Helena Mansion District
HELENA, MT, 59601 US / MT
Location Description
The West Residential section is located on the lower slopes of Mount Helena, west of the downtown area. The streets in this section are lined with trees and stone walls, and many homes date from the last quarter of the 19th century. Mansions in this section include those once owned by United States Senator Thomas C. Power, B. H. Tatum, D. A. G. Floweree, and S. T. Hauser. The architecture of these homes is quite varied. Urban Renewal and the boundary increase of 1990: When over 240 buildings within the original Helena Historic District were demolished due to urban renewal, the southeastern section where the demolition of the 1970s was the greatest was delisted, and a roughly 5-block area north of the original downtown district was added in 1990. The residential sections boundaries were not altered at that time, although the construction of Cruse Avenue, a wide, modern street intended to be a traffic bypass, split the residential district from the downtown. St. Peter's Episcopal Cathedral and the First Unitarian Church (now Grandstreet Theater) were included in this amended district. The boundary changes also resulted in the period of significance being extended from 1900 to 1948 to reflect the significant early 20th century changes to the area. In addition, the south end of Last Chance Gulch was closed off and a pedestrian walking mall was created. Lewis and Clark County Courthouse: Historic buildings and areas lost in urban renewal included the razing of 150 buildings in a seven-block area and the former Wall Street being completely eliminated. This area was infilled with three modern buildings and a park. This demolition also resulted in the loss of west State Street and what remained of Helena's Chinatown, the Electric Block, Colwell Building the Helena YMCA, the Novelty Block, Homer block, and the most controversial demolition, the Marlow Theater. Boundary increase of 1993: Approximately three blocks of mixed commercial and residential buildings centered on North Rodney Street, east of the earlier downtown section, were added to the district in 1993. They represent a period of development from 1878 to 1948. Many of these structures were built in the late 1800s in an effort to move to an area considered safer than those ravaged by the earlier Helena fires. Several commercial structures here were built by members of Helena's Jewish business community. This activity, and the Jewish population peaked in the 1890s, and was halted by the Panic of 1893. Limited construction began again after 1900 and continued slowly for the next few decades, but by 1929, there were no Jewish-owned buildings or residences in the neighborhood.
Location Category
- HOUSES - [general]
- HOUSES - [general]
- HOUSES - Mansions / Estates
- HOUSES - Period Homes / Historic
Architecture Style
- 1800s / Civil War
- Victorian
