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Home My WebLink About410 W Garfield 2010 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 8th Ave Helena,MT 59620-1202 Property Address: 410 West Garfield Avenue i Site Number: 24 (An historic district number may also apply.) i Historic Address(if applicable): Same i City/Town: Bozeman, Montana i County: Gallatin i -.._.._.._».._.—.».._. ......«._..—........._._.._.._._. ._.._.._.._..«._.._. ._.._.._.._.._.._.__ i Historic Name: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity i Legal Location i Original Owner(s): Phi Sigma Kappa PM: Montana Township: Range: Current Ownership X Private ❑ Public i /4 /4 /4 of Section: i i Current Property Name: Lot(s): 1-4 Owner(s): j Block(s): 34 Owner Address: i Addition: Capital Hill Addition Year of Addition: i i i USGS Quad Name: Year: Phone «r.._.._.....«...._._.,_.._ 1 Historic Use: Fraternity residence UTM Reference W NTV::ri i_s_.... >v u x luider Current Use: Vacant ❑NAD 27 or X NAD 83(preferred) i Construction Date: 1958 ❑Estimated X Actual I Zone: 12 Easting: 496663 Northing: 5057056 i X Original Location ❑Moved Date Moved: National Register of Historic Places ': Date of this document: June 16, 2010 i NRHP Listing Date: Form Prepared by: Courtney Kramer, Historic Preservation Officer Historic District: t Address: c/o City of Bozeman, PO Box 1230, NRHP Eligible: X Yes ❑No Bozeman, MT 59771 i I llaylime Phone_ 406-582-2260 _..«._.._.» .—.._.._..«.«._.._ .............. «.«._.._.._.._.._.._.._» ...._.._.._ »_.._..y.._.._._.._.._..« .................._..«._.._. I MT SHPO USE ONLY Comments: Eligible for NRHP: ❑yes ❑no Criteria: o A ❑B ❑C ❑D Date: 1 Evaluator: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Property Name: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity Site Number: 24 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION ❑ See Additional Information Page Architectural Style: Other: If Other,specify: Ranch Property Type: Residential Specific Property Type: Architect: William E. Grabow Architectural Firm/City/State: Bozeman, Montana Builder/Contractor: unknown Company/City/State: unknown Source of Information: Grabow, William E. "Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity" architectural drawings, 1958. Special Collections, Montana State University- Bozeman. Concisely,accurately,and completely describe the property and alterations with dates. Number the buildings and features to correlate with the Site Map. The Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House is located on the northeast corner of South 4`h Avenue and West Garfield Streets in Bozeman, Montana. Designed by mid-century Bozeman architect Bill Grabow in 19581 and completed in 19592, the building provided residential and social facilities for the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternal organization associated with Montana State College, later Montana State University. Reflective of the influence of Ranch style architecture in post-World War II American architecture, the Phi Sigma Kappa House faces north, towards West Garfield Street. The main axis of the low-pitch roofline is parallel to the street. Grade from the street increases towards the rear of the lot to the south. Materials and construction techniques used in the building reflect changing attitudes towards construction after the mid 20th century: glu-lam beams, aluminum casement- style windows, and panelized materials are all emblematic of post WWII construction. Consisting of three principal masses forming a blocky t-shape, the massing of the three-level structure is articulated according to use. The entire wood-frame structure sits on a poured concrete foundation and is covered in a shallow pitched roof with deep overhangs, which is in poor physical shape. The southern portion of the T is two stories in height, with the first floor partly below grade. The basement space of the east wing provided space for a dormitory-style sleeping area. "Day rooms", used for studying and closet space by the residents, were provided for the members on each side of a central hallway on the second floor. The fenestration pattern of the eastern wing is articulated by a horizontal band of awning-style wood windows on the first floor, and a single pane casement-single pane fixed-single pane casement window pattern on the second floor. Decorative trim placed vertically between each set of windows express the interior division of space. The east facade of this block consists of a metal non-period metal sliding window on the second floor and a metal exit door providing emergency egress from the partially below grade basement. The entire southern block is sheathed in vertically scribed wood cladding. The western portion of the southern block is almost totally at ground level due to an increase in grade. The basement space of the western block offered space for a chapter meeting room and recreation room, while the second floor provides kitchen and service areas, as well as a second set of stairs. A horizontal band of fixed frame windows articulates the northern fagade, and a metal door to the west accesses the alley space. The west elevation includes only a door to access the interior stairwell. An extension of the shallow roof pitch extends towards the street, creating a central block at an intermediate level to the southern massing. This shed roof portion provided public space for the fraternity's social use, including a living room, dining room, and social area. A recessed front porch on the eastern portion of the north fagade features decorative wood posts and horizontal railing symbolic of the ranch style. Vertically scribed wood cladding is the primary exterior material, although veneer brick articulates the western portion of the central block, as well as provides a foundation for a wood deck extending to the west of the building. The north fagade of the central massing includes only a set of double entry doors, no windows. Windows on the east and west fagade of the central portion are of a fixed pane-one awning over one awning arrangement, above which are large fixed pane clerestory windows. This pattern is repeated three times on the eastern elevation. The western elevation does not include the clerestory windows. (Grabow 1958) 2 (Montanan 1960) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Property Name: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity Site Number: 24 HISTORY OF PROPERTY See Additional Information Page Designed by Bozeman architect Bill Grabow3, and completed in the fall of 19594 the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity reflects the continued growth of Greek letter organizations at Montana State College following World War II. Returning veterans doubled enrollment by 1946, and in turn spurred a twenty year construction program which added modern design buildings like the Renne Library to the campus' eclectic architectural vocabulary. Numerous classroom and laboratory buildings followed, and their rectangular, flat-roofed massing reflected a mid-20th century shift in style preferences that influenced new construction throughout Bozeman. As a college fraternity for men, Phi Sigma Kappa was founded March 15, 1873 at what is now the University of Massachusetts. The fraternity now has active chapters on college campuses throughout America and into Canada. A chapter was established at Montana State College in 1939.5 MSC officially recognized fraternal organizations in 1917, and the growth of the post-war student population increased participation in these Greek letter organizations. Fraternities and sororities offered students an option for off-campus housing. Initially, they were housed in large older homes on the south part of towns, however water and sewer records on file at the city of Bozeman indicate that by the late 1930's a number of organizations owned property along West Garfield, South 5th and South 6th Avenues in anticipation of constructing permanent residences adjacent to campus. Notably, West Garfield Avenue remained a thru-street until the mid 1990's, making the public street a prominent thoroughfare to the center of cam Pus. •� i 1�) FI Ml { N.' -'GARFIELO '1--^- 4F. l c 93 _ I 1 ( J �- t W. HAYE5 1 — — I 1261 L �✓1' Image: 1 1927 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of West Garfield, South 61 ,5 ' and 4 Avenues in Bozeman, prior to the construction of Greek Housing in the area.7 3 (Grabow 1958) 4 (Montanan 1960, 146) s (Montanan 1959, 113) (Renewable Technologies, Inc. 2008) 7 (Sanborn Map Company 1927) The first Greek house in the area was the Kappa Sigma Fraternity House at 1120 South 61h Avenue, built in 1928 in the Tudor Revival style. Kappa Sigma stood alone in the area until construction of the Alpha Omicron Pi Sorority House, directly east of Kappa Sigma at 1119 South 5th Avenue, completed in the fall of 1941 in the Colonial Revival style. The shortage of construction materials and laborers during World War II idled plans to construct additional Greek housing for 15 years. =I i GARFIELD .k latt 0 1 - V 1 I roll.. .31i I — AV W. HAYE5 I I� '•./ n!� E� ti � I W. GRANT Image: 2 1943 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of area, indicating AOII (1941) at 1119 South 5th Avenue, and Kappa Sigma (1928) at 1120 South 6th Avenue.g lE: Image: 3 1957 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map indicating Kappa Sigma (1928) and Lambda Chi Alpha (1955) on South 6"'Avenue,Alpha Omicron Pi (1941) on South 5"' Avenue, and Phi Sigma Kappa (1958) on West Garfield Street. e (Sanborn Fire Insurance Company 1943) s (Sanborn Map Company 1957) Post-WWII Greek house construction resumed with the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity House on South 61h Avenue in 1955. Built in a mid-century modern style, the Lambda Chi house shifted in the architectural language of post-war Greek housing on the MSC campus from a traditional style to an aggressively modern style. The 1958 construction of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House continued this architectural language, as did later Greek houses including the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity to the west of Phi Sigma Kappa (ca. 1960), Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority (1963) on South 61h Avenue, Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity house on South 51h Avenue (1963), the Chi Omega Sorority (1965) on West Garfield, and Pi Beta Phi on South 5` Avenue (1965).10 The original design for the Phi Sigma Kappa house included plans for rooms to remain unfinished at the time of construction. The second floor of the east wing included six"future rooms"; day rooms that would not be completed until increased membership necessitated their use. Additional design features included story-high wing walls extending from the northern fagade almost the entire width of the West Garfield frontage which created patio spaces at the east and west ends of the structure. These wing walls, never built, would have made the building an H-shape rather than T. The 1960 MSC college yearbook, the Montanan, said of the fraternity: "Boasting the newest fraternity house on the hill, the Phi Sigs are justly proud of their recently completed mansion on West Garfield."" The 1960 Montanan noted that "Among the numerous unscheduled activities, the Phi Sigs held the formal dedication of their new house on West Garfield during the Fall Quarter. This formal affair consisted of dedication ceremonies, followed by a banquet and open house.02 In the early 1970's, Montana State University planned for new construction of Greek houses to the south and east of the campus by platting Greek Way. Only two Greek organizations, Kappa Delta Sorority and Sigma Nu Fraternity built on Greek Way and they were the last Greek houses constructed in association with the Montana State University campus. Participation in Greek letter organizations waned after 2000, and insufficient membership to maintain the property forced Phi Sigma Kappa to sell the property in 2008. INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY ❑ See Additional Information Page Bibliography "Application and Record of Sewer Connection: 410 West Garfield Street." Bozeman, July 29, 1958. Grabow, William E. Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House. Montana State University Special Collections, Bozeman. Montanan. Bozeman, MT: Montana State College- Bozeman, 1960 Montanan. Bozeman, MT: Montana State College- Bozeman, 1959. "Record of Water Service." Bozeman, August 25, 1958. Renewable Technologies, Inc. . Bozeman, Montana: An historic and architectural context (2008 Revised ed.). Historic Inventory, City of Bozeman, Montana: Department of Planning and Community Development, 2008. 10 (Record of Water Service) 11 (Montanan 1959, 113) 12 (Montanan 1960, 146) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Property Name: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity Site Number: 24 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: NRHP Eligibility: ❑Yes ❑No ❑Individually X Contributing to Historic District ❑Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: X A ❑B X C ❑D Area of Significance: Events in our History, Architecture Period of Significance: 1955-1975 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE ❑ See Additional Information Page The Phi Sigma Kappa House is historically significant for its association with the growth of the student population on the Montana State College/ University campus following World War ll; specifically, the construction of eight structures to house fraternities and sororities in the blocks along West Garfield, South 4th, South 51h and South 61h Avenues between 1955 and 1965. All of these properties share a history that could be better explored through a Multiple Properties Designation, which would find most of the houses significant and with enough integrity for individual listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Bill Grabow, a Bozeman architect who participated in the design of the field house on the MSC campus, and who later went on to design commercial, residential and institutional buildings like the Hedges Dormitories in 1963 and the Pi Beta Phi Sorority House at 1304 south 5`h Avenue and the Sigma Chi Fraternity House on South Willson Avenue, the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House is architecturally significant as an example of mid-20th century architecture in Bozeman. Additionally, the building reflects a number of design characteristics highly reflective of the era. The Phi Sigma Kappa house's ranch style connects the building to the private residential development of the same area in the vicinity, primarily of ranch style design. The building's shallow-pitched roof, asymmetrical fagade, and use of brick and wood veneers typify ranch-style construction of the era. For these reasons, the Phi Sigma Kappa House is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places under both Criterion A, "Significant events in our history" and Criterion C, "Architectural significance." INTEGRITY(location,design,setting, materials, workmanship,feeling,association) ❑ See Additional Information Page The Phi Sigma Kappa house maintains its historic integrity, design, setting and workmanship. The original doors, windows, siding materials and fenestration elements remain, although they are in poor physical condition.The integrity of original association with the fraternity was lost with the recent sale. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PAGE Property Name: Site Number: 24 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PHOTOGRAPHS Property Name: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity Site Number: 24 .ye r Roll# Frame# y Feature# Facing: t ..c. Description: North Elevation of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House, 410 West Garfield, Bozeman a i 4 Roll# Y - Frame# Feature# Facing: Description: North and east elevations of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House, 410 West Garfield, Bozeman MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PHOTOGRAPHS Property Name: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity Site Number: 24 1, J I 1 Roll # Frame# Feature# Facing: Description: South Elevation of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House,410 West Garfield, Bozeman .,qt►: or r .s Roll# Frame# Feature# Facing: Description: West elevation of the Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House, 410 West Garfield, Bozeman MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD SITE MAP Property Name: Site Number: 24 I �:' .•�. •- i EfR' T'V'-- "• '{• .air a ,,�f` a- - ,•'; +,r'. � y- .r .1?- — ! r�.� tit VL-r 114 �i� � �► I r � � .�►,v1y �va%'� :!fit �. � . Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity, 410 West Garfield Street MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD TOPOGRAPHIC MAP FWestGarfimeld e: Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity House, 410 Site Number: 24 Street, Bozeman i . 1�-� 1 , ell �v 1 I f�- r At