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Home My WebLink About23 N Tracy 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: 23 N Tracy Ave. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 276 Historic District Number (if applicable): 24GA0952 County: Gallatin Historic Name: Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Co. Original Owner(s): Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Co. Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Cat Eye Cafe Owner(s): MDB/JCB III LLC Owner Address: 130 N Vermont Ave Apt A, Glendora, CA 91741-5314 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E SE¼ SW¼ NW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lots 23-24, S250' of W20' Lot 25, and S50' of E21.5' Lot 22 Block(s): Block A Addition: Tracy 1st Year of Addition: 1872 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Commercial Current Use: Commercial Construction Date: 1906, 1935 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 497076.84 Northing: 5058486.46 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: 3/19/2021 Form Prepared by: 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: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Art Deco-Moderne If Other, specify: Property Type: Commerce Specific Property Type: Commerce Architect: Unknown Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: N/A This building was historically the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Co., built as early as 1906 but extensively remodeled c. 1935. The two-story brick building has a stucco exterior finish and is styled in the Art Deco mode, with vertical colonnettes flanking the doorway and window openings on the primary (east) facade and decorative geometric lintels. It is a narrow building and has an asymmetrical facade, with the entry at-grade on the north end with two large divided-lite windows to the south and three banked divided-lite windows on the second story with a single identical window to the north directly above the first floor entry. There is an alley to the south exposing the south elevation to the ROW. There are modern divided-lite windows across the first story and a single one-over-one-lite window in the upper story. A vertical sign at the east corner reads "Cat Eye Cafe." The building was originally recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald, Architects. Metcalf visited the site and noted very minor alterations to the exterior since the previous record. These include the replacement of some of the window, affecting integrity of materials minimally. The rear (west) elevation, which was not previously described, also shows incorporation of modern materials to meet contemporary codes. It consists of two one-over-one-lite hung windows at the south end of the elevation, and a glass door with a transom lite centered on the upper story. This emergency exit is accessed by a modern metal stairway with side rails. The doorway is flanked by one-over-one-lite second story windows. An ADA-accessible ramp is located beneath the stairs, leading to an entrance on the north elevation, not visible due to the presence of a wood fence along the north property boundary. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 HISTORY OF PROPERTY This site is the historic Bell Telephone Co. building. It was built as early as 1906 but was remodeled extensively and given a stucco finish and Art Deco style in the 1930s. It was originally recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald who recommended it as a "neutral element within a potential historic district." Regardless, it was included in the subsequent 1986 Main Street Historic District Nomination Form as a contributing site. According to Matt Cohen, who added historical background to McDonald's Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form in 1985, the building is "both a unique example of the use of stucco as a material for building remodeling, and a physical remnant of the early 20th century expansion of city services in Bozeman" (Cohen 1985). The property was sold to Mrs. Minnie Preston in 1983--a lifelong Bozeman resident who recalled its former use as the Telephone Co. According to Cohen's interview with Mrs. Preston, the switchboard operators "worked in the upper floor, with the office, where her mother would go to pay the bill, was on the first floor." When she acquired the property, she had the interior completely remodeled. Work was done by architecture students at MSU. Minnie Preston is also remembered as the longtime owner of the Chambers-Fisher Department Store on Main Street. She served as the company's president from 1955 to 1985 (Phillips 2021). For many years, this building housed a pizzeria. In 1964, Marion Audrey Anderson, an employee, purchased the restaurant and reopened it as Audrey's Pizza Oven. She retired in 1994 and died two years later at age 88. Since that time, the business has closed and been reopened in alternate locations in Bozeman (Bozeman Daily Chronicle January 21, 2010). For the past 20 years, the building has housed the Cateye Cafe, owned by Tina and Kevin Caracciolo (onlyinyourstate.com). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Bozeman Daily Chronicle [Bozeman, MT] 2010 "Audrey's Pizza Oven Returns." 21 January. https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com/news/audreys-pizza-oven-returns-to-bozeman/article_f2a43da8-d29e-5633-a6b4-40bc83a94619.html, accessed 3/21/2021. James R. McDonald Architects 1984 23 N Tracy. Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman, Bozeman, MT. Only In Your State 2020 "The Cateye Cafe." 13 January. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/montana/cat-eye-cafe-cat-themed-cafe-mt/, accessed 3/21/2021. Philips, Rachel 2021 "Top 10 Iconic Women in Bozeman History," 1 March. Bozeman Magazine. Electronic document, https://bozemanmagazine.com/articles/2021/03/01/110094-top-10-iconic-women-in-bozeman-history, accessed 3/19/2021. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 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: Period of Significance: Historic More Than One Decade STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE This site is the former Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone Co., built as early as 1906 but extensively remodeled c. 1935. The two-story brick building has a stucco exterior finish and is styled in the Art Deco mode. The property was sold to Mrs. Minnie Preston in 1983--a lifelong Bozeman resident remembered as the longtime owner of the Chambers-Fisher Department Store on Main Street, having served as the company's president from 1955 to 1985 (Phillips 2021). When she acquired the property, she had the interior completely remodeled by architecture students at MSU. For many years, this building housed a pizzeria. In 1964, Marion Audrey Anderson, an employee, purchased the restaurant and reopened it as Audrey's Pizza Oven. The site was first recorded by James R. McDonald Architects in 1984 and was subsequently included in the Main Street Historic District (24GA0952) in 1986 as a contributing property. It remains in excellent condition and retains sufficient integrity to convey historic character. The site is currently listed in the NRHP as a contributing site within the Main Street Historic District and retains sufficient integrity to maintain its listed status. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Integrity Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) This site was remodeled in 1935, at which time the stucco finish was applied to all elevations and Art Deco ornament was applied to the facade. These changes occurred within the historic period. It remains in excellent condition and retains all aspects of integrity. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 Feature #1 Facing: NW Description: Property 276, oblique view (Image #1606, 10/16/2020/SW). Feature # 1 Facing: ENE Description: Image #1605, 10/16/2020, SW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 Feature 1# Facing: NW Description: Property 276, oblique view of detached garage (Image #1604, 10/16/2020, SW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Site Map Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Topographic Map Property Name: 23 N Tracy Ave. Site Number: 276