Missoula preservation awards highlight buildings at risk; local group forms to inventory schools

City Club Missoula and the Missoula Historic Preservation Commission presented nine historic preservation awards during a public event in Missoula that combined an "architectural treasure hunt" with presentations about at-risk buildings and a newly formed nonprofit aimed at proactive preservation.

Dean McGovern, president of the board of trustees for City Club Missoula, opened the evening by saying the nonprofit and the commission "were very pleased with last year's collaboration" and that "we hope to make it an annual event." The program included a slide show and a table exercise to identify 11 local architectural details and sites, many of them noted as lacking legal protection.

The discussion emphasized why the matters raised at the event matter beyond aesthetics. Cynthia Manning, chair of the Missoula Historic Preservation Commission, said the commission’s purpose is "to promote the preservation of historic and prehistoric sites, structures, objects, buildings, landscapes" and described multiple resources in town that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places but still lack protections at the local or deed level.

Historic Preservation Officer Philip Mechling outlined the National Register criteria and noted Missoula has nine historic districts that include both downtown landmarks and residential neighborhoods on the North Side, South Side and in the Lower Rattlesnake. He and other presenters repeatedly cautioned that listing on the National Register does not, by itself, prevent demolition or alteration.

Speakers highlighted examples they consider at risk: the Saint Francis Xavier campus (including a rectory, elementary school and high-school building), the original Fort Missoula hospital (1910), Judge Clark’s house downtown, historic hotels and residential buildings near downtown, Bonner Mill buildings along Highway 200, and Lincoln School. Mechling said some structures date as far back as the 1860s and 1870s and that while tax-credit incentives exist, many properties have "no protections" such as deed restrictions or covenants.

Participants proposed concrete next steps. One attendee suggested making model deed-restriction language available to sellers; Cynthia Manning responded that the commission already has model historic-preservation easement language and invited interested people to request it. Attendees were encouraged to send letters to Jenny Dixon in the county planning office when they want the county to consider preservation priorities.

The event presented nine awards, including: a compatible carriage-house addition at a Bonner-area mansion (Michael and Gloria Wegener, architect Angie Lipsky); rehabilitation of the La Flesche building (owners and contractor team cited in presentation); restoration work at Marvin’s Bar; several residential rehabilitation and compatible-addition projects (owners and contractors named in presentations); commercial rehabilitation in the Montgomery Ward/Montgomery Bank corner of Main and Higgins; and the Dorothy Ogg Award presented to Rafael Chacón for long-standing service to preservation. Slides and short remarks from owners, architects and contractors accompanied each award presentation.

Rafael Chacón, a professor of art and art history who also serves on the State of Montana Historic Preservation Review Board, accepted the Dorothy Ogg Award and reflected on community ties to history. "Whenever we restore or preserve a bit of that history, we honor what a rich and wonderful place and an amazing community this is," Chacón said.

Toward the end of the program, organizers announced the formation of a new nonprofit, Preserving Historic Missoula, intended to raise funds for proactive preservation work. Jennifer Anthony, one of the group's officers, said the group's first project will be to develop an inventory of historic school buildings and present that inventory to the school district because those buildings are considered "very endangered." Anthony said the new nonprofit currently has a 13-member board and meets roughly once a month.

Event organizers closed by inviting attendees to continue table discussions about endangered places in Missoula and how citizens can help protect them. The night combined public education, peer recognition, and organizers’ appeals for community involvement and concrete tools — model deed language and letters to county staff — to help preserve local historic resources.