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Home My WebLink About201 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: 201 E Main St. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 210 Historic District Number (if applicable): 24GA0952 County: Gallatin Historic Name: Montgomery Ward Co. Original Owner(s): Dawes Improvement Co. Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Owner(s): Haj Javad LLC Owner Address: PO Box 186, Bozeman, MT 59771-0186 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E SE¼ SE ¼ NW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lot 1, & 25.5' W S Lot 2 Plat A-1 Block(s): Block D Addition: Bozeman Original Plat Year of Addition: 1870 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Commercial Current Use: Commercial Construction Date: 1928 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 497342.88 Northing: 5058456.67 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: 10/31/2020 Form Prepared by: S. Wells and E. Sakariassen, 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: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Romanesque If Other, specify: Property Type: Commerce Specific Property Type: Rug Gallery Architect: Fred F. Willson Architectural Firm/City/State: Builder/Contractor: Dawes Improvement Co. Company/City/State: Source of Information: Montana Cadastral records online. This site consists of one historical feature: a commercial downtown structure, built c. 1928. It had been previously recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects and subsequently included in the NRHP as a contributing property within the Main Street Historic District in 1986. McDonald described the building as follows: "This attached two-story commercial structure has a rectangular plan with a flat overhang at street level. The asymmetrical facade consists of an off-center front entrance with aluminum storefront windows at street level and three round-topped windows of a central fixed flanked by 1/1 double-hungs on the second story. The brick construction is finished in ceramic tile under the storefront windows, but otherwise is the original brick with terra cotta detailing. It sits on a granite block foundation and has a flat built-up roof, which lies perpendicular to the street." Metcalf revisited the site on October 31, 2020 noting only one discernible change since the 1984 survey: the removal of the street level overhang over the storefront windows. Now there is a corrugated metal strip above windows, painted red. There are no other observable changes since the previous survey. With the exception of some chipped tile along the bottom the site is in good to excellent condition, overall. The removal of the overhang has not necessarily restored the integrity of the façade, but does more closely resemble its original historic appearance as the paneling is contained in essentially the location of the storefront’s transom elites. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 HISTORY OF PROPERTY In 1985 the James R. McDonald survey was revised and a history of the building added to the site form by Matt Cohen. Cohen's history of the building is as follows: "The most significant of local architect Fred F. Willson's commercial designs in Bozeman, this fine example of an early 20th Century department store was built by the Dawes Improvement Co. for the specific purpose of leasing to the Montgomery Ward Co. The structure was built in 1928, just one year before the J.C. Penny Co., another of the three major department stores to do business in the district in the first half of this century, opened in the ground floor of the Fechter Hotel. J.C. Penny constructed the present faÃ§ade of 9 E. Main in 1937, while the F.W. Woolworth Co., the other of the three, constructed the present faÃ§ade of 36-36 1/2 E. Main in 1950.” “According to Charles Vandenhook, Montgomery Ward opened several branch stores all over the country around 1927. In an effort to keep investments in merchandise rather than real estate, the chain arranged for others, such as Dawes and his associates, to construct suitable buildings for the department store to occupy on a pre-arranged lease basis. David P. Vaughn remembers that Montgomery Ward's was the most modern retail building in the city when built, containing an elevator and freight shute, among other novelties. The building has only one formal facade, while the west wall, clearly visible from Main St. is virtually unornamented...” “The site of this building was originally occupied by the Laclede Hotel, later known as the Metropolitan Hotel. Built in 1870, the 2- story building, which had a full balcony facing Main St., was the second brick building to be built in Bozeman (Bozeman Courier, August 12, 1925, p. 1), and the leading hotel before the construction of the Bozeman Hotel in 1890. In 1967, Vaughn's furniture store, the present occupant, moved in and remodeled the storefront to its present appearance - a very significant example of 1960's storefront design, displaying stainless steel trim and a marquee supporting free standing letters that spell: "Vaughn's." Montgomery Ward presumably moved to its present location on North 7th Ave. at that time, following the introduction of "strip" development there." According to the Montana Cadastral records, this site underwent some remodeling in 1980 but it is unknown what changed from the 1967 design. Based on historic photographs, the building very closely resembles its original appearance. Currently this site is occupied by a rug gallery business. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY James R. McDonald Architects 1984-85 201 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 12/10/2020. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 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 Period of Significance: 1870-1937 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Montgomery Ward building is currently listed in the NRHP as a contributing site within the Main Street Historic District (24GA0952). Metcalf finds that the site is in excellent condition. The site retains sufficient integrity 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: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) With the exception of some chipped tile along the bottom the site is in good to excellent condition, overall, and retains all aspects of integrity. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 Feature # 1 Facing: N Description: Property 210. Primary façade. (Image #1695, 10/31/2020. SLW) Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Property 210. Oblique view. (Image #1694, 10/31/2020. SLW) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Property 210. Oblique view of rear. (Image #1720, 10/31/2020. SLW) Feature # 1 Facing: SE Description: Property 210. Oblique view of rear. (Image #1721, 10/31/2020. SLW) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Site Map Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Topographic Map Property Name: 201 E Main St. Site Number: 210