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Home My WebLink About137 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: 137 E Main St. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 208 Historic District Number (if applicable): 24GA0952 County: Gallatin Historic Name: Masonic Temple Original Owner(s): Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Bangtail, Gallatin Lodge #6 A F & A M Owner(s): Gallatin Lodge #6 A F & A M Owner Address: PO BOX 35 Bozeman, MT 59771-0035 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E SW ¼ SE ¼ NW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lot 11, & 10' ES Lot 10 Block(s): Block E Addition: Bozeman Original Plat Year of Addition: 1870 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Miscellaneous - private organization/club Current Use: Multi-purpose, Commercial & Construction Date: 1882-1883 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 497312.78 Northing: 5058455.47 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: 1986 Historic District: Main Street Historic District (24GA0952) NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property meets the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property (see below). Date of this document: 11/6/2020 Form Prepared by: S. Wells, Metcalf Archaeological Consultants Inc. with C. Alegria and C. Hendry, Extreme History 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 contributes to the Main Street Historic District (24GA0952). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Italianate If Other, specify: Property Type: Miscellaneous Specific Property Type: Bike shop & Masonic Lodge Architect: Unknown Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: Louis Krueger Company/City/State: Source of Information: James R. McDonald Architects This site is the historic Masonic Temple/Gallatin Lodge building, built in 1883. It was originally recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects and was listed in the NRHP in 1986 as contributing to the Main Street Historic District (24GA0952). At the time of McDonald’s survey, the building had experienced considerably alterations. He described the building as follows: "This two-story commercial structure has a rectangular plan with a recessed front entrance and window bay. The asymmetrical facade has aluminum hopper and aluminum storefront windows on the street level and on the upper level and tile on the street level and has a flat built-up roof. The original building featured a turret on the northeast corner which was removed at remodeling." Cohen added in 1985 that the “…large, Italianate style corner block, is, despite significant alteration, the grandest of the several brick buildings erected in the district during the early 1880s building boom which accompanied the arrival of the railroad.” Cohen describes the significant alterations as follows: “The most significant alterations to the building involve on of the hallmarks of the Italianate style—the once elegantly-proportioned, elongated windows. On the front façade, the cast iron hood moldings over the windows have been removed, and the three recessed bays entirely filled in which smooth stucco. All eight windows of the east façade have been reduced to half their original length, the stone sills having been moved up, and the boom halves having been filled in with brick. Other alterations have included the remodeling of the storefont, and the removal of an ornate cornice pediment and two finials (according to Bill Beasley, at least one of these is presently stored in the basement). On potentially significant alteration was the installation in 1968 of the present revolving horse sign which rises from the marquee of the Country West clothing store. The sign, which has been leased from the Billings Neon Company for 17 years, was originally installed by Morris Brodie when Steve’s Country store, another clothing store, occupied the ground floor space.” Metcalf visited the site on October 27, 2020 noting only one small change since the 1980s surveys. This change is the addition of a green curved fabric awning over the storefront windows and entrance, which sits below the metal cornice with the horse on top. The site is in excellent condition, overall. The alterations still in existence continue to affect design, materials, and feeling. However, they have now aged and could be considered historic in and of themselves. Regardless of the alterations over time, the site is listed as contributing within the Main Street Historic District. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 HISTORY OF PROPERTY This site is the Masonic Temple/Gallatin Lodge #6. It I s a large Italianate commercial block built in 1883. Within years of its completion, it was touted as “an elegant [lodge] and an honor to the fraternity as well as to the territory of Montana” (Cohen 1985). Cohen’s 1985 site record includes a concise history of the site, summarized here: “It was built for the first of two Masonic Lodges to be formed in Bozeman, Bozeman Lodge #18 having splintered from this one in 1872 as a result of a rift based on Civil War sympathies. Several small businesses have rented space in the building from the Masons over the past century, including the Gallatin State Bank. …The temple cost about $20,000 when completed, which was partially offset by revenue from the rental of the first floor business spaces. Some of the first tenants there were the Bozeman National Bank…, the Northern Pacific Railroad ticket offices, the Frank W. VanAllen Jewelry store, and a barber. By 1918, the Wells-Fargo express office occupied the space that had been leased by the Gallatin State Bank from 1902-1908.” Currently the building is occupied by a bike shop on the 1st floor and the Gallatin Masonic Lodge #6 A F & A M continues to occupy the 2nd floor. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY James R. McDonald Architects 1984-85 137 E Main St. Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. Montana State Library. Montana Cadastral records online, http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral, accessed 12/09/2020. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: 1986 NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: A B C D Area of Significance: Architecture, Exploration/Settlement, Commerce Period of Significance: 1970-1937 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The property at 137 E. Main Street is the historic Masonic Temple/Gallatin Lodge building, built in 1883. It was originally recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects and was listed in the NRHP in 1986 as contributing to the Main Street Historic District (24GA0952). The site is in good condition and consists of a two-story brick and stucco commercial building. The site’s integrity of location, setting, materials, and association are intact. 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 within the Main Street Historic District and retains integrity sufficient to maintain its listed status. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Integrity Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) Site is in good condition, overall. The alterations still in existence continue to affect design, materials, and feeling. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 Feature # 1 Facing: N Description: Property 208. Primary façade. (Image #1665, 10/27/2020. SLW) Feature # 1 Facing: NW Description: Property 208. Oblique view. (Image #1666, 10/27/2020. SLW) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Property 208. Oblique view of rear. (Image #1667, 10/27/2020. SLW) Feature # 2 Facing: N/A Description: Property 208. NRHP plaque. (Image #1693, 10/31/2020. SLW) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Site Map Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Topographic Map Property Name: 137 E MAIN Site Number: 208