation completed in 2012.
Summary
Originally designed in the Modern style by Helena, Montana architect, Sigvald L. Berg, Cooley Laboratory was built in two
phases with the upper stories completed in 1960. A recent (2012) renovation by the Architect Design Group, a Kalispell,
Montana firm, however, transformed the building into a neo-Post -modern expression of the Italian Renaissance Revival
style of its 1923 neighbor, Lewis Hall. An overhanging gable roof supported by large metal brackets built atop the original
flat roof is the clearest stylistic connection to the earlier building. The new roof added a half-story for mechanical
equipment to the four-story, reinforced concrete building, which also sports a full basement. Despite the renovation,
Cooley Laboratories still retains much of its original form, including its 122’ x 50’ rectilinear footprint. The renovation also
retained the building’s variegated brick cladding laid in a running bond, its pattern of slender brick pilasters and recessed
bays filled with windows on the long south and north elevations, vertical columns lighting end stair towers on the south
façade and its original annex to Lewis Hall, which contains Cooley Hall’s main entrance. All windows, typically paired
aluminum units with large lights over small hopper units, were replaced during the renovation. Other significant changes
include the addition of continuous sunscreens above south façade windows, the covering of the façade’s western window
bay with prefinished corrugated metal siding and the infill of two basement windows on the west end of the building.
South Façade
The south façade of Cooley Laboratory consists of eleven recessed window bays between flush brick stair towers lit by a
single column of aluminum-framed lights. Ten slender pilasters created by a stack course of header bricks flanked by
single stacks of stretcher bricks define the bays, with the outside edges of the east and west bays lacking pilasters and
being flush with the building’s main wall face. Originally the pilasters terminated at a soldier course with terra cotta coping
that demarcated the building’s flat roofline; however, this has been covered with a few courses of darker brown brick in a
running bond, which sit below the new gable roof structure. The metal roof displays a series of vents in each bay under
the overhanging eave, which is supported by tube metal brackets that extend upward from the pilasters and maintain that
spacing though the ends of the façade. Except for the outer bays, each bay contains new paired aluminum windows with
a large light between smaller lights and a brick spandrel panel on all four stories. Window openings contain rowlock brick
sills. The east bay has always lacked a first story window, while the west bay’s first story window has been in -filled with
brick and its upper stories, along with much of the west stair tower, have been covered with a large panel of prefinished
corrugated metal siding. Basement windows in the two westernmost bays have also been in -filled with brick. On the
façade, each end stair tower is lit by a single column of aluminum-framed lights. The west light column extends the entire
height of the building, while the east light column begins above the roof of the annex connecting Cooley Laboratory to
Lewis Hall. These lights were also replaced during the 2012 renovation. New continuous metal sunshades cut across the
bays and project outward above first, second and third story windows.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
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Architectural Description
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
West Elevation
The west elevation contains a centered basement level entrance and windows in each upper story (2-4). A new flat-roofed
metal canopy supported by perpendicular brick walls was added during the 2012 renovation and the original door
replaced by two solid metal doors with slender rectangular lights above their handles. The asymmetrical canopy extends
from the inner edge of its taller north wall over the entrance and approximately 10’ beyond its shorter south wall. Window
openings contain new vertical four-light aluminum units, which closely match the originals. A large louvered vent is
centered in the gable end of the new roof structure, the remainder of which is clad with brick in a running bond above two
soldier courses. Brown brick was used for all new construction (the canopy and the gable end) on this elevation. A single
metal door with a soldier course is found to the north of the main entrance in an opening that, according to the original
architectural drawings, once held a louvered vent.
North Elevation
The rear elevation of Cooley Laboratory is similar to the façade, except it displays thirteen recessed window bays and its
stair tower ends do not contain light columns. All bays contain paired aluminum windows on each story with the following
exceptions (from west to east): the third bay lacks second and forth story windows, the fourth bay only has a first story
window, the sixth bay lacks second and third story windows and the first story of the east bay (bay thirteen) has been
converted into an entrance. According to original drawings there are also basement windows in bays two, three and four,
but they may have been in -filled (this story is currently obscured by a fence and available drawings from the renovation
are unclear). All windows in the west bay (bay one) were in-filled with brick during the 2012 renovation. As mentioned
above, a first story entrance was added to the east bay in 2012. It contains a single metal door and is protected by a flat-
roofed canopy that also extends over the first-story window to the east. The canopy is supported by large metal brackets.
Like on the façade, a few courses of brown brick are found above the pilasters and below the new gabled roof. On this
elevation, the space under the overhanging eve is covered in prefinished corrugated metal siding punctured in the center
of the building by two louvered vents. A small tower, also clad in prefinished corrugated metal siding, was added to the
north end of the east elevation in 2012. On the rear elevation, the new section is visible between the roof of Teitz Hall,
attached to the northeast corner of Cooley Laboratory since 1985, and the overhanging eave. A tall louvered metal fence
extends to the north between the west elevation and the rear elevation’s entrance.
East Elevation
Originally, the east elevation included the first-story annex and third-story enclosed walkway connecting Cooley Hall to
Lewis Hall to the south and window bays in the center and to the east. Like the west elevation, the central windows bay
had vertical four-light widows in the second, third and fourth stories, although here they were above the annex and not an
entrance. Paired aluminum windows were located in the first, third and fourth stories of the east bay. During the 2012
renovation, all of these windows were filled and covered by a flat-roofed tower covered in pre-finished corrugated metal
siding. The tower, which is slightly offset to the north, extends well above the roofline of the new gable roof. The
remainder of the gable end, created by the gable roof added in 2012, is filled with brown brick in a running bond above
two soldier courses of brown brick.
Connections to Lewis Hall
Cooley Laboratory’s one-story annex contains a shared entrance with Lewis Hall on its 30’ long south façade. The one-
story annex extends 30’ east and projects approximately 10’ feet south off the east end of the main building. It is clad in
variegated brick in a running bond with a soldier course and metal coping at the roofline. The window wall entrance and
solid brick wall to the east are slightly recessed. The entrance consists of double aluminum-framed glass doors flanked by
two wide, full-height sidelights. A solid brick wall is found between the glass entrance and the west elevation of Lewis Hall.
There is a wide concrete apron bordered by short soldier course brick walls in front of the entrance. The annex extends
approximately 35’ across the east and west elevations of Cooley Laboratory and Lewis Hall, respectively. Its 20’ wide
north elevation originally contained a paired aluminum windows to the east and a single aluminum window to the west, but
it was covered by Teitz Hall in 1985.
The steel third-story enclosed walkway has five bays with a row of glass between blue metal panels. Both the annex and
the walkway appear to have escaped alteration during the 2012 renovation.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
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History of Property
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
HISTORY OF PROPERTY
Development of Montana State University Campus
Montana State University was founded on February 16, 1893 (four years after statehood) as Montana’s land grant college
under the Morrill Act of 1862. It has the distinction of being Montana’s first legislatively-created public university, with the
University of Montana in Missoula being created the following day. Initially called the Agricultural College of the State of
Montana, the new college was situated on a 200-acre site, part of which had been platted as the Capital Hill Addition in a
(failed) bid for the State Capital. Bozeman citizens raised funds to purchase half the land, and Gallatin County donated
the other half, which included the County poor farm. The first purpose-built building on campus was the Agricultural
Experiment Station (Taylor Hall) constructed in 1894. Main Hall (or Montana Hall), the centerpiece of the campus, was
completed in 1898. The construction of the Neo-classical Revival style Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall) in 1909 further
illustrated the primary role of agriculture at Montana State. In 1913, the college was renamed the Montana State College
of Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts (MSC).
The college anticipated a period of expansion after World War I, and contracted with Montana architect, George Carsley,
and nationally-known landscape architect, Cass Gilbert, to develop a campus plan, now known as the “1917 George
Carsley / Cass Gilbert Plan.” This plan, which exhibited a formal Beaux-Arts symmetry, was adopted by the Montana
State Board of Education in 1920 and guided campus development until the outbreak of World War II. Its implementation
was assisted by a $5 million bond to fund building development programs on all of Montana’s campuses. At MSC this
resulted in the construction of several Italian Renaissance Revival buildings, including Roberts Hall, Traphagen Hall,
Lewis Hall, Harrick Hall, Romney Gymnasium and the Heating Plant.
MSC continued to grow and evolve during the Great Depression and World War II. This was spurred in part by the growth
of the Extension Service under the New Deal’s Agricultural Adjustment Administration, an increase in unemployed
students who enrolled in the years from 1932 to 1939 and expanded military training (including a flight school) during
World War II. The 1935 “Quads,” a women’s dormitory financed through the Works Progress Administration, and the
oldest portion of the Student Union, completed in 1940, were the era’s most significant additions to campus. Both were
designed by Bozeman architect, Fred F. Willson, in the Tudor Revival style. Slight deviations from the 1917 George
Carsley / Cass Gilbert Plan during the mid-1940s resulted from a desire for new buildings alongside a need to curb paving
and heating costs by reducing the space between buildings.
Along with colleges and universities across the nation, MSC expanded to accommodate students attending college under
the “GI Bill” after World War II. The square footage of campus buildings doubled in the following decades. At this time,
further departures were also made from the 1917 George Carsley / Cass Gilbert Plan as growth demanded expansion
beyond its boundaries and within its open spaces. The Renne Library (1949) and the small Danforth Chapel (1952),
MSC’s first Modern style building, were the era’s earliest additions to campus but several others followed during the 1950s
and early 1960s. Four Mid-Century Modern dormitories were added to the northern end of campus and new academic
buildings, including Reid Hall and the Math-Physics Building (AJM Johnson Hall), were erected in open spaces south of
Garfield Street. Several older buildings also received significant Modern style additions, including Renne Library and
Linfield and Lewis Halls. The result was a campus showcasing a dynamic blend of revivalist and modernist styles.
The college was re-named Montana State University (MSU) in 1965, and the high-rise dormitories (Hedges and Roskie
Halls) that would symbolize the modern era were completed by 1967. More buildings were added in the 1970s as MSU
replaced all of its temporary frame buildings with permanent structures. Growth slowed during the 1980s through the
beginning of the 21 st century in the core campus area, although a few new buildings (Visual Communications, the EPS
Building and the Chemistry & Biochemistry Building) were added. Many older buildings have also undergone significant
alterations in recent decades. Perhaps the greatest addition to campus during the contemporary period was Centennial
Mall along what was once Garfield Street. In providing a strong east-west linear focus, the well-landscaped pedestrian
mall was actually a return to the axial arrangement of 1917 George Carsley / Cass Gilbert Plan. Today, the MSU campus
represents a blend of early formal planning, post-war expansion and contemporary buildings that respond to current
needs. It offers an excellent example of the evolution of campus planning in Montana. (Burlingame, in passim; Painter,
Montana Property Record Form for Langford Hall.)
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
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History of Property
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
The Medical Science Research Building (Cooley Laboratories)
As enrollment at Montana State College continued to grow through the 1950s—increasing from 2,691 students in 1951 to
3,641 in 1957—so did its need for space. Researchers in particular were feeling crowded out as their laboratories, such
as they were, continually being lost to classroom space. (Application for PHS Grant, 8/21/1957). Moreover, those
laboratories that did exist focused primarily on the agricultural and animal sciences, and by the mid-1950s, the College,
found itself, “with a group of younger staff members who have had training and experience in basic science research
which they wish to continue.” (McBee to Smith, Kline & French Foundation, 4/22/1958). Finally, any laboratories related to
medical research that did exist were scattered across the campus in various academic buildings, and one (the isotope
laboratory) was housed in a temporary Quonset hut. Unfortunately, the State Legislature seemed unwilling to fully fund
any campus construction by the late 1950s, and MSC had to look elsewhere for funding. To meet their needs for
classroom space, the College turned to its students, using funds from the student building fee to construct a new general
classroom and office building (Reid Hall) next to the Library in 1959. ( Exponent, 2/16/1968). However, MSC could hardly
justify utilizing student fees to fund laboratory space used primarily for research generated from outside grants, and not
teaching. Fortunately, federal funding for such research facilities was available through the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare’s National Institutes of Health. MSC’s application for a $320,975 grant for a Medical Science
Research Building was partially accepted in the amount of $130,000 in March of 1958, with the potential for further grant
assistance should funding become available. (Porterfield to Renne, 3/18/1958).
With the federal grant in-hand, MSC turned to the State Legislature for authorization to secure matching funds and to
appoint an architect for the building, which was received on March 17, 1958. (Item 165-212, 3/17/1958). The governor
selected Sigvald L. Berg, the Helena, Montana architect responsible for MSC’s recently-completed Lewis & Clark Hall
(1955), to design the building according to the stipulations of a planning committee chaired by Dr. Richard McBee,
Chairman of the Botany and Bacteriology Department (Renne to Berg, 4/10/1958). Plans called for a two-story building
(with the option of additional floors later) that would create laboratories for medical-related research across a wide variety
of fields, including Botany and Bacteriology, Zoology and Entomology, Biochemistry, Physiology, Psychology, Nutrition,
Genetics, Virology and Isotope Studies along with rooms for instrument storage, media preparation, glass blowing and
research animal rearing and disposal. (Architectural Drawings, 11/22/1958). A site just off the northwest corner of the
1923 Italian Renaissance Revival Lewis Hall (Biology Building) was selected in June, and bids for the general construction
and heating and plumbing contracts were approved in late December, with the low bid for electrical work from Palmquist
Electric tabled until March of the following year due to lack of funding. (McBee to Renne, 6/6/1958, Item 169-212,
3/8/1959). As construction proceeded, it became clear two stories would be insufficient, and MSC applied for an additional
federal grant of $200,510 in August, with McBee noting:
The building now being constructed has had a marked effect on the moral of the research inclined staff members.
Even though the space is not yet available, several of them have started expanding their programs and activating
projects which have not been worked on for several years...I am sure this surge of enthusiasm will continue and
that we will soon need to expand even a four story building. (McBee to Schmehl, 8/8/1959).
Construction bids were accepted for the additional two stories on November 2, 1959, three days before McBee received
word via telegram from the National Institutes of Health that MSC would receive its federal grant. (McBee to Allen,
11/5/1959). In the meantime, construction of the first stories continued and McBee hoped researchers would be able to
occupy the building by the beginning of 1960.
After receiving the second National Institutes of Health grant, MSC faced a few additional challenges in completing the
Medical Science Research Building. The architect, who previously irked MSC administrators over a surprise charge
related to cabinets, returned his design fee to 8% percent for the building’s third story (the same as the first story), despite
the additional stories being virtual identical to those already constructed. (Copping to Berg, 12/8/1959.) Then to add insult
to injury, a steel strike in late 1959 delayed delivery of the already controversial cabinets and required MSC to ask the
State Legislature for a sixty day extension to complete the first two stories. (Renne to Schmehl, 12/31/1959). However, by
the summer of 1960 all that was left to discuss was the building’s name, which, in a letter to President Renne, Professor
Louis Smith suggested should honor the late D. B. Swingle, former Dean of the College of Science. (Smith to Renne,
6/1/1960). Renne, who considered the building a wing of Lewis Hall, was less than enthusiastic, replying, “It seems to me
we should refer to this as our Medical Science Wing, if we must, but I like to think of it as part of Lewis Hall and speak of
the original building and the addition as one structure.” (Renne to Smith, 6/4/1960). Such debates, of course, did not
curtail construction and the building (or wing) was completed later in 1960 at a final cost of just under $570,000.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
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History of Property
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
The Medical Science Research Building was later named Cooley Laboratory in honor of Robert A. Cooley, former head of
the Department of Zoology and Entomology and entomologist for the U.S. Health Service’s Rocky Mountain Laboratory in
Hamilton, Montana. After an extensive renovation in 2012, which, like the original building, was largely funded by the
National Institutes of Health, Cooley Laboratory continues to serve is original function as research space. It is also home
to the Department of Microbiology. (MSU Website, “Cooley Laboratory”).
Sigvald L. Berg, Architect
Sigvald L. Berg, who was of Norwegian heritage, spent most of his career in Helena, although he also gained architectural
experience in Berkeley, California. Born in 1895, he graduated from Montana State College with a Bachelor of Science
degree in Architectural Engineering in 1921. He worked throughout Montana on a wide range of industrial, commercial
and institutional buildings during his career. One of his most well-known residential commissions was the home of Barclay
Craighead in 1936, who served as the secretary to Senator Burton K. Wheeler and director of the Federal Housing
Administration (FHA) in Helena.
During the Depression, Berg worked as the supervising architect for the Federal Housing Administration for the State of
Montana and the local liaison for the state’s Depression-era “Better Homes” program. His California experience positioned
him well after the 1935 Helena earthquake, when he worked on inspecting damaged buildings and re-writing the local
building code for seismic safety. His interest in modern architecture is evidenced by his attendance at a three-day
symposium in 1948 offered by Richard Neutra. He joined with Lorren O. Bradford in 1950, another graduate from Montana
State University. Berg died in 1985. (Taken in its entirety from Painter, 47).
The 1955 Lewis & Clark Residence Hall (now the Johnstone Center) is the only other building designed by Sigvald L.
Berg on the Montana State University campus.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 7
Information Sources/Bibliography
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Berg, Sigvald L. “Medical Science Research Building,” Architectural Drawings, 22 November 1958 (University Records,
58-0002) and 16 October 1959 (University Records, 59-0003).
Berg, Sigvald L., “Specifications for Construction of the Medical Science Research Building, Montana State College,” 22
November 1958. University Records, 58-0002.
Building Master List. Physical Plant Records, Montana State University.
Burlingame, Merrill. A History: Montana State University. Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman, MT: Office of Information
Publication, February 1968.
Copping, Bernard (MSU Business Manager). Letter to Sigvald L. Berg, 8 December 1959. University Records, 58-0002.
Macek, Jim. “MSU Students’ Building Fee Will Help Finance More Academic Buildings,” Exponent , 16 February 1968.
McBee, Richard H. Letter to Ernest M. Allen (Chief, Division of Research Grants, National Institutes of Health), 5
November 1959. University Records, 58-0002.
McBee, Richard H. Letter to Francis L. Schmehl (Chief, Health Research Facilities Branch, National Institutes of Health), 8
August 1959. University Records, 58-0002.
McBee, Richard H. Letter to Ronald R. Renne, 6 June 1958. University Records, 58-0002.
McBee, Richard H. Letter to Smith, Kline and French Foundation, 22 April 1958. University Records, 58-0002.
Montana State Board of Education. “Item 165-212, Financing and Construction of Medical Science Research Building,
Montana State College,” 17 March 1958. University Records, 58-0002.
Montana State Board of Education. “Item 169-212, Acceptance of Palmquist Electric Bid,” 8 March 1959. University
Records, 58-0002.
Montana State University, “Cooley Laboratory,” Website accessed at
http://calendar.msu.montana.edu/locations.php?building=14&ref=map .
Painter, Diane J. Montana Post-World War II Architectural Survey and Inventory: Historic Context and Survey Report ,
December 2010.
Painter, Diane J. “Langford Hall, Montana Property Record Form,” July 18, 2010. Montana State Historic Preservation
Office.
Porterfield, John D (Acting Surgeon General). Letter to Ronald R. Renne, 18 March 1958. University Records, 58-0002.
Renne, Ronald R (MSU President). Letter to Louis DS. Smith, 4 June 1960. University Records, 58-0002.
Renne, Ronald R (MSU President). Letter to Francis L. Schmehl (Chief, Health Research Facilities Branch, National
Institutes of Health), 31 December 1959. University Records, 58-0002.
Renne, Ronald R (MSU President). “Application for Health Research Facilities Grant, National Institutes of Health), 21
August 1957. University Records, 58-0002.
Renne, Ronald R (MSU President). Letter to Sigvald Berg, 10 April 1958. University Records, 58-0002.
Smith, Louis DS. Letter to Ronald R. Renne (MSU President), 1 June 1960. University Records, 58-0002.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 8
Statement of Significance
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
NRHP Listing Date:
NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District
NRHP Criteria: A B C D
Area of Significance: Period of Significance:
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
Although the 1959-1960 construction date of Cooley Laboratory (the Medical Science Research Building) falls within the
Montana State University Historic District’s period of historical significance (1893-1968) and it is closely associated with
the rise of scientific research on campus, its 2012 renovation has rendered it ineligible due to a loss of integrity (see
below).
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
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Integrity
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association)
Cooley Laboratory no longer retains sufficient integrity of design, materials or workmanship to convey its historical and
architectural significance. The recent Post -modern style renovation by the Architectural Design Group, completed in 2012,
attempts to better compliment the adjacent 1923 Italian Renaissance Revival Lewis Hall by adding a gable roof with over-
hanging eves, along with more contemporary features, such as panels of prefabricated metal siding and sunshades on
the south façade. The building’s original windows were also replaced during the renovation, meaning all that remains of
the original flat-roofed Modern-style building is its brick cladding. As such, the building no longer serves as a decent
example of Modern architecture and no longer conveys its significant historical associations with the rise of biological
research at MSU during the 1950s and 1960s. It does, however, retain its integrity of location and its association with
Lewis Hall (the Biology Building). The 1985 Tietz Hall, constructed off the rear (north) elevation of Lewis Hall somewhat
impacts the setting of both earlier buildings, however, its function as a centralized home for research animals is historically
related.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 10
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Cooley Laboratory
South Elevation, Facing: N
Montana State University
Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 11
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Cooley Laboratory
South Elevation with Connection to Lewis Hall, Facing: NE
Montana State University
Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 12
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Cooley Laboratory
West Elevation, Facing: E
Montana State University
Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 13
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Cooley Laboratory
North Elevation, Facing: SE
Montana State University
Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 14
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Cooley Laboratory, 2009 (Pre-Renovation)
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 15
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Medical Science Research Building South, North, East and West Elevations, Sigvald L. Berg, November 1958.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 16
Photographs
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
Two Additional Stories for Medical Science Research Building, North, South, West & East Elevations, Sigvald L.
Berg, October 1959.
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
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Site Map
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868
MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD
PAGE 18
Topographic Map
Property Name: Medical Science Research Building/Cooley Laboratory Site Number: 24GA1868