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Home My WebLink About712 W Main St 2020 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: 712 W MAIN ST Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: BOZEMAN Site Number: 084 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: GALLATIN Historic Name: Bob Cat Lunch Original Owner(s): Hannah Lysne Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Scoop Bar Owner(s): 712 West LLC Owner Address: C/O Scoop Bar, PO Box 11488, Bozeman, MT 59719-1488 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 02S Range: 05E SE¼ SW ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 12 Lot(s): Lot 4 & 5 Block(s): F Addition: Story Add (STO) Year of Addition: 1872 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Commercial Current Use: Commercial Construction Date: 1941 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 496317.7 Northing: 5058385.3 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property does not meet the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property (see below). Date of this document: 5/8/2020 Form Prepared by: E. Sakariassen, S. Wells, Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. with C. Alegria and C. Hendry, Extreme History Project Address: Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc., Bozeman, MT Daytime Phone: 406-219-3535 MT SHPO USE ONLY Eligible for NRHP: □ yes □ no Criteria: □ A □ B □ C □ D Date: Evaluator: Comments: Site would not contribute to a potential historic district. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other (specify) If Other, specify: Contemporary/late mid century Property Type: Commerce Specific Property Type: Scoop Bar Architect: Unknown Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: N/A This site consists of one historic architectural feature: a single-story, concrete-block, commercial building with stylistic embellishments from the late mid-century. The building was constructed in 1941. It has a rectangular footprint and a concrete-block foundation. The roof is shallowly-pitched, sloping to the south but obscured by a slight parapet on the north. The north façade has a pent board-and-batten treatment along the cornice. The building is set back from the north property line, providing for six off-street parking spaces. A large illuminated sign in a mid-century style that reads “BAR” hangs from a metal post in the parking lot. The primary façade, which faces north onto W Main St. has a fieldstone stone veneer. The primary entrance is near center, within a deep recess. The business’s logo is affixed to the door, visible from the street. It reads “Scoop.” To the east of the recessed entry is a large rectangular space where a former window opening has been in-filled with fieldstone, very closely matching the facade’s finish. The rear (south) elevation is clad in standing-seam steel siding and contains a secondary entrance accessed by an east-west trending alley behind the building. The entry is beneath a slight gable awning supported by two concrete posts. Above the entry, on the sloped roof is a large wood sign that reads “Scoop’s Bar.” Also on the roof are several vents and an air-conditioning unit. West of the entry is a large deciduous tree, growing against the south elevation. The tree has been surrounded by asphalt. The east and west elevations abut adjacent commercial buildings and are therefore obscured. Overall, this site is in good condition, but has experienced remodeling which affects certain aspects of integrity. Tthe removal of the only window opening and the application of fieldstone veneer and metal siding to the exterior has affected integrity of materials, design, workmanship, and feeling. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 HISTORY OF PROPERTY The Scoop Bar is located on Lots 4 and 5 of Block F in Story’s Addition. This addition was fully comprised of Lots 1 – 8, 19 – 26, and a 30’-strip to the east in Block F, within what Nelson Story Sr. platted as Story’s Addition. In 1927, while most of the lots southwest of 7th Avenue and West Main Street were dedicated to single-family dwellings and a few side-by-sides, the lots along West Main Street west of 7th Avenue remained undeveloped with few exceptions (Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1927). By 1943, several commercial enterprises had been constructed along this section of West Main Street, including a restaurant at 712 West Main Street and a creamery on the adjacent lot of 708 West Main Street. Bob Cat Lunch restaurant was the first building constructed on the site, by Mrs. Hannah Lysne and her husband Ole Adolph Lysne. They purchased the property on July 25, 1940 and the restaurant was built in 1941.The Ole had been born of Norwegian parents on April 22, 1876 in Northfield, Minnesota; Hannah was born in 1880 in Minnesota as well, also of Norwegian parents (Ancestry.com, 2002). Ole and Hannah married in 1900 and had four children: Margaret, Myron, Burton, and Dorothy (Ancestry.com, 2004; Ancestry.com, 2012). Ole and Hannah raised the children in Northfield, MN until moving to Portland, OR c.1932 with Burton and Dorothy, where all four of them were restaurant workers through 1937 (Great Falls Tribune, 16 December 1957; Ancestry.com, 2011). By 1940, the year before building their own restaurant, Hannah and Ole were living in Livingston, MT where 60-year-old Hannah was a restaurant waitress. They rented lodging in Livingston, sharing their home with their 28-year-old daughter Dorothy (Ancestry.com, 2012). Upon opening the Bob Cat restaurant here, Burton and Dorothy helped with the family business, and the family of four lived on site (R.L. Polk & Company, 1942 & 1944). The Lysnes only operated the business a few years, transferring direct management to Mrs. Alice Phenicia by 1947, when it became known as the Bob Cat Drive In, “Bozeman’s Famous Place to Eat,” specializing in “Home Cooked Meals, Pies and Cakes.” Alice and her husband Jas E. lived on site as well (R.L. Polk & Company, 1947). Hannah held on to the property, however, until selling it to Lee Brookshire in 1957. Various couples managed the restaurant until then. During this time, Ole died on December 25, 1951 and was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Big Timber, MT and their son Burton died at age 48 in December 1957 (Ancestry.com, 2001; Great Falls Tribune, 16 December 1957). Burton’s obituary states that the family was “…in the motel business there [the West Coast] and in Montana until last September, when they sold business interests in Drummond and Bozeman and went to California to retire” (Great Falls Tribune, 16 December 1957). Hannah, Burton, and Dorothy lived in Drummond in 1954 (The Billings Gazette, 3 January 1954). After retiring, Hannah lived in Santa Cruz with daughter Dorothy, until her death there on November 16, 1970; Hannah was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Big Timber (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 17 November 1970; Ancestry.com, 2000). In 1950, Joe and Helen L. Greco lived on site and operated the business (R.L. Polk & Company, 1950). By 1954, Lee and Mrs. Lillie Womack ran it as the Bob Cat Café, also while living in the building (R.L. Polk & Company, 1954). Ed W. Williams called it the Bobcat Lunch during his tenure and residence c.1956 (R.L. Polk & Company, 1956). By 1958, Lee Brookshire had purchased the property and called it “The Scoop,” a purveyor of beer (R.L. Polk & Company, 1958). Lee came with a background in the restaurant business, having been hailed as the new chef at the Empire Lounge & Grill in Billings in October 1951 (Billings Gazette, 14 October 1951). The notable feature in front of the building, the sign which reads “BAR,” was moved to this location from another establishment called the Stockman Bar, further east on Main Street in the late 1950s. In 1976, Lee was allowed a variance to build an addition to The Scoop at 712 W. Main. The permit had been denied earlier because the structure would be built on the property line, and the City required an eight-foot setback (The Montana Standard, 31 August 1976). This addition probably doubled the width of the building, as the west wall joins the building to the west and the east wall is less than one foot from the building to the east. The random-laid stone and mansard roof across the length of the north front façade were probably installed at this time, for a cohesive appearance. Lee Brookshire sold The Scoop to Jerry and Gary Davis in 1977. The two Davis brothers had worked there beforehand, for nearly ten years (Thail Davis, personal communication 2020). Jerome Joseph Davis had been born on December 2, 1936 in Great Falls, Montana (Ancestry.com, 2001). He married Margaret Marie Michel on September 17, 1959 (Ancestry.com, 2017). Margaret had been born on January 21, 1938 in Bozeman (Ancestry.com, 2017). Gary Edward Davis had been born on December 19, 1940 in Bremerton, WA (Ancestry.com, 2017). Gary attended Gallatin County High School and Montana State College (Ancestry.com, 2010). He married Jean Phelan on September 4, 1971; they had a daughter Thail Ann on July 22, 1974 (Ancestry.com, 2017). From 1998 to 2000, the bar was called the Hardtimes, yet reverted to its original name, The Scoop, in 2001. Gary died on January 2, 2015, after Jerry had died on October 6, 2011 (Ancestry.com, 2001). Gary’s daughter Thail has owned and managed the bar since November 2014, when her father Gary and her aunt Margaret deeded the property to 712 West LLC. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 The Scoop’s current website shows the family pride in their business and as an institution in Bozeman, in the following quote: “It’s still owned and operated by the Davis Family today. One third of Bozeman’s famous “Barmuda Triangle,” the Scoop is a friendly, fun and economical place to enjoy a beverage while you watch sport, play pool or socialize. We think we have some of the nicest and most efficient bartenders in Bozeman.” (The Scoop website). Table 1. Chain of Title, 712 W. Main St., Bozeman, Montana. Grantor Grantee Date of Instrument Type of Instrument Property Description/Comments Reference USA William H. Tracy 15 June 1872 Patent S ½ of NE ¼ section 12, T2S R5E D: I/56 William H. and Sarah J. Tracy Nelson Story 18 November 1871 Deed Same D: H/402 Nelson and Ellen Story Elias Story 04 November 1874 Deed Lots 13 – 32 in Block E, and all of blocks B, C, D, F, G, H, Story’s Addition D: I/538 Elias Story Ellen Story 14 November 1874 Deed Same D: I/542 Ellen and Nelson Story Elias Story Jr. 29 July 1889 Deed Same (2/3s interest) D: 17/122 Elias Story Jr. Nelson Story 1 August 1889 Deed Same (2/3s interest) D: 17/125 Nelson and Ellen Story Thomas Byron Story 01 January 1903 Warranty Deed Block F, Story’s Addition D: 29/314 On September 4, 1909, T. B. and Katherine F. Story sold the S 8’ of their lots to the City of Bozeman for the purpose of opening a public alley through Blocks E, F, and part of Block G in Story’s Addition (D: 42/23). T. B. Story T. B. Story, Inc. 19 November 1920 Deed Lots 1 – 8, 19 – 26 and 30’ strip, Block F, Story’s Addition D: 62/334 T. B. Story, Inc. Katharine F. Story 13 January 1930 Warranty Deed Lots 2 – 8, 19 – 26, and 30’ x 130’ E of Lot 26, Block F, Story’s Addition D: 75/121 Katharine F. and T. B. Story Frank H. Johnson, Superintendent of Banks (MT), Trustee 03 November 1932 Bargain and Sale Deed Same D: 76/555 Frank H. Johnson, Superintendent of Banks (MT), Trustee Belgrade State Bank 05 November 1935 Deed Same D: 79/151 Belgrade State Bank Thomas Byron and Katherine F. Story 18 January 1940 Quit Claim Deed Same (the only consideration for this deed is the return of collateral heretofore pledged by the grantee as security for an obligation to the grantor) D: 83/406 W.A. Brown, Superintendent of Banks (MT) Thomas Byron and Katharine F. Story 21 April 1947 Quit Claim Deed Lots 2 – 8, 19 – 26, and 30’ x 130’ E of Lot 26 and strips of land 6’ x 130’ W of lots 8 and 19, Block F, Story’s Addition D: 95/486 Thomas Byron and Katharine F. Story O. Al and Hannah Lysne 25 July 1940 Warranty Deed 60’ x 130’ Lot 4 and 5, Block F, Story’s Addition D: 88/551 O. A. Lysne Hannah Lysne 06 March 1944 Quit Claim Deed Same D: 107/444 Hannah Lysne Lee Brookshire 01 July 1957 Warranty Deed Same D: 124/491 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 Grantor Grantee Date of Instrument Type of Instrument Property Description/Comments Reference Lee Brookshire Gary Edward Davis and Jerome Joseph Davis 02 September 1977 Warranty Deed Lots 4 and 5, Block F, Story’s Addition D: #2080067 Estate of Jerome Joseph Davis Margaret M. Davis 13 April 2012 Deed of Distribution Same D: #2412880 Gary E. and Margaret M. Davis 712 West, LLC 13 November 2014 Warranty Deed Same D: #2497088 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Ancestry.com 2000 California, Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5180&h=4488378&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG62&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2001 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana. Montana Death Records. Montana, State Deaths, 1907-2016 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5437&h=680220&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG66&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2001 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana. Montana Death Records. Montana, State Deaths, 1907-2016 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=5437&h=1027463&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG65&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2002 Year: 1930; Census Place: Northfield, Rice, Minnesota; Page: 6A; Enumeration District: 0021; FHL microfilm: 2340859. 1930 United Stated Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=6224&h=78514277&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=2442, accessed May 25, 2020. 2004 Year: 1900; Census Place: Northfield Ward 1, Rice, Minnesota; Page: 8; Enumeration District: 0156; FHL microfilm: 1240788. 1900 United Stated Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=7602&h=27105608&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG72&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2010 "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Gallatin County High School; Year: 1957. U.S. School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1265&h=63742011&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG68&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2010 "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Montana State University; Year: 1960. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2010. Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=1265&h=315478788&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG69&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2011 U.S. City Directories 1822-1995 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=2469&h=904655360&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6224, accessed May 25, 2020. 2012 Year: 1920; Census Place: Northfield, Rice, Minnesota; Roll: T625_856; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 127. 1920 United Stated Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Lehi, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=6061&h=47896839&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=6224, accessed May 25, 2020. 2012 Year: 1940; Census Place: Livingston, Park, Montana; Roll: m-t0627-02226; Page: 81A; Enumeration District: 34-6. 1940 United Stated Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2442&h=77340407&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG63&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 2017 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana, Birth Records, 1919-1986. Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1988 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Lehi, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61591&h=487372&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=61478, accessed May 25, 2020. 2017 Montana State Historical Society; Helena, Montana; Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950. Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1967 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Lehi, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61578&h=40647&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=5437, accessed May 25, 2020. 2017 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana, Birth Records, 1919-1986. Montana, Birth Records, 1897-1988 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Lehi, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi- bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=61591&h=1005488&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG71&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. 2017 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana State Marriage Records, 1943-1986. Montana Marriage Records, 1943-1988 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Lehi, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=61478&h=900117664&indiv=try&o_vc=Record:OtherRecord&rhSource=61578, accessed May 25, 2020. 2017 Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services; Helena, Montana; Montana State Marriage Records, 1943-1986. Montana, Marriage Records, 1943-1988 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Lehi, Utah. Electronic document, https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dllindiv=1&dbid=61478&h=164586&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=WOG67&_phstart=successSource, accessed May 25, 2020. The Billings Gazette [Billings, Montana] 1951 “Empire News: New Chef at Empire,” 14 October: page 15. Billings, Montana. 1954 Holiday guests - Hannah, Burton, and Dorothy Lysne from Drummond, 3 January: page 40. Billings, Montana. Davis, Thail. Interview, 24 April 2020, conducted by Lesley M. Gilmore. Great Falls Tribune [Great Falls, Montana] 1957 Burton H. Lysne Obituary, 16 December: page 4. Great Falls, Montana. The Montana Standard [Butte, Montana] 1976 Permission granted for building addition, 31 August: page 2. Butte, Montana. R.L. Polk & Company 1927-2012 Polk’s Bozeman, Montana Directory. R.L. Polk & Co., Chicago. 1934-1937 Polk’s Portland, Oregon Directory. R.L. Polk & Co., Chicago. Sanborn Map Company 1912-1947 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana (Sep 1912, 1947). Sanborn Map Company, [New York, New York]. Santa Cruz Sentinel [Santa Cruz, California] 1970 Hannah Lysne Obituary, 17 November: page 22. Santa Cruz, California. The Scoop website: https://bozemanbar.com, accessed March 25, 2020. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Statement of Significance Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: A B C D Area of Significance: Period of Significance: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE This site consists of one historic architectural feature: a single-story, concrete-block, commercial building with stylistic embellishments from the late mid-century. The building was constructed in 1941 and historically served as the Bob Cat Lunch restaurant and later the Bob Cat Café. It has been owned and operated as the Scoop Bar since 1958. It remains in good condition, but has been remodeled over the years, which affects integrity of materials, design, workmanship, and feeling. Sec. 38.700 of the Bozeman Municipal Code defines an eligible property as one that meets the criteria for inclusion in the NRHP or State Register either 1) individually or 2) as a contributing building to an existing or potential historic district. This site has been evaluated against the NRHP Criteria and, while it is a beloved local establishment and part of what locals refer to as the “Barmuda Triangle,” Metcalf has not found that its historic associations satisfy Criteria A, B, C, or D. The site is not located within an existing historic district. While it is representative of a period of expansion west, along Main Street on the fringe of a primarily residential neighborhood in the 1940s that altered the character of the surrounding area and ties in with the understanding of development within the Story Addition, Metcalf finds the site no longer retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic character from that period and recommends that it be considered not eligible/non-contributing. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Integrity Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) Overall, this site is in good condition, but has experienced remodeling which affects integrity. Primarily, the removal of the only window opening has affected integrity of materials, design, and feeling. Application of various exterior finishes over the years, including fieldstone veneer and metal siding has further affected integrity of materials, design, feeling, and workmanship. This site no longer retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 Feature # 1 Facing: S Description: Property 084. Front façade. (Image #03-0041, 10/20/2019. EAS) Feature # 1 Facing: N Description: Property 084. South elevation. (Image #03-0039, 10/20/2019. EAS) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Site Map Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Topographic Map Property Name: Bob Cat Lunch Site Number: 084