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Home My WebLink AboutBozemanNorthTracyAveHD NPa FWM 10-00" OUS Awsrd IN 104- IS W") United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet North Tracy Avenue Historic District Section number 8 Page 83 �. Historic Name:North Tracy Ave. Historic District Location: 300-500 blocks of North Tracy Ave. , Bozeman, Montana (030) , Gallatin County (031) Classification: historic district o? private ownership public acquisition: n/a occupied restricted access residential use Ownership: Multiple ► Location of Legal Description: Gallatin County Courthouse, Bozeman, MT Representation in Existing Surveys: Historic Resource Survey of Bozeman, Montana, 1982-1985, sponsored by the Bozeman - Gallatin County Planning Office, Depository of Survey Records: Montana State Historic Preservation Office, 102 S. Broadway, Helena, MT PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: North Tracy Ave. Historic District _ Contributing buildings: 21 Non-contributing buildings: 8 The North Tracy Ave. Historic District consists of 29 diverse, modest residences spanning two blocks, from Villard to Peach Streets. Although eight of the buildings are either -neutral or non-contributing to the historic district, the district is nevertheless defined by its high overall architectural integrity and cohesiveness compared to surrounding streets. In addition, most of those eight retain enough of their original designs to maintain the historical continuity of the streetscape. Of the contributing buildings in the district, twelve are Bungalow style and bear similar ornamentation, which helps to unify the district overall. The remaining ten are of diverse, 19th century forms, which display either no specific stylistic elements, or display influence of the Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles. All but two houses, 322 and 402 N. Tracy Ave. , are of frame construction. Three-sixteen and 322 N. Tracy Ave. are quite large and 'impressive houses, relative to the architecture in Bozeman found north of Main Street, and anchor the south end of the district. Two blocks to the north stand three of the other most significant houses in the district, which terminate the north end of the J district. These are two very well preserved Bungalows on opposite corners, 518 and 519 N. Tracy Ave. , as well as an unusual Queen Anne style house, 517 r N. Tracy. NPS Form 104M* - Q4fD A{prevd lua 00244002 (a-eW United States Department of the Interior C4 CAA rf5t National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet North Tracy Avenue Historic District Section number 8 .Page 84 Of the houses between these visual anchors, 501 N. Tracy Ave. , which stands on a corner lot, is a striking example of the Bungalow style at the center of the district. Other visually prominent buildings include 411 N. Tracy Ave. , a well preserved I-House with a broad eaves front, and 415 and 423 N. Tracy - a pair of gable front houses with bay windows and recessed entry porches that were originally identical to one another, The remaining houses vary in size, 'design, and integrity, but are regularly spaced along the street and create a strong sense of rhythm along the full, two and one-half block length of the historic district. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: North Tracy Ave. Historic District Period of Significance: 1890-1930 > Areas of Significance: Architecture, Settlement The North Tracy Ave. Historic District contains the most significant concentration of historic residential architecture north of Main Street, and is a well preserved, representative portion of what was once a quite extensive historic residential area. Some of the houses in the district are among the most significant- examples of vernacular architecture in the city. The east half of the district is included in Beall's Second Addition, which was platted in 1885, probably in response to the growth which was sparked by the arrival of the railroad in 1883 . The bird's eye view of the city drawn in 1883 consequently shows no development in this yet unplatted district. Newspaper accounts from the period, however, as well as existing buildings in other parts of the city, attest to the extensive construction which occurred elsewhere in the city in the early 1 880 's. Construction _in this district probably commenced shortly after Beall's Second Addition was platted. The earliest surviving house in the district appears to be the Toepper House, 506 N. 'Tracy Ave. , a simple 3xl bay, eaves front house which was probably built by William M. Toepper, a carpenter from Germany who came to Montana in 1884. That house stands on the east side of North Tracy Ave. in Beall's Second Addition. 4 The initial surge in prosperity in Bozeman that accompanied the arrival of the railroad subsided toward the late 1880's and gave way to a period of economic depression, later to be known as the Panic of 1893, Despite the condition of the economy, Bozeman experienced a brief period of optimism during the first three years of the 1 890 's, as the city made an avid bid to win designation as the State capital, in anticipation of a state-wide election on the matter in 1892. Some of Bozeman's most impressive structures, such as the Hotel Bozeman, were built during that brief period and several new plats were added to the city, despite the fact that vast areas platted during the optimism inspired by the railroad a decade earlier still remained undeveloped. Among these new plats were Beall's Third Addition, platted in 1891, in which the west half of the historic district r is located. NPS ram 30-00" - LMl9 nppro..rNa roZMOrt United States Department of the interior A451 National Park Service National Register of Historic Maces Continuation Sheet North Tracy Avenue Historic District Section number 8 Page 85 Although Bozeman lost its capital bid in 1892, it did gain the Montana State College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, another of the state institutions being distributed at the time. The college, today Montana State University, was greeted in 1893 with skepticism. While construction of a capital complex might have triggered another building boom in Bozeman had the city won its bid, establishment of the college had little immediate impact on the depressed economy. By 1898, when another bird's eye view of the city was drawn, the seven year old Beall's Third Addition consequently was still largely empty. The later bird's eye view, however, may have anticipated the impending prosperity which ushered in the early 20th century. Shortly after the turn of the century, following a general pattern evidenced throughout the country,r Bozeman's economy became characterized by a greater participation in the regional and national economic milieu than it had been in the 19th century. The city became the undisputed economic and cultural hub of the rich agricultural region of the Gallatin Valley. In addition to these factors, the college had begun to come of age, and an ever-increasing faculty and student body provided a steady demand for Bozeman's commercial services and housing market. A large percentage of the city as it appears today, especially the residential areas, was constructed during the first two decades of this century, and more than half of the buildings in the North Tracy Avenue Historic District date to that period as well. As those found elsewhere in the city, most of the houses in the North Tracy Avenue Historic District were built by local architects/builders for sale and, with a few exceptions, have had a high rate of occupant turn--over from the time they were built to the present. Although extensive construction occurred both north and south of Main Street during this period, a clear preference developed after the turn of the century for the neighborhoods to the south. Houses in that part of the city are consequently more elaborate, of better quality, and of higher value in general than those north of Main Street. This discrepancy explains the high rate of attrition of the historic building north of Main Street relative to those to the south. This historical phenomenon, which is readily apparent by comparison of the vast residential historic districts to the south today and the elaborate architecture found there with the sparse historic districts and more modest architecture found to the north. The REpublican Courirr newspaper bemoaned this imbalance in development, and the consequent weighing of municipal improvements to areas south of Main Street, in an editorial in 1907. The paper noted; For several years the large proportion of improvements have been made on the south and southwest side of the city. Nothing has been done. . .on the north side. The consequence is property on the south side of Bozeman is vastly more valuable than that on the north side and many who formerly lived north = NPS Form 10.900-a OMS AAwvvW Ma 102WOtf S�1 United States Department of the interior o2q GA a 51 National Park Service National Resister of Historic Places Continuation Sheet North Tracy Avenue Historic District Section number 8 Page 86 _ of Main Street have moved across the line. "1 Those who "moved across the line" to the south side of town after the turn of the century were invariably those of the middle and upper classes. By the early 20th century, the north side of the city was decidedly working class, as reflected by a random sampling of past residents of the district before 1930. Fred C. Jacobs, for example, who lived at 405 N. Tracy Ave. for most of the early 20th century, was a lather and carpenter. Frank L. Perkins, who lived nearby in a very small ' house at 416 N. Tracy, was a "road supervisor" and railroad contractor. August Lake, a sign painter, built one of the most notable houses in the district in 1918, a fine Bungalow at 501 N. Tracy. Others include George W. Roby, a post office clerk, William M. Toepper, a carpenter from Germany, John C. Robertson, another carpenter who may have built his Bungalow style residence in 1916 at 511 N. Tracy, and Lou F. Sievert, one of Bozeman's most prominent carpenters of the later 1920's and 1930's. Sievert built three houses in the district, 512, 514, and 518 N. Tracy, the latter two of which, Bungalows, are two of the most significant buildings in the district. Edward W. Damerell, a rancher, may have been one of the more wealthy residents of this district, for his early 20th century pattern book/Colonial Revival style house, 316 N. Tracy, is larger and more impressive than the others, with the exception of 322 N. Tracy, which stands next to it. The latter was built in about 1890 by George Harrison, a black carpenter from Utah, and is one of the best of the few remaining examples in Bozeman of the I-House building type. In addition to those mentioned above, 517 N. Tracy is of special note for its architectural significance. The small L-plan house had a canted entrance at the union of the two wings, which is sheltered by a quarter--round, Queen Anne style porch. The only other example of this type in Bozeman is at 221 S. 7th Avenue, located within the Cooper Park Historic District. Another very significant house in the district is 411 N. Tracy, an excellent frame example of the I-house building type. The North Tracy Avenue Historic District, which contains a cross-section of houses ranging from the elaborate Damerell House, 319 N. Tracy, and Harrison House, 322 N. Tracy, to the very modest Perkins House, 416 N. Tracy, is an important remnant of Bozeman's historic development. No other group of residences 'north of Main Street, historically the working class area of the city, remains intact as a cohesive architectural entity, recalling by their present appearance the later 19th and early 20th centuries. BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION AND JUSTIFICATION: The boundaries for this small historic district have been drawn to include all 1 [republican Courier, Sept. 3, 1907, p. 3. Nps Form 10-o Gue Mpwv,w 1024-W16 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service �(C�a�� National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet North Tracy Avenue Historic District Section number 8 Page _K buildings oriented toward North Tracy Avenue between Villard St. 'north to peach St. Two substantial, highly significant residences facing North Tracy Avenue and located to the south of Villard St. are also included, and serve to anchor the southern half of the district. Houses that are oriented toward the cross streets (Beall St. , Villard St. and Peach St.) are not included within the historic district boundaries, due to their non-contributing status and the fact that they are not visual components of the North Tracy Avenue streetscape. The boundary line begins at the intersection of Peach St. and N. Tracy Ave, and runs south for one lot, then east to the alley between N. Tracy and N. Black Avenues; then south to the southeast corner of lot 30, Blk E of Beall's 2nd Addition; then west for approximately 31 feet; then south to Villard St. ; then south to include lots 12-15 of B1k K of Beall's 2nd Addition;; then north on N. Tracy Ave, ; west on Villard to the alley between N. Willson and N. Tracy Avenues; then north along this alley to Peach St. ; and back to the point of beginning, UTM REFERENCES: ACREAGE: approximately 9 acres U: 12/497200/505 8900 V: 12/497150/5058550 W: 12/497100/5058900 t Mrs form 10-WO4 OM8App v&f" 102CM10 t�1 United States Department of the Interior AGAg51 National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet North Tracy Avenue Historic District Section number $ ._Page $8 North Tracy Historic District address - - Historic Name a - a Builder der Statu� 316 N. Tracy Damerell House Vernacular/ 1900-1904 primary Colonial Revival 322 N. Tracy Harrison House Vernacular (I-House) c. 1890 primary 402 N. Tracy Vernacular 1904-1912 contributing 403 N. Tracy Goddard House Vernacular Charles & 1892 contributing A.E.Goddard 405 N. Tracy remodeled c.1909 non-contributing 411 N. Tracy I-House 1898-1904 contributing 414 N. Tracy Bungalow (remodeled) c.1910/c.1970 non-contributing 415 N. Tracy Corbly House Bungalow c. 1909 contributing 416 N. Tracy Perkins House Vernacular c. 1895 contributing 422 N. Tracy Bungalow c. 1910 contributing D 423 N. Tracy Jacobs House Bungalow Fred C. Jacobs c. 1909 contributing 426 N. Tracy Vernacular c. 1909 non-contributing 427 N. Tracy Roby House Bungalow George Roby c. 1910 contributing 430 N. Tracy Vernacular c. 1915 non-contributing 433 N. Tracy Nelson House Bungalow c. 1911 contributing 434 N. Tracy Remodeled c.1900/c.1980 non-contributing 439 N, Tracy Remodeled c.1900/c.1975 non-contributing 440 N. Tracy Vernacular c. 1900 contributing 501 N. Tracy Lake House Bungalow c. 1918 contributing 502 N. Tracy Ambrose House Vernacular 1950 non-contributing 505 N. Tracy Remodeled c. 1900 non-contributing 506 N. Tracy Toepper House Vernacular Wm. Toepper c. 1890 contributing 511 N. Tracy Robertson House Bungalow John Robertson 1916 contributing 512 N. Tracy Sievert House Bungalow Lou F. Sievert 1932 contributing 514 N. Tracy Sievert House Bungalow Lou F. Sievert 1925 contributing 515 N. Tracy Vernacular c. 1912 contributing 517 N. Tracy Queen Anne c. 1900 contributing 518 N. Tracy Sievert House Bungalow Lou F. Sievert 1929 contributing 519 N. Tracy Nelson House Bungalow 1916 contributing ,� r Nold'11 TRACY 11 5'L•URIC Ul-bli"'L _ CAGAC(S1 Bozenla,t, 11'l GAS.LATIN COUI+Tr FAIRGROUNDS EµL CK STREET trt�� i iJUNtFER TAµARACK STREET -- ;, SENSOR - LL CENTER r ASPEN }STREET WESTLAKE PARK - )ATrI GRAND , PARK uL 6-2 1 L J PEACIi "� STREET r SCHOOL — � 1 r at yE ALL PARK 2- � -Y- BEALL TH F-T Rod: Prininry Ors npo: Contributl.I1p ro-nrrl: S' 0'1. R 1 u,•- iJoll •(`tl l r i f n I i rt•. ,:4{!i4 •tea,:tY'�1lM1�e.�n: .�. 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