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HomeMy WebLinkAboutLewis & Clark (24GA1876)_final 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 W. Harrison between 8 th and 10 th Ave Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA1876 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: Gallatin Historic Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Original Owner(s): Montana State College of Agriculture & Mechanical Arts Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Johnstone Center 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 NE ¼ NW ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 13 Lot(s): Block(s): 6 Addition: Capital Hill Year of Addition: 1890 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Residence Hall (Men's) Current Use: Residence Hall (Co-ed) / Admin. Offices Construction Date: 1955 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2 NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred ) Zone: 12 Easting: 496177 Northing: 5057438 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: Montana State University-Bozeman HD NRHP Eligible: Yes No Date of this document: December 31, 2012 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: X yes no Criteria: X A B X C D Date: 10/21/13 Evaluator: Kate Hampton Comments: Contributing resource with the MSU-Bozeman Historic District MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: Modern (International Style) Property Type: Education Specific Property Type: Residence Hall Architect: Sigvald L. Berg & L. O. Bradford / Helena, MT Architectural Firm/City/State: Builder/Contractor: Company/City/State: Roy E. Thompson Co. (general, phase 1) / Billings, MT; Tyner Engineering (mechanical, phase 1) / Mitchell, SD; Bozeman Electric (electrical, phase 1) / Bozeman, MT; Haggerty-Messmer Co. (general, phase 2) / Bozeman, MT); J.F. Regan (mechanical, phase 2) / Miles City, MT Source of Information: University Records, 53-006 Lewis & Clark Halls Setting and Location Completed in 1955, Lewis & Clark Hall (now the Johnstone Center) sits at the northern end of the Montana State University campus along with most of the other residence halls built in the post-WWII era including Hannon Hall (1955), Hapner Hall (1959) and Langford Hall (1960). The latter, which also originally served as a men’s dormitory, is located immediately to the west, while the women’s dormitories, Hannon and Hapner, were built to the southeast around the 1926 Herrick (Women’s) Hall. The small College Street commercial strip borders Lewis & Clark Hall to the north, while single family residences are located to the east across 8 th Avenue. An expansive lawn and a small parking lot are located to the south across Harrison Street. Summary Lewis & Clark Hall is complex reinforced concrete building with an approximately 360’ southern façade. The 196’ x 90’ central wing contains the kitchen, dining rooms and lounges, while dorm rooms are housed in four individually-named wings extending off the sides and rear of the central wing. From east to west they are Pryor Hall, Colter Hall, Mullen Hall and Culbertson Hall. The central wing and adjacent connecting wings are one story with a partial basement, while the dorm wings are four-and-a-half stories. Pryor and Culbertson Halls, the outer wings, link to the central wing by connecting wings and make up the entire east and west elevations of the complex, while Colter and Mullen Halls directly connected to the rear of central wing. The outer dorm wings measure approximately 242’ long and 40’ wide and the inner wings measure approximately 100’ feet shorter, but display equal width. All wings display a flat, built-up roof and most of the building is clad in smooth concrete. It is one of the few buildings on campus that does not utilize brick as a major component of its exterior design. The Modern style building, which was constructed in two phases, was design by Helena, Montana architects Sigvald L. Berg and L. O. Bradford. South Façade The nearly symmetrical south-facing façade of Lewis and Clark Hall sprawls about 360’ along the north side of Harrison Street and can be divided into four different sections that radiate outward. At the center of the façade is an approximately 94’ long section clad in red brick with recessed entrances at both ends. This circa 1978 addition was built over the original recessed central kitchen section (approximately 60’ wide) and across about 16’ of each flanking dining hall. It protrudes a few feet outward from the walls of the dining halls and exhibits a lower roofline. Entrances display modern double aluminum frame glass doors with a transom contained within a slightly protruding brick wall defined by pre-cast concrete blocks designed to look like stone quoins. This addition, designed by Berg, Grabow & Schofield of Bozeman in the Post- modern style, is not sympathetic to the Modern aesthetic of the original building due to the use of brick and Colonial- inspired detailing. The south walls of the building’s dining halls flank the brick section. These are clad in light pink concrete and each side contains a centered, cast concrete-framed window section with three sets of three aluminum windows. Each window includes an elongated stationary light with a small upper and lower light, the latter of which is an operational awning unit. The south ends of Colter and Mullen Halls rise above the central wing, with each containing paired aluminum lights on each visible story. Flanking the central wing on the façade are the north walls of the connecting wings (or lounge sections), which differ from each other. The western connecting wing is set back approximately 24’ feet from the south face of the dining halls (and Pryor and Culbertson Halls), while the eastern connect wing protrudes slightly. The recessed western connecting wing is original. It is protected by a flat-roofed canopy and is dominated by a window wall of five large stationary lights separated by aluminum mullions. A sixth window is located to the east. On the west-facing wall of the dining hall are two sets of paired windows matching the configuration of those found on the south façade. A shed-roofed addition extending across the eastern connecting wing was added during a circa 1986 remodel of Pryor and Colter Halls by Bozeman architect, Richard M. Shanahan. It is made up almost entirely of aluminum windows above a short concrete knee wall. Each window MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 contains an elongated light above a small operational awning unit. Windows on all elevations of Pryor and Colter were also replaced during the 1986 remodel. The similar four story south ends of Pryor and Culbertson Halls make up the east and west ends of Lewis & Clark’s south façade. Both have been altered, with the addition of a stair tower to Pryor Hall during the previously-discussed 1986 renovation and the construction of concrete canopies over the entrances. Unlike the circa 1978 kitchen addition, however, these renovations are historically sensitive and sympathetic to Berg’s original design. The south elevation of Pryor Hall, the eastern dorm wing, has a protruding central tower with the entrance bay to the west and a mostly un-fenestrated wall to the east. The entrance contains double aluminum-framed glass doors flanked by sidelights. Its concrete walk is protected by a flat-roofed concrete canopy that extends approximately 20’ to the south. It is supported by tapered and highly stylized concrete posts. Each of the three stories above the entrance is clad in pink concrete and contains three consecutive window units with a regular light and a spradrelite panel above a slender stationary light. The pink concrete central tower contains a single column of alternating lights and spandrelite panels beginning at the second story. East of the tower, the wall is divided into a recessed base clad in stone-faced blocks, and an upper wall of pink concrete. A row of five small, square aluminum lights is located on the west side of the stone base immediately under the concrete. The slim concrete section between the roofline and the fourth story windows of Pryor Hall, as well as on the rest of the dormitory wings, is colored a darker shade of pink, creating the vague illusion of a cornice. The south elevation of Culbertson Hall lacks a stair tower and its recessed entrance is located on the east side. It is protected by a long concrete canopy of the same design as that found on Pryor Hall, and contains triple aluminum-framed glass doors with sidelights and a transom. Here, the recessed, stone-clad base west of the entrance contains seven small square lights directly under the pink concrete wall. Aluminum windows with four horizontally-arranged lights are located on each story above the entrance. Outer Side Elevations The long outer elevations of Pryor and Culberson Halls (the east and west sides, respectively) also display extreme similarity. Each is bisected by a central entrance bay about 80’ from the south façade that includes a single aluminum- framed glass door to the south and a small window to the north filled with glass block, an operational aluminum hopper unit that opens inward, and another row of two glass blocks. The entrance is protected by a small flat-roofed, concrete canopy that is on level with the middle of the first story windows. Above the canopy is a glass block and cast concrete block panel that is framed in concrete. The protruding concrete border terminates at the top of the fourth story windows and is a darker pink than the main wall, matching the color of the first story and the “cornice” of the building. Within the concrete border, each story contains a 6 x 5 glass block light with a small hopper unit centered in the fourth row from the bottom. Spandrel panels created with grey cast concrete blocks are found between and above the glass block sections. South of the entrance bay on the outer elevations are six window bays grouped together in pairs. On the upper stories, the southernmost pair includes a large aluminum window with a stationary light flanked by one light casement units on the south and a similar, but shorter widow to the north. The tops of these windows are even, but the smaller window is only about 2/3 the height. The remaining bays south of the entrance contain the shorter window in their upper three stories. The first story, however, contains the larger windows in bays 1, 3, 4 and 6 (from south to north) and a small glass block window with a hopper unit in bay 2. North of the entrance bay, a daylight basement story becomes visible and there are five stories of thirteen window bays. All but the southern bay are paired, and all bays on all stories display the shorter three light aluminum windows with casement units. On all of the dormitory wings, the concrete walls are scored to create continuous lines at the window sill and lintel level. The dark pink base, which extends to the top of the first story windows, and “cornice” add to the horizontal emphasis. Inner Courtyards The north side of Lewis & Clark Hall is made up of three “U”-shaped sections created by the back elevations of the main central wing and the connecting wings and the side elevations of the dormitory wings. The outer “U”s, between Pryor and Colter and Mullen and Culbertson, are similar with both the central main wing and the connecting wings making up the south end. The symmetrical one-story connecting wing section (on the east in the eastern “U” and the west in the western “U”), has five consecutive two light aluminum windows with a large upper light a small lower light, flanked by individual windows of the same configuration. The taller and slightly protruding main central wing section contains two paired aluminum windows with three vertically-stacked lights. On the western “U” (between Culbertson and Mullen), a flat-roofed canopy extends along the entirety of the connecting wing section. The central “U”, between the inner dormitory wings (Colter and Mullen), is much different, with only the main central wing for its south end. Here, a concrete loading dock is recessed under a projecting elevated corridor supported by perpendicular concrete walls. The corridor has four pairs of one light aluminum windows that sit directly across from one another on its north and south sides. A wide door is centered MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Architectural Description Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 below the corridor at the loading dock. Windows of various configurations and materials, including glass block, puncture the wall between the loading dock and elevated corridor. All four side elevations of the dormitory wings in the outer “U”s are bisected by an entrance bay located about 80’ from their northern ends. The entrances have a grade level aluminum door with a glass light and glass block window to the south and a small loading dock below a wood door with an upper light to the south. A distinctive, flat-roofed concrete canopy begins above the loading dock door and steps down to protect the grade level entrance. The space above each loading dock lacks fenestration and is slightly taller than the rest of the building. On each story above the grade entrance are 6 x 5 glass block panels with operational hopper units, that match those found on the outer elevations of Pryor and Culberson. On the outer wings, the side elevations contain 10 window bays on the three stories above the central and connecting wings and six bays on the five stories north of the entrance bay. The inner wings (Mullen and Colter) have five window bays on five stories to the north of the entrance bay and four bays on the upper stories to the south. The sides of the central “U” (the west elevation of Colter and east elevation of Mullen) do not have an entrance bay. Each has eleven bays on five stories until it reaches the main central wing. All window openings on these elevations are filled with the same three-light aluminum units found on the outer elevations of Pryor and Culbertson. A final decorative flourish is found within the central “U” above the central main wing on both Colter and Mullen. This is a concrete-bordered panel of two 6 x 5 glass block lights with hopper units centered in their fourth row and grey cast concrete block spandrels that match the entrance bays found on the outer elevations of Pryor and Culbertson. North Ends of Dormitory Wings The north ends of all four dormitory wings have centered rear stair towers that extend approximately 17’ to the north. Each includes a slim window wall centered in its north elevation containing large lights at each story and spandrelite panels at each landing, as well as at the base and top. Single, solid metal doors are located on the west walls. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 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 1907 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 Word 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 Linfield and Lewis Halls. The result of this new construction 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 PAGE 6 History of Property Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Campus Housing in the Post-World War II Era “The greatest single need at MSC right now is dormitory space,” President Ronald R. Renne told the Montana Collegian in January 1954, adding, “enrollment….is even now below what it should be because of insufficient dormitory space.” In fact, student housing had long been a pressing issue at Montana State. The policy of housing freshmen women on campus had necessitated the construction of Hamilton Hall in 1911 and the Quads in 1935, but by the end of World War II residential space for women was already insufficient. Male students wishing to live on campus were in an even more desperate situation, with only temporary Quonset hut dormitories available. As early as 1945, President Renne was requesting the financing of men’s and women’s permanent dormitories, explaining, “male students are particularly in need of a residence hall, where freshman may receive their college education, as far as social and scholastic supervision is concerned.” Enrollment projections suggested the housing situation would only worsen in the near future. While enrollment dropped slightly in the early 1950s from its all-time high of 3,889 students in 1947-1848, MSC was expected to have 4,000 students by 1960 and 6,000 by 1970. (Burlingame, 189-190). This expected growth was due to a climbing birth rate, migration to Montana, an increasing percentage of young people attending college, continued encouragement of veterans to attend college and the rise of graduate student enrollment. (Montana Collegian , 3). President Renne’s call for more dormitories at MSC clearly needed to be met, and soon. The State of Montana stepped up to fund the expansion of its six colleges in the years following World War II, with an increase of the higher education mill levy from 3.5 mills to 6 mills in 1948 and the passage of a $5 million bond in 1952. With their share of the latter, MSC was able to construct the Math-Physics Building (A.J.M. Johnson Hall), additions to Linfield Hall and the Ryon Engineering Labs, a Veterinary Research Lab, the Service Shop (Pew Building) and two greenhouses. The State, however, was unwilling to fund the construction of dormitories, which were considered income- producing properties. (Burlingame, 186, 189-190). The colleges would have to seek other public and private funding for dormitories. As Merrill G. Burlingame explains in A History: Montana State University , at MSC, President Renne called for an “open end” financing plan, in which: …all revenue producing buildings, including dormitories and the student union, as well as student building fees were grouped together, with all bonds sharing the same revenue. This made the bonds more attractive to buyers and larger amounts could be borrowed at lower interest rates.” (190) Even though all dorms would be constructed with outside funding, Montana’s colleges still had to receive approval from the State Board of Education for their construction programs. At their December 18, 1953 meeting in Missoula, the Board approved Item 14923, “Construction of Dormitories, Montana State College” which allowed for a women’s dormitory not to exceed $1,300,000 and a men’s dormitory not to exceed $1,200,000. (Board Minutes, 12/18/1953). Eventually, the Board approved an increase to $4.6 million and the men’s dormitory was doubled in to house 600 students. (Burlingame, 190). With the Board’s approval in-hand, all MSC needed was a lender to get construction moving. President Renne hoped to secure funding for both dormitories from the Federal Housing and Home Financing Agency (FHFA), but the application was deferred in February of 1954, “based on the amount of funds already on loan to Montana institutions as compared with its percentage of the national college population.” (Durkee to Renne, 2/8/1954). The agency was willing to reconsider the application during the next fiscal year, but for President Renne the housing situation at MSC could not wait. He quickly pulled together a commercial loan through the Boettcher and Company of Denver and the Commercial National Bank in Bozeman. Apparently the terms of the loan were quite favorable as evidenced by a July 1954 letter to President Renne from the FHFA requesting the formal cancellation of MSC’s funding application. In it, area representative L. R. Durkee wrote, “I want to congratulate you on the successful closing of the commercial loan. Your deal was the best that has come to our attention.” (Durkee to Renne, 7/19/1954). With the financing secured, work could finally start on the much needed men’s and women’s dormitories at MSC. Lewis & Clark Hall When asked by the FHFA which dormitory (men’s or women’s) was of the highest priority, President Renne responded the men’s dormitory, because, “our student enrollment of men is about double that of women,” but also because, “the plans are ready and we could move toward construction at once.” (Renne to Durkee, 2/12/1954). President Renne was not exaggerating about the second point. Helena architects Sigavald L. Berg and L. O. Bradford already had plans and specifications for a four wing dormitory with shared kitchen, dining and lobby spaces to be constructed in two “mirror” phases. Specifications for the first phase (Pryor & Colter Wings) were ready by the end of January 1953 and construction MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 History of Property Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 began on May 1, 1953—over seven months before the Board of Education granted their approval and almost a year before the loan closed—with the Roy E. Thompson Construction Co. of Billings receiving the general contract, Tyner Engineering of Mitchell, SD the mechanical contract and Bozeman Electric the electrical contract. The second phase (Mullen & Culbertson Wings) followed with specifications completed by the middle of April 1954 and construction beginning on June 3. Haggerty-Messmer Co. of Bozeman received the general contract and J. F. Regan the mechanical contract for that work. Student enthusiasm for the building was evident in a February 19 th Montana Exponent article, which reported, “A long- standing dream at Montana State college will be realized with the construction of the college’s first permanent men’s dormitory. This certainly will be a ‘dream’ after the ‘nightmare’ of the Hudson House.” According to the article, the new building would be of, “a contemporary design emphasizing its functional use. It will be constructed with re-enforced concrete, fire proof and earth-quake resistant,” adding with a touch of sarcasm (or a bit of foreshadowing), “this is so the building won’t be damaged by those red-hot earth shaking dormitory parties.” Most important, however, was that the dorm would be more than “just a series of rooms, but a real home and training center for men students.” (Montana Exponent , 2/19/1954, 1). Construction of the new men’s dormitory proceeded into the winter months of 1954-1955, but setbacks held up completion of the first phase. Thompson Construction was unable to meet their March 15, 1955 deadline due to a mix-up with the delivery of steam from the heating plant, which was needed to help dry the plaster. Apparently, the tile needed by Tyner Engineering to insulate the heating pipe was mistakenly delivered to the plumbing contractor for the women’s dormitory (Hannon Hall) being constructed simultaneously, where it sat for months. President Renne, however, could muster very little sympathy, writing to Vernon Troy at Thompson Construction, “the workmanship seems to be excellent, but I cannot understand the continual delays and inability to get the job done…If such bungling and poor coordination were evident in government agencies, we would certainly hear plenty about it.” (Renne to Troy, 3/17/1955). The heating and plumbing was also holding up phase two of construction, with Haggerty-Messmer Co. writing directly the Governor Aronson and the State Board of Education for an extension. (Messmer to Aronson, 3/8/1855). The delays were more than just annoying, they were also threatening MSC’s summer programs. The east half of new men’s dormitory was scheduled to host the Rural Pastors Conference and State School Lunch Conference in late June, and Hermina Zipple, Director of Residence Halls was anxious to utilize free “Football labor” to ready the building before the close of the Spring quarter. (Zipple to Roy, 5/9/1955). Fortunately, Thompson Construction completed phase one on June 4, 1955. (Troy to Berg, 6/4/1955). The completion of the second phase followed in September of 1955. As construction proceeded, the “committee on the naming of the college dormitories” struggled to find the right name. Chaired by History Professor, Merrill G. Burlingame, the committee met in the spring of 1954 and drafted their recommendations. For the new women’s dormitory, the committee suggested “Hannon Hall” in memory of Olga Ross Hannon, longtime head of the Art Department, while they recommended one half of the men’s dormitory be named for Frederic B. Linfield and the other half for William F. Brewer. (Burlingame to Renne, 4/9/1954). The Dean’s Council, however, felt each of the four wings making up the men’s dormitory should have its own name and President Renne requested six names for the men’s dormitory and three for the women’s dormitory (although he acknowledged “Hannon Hall” was probably a winner). Eventually, each wing was named for an early Montana explorer or fur trader (Nathaniel Pryor, John Colter, John Mullen and Alexander Culbertson), while the entire complex was named “Lewis & Clark Hall” for Montana’s most famous explorers, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. Linfield, an early director of the Experiment Station and Dean of the School of Agriculture, was honored more appropriately when the Agricultural Building was renamed Linfield Hall in 1968—a solution which Burlingame’s naming committee had actually suggested in 1954. Despite the difficulties in completing and naming the new men’s dormitory, the finished product was a success, with President Renne writing to the architect, Sigvald L. Berg, in September of 1955: I think you will be interested to know that we have been receiving many, many compliments from people all over the state, parents of incoming students, and Bozeman townspeople on the very fine new men’s dormitories which we have. These compliments are, of course, a compliment to you for our new buildings which you planned. I have not heard one single off-color comment, but really dozens of people have made it a point to speak to me about how fine they thought the new dormitories are. (Renne to Berg, 9/21/1955). Lewis Clark Hall, which eventually cost $2,934,000, also brought in revenue, which was essential to the success of President Renne’s “open end” financing plan for capital construction. For instance, the 1956-1957 budget projected a net MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 History of Property Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 income of $74,693 in the dorm’s food department and $45,905 in the dormitory department, which included residential room charges (between $60 and $75 per quarter) and income from the State FFA Conference, High School Week, Girls State and the 4H Congress. (Lewis & Clark Hall, 1956-1957 Budget). The building continued to serve its original purpose for years, but Mullen Hall became a co-ed dormitory in 1972 (Pryor and Colter followed later) and Culbertson Hall was converted into office space for a number of offices and programs including International Programs, Printing Services, Public Affairs, Extension Services and Campus Mail (Rydell, 147). In about 1990, Lewis & Clark was renamed the Johnstone Center in honor of William Johnstone, longtime Vice President of the Administration (1964-1976), and acting President from 1969-1970 after the unexpected death of President Leon Johnson. Johnstone is the only native Montana to hold the office of University President. Architect Sigvald L. Berg 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 building types during his career. One of his most well-known residential commissions was the home of Barclay Craighead in 1936, who was 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 stood him in good stead 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 1960 Medical Science Research Building (now Cooley Labs) is the only other building designed by Sigvald L. Berg on the Montana State University campus. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Berg, Grabow & Schofield, “Lewis & Clark Alterations and Addition,” December 1977. University Records, 78-0091. Berg, Sigvald L. “Specifications for Construction of a Men’s Residence Hall at Montana State College,” January 31, 1953. University Records, 53-0006; “Specifications for Construction of Men’s Residence Hall No. II at Montana State College,” April 15, 1954. University Records, 53-0001. Berg, Sigvald L. “Progress Report, Men’s Residence Hall No. 1 & No. 2,” March 31, 1955. University Records, 0030, Box 86, “Men’s Dormitory #1.” 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. Burlingame, Merrill. Letter to President R. R. Renne, 4/9/1954. University Records, 0030, N2 / 494, “Men’s Dormitory #2.” Durkee, L. R. Letter to Dr. R. R. Renne, 2/8/1954. University Records, 0030, N2 / 494, “Men’s Dormitory #2.” Durkee, L. R. Letter to Dr. Ronald R. Renne, 7/19/1954. University Records, 0030, Box 86, “Men’s Dormitory #1.” “Lewis & Clark Dormitory, 1956-1957 Budget.” University Records, 0030, N2 / 494, “$4,600,000 Bond Issue.” Messmer, F. P. Letter to Governor J. Hugo Aronson, 3/9/1955. University Records, 0030, N2 / 494, “Men’s Dormitory #2.” Montana State Board of Education. “Minutes of the State Board of Education, December 18, 1953, Missoula, Montana,” University Records, 0030 (N2/494), “Women’s Dormitory.” “MSC Looks Ahead: Increasing Birth Rates, Population Growth and Greater Demands for Higher Education Create Problems” The Montana Collegian , Jan. 1954, pg. 3-4. “New Dorm to be Earthquake and Fire Proof: Will House Over 300 Students,” Montana Exponent , February 19, 1954. 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 Preservation Office. Renne, Ronald R. Letter to L. R. Durkee, 2/12/1954. University Records, 0030, N2 / 494, “Men’s Dormitory #2.” Renne, Ronald R. Letter to M. G. Burlingame, 4/30/1954. University Records, 0030, N2 / 494, “Men’s Dormitory #2.” Renne, Ronald R. Letter to Sigvald L. Berg, 9/21/1955. University Records, 0030, Box 86, “Men’s Dormitory #1.” Renne, Ronald R. Letter to Vernon Troy, 3/17/1955. University Records, 0030, Box 86, “Men’s Dormitory #1.” Rydell, Safford and Mullen. In the People’s Interest , 79026/41 ASMSU file MSUA. Shanahan, Richard M. “Remodel— Proyor/Colter Wings,” October 1986, University Records, 86-009. Troy, Vern. Letter to Sigvald Berg, 6/4/1955. University Records, 0030, Box 86, “Men’s Dormitory #1.” Zipple, Hermina. Letter to Katherine Roy, 5/9/1955. University Records, 0030, Box 86, “Men’s Dormitory #1.” MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Statement of Significance Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 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: Education, Architecture Period of Significance: 1955-1968 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Lewis & Clark Hall (now the Johnstone Center) is a contributing building to the Montana State University-Bozeman Historic District, which is eligible for listing under Criteria A and C. As the first permanent men’s dormitory constructed at Montana State, Lewis & Clark Hall represents an effort to provide improved residential accommodations that would attract potential students after the temporary housing of the World War II and immediate post-War period. Along with Hannon Hall, a women’s dormitory constructed in 1955, Lewis & Clark Hall also represents the evolution in funding the construction of revenue-producing buildings at Montana State. To complete the two residence halls, President Ronald R. Renne instituted an “open end” financing policy that had all dormitories and student fee buildings (such as the Student Union) sharing their revenue to pay off construction bonds. Finally, along with Hannon Hall, Hapner Hall (1959) and Langford Hall (1960), Lewis & Clark Hall is an integral component of a residential cluster of buildings that significantly expanded the Montana State campus to the north during a period of steady growth from 1952 to 1960. Architectually, Lewis & Clark Hall is an important example of Mid-Century Modern architecture as applied to a dormitory at Montana State University. With its smooth concrete surfaces, banded windows and emphasised horizontal and vertical planes, particularlly in the entrances to its exterior wings, Lewis & Clark Hall clearly exhibits character-defining features of the International style. This is in contrast to the three other brick-faced dormitories dating from the same period, which are more genereric in their Modernism. Finally, Lewis & Clark Hall may be significant as the only building on campus designed by Helena, MT architect, Sigvald L. Berg. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Integrity Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) Overall, Lewis & Clark Hall (now the Johnstone Center) retains excellent architectural and associational integrity. On its exterior, only the circa 1978 to the central Kitchen Addition on the south façade detracts significantly from the building’s original design and materials. This alteration—a brick-faced wall with quoins—is not particularly sympathetic to the Mid- Century Modern aesthetic of Lewis & Clark Hall, but considering the large scale of the building, it does little to detract from its overall integrity. Other alterations, such as the circa 1986 remodel of Colter and Pryor Halls and the circa 2004 replacement of windows in Culbertson Hall are historically sensitive. Throughout the rest of the building, the original design, workmanship and materials (including finished concrete walls, stone and glass block) are fully intact. Furthermore, Lewis & Clark hall maintains its original location and setting within a cluster of 1950s and early 1960s residential halls including Hannon Hall (1955), Hapner Hall (1959) and Langford Hall (1960). It clearly conveys its architectural significance as an example of the International Style and architect Signald L. Berg’s work, and its associational significance as Montana State College’s first permanent men’s dormitory. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) South Façade, Facing: N Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) South Façade (Pryor Hall & East Connecting Wing), Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) South Façade (Main Central Wing), Facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) South façade (Culberson Hall and West Connecting Wing), Facing: N Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) West Elevation of Culberston Hall, Facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 17 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) North Elevation in Central “U” between Colter (left) and Mullen Halls, Facing: S Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 18 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) North Elevation of Eastern “U” between Pryor (left) and Colter Halls, Facing: S Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 19 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall (Johnstone Center) North End of Mullen Hall, Facing: SE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, November 3, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 20 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Architectural Drawing, Sigvald L. Berg (from University Records) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 21 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 Lewis & Clark Hall Under Construction, c. 1954. (University Records) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 22 Photographs Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 “Lewis & Clark Hall” undated. (Digital Historic Historical Photograph Collection, MSU—Library, Photo ID: parc-000442) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 23 Site Map Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 24 Topographic Map Property Name: Lewis & Clark Hall Site Number: 24GA1876