The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About128 E Main 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: 128 E Main St. Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 205 Historic District Number (if applicable): 24GA0952 County: Gallatin Historic Name: Fechter Building Original Owner(s): John Fechter Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Owner(s): J&L Montana LLC Owner Address: 274 High Country Road, Bozeman, MT 59718 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E SW ¼ SE ¼ NW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): Lot 8A Block(s): Block B Addition: Original Town Plat Year of Addition: 1870 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Commercial Current Use: Commercial Construction Date: 1918 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 Easting: 497290.74 Northing: 5058383.85 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: 4/20/2021 Form Prepared by: S. Wells and R. Schields, Metcalf Archaeological Consultants, Inc. 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: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Gothic Revival If Other, specify: Property Type: Commerce Specific Property Type: Retail Architect: Fred F. Willson Architectural Firm/City/State: Unknown Builder/Contractor: Unknown Company/City/State: Unknown Source of Information: James R. McDonald Architects. 1984. Fechter Building, Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. The site is the 1918 Fechter Building, a 3-story commercial building designed for John Fechter by Fred F. Willson. The primary facade faces north onto E Main Street, with commercial store-front entry recessed and at-grade. The building was originally recorded by James R. McDonald Architects in 1984, revised in 1985 by Matt Cohen, and listed in the NRHP as contributing to the Main Street Historic District in 1986 (24GA0952). McDonald describes the site as follows: "The attached three-story commercial structure has a rectangular plan with a bronze or copper canopy with glass inserts over the entry to the upper level apartments, a die bay to the main structure. There are unique wood balconies at the rear of the building. The facade is symmetrical and consists of a central front entrance with storefront windows, and 3/1 double-hung windows paired on the second story. The second level windows are surrounded by elaborately detailed terra cotta mouldings of contrasting colors. The cornice features terra cotta detailing with free-stanidng (sic) spires and gargoyles. The brick construction is finished in terra cotta detailing and rests on granite cut stone foundation. The flat roof is finished in built-up materials. The original storefront features a rectangular bronze canopy as well, but this has been removed." In 1985, Cohen added: "The Fetcher Hotel is the most architecturally significant of the numerous early 20th century buildings in the district because of the unique, high relief, neo-Gothic Revival style, white glazed terra cotta ornament that covers the facade, contrasted by vertical, staggered bands of red brick. Over the annex entrance survives the last of the several galvanized iron and glass canopies once found in the district... With the exception of the storefront, the building retains very high integrity inside and out. Beneath the present New Impressions sign, in additon (sic), may very likely survive the original Tudor-arched transoms of the storefronts and central door, and perhaps even the highly complex transom muntins." Metcalf visited the site in 2020 and noted a few alterations since the time of previous survey. Vertical wood paneling above the first-story store front has been removed to reveal three Tudor-arched transom bays. Each bay is set with detailed and complex muntins with decorative terra cotta surrounds. There was no evidence or freestanding spires or gargoyles in the cornice, these details may have been removed. The south elevation supports several entrances at ground level. Above, four metal balconies with metal railings extend from the second and third stories. The original wood balconies were replaced with these modern counterparts by Yellowstone Architects at an unknown date (yellowstonearchitects.com). Feature two is the Fechter Annex, a small, single-story, brick-clad building between the Fechter Hotel and 140 East Main to the east (Property 209). The Annex was designed by Fred F. Willson c. 1920 and its primary facade faces north onto E Main. The annex features an at-grade entrance with single-lite transom and terra cotta surround. A galvanized iron and glass semi-circular marquee extends over the entrance and is likely original to the building. The south elevation of the annex has a metal staircase that allows access to the second and third floor apartments of the Fechter Building. Access is controlled by a metal gate with metal mesh. The site is in excellent condition. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 HISTORY OF PROPERTY The Fechter Hotel is a 3-story Neo-Gothic commercial building along Bozeman’s Main Street. It has historic associations with the city’s most prolific early architect, Fred F. Willson. Willson constructed for John Fechter in 1918 at a cost of $50,000. According to McDonald, John Fechter "and his father and grandfather before him, operated several saloon, including the well-known Tivoli." The original ground-floor tenant was F. W. Woolworth Company, while the Fechter Hotel occupied the second and third stories. By 1933, Woolworth's store front had moved down to 37 E. Main and the Fechter Building was occupied by J.C. Penney. The Fechter Annex (Feature 2) served as a bakery and cafe prior to its conversion to an entrance for the second and third floor apartments in the 1930s. At this time, the Fechter Hotel rooms had been converted into a rooming house known as the Cosner Apartments. As Cohen describes in a 1985 history of the property, "The removal of the stair leading to the upper floors from its original location in the center of the main building to its present location in the annex allowed increased retail space in the ground floor of the main building" (Cohen 1985). In 1986, the building was included as a contributing building in the NRHP-listed Main Street Historic District (24GA0952). MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Cohen, Matt 1985 128-130 East Main, Fechter Building (revision). Document on-file with the City of Bozeman, Bozeman, MT. James R. McDonald Architects. 1984 128-130 East Main, Fechter Building, Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. Yellowstone Architects "1918 Fechter Building Balcony Project." http://www.yellowstonearchitects.com/1918-fechter-building-balcony-project.html, accessed 4/21/2021. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 Statement of Significance Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 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: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Fechter Building, a 3-story commercial building designed by Fred Willson, is currently listed in the NRHP as a contributing site within the Main Street Historic District (24GA0952)(James R. McDonald 1986). Metcalf visited the site and finds that it 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: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) The site is in excellent condition. Modification to the first floor store front, which occurred prior to inclusion in the 1986 Main Street Historic District, affected the integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. The modification has since been removed, restoring the store front to its original design. Metcalf has determined that sufficient integrity remains and that the site is able to convey historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 7 Photographs Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 Feature # 1 Facing: S-SE Description: Property 205, oblique view (Image #1762; SLW, 11/07/2020) Feature # 1 Facing: NW Description: Feature 1, oblique rear elevation view (Image #1769; SLW 10/07/2020) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Photographs Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 Feature # 2 Facing: S Description: Feature 2, façade view (Image #1763; SLW 10/07/2020) Feature # 2 Facing: N Description: Feature 2, rear elevation view (Image #1767; SLW 10/07/2020) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Site Map Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Topographic Map Property Name: 128 E Main St. Site Number: 205