HomeMy WebLinkAbout012 North Wallace Residences ASSESMENTJordan Zignego, PhD, AIA
Architect 406 853 4120 jzignego@gmail.com
18 August 2023Plum Design
RE: Historical Architectural Assessment of 428 N. Wallace
Dear Michaela/Plum Design,
Please find the following assessment regarding the historic significance of the house located at
428 N. Wallace.
Best,
Dr. Jordan Zignego, PhD, AIAMember, Society of Architectural HistoriansMember, American Studies Association
1
The original house, built in 1881, is situated toward the front of the lot, with a small addition on
the back, and a small garage/shed roughly in the middle of lot.
In 1984, James R. McDonald Architects produced a “Montana Historical and Architectural
Inventory” report and is available on the City of Bozeman’s website. The physical description of
that report is as follows:
The construction date is listed as 1881, however it does not show up on the Sanborn Fire
Insurance maps until 1891. No research has concluded any historical significance to the
property. The Bozeman Hotel was built roughly in the same time period (1891), so the
construction could coincide with a boom and migration to the town. The house predates
mail order home kits by nearly two decades, so it one assumption is that the structure was
vernacular housing, built from materials available locally (perhaps from the lumber yard that was
located on Main Street).
The firm’s research found that their survey had, “not yielded any significant historical information
concerning persons or events associated with this property,” and, additionally, the building, “is an
intrusive element within a potential historic district.”
Finally, the report also states that the historic integrity has not been retained because of,
“change in original design and materials.”
Currently, as of 2023, the property does fall into the North Conservation Overlay District
(NCOD), but not into any other neighborhood district with separate zoning guidelines.
“This one- story single- family residence has a rectangular plan with a gable
overdoor above the front entrance, and a gable addition to the rear. The one- bay
facade is asymmetrical and consists of an off-center front entrance with 1/ 1
double-hung windows. The frame construction is finished in drop siding and the
gable roof is covered with interlocking T rust asphalt shingles. The roof features
exposed rafters and sits perpendicular to the street. Outbuildings include a
small garage to the rear.”1
18 August 2023
Historic Architectural Assessment428 North WallaceBozeman, MT
Overview
Historical Context
1. James R. McDonald Architects, “428 North Wallace,” Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory, (1984).
2
This is a photo taken of the
house in 1984 at the time the
first historical inventory form
was conducted.
Note the skylight located
toward the back of the house
on the roof, which would not be
original.
This is the house in its current
state. The paint, and the trim at
the window and door have been
altered, but everything else
appears to remain unchanged.
Survey Photo - 1984
Street Elevation
428 N. Wallace Architectural Characteristics
3
A bracketed portico, referred
to as an “overdoor” in the 1984
Historical and Architectural
Inventory assessment, is
located at both the front and
back doors.
This is a language that is
repeated and appears to be
the only motif that breaks the
gabled, box form.
The small garage/shed outbuilding, follows the same language in material and form: a simple,
unadorned, gabled structure. The double doors are presumably not the original, since it does not
follow the same style in geometry, material, or proportion.
Back and Front Doors
Garage/Shed
4
A small addition, which does
not conform to the language of
the original house, is located
adjacent the back door, at the
southeast corner of the house.
The simple gabled
roof exposes the rafter
tails, emphasizing the
vernacular assumptions of
the construction.
The siding is of drop board, or ship-lap board, and, telling
by the wear, it appears to be the same siding from the 1984
photo, consistent with the report.
Alteration
Other Traits
5
The house located at 428 N. Wallace appears to have little to no historic importance
architecturally, or in contributing to the neighborhood.
In 1984, per the Montana Historical and Architectural Inventory that was conducted, had
deemed the structure as not historically significant and, furthermore, as being, “an intrusive
element within a potential historic district.”
The wear and degradation of the house, including the rear alteration, only makes the building
less significant and, it is the opinion of this author, that it is beyond its useful life. This author
also agrees with the 1984 assessment that the “structure is an intrusive element within a
potential historic district.”
There is other neighboring stock that serve as better examples of the neighborhood
characteristics of the time and that of the historic vernacular architecture.
Findings & Interpretation