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Home My WebLink About11-13 E Main 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: 11-13 E Main St Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA0715 Historic District Number (if applicable): 24GA0952 County: Gallatin Historic Name: Tracy Block Original Owner(s): W.H. Tracy Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Tracy Block Owner(s): Barnett Condominium Master Owner Address: 11 E Main St., Bozeman, MT 59715 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E NW ¼ SE ¼ NW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): E 5' Lot 4 and W 26' Lot 5 Block(s): Block F Addition: Bozeman Original Plat Year of Addition: 1870 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Commercial Current Use: Commercial Construction Date: 1889 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 497142.17 Northing: 5058454.09 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: 1986 Historic District: Main Street Historic District NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property meets the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property (see below). Date of this document: 11/20/2020 Form Prepared by: E. Sakariassen and S. Wells, Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. with C. Alegria and C. Hendry, Extreme Historic Project 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: Site is individually listed and contributing to an existing historic district. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Exotic Revival If Other, specify: Moorish Influence Property Type: Commerce Specific Property Type: Retail Architect: Unknown Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: Montana Cadastral records online The site is the 1889 Tracy Block, a 2-story brick commercial building built by William H. Tracy and known variably as the "Tracy Block" or "R.T. Barnett and Company Building". The primary façade faces south onto E. Main Street, with commercial store-front entries at-grade. The building was originally recorded by Kingston Heath in 1980, at which time it was individually listed in the NRHP. James R. McDonald Architects re-recorded the building in 1985 and recommended it eligible/contributing to a potential historic district, subsequently defined as the Main Street Downtown Historic District listed in 1986. McDonald described the site as follows: "This two-story attached building has a rectangular plan with elaborate corbelled brickwork creating an interesting façade. Brick pilasters create four bays with a projecting bay over the arched entry to the upper floors ending in a corner turret. The asymmetrical façade consists of an off-center front entrance inset under an archway and aluminum storefront windows. 1.1 double-hung windows are featured on the second story with the projecting bay window and the middle window of three on the other part having arched brickwork emphasizing them. The running bond brick construction was restored in 1980 and features a flat built-up roof with corner turret and elaborate cornice ornamentation...The Moorish façade was originally accentuated by onion domes on the parapet." Metcalf visited the site and found no notable changes have been made since the previous record, with exception of the removal of the curved fabric awning over the storefront windows, and the replacement of the second story windows, though the openings themselves are intact. The modern replacement windows consist of metal-framed single and one-over-one-lite windows with operable lower sashes. The site is in excellent condition. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 HISTORY OF PROPERTY The Tracy Block, also known as the R.T. Barnett and Company Building, was built in 1889-1890. In the 1980 NRHP nomination, Heath speculates that, based on similarities in the aesthetic design of the contemporaneous Bozeman Opera House, the building may have been designed by early area architects Byron Vreeland and Herman Kemna. Its architectural style, which can be considered Eclectic or even an Exotic Revival because of its incorporation of Moorish-inspired ornament, reflects the spirit of individualism at the time of statehood, that typifies Bozeman's Civic Phase of development (RTI, Inc. 2008). The site has been reported as having historic associations with two prominent Bozeman residents and entrepreneurs: William H. Tracy and Robert Barnett. However, Metcalf was unable to confirm a direct link to W.H. Tracy, whom McDonald claims as the building's original owner in the 1985 Historic Property Record Form. This attribution is in direct contrast to Heath's earlier 1980 National Register nomination which cites Robert Barnett as the original owner and occupant. W.H. Tracy, first came to the Gallatin Valley in 1863, after brief service during the Civil War in the Home Guard regiment of the Colorado Volunteers. The following year, he became one of Bozeman's founding residents and went on to become a real estate agent and owner of a brickyard, freight business, and feed store (W.H. Tracy & Co.). Because Tracy was very active in real estate development along Main Street, it is possible Robert Barnett purchased the land on which the building was built from Tracy. A deeds search has not been performed, but could help explain McDonald's assertion that the site has historic associations with W.H. Tracy. It is more likely that, as Heath illustrates, Robert Barnett commissioned construction of this building in 1889. Barnett was a merchant whose hardware store was then located in the Tracy/Barnett Block (Heath 1980). He had been born in Pennsylvania in 1841 and also fought in the Civil War, serving in the 136th PA Infantry. In 1866, he came to Montana where he felt he could capitalize on nearby mining interests. In addition to establishing his hardware company on Main Street, he purchased the Northern Pacific Hotel just five buildings down. Heath characterizes him as presenting, "the enterprising entrepreneur found in the early days of Bozeman's settlement" and "locally significant" (Heath 1980). Due in part to restoration work completed in the 1980s, the site retains sufficient integrity to convey historic character and character defining aspects of its architectural style and remains listed in the NRHP. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Heath, Kingston 1980 R.T. Barnett and Company Building. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. James R. McDonald Architects 1985 11-13 E Main St. Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. Renewable Technologies, Inc. [RTI] 2008 Bozeman Historic Resources Survey, revised ed. Prepared for Planning Department, City of Bozeman, Bozeman, Montana. Electronic document, https://www.bozeman.net/home/showdocument?id=5645, accessed 11/20/2020. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: 1980 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 Tracy/Barnett Building is currently listed in the NRHP both individually for its historic associations under Criterion A, B, and C (24GA715) and as a contributing site within the Main Street Historic District (24GA952). In 1980, it was found to be significant under Criterion A, B, and C for its associations with commercial development in what has now been termed Bozeman's "Civic Phase" (1884-1912) (RTI, Inc. 2008), with prominent early residents W.H. Tracy and Robert Barnett, and as a strong representative example of an architectural style--namely Victorian-era Exotic Revival (Heath 1980). In 1986, the site was included as contributing to the Main Street Historic District (James R. McDonald 1986). Metcalf finds that the site is in excellent condition. In part because of restoration work conducted in the 1980s, the site retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic character in reference to its historic associations. 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 in an existing or potential historic district. 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: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The site is in excellent condition overall. Early modifications such as the removal of the original onion domes and destruction of oriel windows in the 1920s affects integrity of materials and design. However, despite these impacts, the site was listed in the NRHP in 1980 and included in the Main Street Historic District in 1986. Since then, the only notable alteration has been replacement of original windows. This affects integrity of materials and design, as well. Because installation of the modern windows did not alter the window openings and the modern sash are sensitive in their arrangement and do not detract from the original aesthetic. Metcalf has determined that sufficient integrity remains and that the site is able to convey historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 Feature # 1 Facing: N Description: Property 229. Façade view (Image #1642, 10/27/2020. SW). Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Property 229. Façade view (Image #1654, 10/27/2020. SW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Site Map Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Topographic Map Property Name: 11-13 E Main St Site Number: 24GA0715