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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStrand Student Union (24GA1763) 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 S. Side Centennial Mall Historic Address (if applicable): NA City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA1763 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: Gallatin Historic Name: Student Union Building (SUB) Original Owner(s): Montana State College of Agriculture Mechanical Arts Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Strand Student Union 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 SW ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 13 Lot(s): Block(s): 44 Addition: Capital Hill Year of Addition: 1890 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Student Union Current Use: Same Construction Date: 1939; 1957; 1967; 1983; 2008 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov/topofinder2 NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred ) Zone: 12 Easting: 496297 Northing: 5056980 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: X yes no Criteria: X A B X C D Date: October 2013 Evaluator: Kate Hampton Comments: Contributor to MSU-Bozeman HD MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other: If Other, specify: Jacobethan Revival (1939-1940 Building) / Modern (All Additions) Property Type: Education Specific Property Type: Architect: Fred F. Willson / Bozeman, MT (1939, 1957) Architectural Firm/City/State: Cottier & Herrington (1939); Leonard R. Sundell / Billings, MT (1967); Hoiland-Zucconi / Great Falls (1957 & 1971); A & E Partnership / Bozeman, MT (1983); A & E Architects (2008) Builder/Contractor: A. R. Elliott (General, 1939) Company/City/State: Capital Equipment Company (Heating & Plumbing, 1939) / Helena, MT; Palmquist Electric Company (1939) / Helena, MT; Haggerty-Messmer Co. (General, 1957) Swank Enterprises (2008) Source of Information: University Records, 39-0001, 55-0001, 66-0009; MSU Website (Facilities Planning, Design & Construction, Completed Projects) Setting & Location The sprawling Strand Student Union is located near the heart of campus on the south side of Centennial Mall between the 1922 Renaissance Revival style Roberts Hall (Engineering Building) to the east and Renne Library (1949; 1960) to the west. Across Centennial Mall is the Spanish Mission Revival style Hamilton Hall (1910) to the north, Montana (Main) Hall to the northwest , and a parking lot and green space (Hannon Field) to the northeast. The Modern style A.J.M. Johnson Hall (1954) is located just off the northwest corner of the sprawling Student Union, with Cobleigh Hall (1970) and the EPS Building (1997) across a landscaped walk to the east. A paved rectangular drive off of Grant Street allows for quick visitor pick-ups and drop-offs, bus service, and access to the Student Union’s service bays between the main building’s west elevation and the 1957 Student Heath Service Addition (now Swingle Health Center). Across Grant Street is paved parking and an open field flanked by the 1923 Heating Plant to the east and the recently-renovated Marga Hosaeus Fitness Center (1973; 2008) to the west. Summary Since its construction in 1939-1940, the Student Union Building has grown with the college and now includes six additions: a 1957 addition to the west and south elevations of the original building’s east/west wing; the 1957 Student Health Center Addition to the south end of the north/south wing; a 1967 addition to the south elevation of the 1957 addition; a 1971 addition to the south end of the Student Health Center; a 1983 addition to the south elevation of the 1967 addition and a 2008 addition to the south elevation of the 1983 addition. Today, the building is almost seven times as large as it was originally, extending nearly 340’ from east to west 420’ from north to south at its widest cross-sections. It has an irregular foot print with an approximately 200’ x 400’ mass behind and including the east/west wing of the original building and 100’ x 280’ mass behind and including the original north/south wing. Beginning about 180’ feet behind the south façade, there is an approximately 40’ wide open space between the east and west building masses that is lined on the north and south by service bays. The original 1939-1940 building was designed in the Jacobethan Revival style by Fred F. Willson with assistance from the firm Cottier & Harrington, all of Bozeman, Montana. It has three stories atop a granite foundation. The building includes a 53’ x 121’ east/west wing with its north-facing façade fronting Centennial Mall with a slightly lower 70’ x 139’ north/south wing attached to its east end. Both wings have shingle-clad truncated hipped roofs with flared, overhanging, boxed eves. A 30’ wide cross gable with flared eaves at the building’s main entrance protrudes approximately 9’ from the west end of the east/west wing’s north façade and there is a large gabled wall dormer on the north end of the north/south wing’s east elevation. There are also three smaller gabled wall dormers on south end of the north/south wing. The building is clad in polychrome rug-faced brick laid in a common bond, has a rusticated base , and its stories are visually divided by continuous concrete belt courses in the appearance of tooled sandstone below the windows. Additions are two-story (except the one-story 1971 Addition), flat-roofed, reinforced concrete buildings clad in polychrome brick in a running bond and each exhibits a sub-style of Modern Architecture. The 1957 Addition extends approximately 50’ west of the original building on the south façade and 110’ feet behind the south elevation of its east/west wing. It also includes an approximately 75’ x 60’ theater addition attached to the south end of the north/south wing. A partial flyloft on its northern half rises well above the original building and the rest of the additions. This addition most closely matches the original building with a rusticated base and multi-light wood windows. While its low, rectilinear form is Mid-Century Modern, its style can still be considered Jacobethan Revival. Attached to all but the east 75’ of the 1957 Addition’s rear (south) elevation (including the theater) is the approximately 185’ x 150’ 1967 Addition. It has an approximately 70’ wide projecting portico entrance on its west elevation with a flat roof supported by six slender, squared brick-clad columns. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 White plexiglas panels with large stylized dentils decorate the portico’s fascia (or frieze). This classically-inspired entrance links the 1967 Addition to New Formalism. The 1967 Addition’s long south elevation once included an entrance and long window wall under the same plexiglass fascia board paneling, but it is now obscured by the approximately 185’ x 65’ 1983 addition. With its large, deeply recessed first-story windows, this addition exhibits some characteristics of Brutalism. The approximately 155’ x 35’ 2008 Addition created a new entrance at the southwest corner of the building, which is contained within a diagonally-oriented, projecting glass and aluminum curtain wall foyer. This addition’s design and materials are sympathetic to the Modern aesthetic and might be considered Neo-Modern. Moving across the Student Union’s open service area to its eastern mass, is the approximately 100’ x 50’ 1957 Student Health Center Addition. Designed in conjunction with the 1957 Addition, it is attached to the east side of the theater with its façade extending 45’ further east than the east elevation of the original building. The Student Health Center’s horizontal curtain wall against the verticality of the theater’s fly loft, a wide brick wall on the facade and a mechanical penthouse near its south end are characteristic of the International Style. An approximately 80’ x 85’ one-story addition was added to the Student Health Center in 1971. With its full-length window bays defined by thin projecting brick columns, this addition can be loosely linked to Brutalism. North Façade The north façade of the Strand Student Union runs along the south side of Centennial Mall and includes the north elevation of the original 1939-1940 Building and the north elevation of the 1957 Addition. The latter mimics the original building with its color of brick, rusticated base and fenestration, creating an almost seamless transition. Only the different brick pattern (running bond), roof shape (flat) and overall “boxy” form indicate the addition’s later construction. North Façade (1939-1940 Building) The main entrance is located in the 30’ wide western cross gable and is embellished by a concrete door surround finished to imitate tooled sandstone. The entrance is accessed by a series of brick steps and has three large oak and glass pane doors with copper kick plates and large glass plate transoms. Intertwined within a metal grill protecting the transoms are the metal letters "MSU." A concrete veneered balcony finished to appear like sandstone and incised with the words "STUDENT UNION” is found above the first floor entrance. Above the balcony is a large twelve-over-twelve light window flanked by long six-over-six sidelights, which are capped by six- and four-light transoms, respectively. All are framed by cast stone quoins. Offset bricks in a jagged tooth pattern are set in the gable end along the eaves. West of the entrance are two six-over-four light windows on the main (second) story and four-over-four light windows on the first and third stories. The main floor east of the entrance has large plate glass windows with five-light sidelights and transoms. These windows provide illumination for an interior lounge. First and third story windows are six-over-six light double hung units. The north end of the north/south wing has two grouped six-over-six light windows with concrete slip set in each story below three gabled wall dormers. There are no concrete belt course on this section. North Façade (1957 Addition) The 1957 Addition sits west of the original building. It has a long ribbon of windows on its first-story consisting of three large plate glass lights with ten-light sidelights and a three-light transom followed by two ten light windows. Five pairs of four-over-four light windows located in the basement story are served by a continuous concrete window well. East Elevation The long east elevation of the Student Union includes (from north to south): the north/south wing of the original 1939-1940 Building, the east façade and exposed north elevation of the 1957 Student Heath Center Addition (Swingle Health Center) and its 1971 Addition. The tall theater portion of the 1957 Addition to the original building’s north/south wing is visible behind the Student Heath Center Addition. Both 1957 additions and the 1971 Addition were designed by the Great Falls, Montana architectural firm Hoilland & Zocconi and utilized the same brick. Each subsequent addition to the south also stepped farther east, with the east façade of the Student Health Center approximately 45’ farther east that the original building and the 1971 Addition approximately 12’ farther east that its predecessor. East Elevation (1939-1940 Building) The east elevation of the original building has a large gabled wall dormer at the north corner containing a 24-light window flanked by 6-over-6 light windows beneath a 16-light window with four-over-four double hung sidelights. South of the gable is a one-story portico with three Roman arches embellished by cast stone quoins mimicking tooled sandstone. The portico originally had a balcony with concrete coping above toothed brick, but this has since been removed and replaced with metal flashing. The portico leads to a double oak door entrance on the south-facing wall of the projecting gable. Above the MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Architectural Description Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 portico is a 20-light window with a four-light ribbon transom flanked by ten-light windows with two-light transoms. This second-story fenestration pattern is repeated three times to the east. Ground floor windows are also in a tripartite pattern, with a central eight-over-eight window flanked by six-over-six windows. The southern end of the building, including the southernmost ten-light windows on both stories, was covered by the Student Heath Center Addition in 1957. That same year a small (14’ x 57’), lower southern extension of the original building was removed to make way for the theater portion of the 1957 Addition. East Elevations (1957 Addition, Student Health Center Addition and 1971 Addition) Continuing south on the east elevation is the 1957 International style Student Health Center Addition. It projects east from the original 1939-1940 building, creating two elevations. The north elevation has one door located at its juncture with the older building. Windows above and next to the entrance are one-over-one glass panes with concrete slip sills. The east façade has two curtain wall stories of plate glass above brown board and batten paneling between thin perpendicular brick walls that project slightly from the building face. The plate glass is arranged with a slender row of lights above a wider row that create both slender and wide columns. Second- and first-story lights are identical except for in the south bay and a small area in the center of the main façade where there is no plate glass. Flat canopies with recessed lighting project outward above each story. A wide brick wall dividing the south bay from the rest of the façade provides a contrasting vertical element. Entrances are located at the north and south ends of the first story. The north entrance has a wood- framed glass door with five stacked sidelights and a transom currently covered with a sign reading “Student Health Service.” A single wood-framed glass door makes up the south entrance. Finally, there is an approximately 10’ x 15’ mechanical penthouse near the southeast corner of the building offering roof access. Its east wall has a single metal door protected by a small flat canopy, all found between slightly taller brick walls with dark brown metal coping. A small brick- clad tower with a square blue light is attached to the south wall of the penthouse. Continuing further south is the Student Health Center’s one-story 1971 Addition. Four sets of windows with vertical wood sun screens set between 2' projecting brick walls are located to the south of the main entrance on the east elevation. These windows are large lights above operational awning units. The fenestration pattern has wide bays containing two windows flanking two bays with slender single windows. The main entrance at the south end of the building is also set between 2’ projecting brick walls and includes a single metal door to the south of a large plate glass window above an operational awning unit. A vertical wood sun screen stretches across the top of the entrance bay. West Elevation Moving north, the west elevation reveals the progression of additions to the Student Union: the 1957 Addition, the 1967 Addition, the 1982 Addition and the 2008 Addition. All are clad in various shades of polychrome brick, with the 1957 Addition most closely matching the original 1939-1940 Building. To the north of the 1967 Addition’s projecting portico entrance, the west wall of the 1957 Addition has a series of projecting and recessed surfaces, while the 1967, 1983 and 2008 Additions to east of the entrance create a flush wall surface. West Elevation (1957 Addition) In contrast to its north elevation, which sympathizes with the Jacobethan Revival style of the original building’s façade, the west elevation of the 1957 Addition is much more in keeping with the Modern aesthetic. It is divided by a wide exterior brick chimney located approximately 60’ south of the northwest corner of the building. Two wall surfaces step back (east) from the chimney to the north. The northernmost of these is approximately 40’ wide and contains the addition’s western first-story (basement) entrance on its south end. A short flight of concrete steps lead s down to the entrance which consists of three oak and glass doors with a northern sidelight of five stacked lights. A flat-roofed canopy , supported by a metal post on the north and the north-facing setback on the south , protects the entrance. There are brick planters on either side of the entrance. A small six-light window is located just to the north of the entrance. To the west of the entrance, is a solid brick wall that extends approximately 20’ south to meet this elevation’s central chimney. The approximately 95’ long wall to the south of the chimney is slightly taller and is setback approximately 18’ to the east. An approximately 10’ wide shed- roofed atrium lighting the Student Union’s dining area has been added to the lower portion of this wall. It contains four bays with two rows of lights, with the lower row sitting vertically above a brick wall and the upper row serving as the atrium roof and slanting back to meet the main wall. Thin brick columns following the shape of the glass divide the bays. A sloping concrete-lined “planter” in front of the atrium contains three trees. West Elevation (1967 Addition) The main west wall of the 1967 addition projects approximately 30’ farther east than the 1957 addition. Its 70’ wide New Formalist portico extends another 25’ or so to the east near its northern end. To the north of the portico (attached to the MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Architectural Description Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 south end of the 1957’s west elevation) is this addition’s approximately 23’ by 23’ elevator tower, which extends slightly above the main roofline. The northern end of portico wraps around the tower. Underneath the portico is the addition’s two- story curtain wall main entrance, which is divided into five bays by engaged square brick columns matching the columns supporting the portico. Triple aluminum-framed glass door entrances are located in the lower portion of the three central bays. The glass north bay turns east to meet the elevator tower, which is setback slightly form the addition’s main wall to the south of the entrance, and the south bay is filled with a row white paneling between rows of brown paneling. To the north of the portico entrance, the 1967 Addition is a solid brick wall. West Elevation (1983 & 2008 Additions) To the south of the 1967 Addition are the taller 1983 and 2008 Additions, which are approximately 64’ and 34’ wide, respectively. The former has a soldier course of brick that extends the roofline of the 1967 Addition. There are two large four-light plate glass windows with dark metal muntins in its southern half, which are divided horizontally from three slightly recessed panels by the soldier brick stringcourse. The panels are equal in width to the windows but are much shorter. A louvered metal vent fills the southernmost panel, while the other two panels are filled with brick. The west elevation of the 2008 Addition is the same height as its immediate predecessor, except that it has an aluminum-colored metal parapet. It too has two large , four-light plate glass windows, although its muntins are light-colored aluminum. A louvered metal vent is located in the upper south corner of this wall. South Elevation The U-shaped south elevation is situated around an approximately 40’ wide paved courtyard containing service entrances to the various additions. To the west of the open area is the wider west building mass (1957, 1967, 1983 and 2008 additions), which projects approximately 115’ farther south than the slimmer east building mass (1957 Theater Addition, Student Health Center Addition, 1971 Addition). The south elevation of the west building mass includes the south elevation of the 2008 and 1983 Additions, as well as the east-facing wall of the projecting 2008 Addition. On the east building mass, the south elevation is limited to the south wall of the 1971 Addition to the Student Heath Center. Within the service courtyard , the west elevation includes the west walls of the 1983 and 1967 Additions, the south elevation includes portions of the 1957 Addition and its Theater Addition, and the west elevation is the west wall of the 1971 Addition. South Elevation (2008 & 1983 Additions) The south elevation of the 2008 Addition contains the projecting southern entrance to the Student Union on its taller west end. Projecting approximately 20’ from the wall face, the atrium entrance consists of two mirrored diagonal glass walls with tops that slant downward to support a triangular roof covered with light metal paneling. An approximately 40’ wide, flat-roofed rectilinear canopy extends out from the atrium structure at the juncture of the walls and roof. Two double aluminum-framed glass door entrances are centered in the canted glass curtain walls. A four-light plate glass window with light metal mullions is found to the west of the entrance atrium. Its lower left light is an operational awning unit and it is protected by a flat-roofed, light metal sunshade. Six identical windows are located in the lower brick-clad section to the east of the entrance atrium. They are protected by a continuous flat light metal sunshade. Individual dark solar panels that slant down to (almost) meet the continuous shade were installed in 2012 with funding from ASMSU. Five two-light basement windows are located immediately below the five easternmost windows. There are two more identical four-light, first-story windows in the east-facing wall of the projecting 2008 Addition. The 1983 Addition originally had a flat-roofed portico entrance flanked by large four-light plate glass windows on its southern elevation. All but the eastern three windows were either covered or removed by the 2008 Addition. Remaining windows are deeply recessed with precast paver brick sills that slant downward. There are dark plate glass transoms above the two westernmost of these windows. A stringcourse of solder bricks runs between the windows and transoms and continues around to the 1983 Addition’s east elevation. “STUDENT UNION” in individual metal letters is located in the upper portion of the solid brick wall to the east of the windows. Interior Service Elevations The east elevation of the 1983 Addition is a solid brick wall excepted for a recessed service entrance bay on its lower north corner. This elevated entrance, which consists of a metal overhead garage door, is served by a concrete loading dock that continues across the very southern portion of the 1967 Addition’s east elevation. There are double metal doors immediately against the south-facing wall of the 1983 Addition, which projects approximately 14’ farther east that its predecessor. The 1967 Addition extends about 85’ south from its junction with the 1983 Addition, until it turns east for approximately 10’ and then south again for 60’ until it meets the south elevation of the 1957 Addition. There is a slightly recessed entrance bay at the north end of the first (85’ foot) long wall, immediately against south-facing wall or the projection. Its roof line is slightly lower than the main wall and it contains double metal-framed glass doors protected by a MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Architectural Description Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 flat-roofed canopy. Wide, brown board and batten paneling (similar to that found on the Student Health Center Addition) is found above the canopy. A low brick wall capped with a rowlock course extends east off the south end of the 60’ long wall and turns south, providing a screen for mechanical equipment. A long flat-roofed canopy protects the grade-level story on the western three-fourths of the 1957 Addition’s approximately 40’ long south elevation. Under the canopy are two single door entrances flanked by brown board and batten paneling. There is also an overhead garage door located under the east end of the canopy. In this same bay, which is slightly lower than the main building wall, there is a second-story garage door protected by its own flat-roofed canopy. More brown board and batten paneling is found above the second-story garage door. The remainder of the elevation, including that which is visible above the Student Health Center, is solid brick, as is the approximately 105’ long west elevation of the Student Heath Center’s 1971 Addition. South Elevation (1971 Addition to Student Health Center) The south elevation of the 1971 Addition to the Student Heath Center includes a heavily-recessed (about 25’) entrance bay flanked by an approximately 18’ wide wall to the west , and an approximately 55’ wide wall to the east, the latter of which extend approximately 10’ farther south that the former. The west wall contains three consecutive windows with a large light above an operational awning unit set within 2’ projecting brick walls. A continuous vertical wood screen protects these windows. On the east wall, there are two identical windows, also set within projecting brick walls and protected by a vertical screen. A wide, single metal door protected by a flat-roofed canopy is located on the south wall of the recessed entrance bay. There are also two single metal doors in the west-facing wall of the entrance bay. The second story of the 1957 Student Heath Center Addition’s south elevation, which includes a curtain wall bay in its western half, is still visible above the 1971 Addition. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 History of Property Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 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, 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 8 History of Property Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union Building Student service and recreational facilities had been located in several buildings during the course of the University’s early history. The first was a log house, which was plastered and furnished to create a student lunch room and recreation room. In 1912, following the completion of the Agricultural Building, club rooms were created on the new building's third floor. Although they shared space with the farm machinery, sufficient room was provided for three rooms furnished with rockers, lounges, a library , and a reading table. Card tables, a billiard table, and a pool table provided more active diversions. [Exponent, 10 October 1970, p. 12; 11 October 1912, p. 1]. As the student enrollment continued to increase, however, a permanent and sufficient solution was needed. The 1933 Montana State Legislature authorized the construction of “students’ union buildings” on all of the state’s college campuses, but failed to provide any funding. As such, Montana’s colleges were left to seek financing for their student union buildings elsewhere, and throughout the Great Depression, Montana State College attempted to secure federal assistance through the Public Works Administration. Applications were submitted in 1933 and again in 1938, but funding was declined due to the technicalities of the building’s proposed function (not a residence hall) and financing (not 100% self-financed). [Application for Loan & Grant, 1938; Atkinson to Branegen, 5/19/1937]. By 1938, however, newly-appointed President A. L. Strand was ready to move forward with construction of the building, with or without federal assistance. [Plew to Ferris & Hardgrove, 11/14/1938]. The State Board of Education had previously authorized a $5 per quarter student building fee to be used for bond payments and successful Bozeman, Montana architect Fred F. Willson was hired to draw up plans and specifications. A planning committee of nine students and ten faculty members was formed to decide upon a site and program for the new building. [Strand to Plew, et al., 1/6/1939]. A central site west of Roberts Hall (Engineering Building) was selected over one adjacent to the 1934 Quadrangle at the northeast corner of campus [Plew to Strand, 1/14/1939]. Recommendations for the new building included the inclusion of a large room and smaller lounge, game rooms, organizational rooms for men and women, a bookstore, offices for the Exponent , a grill room and soda fountain, a “rest room for women with cots,” and a sun deck on the roof. [Recommended Program, 1/14/1939]. The resulting Student Union Building was Jacobethan in style, and bore a close similarity to the 1934 Quadrangle, also designed by Willson. Both feature steeply-pitched roofs, brick cladding, and a prominent cross-gabled entrance with cast stone detailing. The new building included a lounge, game room, card tables, coke machine, ping pong table, radio, and piano. Furnishings amounted to $235,000, to be financed by a 20 year bond sold in 1939. The rapid growth of the College enabled the bonds to be paid off in 1951, eight years ahead of schedule. The growth of the university directly affected the appearance of the Student Union, resulting in a series of additions. As early as 1945, a report was issued by College President, Ronald R. Renne, outlining the needs for increased space for a new Student Health Center. Since 1923, the service had been located in the basement of Lewis Hall. An increase of student enrollment by 66 percent necessitated the need for new facilities. A new building would also create badly needed office space for the over-crowed school of Nursing in Lewis Hall, and for the Health Education administration. A plan of the proposed building was also included in the report. Although designs were drawn up, the Health Center addition was not constructed until 1957. An addition to the Health Center was completed in 1971. In 1954, the student-faculty committees decided to plan another addition, completed in 1957. The $1,000,000 construction was again financed through a student fee, when the student body voted to use their $4.00 Student Union Fee towards retirement of bonds, along with the "Old Building Fee" of $5.00. The addition included a new student book store, a 1200- capacity dance floor, a Theater seating 414, a new game room , and the new Student Health Center. The game room had six bowling alleys, four billiard tables , and ping pong tables. The theatre replaced a ballroom and included several alterations. A tall tower to contain backdrops was added, along with a spiral staircase, and additional rooms. A projection booth, sloped floors with seating, and a stage were also installed. The stage was clad in Philippine mahogany paneling. A new 1967-1968 addition provided more room and conveniences at a cost of $1,064,000. The bookstore gained 23,000 square feet of space. The second floor added six meeting-dining areas and an addition to the Ballroom and lounge. [PA.1/Sub Additions], In 1983, a third addition expanded the building to the south, adding more space to the book store and ball room, and creating a large formal entrance to the south elevation of the building. Finally, a 2008 addition created a new atrium entrance at the southwest corner of the building. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 History of Property Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Fred F. Willson, Architect Born in 1877, Willson was the only son of General L. S. Willson, Civil War veteran, territorial legislator and Bozeman pioneer. After attending the Bozeman Academy, Willson completed his junior year at Montana State College then enrolled at Columbia University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1902. Willson returned to Montana, where he spent two years in the Helena office of prominent architect, Charles S. Haire. Next, he went to Europe, where he studied at the Ecole des Beau Arts and traveled, before returning to the United States in 1906. Willson briefly lived in New York City, where he was associated with architects Theodore C. Visscher and James Burley. Later that year, Willson returned to Montana to oversee the Butte office of his mentor, who now headed the firm of Link & Haire. Willson returned permanently to Bozeman in 1910 and opened his own office in the Commercial National Bank Building. He designed and built his own residence at 509 Tracy Avenue in 1914. Willson designed numerous buildings in the Bozeman area and across Montana, and was competent in a number of architectural styles including Craftsman, Mission and Renaissance Revival, Jacobethan Revival and International. In addition to the Quadrangle, his designs on campus include Hamilton Hall, the Engineering Building (Roberts Hall), the Engineering Shops (Ryon Labs) and its addition, the Heating Plant, the Chemistry Building (Traphagen Hall), Herrick Hall and the original section of the 1939-1940 Strand Union Building. His design of Bozeman’s Jacobethan Revival Emerson School won praise from educational groups across the United States. Willson also expanded his business interests into areas other than architecture. He owned 640 acres in the Powder River area, was president of the Bozeman Investment Company, and a director and stockholder of the Willson Company, the latter established by his father in the 1870s. [Stout, 319-320] MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Atkinson, Alfred. Letter to Dean Gladys Branegan, et. al., 19 May, 1937, University Records, 39-0001. 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. "Club Rooms will Be Finished In A Few Days," The Weekly Exponent, October 1912. "Folder A6.1/Bui1dings, History of." Montana state University Archives. "Folder 1 no.5, PA6.I. Health Center 1945," and PA.1/SUB Additions. Montana state University Archives. "Folder 4, PA6.2/Building-cost." Montana state University Archives. Freeman, Cortlandt L. "The Growing Up Years--The First 100 Years of Bozeman as an Incorporated City From 1883 to 1983," Bozeman, Montana. Bozeman, MT: Gallatin County Historical Society, December 1988. Leonard R. Sundell & Associates, “Additions and Alterations to Student Union Building, Montana State University,” 1966. Architectural Drawings, University Records, 66-0009. Painter, Diane J. “Langford Hall, Montana Property Record Form,” July 18, 2010. Montana State Preservation Office. Plew, William R. Letter to Ferris & Hardgrove, 14 November 1938. University Records, 39-0001. Plew, William R. Letter to President A. L. Strand, 14 January, 1939. University Records, 39-0001. Photos: PA6.1.SUB/North Elevation, Folder 5, no. 2; PA6.4.SUB/Student Union Lounge, Folder 1, no. 1. Montana State University Archives. Nepper, Carl J. “1939 Building Appraisal.” State Board of Education of Montana, “Application for Loan and Grant for Students’ Union Building,” to the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works, 13 December 1938. University Records, “Building Applications, PWA—Student Union,” 000/3x, N4/306, Box 1, Folder 5. Strand, A. L. Letter to Plew, et. al., 1 January, 1939, University Records, 39-0001. Stout, Tom. Montana: Its Story and Biography, Vol. 2. Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1921. Student Union Building Committee. “Recommended Program for Student Union Building,” 14 January, 1939. University Records, 39-0001. “SUB Began in a Log House," Exponent, 9 October 1970, p.12. Willson, Fred F. and Cottier & Harrington, “Student Union Building, Montana State College,” June 1938. Architectural Drawings, University Records, 39-0001. Willson, Fred F. and Cottier & Harrington, “Specifications for Student Union Building, Montana State College,” 1938. University Records, 39-0001. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Statement of Significance Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 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: 1939-1968 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Strand Student Union is a contributing building within the potential Montana State University Historic District, which is eligible for listing under Criteria A and C. Since its completion in 1940, this building has played a significant role in the development of student life at Montana State University. It is the site of repeated recreational and organizational activities, and, as dubbed by University historian, Merrill G. Burlingame, is truly the “living room” of campus. Along with the Quads (1934), Wool Lab (1947) and Renne Library (1949), the Student Union is also one of only four buildings constructed on the core campus during the tumultuous 1930s and 1940s. Campus development during this period was stymied by a lack of funding during the Great Depression and the upheaval of WWII, and stands in stark contrast to the building booms of the 1920s and 1950s at Montana State University. Architecturally, the original 1939-1940 building is a wonderful example of Jacobethan Revival, and is stylistically linked to the 1934 Quads, also designed Fred F. Willson. The Jacobethan Revival style complimented the Italian Renaissance Revival style used extensively on campus during the 1920s. Designed as recreational and organizational space, the Student Union did not require the strictly academic associations of the earlier buildings. Yet MSC still turned to an architectural language based in historical European styles. The resulting Jacobethian Revival style evoked the feeling of a medieval English countryside estate. Additions to the Student Union constructed during the proposed historic district’s period of significance (1893-1968) are good examples of sub-styles of Modern architecture. The 1957 Student Health Center Addition, for instance, readily exhibits the contrasting use of horizontal and vertical planes common to the International Style and the portico west entrance of the 1967 Addition can be linked to the later New Formalist branch of Modernism. Later additions, while not historically significant, offer examples of the restrained Brutalism applied to campus buildings during the 1970s and 1980s and, finally, a more contemporary interpretation of Modern architecture can be seen in the 2008 atrium entrance at the southwest corner of the building. Finally, the original Student Union is an excellent example of the work of Fred F. Willson, Bozeman Montana’s most successful architect in the early and mid-20th century. He is responsible for nearly every significant structure in Bozeman's Main Street business district as well as over 40 residences. The appearance of Montana State University is based to a large extent on Willson. Nearly all of the architecture constructed on campus between the years of 1910 and 1940, as well as a few later buildings, were Willson designs. The architect's work was described by a contemporary in the 1920s as "noted for originality of design…[and] tempered by the broad and thorough knowledge he has of architecture as exemplified in the best creations of all the centuries and in the greatest centers of art in the civilized world." [Stout, 320]. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Integrity Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) Although altered extensively through a series of additions, the Strand Student Union retains sufficient integrity to contribute to the potential Montana State University Historic District. The north and south elevations of the original 1939- 1940 building, which were always the primary elevations, are still exposed and retain most of their historic design, materials and workmanship. Historically significant additions, including the 1957 Addition, the International Style 1957 Student Health Center Addition and the New Formalist 1967 Addition also retain sufficient character-defining features (if not all their elevations) to convey their historical and architectural significance. Only the 1971 Addition to the Student Health Center, the 1983 Addition and the 2008 Addition (roughly one-fourth of the building) are not historically significant and these are located at the rear of the building. In fact, most additions are not visible from Centennial Mall, the pedestrian “Main Street” of campus, which runs north of the Student Union. The sole exception is the low west portion of the 1957 Addition, which was designed by Willson to compliment the original building with its brick color, rusticated base and multi-light windows. The location and setting of the Student Union at the heart of campus and immediately southeast of Montana (Main) Hall is also intact. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union North Façade of 1939 Building and 1957 Addition (right), Facing: SW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 14 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union East Elevation and North End of North Façade of 1939 Building, Facing: SW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 15 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union East Elevation of 1957 Student Health Services Addition (East Elevation of 1939 Building to right), Facing SW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 16 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union Building West Elevation of 1957 Addition and 1967 Addition (right) Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 17 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union West Entrance of 1967 Addition, Facing: E Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 18 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union West Façade with 2008 Addition (foreground), 1983 Addition and 1967 Addition, Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 19 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union South Elevation with 2008 Addition (left) and 1983 Addition to (right, recessed), facing: NE Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 20 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union South Elevation with 2008 Addition (left) and 1983 Addition (right), Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 21 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union East Elevation of 1983 Addition (left) and 1967 Addition (right), Facing: NW Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2013 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 22 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union South Elevation of 1967 Addition (right, recessed) and 1971 Addition (left, projecting), Facing: N Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 23 Photographs Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 Student Union East Elevation of 1971 Addition to Student Health Services (located immediately to south), Facing: W Montana State University Jessie Nunn, January 5, 2012 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 24 Site Map Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 25 Topographic Map Property Name: (Strand) Student Union Building (SUB) Site Number: 24GA1763