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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPlew Building (24GA1880) 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 SE Corner of S. 6 th Ave & Grant Street Historic Address (if applicable): NA City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA1880 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: Gallatin Historic Name: Service Shops Original Owner(s): Montana State College of Agriculture & Mechanical Arts Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Plew Building 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 SE ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 13 Lot(s): Block(s): 51 Addition: Capital Hill Year of Addition: 1890 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Service Shops Current Use: Offices Construction Date: 1952 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2 NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred ) Zone: 12 Easting: 496506 Northing: 5056828 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: Montana State University-Bozeman HD NRHP Eligible: Yes No Date of this document: July 1, 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 no Criteria: A B C D Date: Evaluator: Comments: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: Vernacular: Industrial Property Type: Education Specific Property Type: Architect: Fred F. Willson / Bozeman, MT Architectural Firm/City/State: Builder/Contractor: Company/City/State: MSC Physical Plant Source of Information: Setting & Location The Plew Building (formerly the Service Shop) is located at the southeast corner of Montana State University’s campus among a number of other service buildings south of Grant Street, including the 1922 Heating Plant immediately to the west across South 6 th Avenue. The facilities complex, a collection of frame and Quonset buildings housing such services as the University car pool and campus work control, is found immediately behind (south of) the Plew Building and Heating Plant, with the Forest Products Lab, Aquatic Sciences Lab, Outdoor Recreation, University Records and faculty housing still farther to the south. The EPS Building is located to the southeast and single family housing is found to the south across Grant Street and immediately to the east. Montana State College purchased the property on which the Plew Building now sits in 1945 and acquired much of the surrounding agricultural area in 1943. The Lester Robinson farmstead located about 800’ southeast of the Plew Building was used by MSU as a poultry farm for several years. The large barn and Bungalow style farmhouse are still extant, with the latter now serving as the Kellogg Center (the Human Development Clinic). Overall, the buildings in the service area are highly utilitarian. Even the brick Heating Plant and Plew Building, both designed by Bozeman architect Fred F. Willson, reflect their service functions, particularly in the use of industrial steel windows. Summary The Plew Building is a two-story, flat-roofed, reinforced concrete structure clad in polychromatic brick laid in a common bond. It has an L-shaped footprint with its slightly longer (104’) ell fronting Grant Street and its shorter (90’) ell running along the alley between South 5 th and South 6 th Avenues. Completed in 1952, Bozeman architect Fred F. Willson designed the building in a vernacular style commonly applied to utilitarian and industrial building throughout the early- and mid-20 th century. Features of this vernacular style include flat roofs, brick cladding with little ornamentation, exposed structural forms and multi-light, industrial-style steel windows. All entrances are located on the interior of the “L”, with the main entrance on the west end of the longer ell and secondary entrances and loading docks on the south and west elevations. The building sits on a poured concrete foundation, which is visible on all elevations. Brick clad piers divide the building into bays on all elevations except the south end of the shorter ell. The piers are capped by concrete “capitals” that slant back to meet the building walls near the roofline. A slightly corbelled stringcourse of solider and stretcher courses between rowlock courses is found on the brick walls at same level as the concrete capitals. 20-light, industrial-style windows with slanted rowlock brick lintels are found at the main story in each bay on the exterior (north and south) elevations. Some bays also include loft-level windows, some of which were added during a recent renovation. A corrugated metal addition extends approximately 60’ feet off the south end of the shorter ell. Interior Elevations (South and West-Facing Walls) The west end of the longer ell is divided into three bays, with the Plew Building’s elevated main entrance located in the central bay. It has a small concrete stoop reached by a short flight of steps on either side. A six-light, industrial-style steel window with a rowlock brick lintel is located in the upper story above the entrance. Side bays on this elevation have 16- light, industrial-style steel windows with rowlock lintels on each story. A flat-roofed canopy supported by two chains protects the entrance and metal awnings have been added above all of the windows. The Plew Building’s south elevation and west elevation have five and four bays, respectively. A small, enclosed concrete loading dock extends across the west bay and half of the next bay. Its upper portion is clad in brown corrugated metal and has a single, elevated walk-in metal door on its south elevation. A second enclosed, concrete loading dock extends across the entire west elevation of the Plew Building. In addition to the drive-up overhead garage doors, this loading dock can also be accessed by a metal walk-in door located at grade in the fourth bay of the south. This door opens to stairs along the south elevation that lead up to the loading dock, all of which are protected by the shed-roofed loading dock structure. Upper story windows are found in all but the west bay on the south elevation. The two windows to the west are original 12-light steel windows with rowlock lintels, while the east windows are modern three-light units with no lintels added during a recent renovation. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 A concrete loading dock protected by a shed-roofed corrugated metal structure stretches across the lower two-thirds of the west elevation, which has four bays. It has two three-panel, overhead garage doors on its north half. Single-light windows are found in the loading dock structure to the north of the garage doors, at the south end of its west-facing wall and on its south-facing end wall. A single three light-window has been added above the loading dock in the south bay. A single three-light window has been recently added in the upper story of the unadorned south end of the Plew Building’s shorter ell. The approximately 80’ x 38’ one-story, metal frame addition, which is clad in corrugated metal siding, is attached to this elevation. Its west elevation can be divided into three sections, with the northern section having an approximately 25’ long lean-to structure (also clad in metal siding). This structure has a single metal door with a rectangular upper light flanked by single light windows. Moving from north to south, the central section has an overhead garage door, a pair of single light windows and a ribbon of three single light windows. The taller southern section, which appears to have been added recently, has a single metal door and an overhead garage door. A single four-light window is centered in the south end of the addition. Exterior Elevations (North and East-Facing Walls) Exterior elevations of the Plew Building are characterized by large bays with industrial-style steel windows created by protruding brick piers with concrete capitals. The north elevation, which faces Grant Street, has eight bays. Each bay has a 20-light industrial-style steel window a rowlock brick sill on their main story. Moving from east to west, bays 5, 7 and 8 also have 12-ligtht industrial-style windows with rowlock brick sills in their upper (loft) story. Their tops are even with the top of the building’s stringcourse. There are seven bays on the east elevation, with each having a 20-ligth industrial-style steel window on its main level. A two-light window has been recently added to the upper (loft) story of the northernmost bay and there is a similar three-light window in the next bay to the south. These windows have uneven bottoms and their tops extend above the building’s stringcourse. On this elevation, the metal addition at the southern end of the Plew Building is completely devoid of fenestration. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 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 PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 The 1948 Bond Issue & Post-World War Expansion Montana State College (MSC) came out of World War II with an ambitious new President in Ronald R. Renne and a jump in enrollment thanks to the G.I. Bill. While enrollment would fall briefly from its all-time high of 3,165 in 1947, it would never again reach prewar levels and by 1960 had reached almost 4,000. (MSU Website, Enrollment History). Once again, MSC needed to expand to meet a growing need for classroom and office space, as well as a need for facilities to serve the growing campus. Luckily, Montanans—many of whom were experiencing their own postwar boom—were ready to increase their investment higher education. In 1948 they voted to increase the mill levy for higher education from 3.5 mills to 6 mills and to fund a $5 million bond issue for buildings on all of Montana’s campus. (Burlingame, 186). Unfortunately, the money became bogged down in an argument over which college deserved what amount of money, with Northern Montana College putting forth a strong case for a higher share after receiving virtually no state building funds since its inception. (Burlingame, 189). By the time the funds were finally allocated four years later, MSC’s $1.55 million did not stretch nearly as far as it could have thanks to inflation, but the college was still able to move forward with six construction projects: two greenhouses, an addition to the 1922 Engineering Shops (Ryon Labs), an addition to the 1909 Agricultural Building (Linfield Hall), a new Service Shop and a new Math-Physics Building. (Burlingame, 190). By March of 1952, Acting President P. C. Gaines (President Renne was on leave) could tell the Exponent , We fully believe that all the buildings made possible by the 5 million dollar bond issue will be under construction before the summer is over. The additions to Ryon Laboratory and the Agricultural Building will partially relieve overcrowded conditions in the Engineering and Agriculture Divisions. The Math-Physics Building will provide a much more favorable location for the Mathematics Department. The new greenhouses and the Veterinary Research Laboratory will permit expansion of research work essential to Montana’s agriculture. All of these improvements in facilities will give Montana State college a greater opportunity for service, through instruction and research, to the people of the state. ( Montana Exponent, 3/13/1952, p. 11). All building projects funded by the 1948 Bond Issue were constructed over the next two years, with the new Service Shops finished in 1952, the addition to the Agriculture Building (Linfield Hall) finished in 1953 and the largest of the projects, the Math-Physics Building (A.J.M. Johnson Hall), finished in 1954. The Service Shops (Plew Building) Prior to construction of the Plew Building in 1952, the campus service shops, which included painting, cabinetry, plumbing and electrical services, were located in, “a dilapidated old frame building situated almost in the center of campus.” (1945 Building Requests). According to President Renne, the building was entirely insufficient to protect the valuable equipment housed there, as well as being a, “terrific fire hazard” and “very unsightly.” The situation was dire enough that when MSC received $1.55 million in building funds from the 1948 Bond Issue, Renne placed a $91,000 service shop in his construction plans over seemingly more popular projects like a new student health center or chemistry building. The college again turned to Bozeman, Montana architect Fred F. Willson, however this time instead of a revivalist academic building, he was tasked with designing, “a brick building of industrial type.” His plans for a simple L-shaped brick building that would be well lit with industrial-style steel windows certainly fit the bill. With the MSC Physical Plant ready to serve as general contractor, all the project needed to move forward was a location. As early as 1945, President Renne envisioned a new Service Shop in its current location, immediately east of the 1922 Heating Plant. For Renne, this location made sense because it was adjacent to campus without being highly visible and it also allowed for the construction of a multi-purpose service yard. Unfortunately, Physical Plant Superintendent, W. C. Baker, did not agree. “The whole Campus revolves around the Shops,” he wrote in a 1949 letter to Renne, and “having the Shops at one corner of Campus handicaps everyone.” He continued to claim the location would also increase costs because servicemen would need to use vehicles more often to reach campus buildings. (Baker to Renne, 4/14/1949). Finally, Baker also derided the idea that the new building and its fenced yard would be “unsightly,” claiming, “it will be a permanent building the same as any other…[and] the fence will look as well as the fences around the cattle barns.” He called for a site at the southeast corner of 11 th and Garfield (the current location of Sherrick Hall and the Duck Pond). Clearly, Baker was not as attuned to the aesthetics of campus planning as Renne (or Carsley and Gilbert, who did not even include service shops in their 1917 Plan), but his protestations did indicate the importance of the Service Shop to campus. In the end, Renne’s preferred location won the day, and by March of 1952 the Montana Exponent could report that the new Service Shop was almost complete. ( Montana Exponent, 3/13/1952). The Service Shop continued in in its MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 History of Property Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 original function for years, but it currently houses offices for University Facilities Planning, Design and Construction. The building is named after William R. Plew, MSC’s Supervising Architect from 1913-1945. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Baker, W. C. Letter to President Ronald R. Renne, 14 April 1949. University Records. 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. Montana State University, “Fall Headcount Enrollment History, 1893-Present,” Website accessed online at http://www.montana.edu/opa/facts/headhist.html . Painter, Diane J. “Langford Hall, Montana Property Record Form,” July 18, 2010. Montana State Preservation Office. Renne, Ronald R., “Explanation of Request for New Service Shop,” 1945. “Three New Buildings For MSC This Spring,” Montana Exponent , 13 March 1952. Willson, Fred F. “Service Shop, Montana State College, Bozeman, MT: Specifications, General Conditions, Instructions to Bidders, Proposal Form,” July 1949. University Records, 51-0003. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Statement of Significance Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: NA 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: 1952-1968 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Plew Building (Service Shop) is a contributing building within the proposed Montana State University Historic District, which is eligible for listing under Criteria A and C. It is significant for its associations with post-WWII expansion at MSU and the 1948 Bond Issue. Furthermore, the Plew Building is also significant for its role in the maintenance and upkeep of campus and, along with the nearby 1922 Heating Plant, it is one of only two industrial-type service buildings included in the historic district. Architecturally, the Plew Building is a good example of the ubiquitous “Industrial type” brick building constructed to house any number of utilitarian functions during the 19 th and 20 th centuries. The most significant character-defining feature of this type is its large multi-light steel windows with central pivots. Such windows are the most striking feature of both the Plew Building and the Heating Plant, which is essentially an Industrial type building embellished with Italian Renaissance Revival style ornamentation. The 1922 Romney Gymnasium, another campus building with a unique function, also features industrial style windows, but its barrel vault form, elaborate Italian Renaissance Revival ornamentation and significant siting within the campus overcome any industrial connotations. Finally, the Plew Building and the Heating Plant illustrate the skill of architect Fred F. Willson, who was able to successfully design for a variety of functions at MSU. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Integrity Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The Plew Building retains good exterior integrity, including its original industrial style steel windows. Perhaps the most significant alterations are the enclosure of the loading docks and the metal-clad additions off the south end of the building’s north/south wing. Such alterations, however, are to be expected on such a utilitarian building and they do not significantly detract from its overall design. Smaller alterations include a handful of “loft” story windows added during a c. 2005 renovation of the building’s interior office space and the addition of windows awnings to the west elevation in c. 2003. The Plew Building also retains its integrity of setting and location among the “service cluster” of campus. The 1922 Heating Plant is found to the west along Grant Street and the vast facilities complex (or service yard) extends to the west and south, a development envisioned in the design and siting of the Plew Building. Overall, the Plew Building readily conveys its architectural significant as campus’s only true “Industrial type” building, and its significant associations with post-World War II expansion at MSU and the continual upkeep of campus. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 Plew Building North Elevation with West Entrance (right) Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Photographs Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 Plew Building West Elevation Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Photographs Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 Plew Building East Elevation Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Photographs Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 Plew Building West Elevation of North/South Wing and Metal Additions Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 Photographs Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 Plew Building East Elevation of Metal Additions with South End of North/South Wing Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 Site Map Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 Topographic Map Property Name: Plew Building (Service Shops) Site Number: 24GA1880