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Home My WebLink About121 S Willson 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: 121 S Willson Ave. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA0924 Historic District Number (if applicable): County: Gallatin Historic Name: Methodist Episcopal Church Original Owner(s): Methodist Episcopal Church Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Bozeman United Methodist Church Owner(s): United Methodist Church Owner Address: 121 S Willson Ave, Bozeman, MT 59715-4628 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E N ¼ NW ¼ SW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lot 8 - 10, ACRES 0.3, S3' LOT 7 Block(s): B Addition: Alderson Addition Year of Addition: 1873 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Religious Current Use: Religious Construction Date: 1873-1874 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12N Easting: 496950.67 Northing: 5058217.36 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: 1983-84; 1985-86; 1987 Historic District: N/A NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property no longer meets the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property (see below). Date of this document: 10/16/2020 Form Prepared by: S. Wells and R. Schields, 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: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Gothic Revival If Other, specify: Modern additions Property Type: Religious Specific Property Type: Chapel/church building Architect: Unknown Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: W. H. Tracy Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: McDonald 1984 The site consists of the Bozeman United Methodist Church constructed in 1887. The site is located on the corner of S Willson Avenue and W Olive Street. The church has an irregular shape due to additions and renovations in 1948, 1955, and 1994. the United Methodist Church was surveyed in 1984 by James McDonald Architects and added to the NRHP in 1984. He describes the property as follows: "This detached one-story, church structure has a two-story bell tower on the front corner with an open entrance-way and a central gable-roofed vestibule with arched opening over the main entrance. The brick construction is covered with stucco over the original material on the main structure and includes several additions of brick to the north and west. Windows are stained glass with pilasters between and have an equilateral arch. The structure sits on a concrete foundation and the gable roof has decorative exposed carved rafters and shingle-style detailing. The main roof is of cedar shingles and the flat-roofed addition is of built-up materials. The axis of the main roof is perpendicular to the street. A brass plaque on the SE corner quotes "Methodist Church, 1874, in memory of Grace Clark, missionary to Africa." Metcalf visited the site and found this description no longer accurate. In 1994, the original sanctuary and west brick addition were demolished and the Bozeman United Methodist Church constructed a new sanctuary, with a full basement and added an extension to the west elevation ("The Chimes", October 2014). The three-story bell tower and two-story, flat-roofed north addition, both constructed in 1905, remain extant. The Bozeman United Methodist Church has three, major components: the 1905 three-story, square bell tower with pyramidal hipped roof topped with decorative finial; the 1905-1906 two-story, flat roofed addition to the north and its two-story, brick addition to the west elevation added in the 1950s; and the new single-story brick sanctuary which replaced the original sanctuary in 1994. Bell Tower: The east-facing façade supports the primary entrance at the base of the square bell tower. The entrance is composed of a pair of ten-panel wood doors with fanlight above; it is accessed via a set of steps with metal railings. Above the entrance are two tall, pointed arch windows with one-over-one lite hung windows set in the tall vertical openings. At the top of the tower, each elevation supports a set of three pointed arch openings with louvered vents. The tower is topped with a pyramidal hipped roof clad in wood shingles and a decorative finial. North and west additions: The two-story north portion of the church was added in 1905 and a two-story addition added to the west elevation in the 1950s. The 1905 and 1950s additions are rectangular in plan and composed of bricks clad in plaster. The roof is flat and clad in built up material with a metal fascia. The east elevation supports three, tall, gothic arch windows with stained glass set in brick surrounds. Below, three pairs single-lite windows are visible in the foundation. The north elevation has five tall window openings with brick sills. Window openings are visible in the foundation. The west elevation is clad in brick and supports six sets of windows, each with a single fixed lite above a single-lite awning window with brick sill. Four, two-lite horizontal sliding sash windows are set in the foundation. South portion: In 1994, the original sanctuary, on the southeast corner of the property, was demolished and a new sanctuary and two-story addition constructed. The south portion of the Methodist Church is irregular in shape and has a complex roof form. The east portion is a single story sanctuary clad in brick with a front-gabled roof and widely flared eaves; the two-story west portion is clad in brick and has a flat, built-up roof with metal fascia and dentils. The primary entrance is centrally located between the east and west portions on the south elevation, it is sheltered beneath the flared eaves of the sanctuary and is accessed via concrete steps and an ADA-accessible ramp with metal railing. The entrance is a pair of wood doors surrounded by a window wall composed of fixed rectangular lites. To the east of the entrance, slightly recessed below the MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 Architectural Description Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 gable peak is an 18-lite, art glass, pointed arch window with brick surround and brick central divider. To the west of the entrance is the two-story addition that supports a single metal door. The east elevation supports four, tall, rectangular art glass windows with concrete sills and hood moldings. A front-facing gable is centered in the elevation; it shelters an art glass rose window with a pointed arch brick surround. The west elevation supports a recessed entrance near the junction of the 1950s and 1994 addition. Above the entrance is a pair of tall windows with concrete sills and hood moldings. At the southwest corner are a pair of two-story rectangular windows. The first-story lites are composed of art glass. Both windows have concrete sills and hood moldings. Overall, the site is in excellent condition. Bozeman's United Methodist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Since that time, the original church has been demolished, additions added to the north and west, and a new sanctuary constructed over the previous. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 HISTORY OF PROPERTY The Bozeman United Methodist Church located at the corner of S. Willson Ave and W. Olive Street was previously recorded by McDonald Architects in 1984 and added to the National Register in 1985-1986. The original portion of the church, now demolished, was one of the first large brick structures constructed in Bozeman and prior to its destruction was the oldest extant Methodist church in Montana. The origins of Bozeman's Methodist Episcopal Church stretch back to 1866, when A. M. Hough of Virginia City formally organized the congregation. The church's first location was in a 24x36 frame building at the southwest corner of Main and Tracy. By 1875, the structure for the new church was complete. Built during Bozeman's brief building boom of 1872-1873, the Methodist Church was constructed in the Gothic Revival style. The bell tower, built by Joseph Uhlrich, was added in 1905. At the same time, a two-story addition was added to the north portion of the church. In the 1950s, a one-story, flat-roofed brick addition to the west elevation of the 1905 portion was added, the church was sheathed in stucco, and brick trim added around the windows (McDonald, 1985-1986). In 1993-1994, Bozeman's United Methodist Church demolished the original 1873 sanctuary and constructed a new sanctuary and two- story addition to the south and west elevations of the church ("The Chimes", October 2014). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Bozeman UMC, '2.5.20 Sermon, "BUMC History' with Pastor Eric", Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAvJxeuS77o, accessed 3/19/21. McDonald, Jim. 1984 Methodist Episcopal Church. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. "The Chimes: A Newsletter of Bozeman United Methodist Church", October 2014, Vol 39: 9. https://bozemanumc.org/hp_wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/October-2014-Chimes.pdf, accessed 3/19/21. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Statement of Significance Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: 1984 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 property at 121 S Willson consists of one historical architectural feature: the Bozeman United Methodist Church, originally constructed in 1877 with additions and renovations in 1905, 1950s, and 1994. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983-1984. The nomination rested on the original 1887 building's, "strong historical associations with the founding of the earliest social institutions in the newly founded town of Bozeman" (McDonald, 1984). The original 1887 portion of the church was demolished in 1994. Metcalf recommends that, due to the demolition of the original building and the subsequent alterations and additions, the United Methodist Church is not eligible for inclusion in the NRHP any longer and should be delisted. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Integrity Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) Overall, the site is in excellent condition. Bozeman's United Methodist Church was listed on the NRHP in 1984. Since that time, the original church has been demolished, additions added to the north and west, and a new sanctuary constructed over the previous. The aspects of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling have been affected. Integrity of location, setting, and association remain. Metcalf finds the site to have lost enough integrity to impact the conveyance of historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 Feature # 1 Facing: W Description: Property #293. Façade (Image #1595, 10/16/2020. SW). Feature # 1 Facing: NW Description: Property #293. Oblique view (Image #1594, 10/16/2020. SW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Photographs Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Property #293. Oblique view (Image #1596, 10/16/2020. SW). Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Property #293. Oblique view (Image #1593, 10/16/2020. SW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 Feature # 1 Facing: NW Description: Property #293. Close-up of mosaic window, south elevation (Image #1597, 10/16/2020. SW). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Site Map Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Topographic Map Property Name: 121 S Willson Ave. Site Number: 24GA0924