HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-25-22 Public Comment - M. Shively - Comment on HBP Project, The HenryFrom:Margaret Shively
To:Agenda
Subject:Comment on HBP Project, "The Henry"
Date:Tuesday, January 25, 2022 8:57:12 PM
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To the Bozeman City Commissioners,
I’m gravely concerned about the section of HBP’s plan to develop North Central Bozeman that would include
tearing down the old Deaconess Hospital.
While the large Victorian home that housed the original hospital in Bozeman is a faded black and white photo for
most people, I still remember it in living color as if it were yesterday. It was a grand structure that sheltered the
women “deaconesses" who selflessly served this community for decades without pay, requiring only a roof over
their heads. As Bozeman grew however, a newer larger hospital was needed to meet the needs of the community.
Fred Willson designed this classical structure that we now tend to call ”the old Deaconess Hospital.” Eventually, the
lovely old Victorian, with its powerful story, was torn down.
Please, let us not make the same mistake again.
Fred Willson invited my parents to the gala celebrating the grand opening of this newly designed Baxter Hotel
in1929. My mother never got there. They had to rush her to this newer Deaconess Hospital (now proposed for
demolition) to give birth--to me.
What we now call the old Deaconess Hospital is not just a part of my personal story, it's a part of our town’s history.
Couldn't this handsome structure be incorporated into the North Central development? There are numerous
examples of such renovation/restoration projects in town. The preservation of Bozeman's past is a large part of what
makes it such a desirable place to live and to visit.
Please preserve the old Deaconess.
Don’t do it just for me. Don’t do it just for Fred Willson. Do it for Bozeman.
Thank you for your consideration,
Margaret Langohr Shively