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Home My WebLink About322 W Mendenhall 2020MONTANA 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: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: BOZEMAN Site Number: 093 (An historic district number may also apply.) County: GALLATIN Historic Name: Nelson Story house Original Owner(s): Nelson Story Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Wells Fargo Advisors Owner(s): Daniel H & Julie Hitchcock Owner Address: 322 W Mendenhall St, Bozeman, MT 59715- 3447 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 02S Range: 05E SE¼ SE ¼ NE ¼ of Section: 12 Lot(s): Lot 32 & 33, PLAT A-8 Block(s): D Addition: Tracys 1st Add (TRA) USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year of Addition: 1872 Year: 1987 Historic Use: Residential Current Use: Commercial Construction Date: 1869 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: 1888, 1914 UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83(preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 496687 Northing: 5058501 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: NRHP Eligible: X Yes No Date of this document: 11/14/2019 Form Prepared by: 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: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other (specify) If Other, specify: Eclectic Property Type: Commerce Specific Property Type: Wells Fargo Advisors Architect: N/A Architectural Firm/City/State: N/A Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: N/A This site consists of one historic architectural feature: a single-story house built in 1869, now used as a commercial office for Wells Fargo. The house is wood-framed with an L-shaped plan and brick foundation. It has a side-gabled roof clad in wood shingles. An added gable-ended wing extends from the rear of the feature and has a corrugated metal roof. The exterior walls are covered in horizontal wood siding. Siding on the addition is of a wider dimension. The primary entry is off-center on the north façade, beneath a shallow-pitched gable-front roof supported by paired steel posts. Affixed to one of the posts is a plaque that reads, “This house was built in 1869 by Nelson Story. It originally sat on the SE corner of Main and Tracy. It was moved to Tracy & Babcock in 1888, then moved to this site in 1914.” The entry itself is accessed by a flight of modern concrete steps and consists of a modern metal eight-lite door with tinted side lites. Windows to either side of the entry on the north façade are six-over-six-lite single-hung windows. Additional single-hung windows are located on the east and west elevations. The east elevation also contains an at-grade secondary entrance. An ADA-accessible ramp is located along the south façade, providing access from a rear parking lot. A shed-roofed awning extending from the south elevation provides shelter over a raised porch within the reentrant corner, also accessed by the ADA ramp. The property was first recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects. At that time, the property was considered a “neutral element within a potential historic district” not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP due to concerns of integrity of design and materials. Since then, the property has seen additional changes. Metcalf visited the property in October 2019 and finds that it is in excellent condition overall, and that changes have indeed affected integrity of materials. Metcalf does not concur with previous recommendations, however, that the property does not retain sufficient integrity overall to convey historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 HISTORY OF PROPERTY This property was first recorded by James R. McDonald Architects in 1984. It is a well-known local landmark holding the unofficial title as Bozeman’s oldest standing house. Though it is currently used as an office for Wells Fargo Advisors, the property was historically the residence of famed Montanan Nelson Story, an early Bozeman pioneer, cattleman and entrepreneur. Story built the modest single-story wood-framed, side-gabled house in 1869—before he made his fortune in the cattle industry. He held federal contracts supplying meat and other goods to military forts in the Territory. In 1969, he had settled and built a house for his family in Bozeman. Story founded a flour mill and invested in land and banking. Eventually, he built an ornate mansion to match his millions across from the future site of the Gallatin County Courthouse on West Main Street in Bozeman, in 1887. That house no longer stands (Pickett 2010). The following further research regarding the property was conducted by Extreme History Project of Bozeman in July, 2020 and has been added to Metcalf’s original documentation. William H. Tracy purchased this property from the United States on June 15, 1872. He platted the land as Tracy’s 1st Addition in 1872. This structure was built as a residence for the Nelson Story family in 1869 and was occupied by the Story family until June of 1887 (The Anaconda Standard, 29 March 1914). Nelson and Ellen Story had settled in Bozeman, Montana Territory in 1867, and built this residence in 1869 on the southeast corner of Main Street and South Tracy Avenue. This was one of the first frame houses in Bozeman. Reuben Foster built the house, while a man named Chapple was the painter. According to The Anaconda Standard, “The lumber was sawed at the J. J. Parham mill in Bozeman canyon and cost from $50 to $75 per thousand. Nails for the building cost $1 per pound. The brick and lime for the chimneys were shipped from Helena and this was one of the first houses to have brick chimneys and to have a door bell” (The Anaconda Standard, 29 March 1914). Judge Lidell and his family occupied the house after the Story family moved out in 1887. In the spring of 1890 this house was moved to the northeast corner of South Tracy Avenue (known as Templar Avenue in 1890) and Babcock Street, and rotated 180 degrees to face Babcock Street. This move facilitated the construction of Nelson Story’s first brick commercial building downtown. This two-story building has been known as the Masonic Temple No. 18 since 1950 when the masons bought and renovated the building (Gilmore, 2018). In 1914, when the corner at South Tracy and Babcock was selected as the site of a new brick Post Office Building, the home was moved again to its current location and a return its original orientation with the entry façade facing north (Jenks 2007; Sanborn 1889 - 1927). For the past 105 years, it has stood on this site. It served as a single-family residence until at least 1984, when it was owned and occupied by Fred J. Biegel. A cursory search of Bozeman City Directories shows the property was also occupied at various times by Redmond W. Williams, Emily Poetter, Oscar A. Swenson, and Roe V. Browning. In recent years, it was remodeled and converted to commercial office space. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY The Anaconda Standard 1914 “An Old Landmark Has To Go.” 29 March. The Anaconda Standard. Electronic document, https://www.newspapers.com/image/354302946/?terms=Nelson%2BStory, accessed March 9, 2020. Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder 1864-2020 Gallatin County Deeds. Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder, Bozeman, Montana. Gilmore, Lesley M. “Downtown Bozeman’s Historic Masonic Temple #18.” Bozeman Magazine 31 May 2018. James R. McDonald Architects 1984 322 W Mendenall Street. Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. Jenks, Jim 2007 A Guide to Historic Bozeman. Montana Mainstreets, Volume 7. Montana Historical Society Press, Helena, MT. Pickett, Mary 2010 “Ventures by elder Story built 1st Mansion,” Billings Gazette July 18, 2010. Billings, MT. R. L. Polk & Co. Polk’s Bozeman (Gallatin County, Mont.) City Directories 1931-1956. R.L. Polk & Co., Kansas City, Missouri. Sanborn Map Company 1890-1943 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana (Jul 1890, Nov 1891, Jan 1904, Sep 1912, Sep 1927, Sep 1943). Sanborn Map Company, New York, New York. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 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 The property was first recorded by James R. McDonald in 1984, and at that time was considered not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP and assessment indicated “the historic integrity of this property has not been retained due to change in original design and materials.” Metcalf Archaeological Consultants visited the site in October 2019 and has reassessed the potential eligibility of the site. Further research, including a deeds search, has been conducted to identify additional historic associations that may have local or state significance and to determine the significance of those associations which have already been established. Metcalf finds that the site has historic associations with prominent Western figure Nelson Story that are significant under Criterion A and B. The site is a rare and impressive remnant of early Bozeman, belonging to the City’s historic Townsite Phase (1864-1872) which is defined as the promising and busy, booming period immediately following the organization of the townsite. During this period, “few architecturally precious structures were built,” and most were “constructed of simple materials and by simple methods; log and frame buildings predominated (RTI 2008).” Archival research shows that at the time of its construction, this building was one of the few notable structures in the nascent town. According to The Anaconda Standard, “the lumber was sawed at the J. J. Parham mill in Bozeman canyon and cost from $50 to $75 per thousand. Nails for the building cost $1 per pound. The brick and lime for the chimneys were shipped from Helena and this was one of the first houses to have brick chimneys and to have a door bell” (The Anaconda Standard, 29 March 1914). Despite its multiple relocations, Metcalf finds this building retains sufficient integrity to satisfy Criterion A as an exemplar of the Townsite Phase in Bozeman’s history. Metcalf considered eligibility under Criterion C, as the site is a rare representative example of the early building forms in the area. However, due to remodeling over the years and the loss of certain aspects of integrity, Metcalf finds it more appropriate to consider its significance in terms of historic trends and themes under Criterion A, as stated above. Under Criterion B, Metcalf feels this site’s association with Nelson Story is also historically significant. Though other establishments bearing his name are present in central Bozeman, his later residence—the ornate mansion he built on W Main St—is no longer standing. Not only is this site ironically Story’s only extant dwelling, but it reflects the early part of his productive life as his influence and affluence was as budding as the town itself. Little is known about the subsequent owners and occupants of the house, but Metcalf finds the association with famed Montanan Nelson Story, early Bozeman pioneer, cattleman and entrepreneur satisfies Criterion B. Metcalf recommends this site individually eligible for inclusion in the NRHP under Criterion A and B for its associations with the Townsite Phase in Bozeman’s early development, and for its specific association with pioneering Bozeman entrepreneur Nelson Story. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Integrity Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) This property is a 150-year-old structure that has been moved twice and remodeled numerous times. It has modern wood siding and original openings, doors, and windows have been replaced—some with materials that are inconsistent with the historic character of the building. The gabled main entry is built with contemporary materials and in a contemporary style. These alterations affect integrity of materials, workmanship, and feeling. Rear additions do not fit with the original aesthetic and affect integrity of design to some extent, but are not visible from the primary façade. Its two relocations affected the structure’s integrity of setting and location initially, but happened within the historic period. The 1869 Nelson Story house has stood at its current location, 322 W Mendenhall, for the past 105 years. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 Feature # 1 Facing: S Description: Property 093. North façade (Image #1810 10/19/19 SLW). Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Property 093. Oblique view (Image #1811 10/19/19 SLW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 Feature # 1 Facing: SE Description: Property 093. Oblique view (Image #1813 10/19/19 SLW). Feature # 1 Facing: N Description: Property 093. South elevation (Image #1815 10/19/19 SLW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Site Map Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Topographic Map Property Name: 322 W MENDENHALL ST Site Number: 093