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Home My WebLink About6 W Babcock 2021 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: 6 W Babcock St. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA0926 Historic District Number (if applicable): County: Gallatin Historic Name: Bozeman YMCA Original Owner(s): YMCA Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Boulevard Apartments Owner(s): Human Resource Dev Council Dist IX Inc Owner Address: 32 S Tracy Ave, Bozeman, MT 59715 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E NE ¼ NW ¼ SW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lots 1-4 Block(s): A Addition: Alderson Addition Year of Addition: 1873 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: YMCA Current Use: Multi-Family Dwelling Construction Date: 1914 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 497075 Northing: 5058276 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: 1987 Historic District: NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property meets the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property. Date of this document: 5/5/2021 Form Prepared by: R. Schields and E. Sakariassen, Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. Address: PO Box 1526, Bozeman, MT 59771 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: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Gothic Revival If Other, specify: Property Type: Residential Specific Property Type: Multi-Family Dwelling Architect: Fred F. Wilson Architectural Firm/City/State: Bozeman Builder/Contractor: Levesque, Felsheim, and Baverly Company/City/State: Source of Information: Patricia Bick. 1987, 6 W Babcock, Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. This site is the Boulevard Apartments, formerly the Bozeman YMCA, a three-story, multi-family residence constructed in 1914. The facade faces south onto W Babcock. The site was previously recorded in 1984 by James McDonald Architects and subsequently listed in the National Register in 1987 by Patricia Bick. McDonald described the site as follows: "This detached, three-story, multi-family residence with a full day-light basement has an irregular plan with an enclosed projecting front entry, and concrete steps. The five-bay facade is symmetrical and consists of a central 6-paned, wooden front door and six-over-six wooden double-hung windows. A three story wing is attached to the southwest corner. The brick construction is finished in running bond pattern and rests on a concrete foundation. The flat roof is covered with built-up roofing and features a brick parapet with concrete coping and one offset brick chimney." Metcalf visited the site in 2020 and noted a few changes since the time of previous survey. A brick addition has been added to the southwest corner of the three-story wing, bisecting the windows on the historic west elevation. The addition is four stories, clad in brick, and supports a flat roof; a standard side-hung door on the north elevation is the only fenestration. The addition is likely a stairwell or elevator shaft constructed for ADA compliance in the 1990s. Original wood windows have been replaced with modern six or nine-over-one lite vinyl sash windows. The site is in excellent condition although some weathering and deterioration was noted on the exterior cladding. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 HISTORY OF PROPERTY Bozeman's Young Man's Christian Association (YMCA) was formally organized in 1913 after local businessmen and residents expressed their interest to the Montana YMCA office. Billings, Miles City, and Kalispell already had YMCA buildings, and so the 1913 state YMCA convention was held in Bozeman to help organize and raise funds for a new building. Bozeman architect Fred F. Willson designed the building, and the groundbreaking was held September 3, 1914. By 1914, contractors Levesque, Felsheim, and Baverly had completed construction. The Mission-style interior included 39 dormitory rooms, a white tiled swimming pool, and a state-of-the-art gymnasium surrounded by a banked, cork, running track. Nelson and Byron Story had donated $1500 to support the purchase of new equipment and furnishings (Bick, 1987). The building served as the YMCA until the 1980s when it was converted into the Boulevard Apartments. In 2019, owner and manager Bob Rasmus sold the 41-unit building to the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), a Bozeman-based non-profit who had previously connected qualified low-income residents with Rasmus (Bozeman Daily Chronicle, November 8, 2019). The HRDC plans to continue using the building as federally subsidized, low-income housing. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Bozeman Daily Chronicle (Bozeman, MT) 2019 "HRDC buys downtown Bozeman apartment building." November 8, 2019. Electronic document, https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/hrdc-buys-downtown-bozeman-apartment-building/article_0e263cad-1381-5e02-8cfd- 56607dc21b6e.html, accessed 5/5/21. Human Resource Development Council "Preservation: Four Property Acquisition/Rehab." https://thehrdc.org/projects/boulevard-apartments/, accessed 5/5/21. Patricia Bick, 1987, 6 W Babcock Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: 1987 NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: A B C D Area of Significance: Social History / Architecture Period of Significance: 1910-1919 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE Boulevard Apartments, formerly the Bozeman YMCA, is a three-story, multi-family residence constructed in 1914. It was first recorded in 1984 and was subsequently listed in the NRHP under Criteria A and C (24GA0926) (Bick, 1987). Metcalf finds that the site is in excellent condition. The site retains integrity sufficient to convey its historic character in reference to its historic associations. The site is currently listed in the NRHP and retains integrity sufficient to maintain its listed status. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Integrity Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The site is in excellent condition. A recent addition to the southwest corner of the three-story wing affects the integrity of materials, design, and feeling. Replacement of original wood windows affects the integrity of materials. Other alterations noted previously include the addition of a penthouse to the top story, the addition of a three-story wing, and the installation of a canopy on wood columns over the primary entrance (Bick, 1987). The addition affects integrity of design, though it is setback and does not detract from the primary façade of the building. The replacement of original windows and some minor aesthetic changes have affected integrity of materials. Despite these alterations, Metcalf has determined that sufficient integrity remains to convey historic character of the building. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Site 24GA0926 (Property 135). Oblique view. (Image #0481, 10/15/2020. EAS) Feature # 1 Facing: SE Description: Site 24GA0926 (Property 135). Oblique view. (Image #0478, 10/15/2020. EAS) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Site 24GA0926 (Property 135). Rear view. (Image #0479, 10/15/2020. EAS) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Site Map Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Topographic Map Property Name: 6 W Babcock St. Site Number: 24GA0926