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Home My WebLink About111 S Grand_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: 111 S. Grand Ave. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 24GA0847 Historic District Number (if applicable): County: Gallatin Historic Name: Emerson School Original Owner(s): Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Emerson Arts Center Owner(s): Emerson Center Holding LLC Owner Address: 111 S. Grand Avenue, Bozeman, MT 59715-5037 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E NW¼ NW ¼ SW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): all Block(s): Block C Addition: Alderson Addition Year of Addition: 1873 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: education Current Use: arts center Construction Date: 1918-1920, 1939 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 496816.55 Northing: 5058248.73 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: 1990 Historic District: NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property meets the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property (see below). Date of this document: 10/16/2020 Form Prepared by: A. 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 is currently listed in the NRHP. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Collegiate Gothic If Other, specify: Property Type: Arts; Entertainment Specific Property Type: Arts center Architect: Fred F. Willson Architectural Firm/City/State: Bozeman Builder/Contractor: Henry J. Hamill Company/City/State: Bozeman Source of Information: Montana Cadastral records online The site at 111 S. Grand is the former Emerson School. It was recorded was recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald, and was individually listed in the NRHP in 1990 as site 24GA0847. Completed in 1918 by Henry Hamill from plans drawn by architect Fred Willson, the original structure was square, designed around an interior gymnasium core. In 1939, a building project added a west wing. The building represents the Neo-Gothic style of architecture, and the additions maintained that stylistic affiliation. McDonald described it in 1984 as follows: "This two-story school structure has a square plan with a rectangular addition to the rear, and a three-arched projecting entry bay over wide concrete steps. The one-bay facade is symmetrical and consists of the three entrances with 6/6 double-hung windows and several energy retrofit windows which have been added to the original structure. The brick construction sits on a limestone foundation and features a flat built-up roof with a smaller gable roof right in the center of the flat roof." The NRHP nomination form calls out other details, including "the Gothic style limestone ornament surrounding the triple entrance on the east elevation", and notes that in the two-story brick additions "Willson was again retained as the architect...took great care to use parallel design principles so there is a sense of uniformity between the original building and the primary wing." The WPA influence is largely restricted to a frieze depicting students at different academic pursuits. Metcalf observed few changes since these descriptions were recorded. In 2021, Emerson staff member Renee Stephens noted the foundation is composed of concrete, not limestone as identified by McDonald in 1984. Although some windows and doors have been replaced since the time of previous survey, the property has retained sufficient integrity to maintain its listed status. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 HISTORY OF PROPERTY The original building at 111 S. Grand Avenue, the Emerson School, was planned by architect Fred Willson, and had a square floor plan around a center gymnasium. It was used as a combined elementary and junior high school. In 1939 Willson was hired to design an east wing, two stories high, to house a number of new classrooms, a large assembly hall, as well as a manual arts training facility and a home economics department. Also finished in 1939, as a WPA-funded project was a west wing, built using brick that complemented the original building, and copying the original window dimensions and exterior details. In a typical artistic touch, a frieze was included on the WPA wing, depicting three students engaged in reading, mathematics, and music. The Emerson School was the third school building to have been located on, or adjacent to, this site. Bozeman's first school was built on this location in 1877. The West Side School was brick and was replaced in 1892 by a 16-room school located in a different part of the large lot. In 1905 the schools of Bozeman were renamed to honor American authors, and the West Side School became Irving School. In 1918 the school was torn down due to structural concerns, and the original portion of the present school erected (Boyd 1990). The Emerson School was purchased from the Bozeman Public School District in 1992. In May 1993, the Emerson opened its doors to the public, as the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture (www.theemerson.org). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Boyd, Chris 1990 Emerson School. National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture 2021 “History.” Website of the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, www.theemerson.org/history, accessed 3/22/2021. James R. McDonald Architects 1984 111 S. Grand Ave "Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form." Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. Montana State Library. Montana Cadastral records online, https://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral, accessed 9/07/2020. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: 1990 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 building at 111 S. Grand is a handsome example of Neo-Gothic architecture, designed by noted area architect Fred Willson, and constructed by premier area builder Henry Hamill. It is listed on the NRHP individually as 24GA0847. Willson was educated at Columbia University in New York City, and was a working architect in Bozeman from 1910 to 1956. He had a long and productive career designing buildings for local contracts. As the architect of the original 1918 Emerson School, he was retained to integrate the 1939 additions, which were accomplished while preserving the design principles of the original structure. 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: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The site is in excellent condition overall, with few visible alterations to the exterior since it was first recorded in 1984. The aspects of integrity-location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association are retained. Metcalf finds that the individually listed property, 24GA0847, retains sufficient integrity to convey its historic character, and retain its listed status. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 Feature # 1 Facing: W Description: Property 183. Façade (Image #519, 10/16/2020. EAS). Feature # 1 Facing: SW Description: Property 183. Oblique view (Image #518, 10/14/2020. EAS). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 Feature # 1 Facing: SSE Description: Property 183. Oblique view (Image #517, 10/14/2020. EAS). Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Property 183. Oblique view (Image #516, 10/14/2020. EAS). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Photographs Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Property 183. Oblique view (Image #515, 10/14/2020. EAS). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Site Map Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Topographic Map Property Name: 111 S. Grand Ave. Site Number: 24GA0847