The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About304 N Grand Ave 2022 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: 304 N Grand Ave Historic Address (if applicable): City/Town: Bozeman Site Number: 176 Historic District Number (if applicable): County: Gallatin Historic Name: Original Owner(s): Milton McCowen Current Ownership Private Public Current Property Name: Owner(s): Kyle & Elisa Fruh Owner Address: 2049 Boyland Rd, Bozeman, MT 59715-2148 Phone: Legal Location PM: Montana Township: 2S Range: 6E NW ¼ SW ¼ NW ¼ of Section: 7 Lot(s): 13-14 Block(s): 4 Addition: Beall's 3rd Addition Year of Addition: 1891 USGS Quad Name: Bozeman Year: 1987 Historic Use: Residential Current Use: Residential Construction Date: Aft. 1898 but Bef. 1904 Estimated Actual Original Location Moved Date Moved: UTM Reference www.nris.mt.gov NAD 27 or NAD 83 (preferred) Zone: 12 N Easting: 496909.61 Northing: 5058734.4 National Register of Historic Places NRHP Listing Date: Historic District: NRHP Eligible: Yes No *Property does not meet the City of Bozeman’s definition of an eligible property (See below). Date of this document: 03/20/2021 Form Prepared by: S. Wells and E. Sakariassen, Metcalf Archaeological Consultants Inc. with C. Alegria, 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: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION Architectural Style: Other (specify) If Other, specify: New Traditional 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 is a single-story bungalow that has been extensively remodeled in recent years. The residence is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of N Grand Avenue and W Beall Street. The Bozeman Medical Arts Plaza is a half block to the east. The lot measures 50 feet along Grand Avenue and 130 feet along Beall Street. The site was previously recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald Architects and considered an "intrusive element within a potential historic district," with no historic integrity "due to change in original design and materials" (McDonald 1984). McDonald described the house as follows: "This detached one-and-one-half story single-family residence has a square plan with an open porch added on the back room, and a flat-roofed wrap-around porch on the front corner. The two-bay façade is asymmetrical and consists of an offset side entrance with side lights and fixed windows on the newer front addition and double-hung windows on the original gable structure. The frame construction is finished in asphalt siding and masonite. It rests on a concrete foundation. The gable-flat roof combination is covered with grey asphalt shingles and has boxed eaves. There is a rear metal stovepipe. The axis of the roof is perpendicular to the street. The newer front addition features an unusual flat-to-shed roofline and has altered the original shape of the house considerably. Outbuildings include a garage and a shed." Metcalf revisited the site in October 2020 and noted considerable changes affecting the style and aesthetic, further compromising its historic integrity. The main shape and body of the house has not changed, but exterior treatments have been altered. The walls are clad in corrugated and vertical standing-seam steel sheets. The windows are all modern sash and do not reflect original fenestration patterns. Google Earth imagery indicates the remodel occurred after 2015. The site is currently described as follows: The one-and-a-half story residence is generally L-shape in plan and rests on a concrete foundation. The exterior is clad in corrugated and vertical standing seam steel sheets. There are several roof forms: at the north end is a front-facing gable, to the south is a flat roof with a shed roof extending to the east, a hipped roof tops the wrap-around porch on the southwest corner. The porch roof is clad in steel sheets, the remaining roofs are clad in asphalt shingles. The façade faces west onto N Grand Ave. The entry is accessed by a covered porch that extends across the south end of the primary façade, around to the south elevation. The roof is hipped, clad in steel sheets, and is supported by a series of square wood posts. To the north is a pair of single-lite vinyl casement windows, above in the gable peak is a single-lite vinyl window. At the sound end, in the second story is a pair of single-lite vinyl casement windows. The south elevation has a pair of single-lite vinyl casement windows on the first story and a pair of single-lite vinyl casement windows in the second story. The east elevation is obscured by a tall wood fence. The north elevation is partially obscured by a wood fence. There is a single-lite vinyl casement window and a one-by-one lite sliding vinyl window. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 3 History of Property Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 HISTORY OF PROPERTY (compiled by Crystal Alegria, The Extreme History Project, Bozeman, MT) The property currently addressed as 304 N. Grand Avenue is in Beall’s Third Addition, platted on December 28, 1891. The builder and designer of the residence are unknown. The 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance map depicts this house as a single-story dwelling with a corner porch and a roughly L-shaped plan similar to its current layout. Historically, there was also a small, square, single-story outbuilding at the northeast corner of the lot that is no longer extant. A sewer permit was obtained by then-owner, Benjamin Fish, in 1930. As the town of Bozeman, Montana Territory was settled in 1864, people came to this area from all over the United States and the world to settle. African American people came to Montana Territory for opportunity and a chance at a better life, many of them being recently freed after the Civil War. Bozeman did not have the large black population of Helena, and later Butte, but it did have a significant number of African American people settling in the area who were able to find property to purchase and work in the late nineteenth century. One of the African American families to settle in Bozeman was the Rogers (or Rodgers) family. This property is connected to the Rogers family through Katherine Rogers, a previous owner. Katherine Rogers was born on October 23, 1885, in Bozeman, MT to Emma and Eli Rogers. She grew up in Bozeman. Katherine married Milton McCowan on August 12, 1900. Milton McCowan purchased this property on November 27, 1899. Milton McCowan was born on October 25, 1864, in Versailles, KY. He came west and settled in Bozeman in 1899, purchasing this property at that time. While living in this residence, Milton worked as a janitor (Ancestry.com, 2006). McCowan died on October 16, 1911, at the age of 46 years. He had suffered for many years from a chronic pulmonary affliction and died of heamoptysis suffocation (Ancestry.com, 2017). The funeral services were conducted at this residence. He is buried in the Rogers family plot in Bozeman’s Sunset Hills Cemetery (The Republican Courier, 24 October 1911). After the death of Milton McCowan, Katherine continued to live in this residence. She married William J. Roberts on December 12, 1914 (Ancestry.com, 2014). The witnesses for this wedding were friends of Katherine’s, Eva and Andy Robinson, who were also members of Bozeman’s black community. They lived at 516 North Bozeman Avenue (Ancestry.com, 2014). William J. Roberts was born in c. 1879 in Victoria, Texas to Daniel and Sarah Roberts (Ancestry.com, 2017). This marriage must have ended because Katherine married Benjamin William Fish in February 1917 in Bozeman, MT. Benjamin William Fish was born in Preble County, OH on June 18, 1892. He came to Montana and settled in Bozeman in c. 1917. He served in the first World War overseas for 18 months, from June 10, 1918 to March 6, 1919, and was honorably discharged on March 24, 1919. He departed for Fort Lewis from Lewistown, MT. The local Lewistown newspaper said, “The farewell given at the Armory Hall last night in honor of the colored men, Ben Fish, W. Long, and J. Frazier, who left for Camp Lewis this morning, was a splendid success, bringing out a very large company of citizens, white and colored” (Great Falls Daily Tribune, 28 October 1917). He served as sergeant of Company C of the 350th machine gun battalion. Upon his return to Bozeman, he was an active member in the Gallatin Post American Legion. While living in this residence, he worked as the night foreman for the Charles R. Poor garage. Benjamin Fish died on January 31, 1933, at the Warm Springs State Hospital in Deer Lodge, MT. Full military honors were given at the funeral service by Gallatin Post American Legion, No. 14 and he was buried in Bozeman’s Sunset Hills Cemetery Veterans Memorial section. Members of the Gallatin Post American Legion acted as pall bearers and conducted the burial services. A firing squad of eight, with color bearers and color guards, preceded the casket to the grave where a volley was fired. A bugler sounded taps at the close of the service (The Bozeman Courier, 27 January 1933). Katherine continued to live in this residence until her death on August 24, 1951 (Great Falls Tribune, 29 August 1951). She is buried in Bozeman’s Sunset Hills Cemetery with her husband, Benjamin Fish. Katherine’s mother, Emma Barnes Rogers, had been born in Fort Benton, Montana Territory in approximately 1859 (Ancestry.com, 2010). She was most likely the child of Philip Barnes and a Native American woman whose name has been lost to time. Phillip Barnes was an African American man who had been born in Alabama and made his way to Fort Benton where he worked as a laborer. Barnes was listed as a member of the Fort Benton community in the winter of 1862-1863 (Leeson, 1885). Johnny Grant, of Grant-Kohrs Ranch association, may have known Phillip Barnes or known of him. In his memoir, Johnny Grant mentions that on one of his trips to Fort Benton, a Black man came to him and said, “Mr. Grant, old Phil Barnes is dead and you are kind-hearted. You better take his children for they are starving around here.” Grant took the oldest boy, named Jack, and was going to leave the two girls behind, but they cried for their brother, so Grant took them as well. He had a soft spot for children and adopted many over the years. He went on to say, “When I came to Manitoba I left the oldest girl in Montana and brought the other two” (Grant 2008). The youngest Barnes MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 4 History of Property Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 sibling was named Annie. Annie Barnes died in Canada in 1876, but Jack survived to grow up and marry and has descendants living in Canada today (great grandson of Jack Barnes, personal communication 2022). Emma Barnes was the older sibling who remained in Montana, where she entered the archival record when she was listed in Bozeman’s 1880 census as residing in Bozeman and working as a laundress. She had four children living with her, including Lulu, Berry, William, and Charles (Ancestry.com, 2010). On December 16, 1880, Emma married Eli Rogers (Ancestry.com, 2014). Eli Rogers had been born in 1832 in Nashville, Tennessee (Ancestry.com, 2010). He came west, settling in Bozeman in 1879 (R.L. Polk & Co., 1892). After the death of Katherine Fish, the property was transferred to Violet Harrison, Katherine’s niece. Violet Harrison did not live in the property during ownership. Arnold B. and Margaret H. Taylor purchased this property on October 16, 1956, from Violet Harrison. Edwin and Martha Mazanic purchased this property from Arnold B. and Margaret H. Taylor on February 25, 1957. They lived in this property during ownership (R. L. Polk & Co., 1958). Edwin and Martha Mazanic sold the property to John O. and Thelma M. Malstrom on August 4, 1959. Thelma Malstrom was born on February 1, 1904, in Stahl, MO. She married Charlie N. Preston, and they came to Montana in 1924, settling north of Bozeman to farm. They divorced in 1935. Thelma worked at Bozeman’s Chambers-Fisher Department store for ten years as a salesclerk. In 1950, she married John Malstrom. Her husband, John, worked for Montana Power Company. He retired in 1967, and they moved Dillon, MT (The Missoulian, 14 February 1985). The Malstroms sold this property to Esther Edens on June 1, 1967. Edens lived in this residence until she sold it on July 27, 1981, to sisters, Phyllis M. Sparks and Lois E. Acuff. Lois Etta Edens Acuff and Phyllis Sparks were the daughters of Esther and Allen Edens. The sisters sold this property to Bozeman Medical Arts on May 1, 1985. Irvin Kent purchased the property on November 17, 1993. The Irvin Kent Estate sold the property to Kevin Kent on August 3, 2001. The Kent family owned this property for a time, selling it to Kyle and Elisa Fruh on August 8, 2019. The Fruhs are the current owners in August of 2022. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 5 History of Property Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 Table 1. Chain of Title, 304 North Grand Avenue, Bozeman, Montana. Grantor Grantee Date of Instrument Type of Instrument Property Description/Comments Reference USA William J. Beall 01 May 1871 Patent Lot/Tract 1, Sec 7 2S6E GLO Records William J. Beall and Rosa V. Beall Milton McCowan 27 November 1899 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 25/611 Katherine Roberts (formally Katherine McCowan), and William J. Roberts Ida Shelton 25 June 1915 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 51/319 Ida and W.A. Shelton Katherine Fish (formally Katherine Roberts) 12 August 1920 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 62/171 Violet Harrison (Niece of Katherine Fish) Arnold B. and Margaret H. Taylor 16 October 1956 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 122/460 Arnold B. and Margaret H. Taylor Edwin J. and Martha M. Mazanec 25 February 1957 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 126/491 Edwin J. Mazanec and Martha M. Mazanec John O. and Thelma M. Malstrom 04 August 1959 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 131/555 John O. and Thelma M. Malstrom Esther Edens 01 June 1967 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: 154/124 Esther Edens Phyllis M. Sparks and Lois E. Acuff 27 July 1981 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: FILM 64/1539 Phyllis M. Sparks and Lois E. Acuff Bozeman Medical Arts 01 May 1985 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: FILM 87/2733 Bozeman Medical Arts Center Irvin Kent 17 November 1993 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition D: FILM 138/190 Irvin Kent Estate Kevin Kent 03 August 2001 Warranty Deed Lot 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition #2044379 Jocelyn Sage Kent James Andrew Kent 25 August 2016 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Additon #2555479 Kevin Kent James Andrew Kent 25 August 2016 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition #2555478 James Andrew Kent Kyle and Elisa Fruh 08 August 2019 Warranty Deed Lots 13 and 14 in Block 4 of Beall’s Third Addition #2653795 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 6 Information Sources/Bibliography Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 INFORMATION SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY Ancestry.com 2006 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc. Ancestry.com 2013 Washington, County Marriages, 1855-2008. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013. Ancestry.com 2014 Montana, County Marriages, 1865-1950 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Ancestry.com 2016 Montana, U.S., County Divorce Records, 1865-1950 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Ancestry.com 2017 Montana, U.S., County Births and Deaths, 1830-2011 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Ancestry.com 2017 Montana, U.S., County Marriages, 1865-1987 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT. USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder 1864-2022 Gallatin County Deeds. Gallatin County Clerk & Recorder, Bozeman, Montana. Great Falls Tribune [Great Falls, Montana] 1951 “Mrs. Katherine Fish.” 29 August. Great Falls, Montana. Great Falls Daily Tribune [Great Falls, Montana] 1917 “Farewell Give to Colored Men. Lewistown People Show that There is No Color Line Drawn Amongst Them.” 28 October. Great Falls, Montana. James R. McDonald Architects 1984 304 N Grand Ave. Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory Form. Document on-file with the City of Bozeman. Bozeman, MT. The Missoulian [Missoula, Montana] 1985 “Thelma May Malstrom.” 14 February. Missoula, Montana. Montana State Library. Montana Cadastral records online, http://svc.mt.gov/msl/mtcadastral, accessed 3/20/2021. R. L. Polk & Company 1904-2012 Polk’s Bozeman (Gallatin County, Mont.) City Directories. R.L. Polk & Co., Kansas City, Missouri. The Republican Courier [Bozeman, Montana] 1911 “Obituary.” 24 October. Bozeman, Montana. The Republican Courier [Bozeman, Montana] 1933 “Military Services for Benjamin Fish.” 27 January. Bozeman, Montana. Sanborn Map Company 1884-1957 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: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NRHP Listing Date: N/A NRHP Eligibility: Yes No Individually Contributing to Historic District Noncontributing to Historic District NRHP Criteria: A B C D Area of Significance: N/A Period of Significance: N/A STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The property at 304 N Grand Avenue was previously recorded in 1984 by James R. McDonald and regarded as an "intrusive element within a potential historic district." The site has been reevaluated against the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Criteria. Since the 1984 survey, the property has undergone numerous modifications to the exterior, further compromising integrity of design, materials, workmanship, and feeling. Although the site could be eligible under Criterion A for its association with Bozeman’s historic African American community, the property does not retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic character. Metcalf recommends the site not eligible for inclusion on the NRHP. Sect. 38.700 of the Bozeman Municipal Code defines an eligible property as one that meets the criteria for inclusion in the NRHP or State Register either 1) individually or 2) as a contributing building to an existing or potential historic district. This site has been evaluated against the NRHP Criteria. It has been determined to lack sufficient integrity to convey historic character in reference to potential associations under Criterion A, B, C, and D. It is not currently located within a historic district, and, due to considerable in- fill and redevelopment of the surrounding residential blocks in the past fifty years, Metcalf does not recommend adjacent properties have district potential. The site is recommended not eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 8 Integrity Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 INTEGRITY (location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, association) Overall, the site is in excellent condition; however, it has experienced extensive alterations over time. As McDonald noted in 1984, an addition to the front of the residence impacts integrity of design and materials. Additional recent renovations have replaced the exterior cladding, added a wrap-around porch, altered the pattern of fenestration, and put in new windows which compromise the integrity of materials, design, workmanship, feeling, and association. Integrity of setting and location are retained. The site does not retain sufficient integrity to convey its historic character. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 9 Photographs Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 Feature # 1 Facing: E Description: Property 176. Primary façade. (Image #0306, 10/12/2020. EAS) Feature # 1 Facing: NE Description: Property 176. Oblique view. (Image #0307, 10/12/2020. EAS) MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 10 Photographs Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 Feature # 1 Facing: E Description: Property 176. Google Earth Street View, 2015. Clip from 1904 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana showing 304 N Grand Ave. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 11 Site Map Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 Clip from 1912 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Bozeman, Gallatin County, Montana showing 304 N Grand Ave. Image retrieved from the Library of Congress. MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 12 Topographic Map Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176 MONTANA HISTORIC PROPERTY RECORD PAGE 13 Property Name: 304 N Grand Ave Site Number: 176