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Home My WebLink About11 E Curtiss St_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: 11 E Curtiss St Historic Address (if applicable): 115 W Curtiss St City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 172 Historic District Number (if applicable): 24GA0955 County: Gallatin Historic Name: Original Owner(s): Harry Beimstroh Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Owner(s): Benjamin M. Whaley Owner Address: 11 E Curtiss St., Bozeman, MT 59715-4818 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E SE ¼ NW ¼ SW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lots 11 & 12 Block(s): Block D Addition: Black Addition Year of Addition: 1872 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Residential Current Use: Residential Construction Date: 1904-1912 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 N Easting: 497156.82 Northing: 5058098.04 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: 1987 Historic District: South Tracy – South Black Historic District NRHP Eligible: Yes No Date of this document: 04/23/2021 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: MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 2 Architectural Description Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Folk Victorian If Other, specify: Property Type: Residential Specific Property Type: Single family dwelling Architect: Unknown Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: This site consists of one historical architectural feature: a house built between 1904 and 1912. It was previously recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects, and subsequently considered a non-contributing site within the 1987 South Tracy – South Black Historic District (24GA0955) based on integrity. McDonald described the house as follows: "This detached one-story single-family residence has a rectangular plan with an arched overdoor supported by brackets and fixed windows. The frame construction is finished in shingles on the siding and rests on a concrete foundation. The gable roof is covered with asphalt shingles and features a cross-gable facing the street on one side. The axis of the main roof is parallel to the street. Shed roofed addition to north. Double-hung windows on sides. Shed roofed bay garage. Masonite siding. Ogee shaped fascia on gable." Metcalf revisited the site in October 2020 and noted several modifications. The site is a single-story wood framed Folk Victorian style house with a gable L-shaped roof. The house has an L-shaped plan and concrete foundation. The roof is covered in asphalt shingles. The previously noted Masonite siding has been removed from the west, south, and east elevations; these exterior walls are currently clad in horizontal clapboard siding with vertical wood siding in the gable front peak. Masonite siding remains on the north elevation. An attached single-stall garage abuts the northwest corner of the residence. The primary façade faces south onto E Curtiss St. The primary entrance is centered and accessed by concrete steps with modern wood railings. The entry has a bracketed arched awning and is flanked by replacement single lite fixed windows. The east elevation has a paired and a bank of three original wood two over two lite double-hung windows. The north elevation supports a shed roofed vestibule clad in vertical board and batten. The rear of the attached garage extends past the north elevation of the residence. The garage has a shed roof clad in tarpaper and its north elevation has Masonite siding and a pair of one over one lite wood windows. The west elevation of the garage abuts the neighboring residence. The west elevation of the house has a pair of original wood two over two lite double-hung windows as well as two modern one over one lite windows and a shuttered basement lite. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 HISTORY OF PROPERTY The property currently addressed as 11 East Curtiss Street was platted by Leander Black as Black’s Addition on October 31, 1872. From 1872 to 1945, this property was sold as Lots 11 and 12 (corresponding with the 222 S. Tracy lot as shown on the 1904 Sanborn Map). The 1890 through 1904 Sanborn Maps depict two buildings on this lot: one is marked 222½ and the second is a small 1½-story building. Harry Beinstroh (or Beimstroh) purchased this property on April 23, 1910. Harry W. Beimstroh was born in January 1868 in Cincinnati, OH to Henry W. and Dora Beimstroh. He moved to Bozeman, MT in 1893. He worked as a bookkeeper for J. W. Tilton for many years. He was a member of the Masons, belonging to the Gallatin Lodge No. 6 A.F. and A.M. (The Independent-Record, 16 November 1944). Harry married Rosie Lee Force on May 12, 1910 in Bozeman. Harry Beimstroh worked as a watchman for the cereal mill (Ancestry.com, 2010). In 1940, Harry Beimstroh lived at this residence and was listed in the census record as being retired (Ancestry.com, 2012). Harry Beimstroh possibly built this residence between the time he purchased the property in 1910 and 1912. The estate of Harry Beinstroh sold this property to A. M. Russell on November 8, 1945. Alexander or "A.M." Russell was born in Seattle and worked as an architect as a young man. He moved to Bozeman in 1917 from Butte, MT. In 1918 Russell worked as a draughtsman for architect, Fred Willson (R. L. Polk & Co., 1918). Russell worked on the architectural plans for the Ellen Theatre in Bozeman, during which he became interested in the movie business, prompting him to enter the field. A. M. Russell married Eoline Sootheran in c. 1920 in Spokane, WA (Ancestry.com, 2012). Russell took over management of the Rialto Theater, which was originally located in the Opera House located within the City Hall building. In 1923-1924 he moved the Rialto to 10 West Main Street (Great Falls Tribune, 03 May 1932). He purchased the Ellen Theatre in Bozeman in 1932 from the Gallatin Theater Company, a firm controlled by the Story family (The Independent-Record, 01 May 1932). In 1938 Russell opened the Joyce Theater at 219 East Main Street in Bozeman. As the Joyce Theater’s owner, A.M. Russell, said in a Bozeman Daily Chronicle article the day before the theater’s opening that the new theater "offers east Bozeman residents with a ‘theatre of their own’ and provides all theatregoers with a new, modern show house located on the main business thoroughfare, but in an area partially removed from that section of Main Street where the heaviest traffic occurs." The Bozeman Daily Chronicle ran full page stories about the new theater with large photos of Russell and his daughter, Joyce, for whom the new theater was named. "The blue-eyed miss, a sixth-grader at the Longfellow school, is very much excited over the opening of the Joyce" (The Bozeman Daily Chronicle, 25 March 2011). Russell owned and operated four theaters in Bozeman: the Rialto, the Ellen, the Joyce, and the Star-Lite (The Montana Standard, 20 October 1950). A. M. and Eoline Russell did not live in this residence during ownership but lived at 222 South Tracy from c. 1929 until A. M.’s death in 1950 and Eoline’s death in 1963 (R. L. Polk & Co., 1929 to 1963; Ancestry.com, 2002). Upon A. M. Russell’s death, the theaters were taken over by J. A. English (The Independent-Record, 26 October 1950; Great Falls Tribune, 20 October 1950). A.M. and Eoline Russell transferred this property through a quit claim to Donald and Lela Cobb on November 19, 1945. The Cobbs lived in this residence during ownership. While living in this residence Donald worked as the manager of the Elks Club (BPOE No. 463). He also was the manager of the Bozeman Elks Country Club, and worked as a barber for Don’s Barber Shop, possibly a shop he owned. Lela also worked at Don’s Barber Shop (R. L. Polk & Co., 1950 to 1959). The Cobbs sold this property to Douglas L. and Myra J. Herbster and Daniel T. Brelsford on May 26, 1988. Douglas L. and Myra J. Herbster sold this property to Ann R. and John H. Prescott on March 12, 1993. The Prescotts sold the property to Dale L. and Katherine Williams and Gary L. and Carol E. Lister on March 29, 1997. The Listers sold the property to Travis A. Wright on September 1, 2006. Wright sold the property to the Mc Real Estate Holdings Inc on May 10, 2012. On August 17, 2012, Mc Real Estate Holdings Inc sold the property to Benjamin M. Whaley and Jessica J. Jellison, the current owners as of April 2021. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 Table 1. Chain of Title, 11 East Curtiss Street, Bozeman, Montana. Grantor Grantee Date of Instrument Type of Instrument Property Description/Comments Reference USA William H. Babcock 10 March 1875 Patent E ½ SW ¼ Sec 7 T2S R6E GLO Records William H. Babcock Black & Story 06 July 1870 Deed W ½ E ½ SW ¼ Sec 7 T2S R6E (except 150’ x 50’ lot directly south of Gray and Grannis stable) (1/3 interest) D: H/71 Nelson and Ellen Story Leander M. Black 06 July 1870 Deed Same (1/3 interest) D: H/97 William H. Babcock Leander M. Black 13 April 1871 Deed W ½ E ½ SW ¼ Sec 7 T2S R6E (40 acres) D: H/246 Leander M. Black Julius T. Curtiss 29 October 1872 Deed Lots 11 and 12, Block D, Black’s Addition D: I/139 Julius T. and Lou Belle Curtiss George W. Monroe 26 November 1873 Deed Same D: 2/258 George W. and Carrie E. Monroe Robert A. Baxter 09 September 1895 Deed Same D: 22/310 Robert A. and Mary A. Baxter Moroni Metcalf 15 July 1896 Deed Same D: 22/539 Moroni and Henrieta A. Metcalf M. W. Hamm 13 October 1896 Warranty Deed Same D: 23/75 Sara A. Hamm (widow) Ruby M. Bohart 28 June 1906 Warranty Deed Same D: 37/29 Ruby M. Bohart Lucy W. Heiskell 13 August 1908 Warranty Deed Same D: 39/120 Lucy W. and Frank Heiskell Harry Beinstroh 23 April 1910 Warranty Deed Same D: 41/249 Estate of Harry W. Beinstroh A. M. Russell 08 November 1945 Administrator’s Deed Same D: 92/354 A. M. and Eoline S. Russell Donald and Lela Cobb 19 November 1945 Quit Claim Deed E 37.8’ Lots 11 and 12, Block D, Black’s Addition D: 92/356 Donald and Lela Cobb Douglas L. and Myra J. Herbster and Daniel T. Brelsford 26 May 1988 Warranty Deed Same (each ½ interest) D: Film 101/2822 Douglas L. and Myra J. Herbster Ann R. and John H. Prescott 12 March 1993 Warranty Deed Same (½ interest) D: Film 130/2699 Daniel T. Brelsford Ann R. and John H. Prescott 17 March 1993 Warranty Deed Same (½ interest) D: Film 130/2698? MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 Grantor Grantee Date of Instrument Type of Instrument Property Description/Comments Reference Ann R. and John H. Prescott Dale L. and Katherine Williams and Gary L. and Carol E. Lister 29 March 1997 Warranty Deed Same (each ½ interest) D: Film 171/4420 Dale L. and Katherine Williams and Gary L. and Carol E. Lister Travis A. Wright 01 September 2006 Warranty Deed Same D: #2240518 Travis A. Wright Mc Real Estate Holdings Inc 10 May 2012 Warranty Deed Same D: #2415151 Mc Real Estate Holdings Inc Benjamin M. Whaley and Jessica J. Jellison 17 August 2012 Warranty Deed Same D: #2424340 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Ancestry.com 2017 Montana, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Electronic document, accessed April 23, 2021. 2002 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, accessed April 19, 2021. 2010 1920 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, accessed April 19, 2021. 2012 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, accessed April 19, 2021. 2012 Washington, U.S., Marriage Records, 1854-2013 [database on-line]. Ancestry.com Operations Inc., Provo, Utah. Electronic document, accessed April 19, 2021. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle [Bozeman, Montana] 2011 “The Joyce Theater Opened in 1938 with Style, Beauty.” 25 March. Bozeman, Montana. Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder 1864-2021 Gallatin County Deeds. Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder, Bozeman, Montana. Great Falls Tribune [Great Falls, Montana] 1932 “Russell Buys Movie House at Bozeman.” 03 May. Great Falls, Montana. 1950 “Theater Owner Dies at Bozeman.” 20 October. Great Falls, Montana. The Independent-Record [Helena, Montana] 1932 “A. M. Russell Takes Over Ellen Theater.” 01 May. Helena, Montana. 1944 “H. W. Beimstroh Passes.” 16 November. Helena, Montana. 1950 “Anacondan Leases Three Theaters of Bozeman Firm.” 26 October. Helena, Montana. James R. McDonald Architects 1984 11 E Curtiss 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 04/23/2021. The Montana Standard [Butte, Montana] 1950 “Former Resident of Butte Dies.” 20 October. Butte, Montana. R. L. Polk & Company 1904-2012 Polk’s Bozeman (Gallatin County, Mont.) City Directories. R.L. Polk & Co., Kansas City, Missouri. Sanborn Map Company 1890-1957 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana (Jul 1890, Nov 1891, Jan 1904, Sep 1912, Sep 1927, Sep 1943, Nov 1957). Sanborn Map Company, New York, New York. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Statement of Significance Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: 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 11 East Curtiss Street consists of a modest Folk Victorian style house, built between 1904 to 1912. It was previously recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects and, while it is located within the existing South Tracy – South Black Historic District (24GA0955) it was considered a non-contributing site at the time of listing due to alterations that had compromised important aspects of integrity. Chief among these alterations was the addition of Masonite siding. Metcalf finds the site in excellent condition. Restoration of clapboard siding has helped bring back some of the house’s original historic character; however, Sanborn maps indicate the presence of a full width, open front porch and a bay window on the west elevation during the historic period that have since been removed. Loss of these character-defining features and the introduction of modern materials significantly diminishes the integrity of the residence. Metcalf finds it does not retain sufficient integrity to convey historic character and concurs with the previous recommendation that it is non-contributing to the district. This site has been evaluated for eligibility against the NRHP Criteria. It is found to lack integrity sufficient to convey historic character in reference to associations with events that have made significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history under Criterion A, historically significant persons under Criterion B, characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction under Criterion C, and it is unlikely to yield important information in reference to research questions under Criterion D. Metcalf recommends this site not eligible for inclusion on the NRHP. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Integrity Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) When originally recorded in 1984, this site was considered a non-contributing element within a potential historic district, due to alterations that had compromised important aspects of integrity. Chief among these alterations was the application of Masonite siding. Metcalf finds the site in excellent condition. Restoration of clapboard siding on some elevations has helped bring back some of the house’s original aesthetic; however, Sanborn maps indicate the presence of a full width, open front porch and a bay window on the west elevation during the historic period that have since been removed. Removal of these character-defining features has compromised integrity of design, workmanship, association, and feeling. Replacement of some original windows with smaller, fixed units has impacted integrity of materials and design. Integrity of location and setting remain intact. Loss of these character-defining features and the introduction of modern materials significantly diminishes the integrity of the residence. Metcalf finds it does not retain sufficient integrity to convey historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Photographs Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 Feature # 1 Facing: N Description: Property 172. Primary façade. (Image #0425, 10/14/2020. EAS) Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Property 172. Oblique view. (Image #0424, 10/14/2020. EAS) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 Feature # 1 Facing: NW Description: Description: Property 172. Oblique view. (Image #0426, 10/14/2020. EAS) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Site Map Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Topographic Map Property Name: 11 E Curtiss St Site Number: 172