FIRST - Apartment Building Constructed in Bozeman, MT

FIRST - Apartment Building Constructed in Bozeman, MT

Posted by:  BK-Hunters

N 45° 40.660 W 111° 02.130

12T E 497235 N 5058235

Quick Description: Built in 1913 as an apartment complex, which it remains today, the Blackmore Apartments is a rather attractive building, representative of this type of building as built in the early twentieth century.

Location: Montana, United States

Date Posted: 8/19/2017 4:33:51 PM

Waymark Code: WMWDHJ

Views: 0

Long Description:

The Blackmore Apartments

The Blackmore is a historic apartment building that was designed and constructed by esteemed architect and local resident Fred Willson. Built in 1913, the property boasts the title of the first apartment building to be developed in Bozeman.

Since its creation, The Blackmore has housed some of Bozeman’s most esteemed citizens, and today maintains its reputation as one of Bozeman’s premiere residences.

While recently renovated with the finest amenities, the elegant craftsmanship of the original architecture has been well-preserved. Situated one block off Main Street in the heart of vibrant downtown Bozeman, its location provides ideal access to local restaurants, shops, transportation and Montana State University.
From the The Blackmore Apartments

Designed by Bozeman's most prolific architect of the twentieth century, Fred Willson, The Blackmore Apartments are just one of the great many of his works to be seen in the town. Willson not only designed the building but financed it as well, along with a group of other prominent city boosters. Not only was it a commodious and upscale building aimed at the professional and the businessman, but The Blackmore was the first apartment building to be constructed in Bozeman.

Built of concrete and faced with red brick, the 3½ storey building stands on a daylight basement. U shaped in plan, the building was given several entrances, each with stairs to the upper floor, some of which extend from the building, some of which are fully inside the building's outer walls. On each of the inner facing walls are full height balconies, the lower two of each set enclosed and upper the upper ones open.

Willson made good use of the brick facing the building including various corbelling techniques throughout. A heavy, triple layered band runs around the building at the cornice, with corbelled designs dropping from it at intervals. A quadruple band with uneven width bands runs around the basement, just above ground level. Windows are plentiful, the majority being three over one double hung, many one over one and a few double paned side-by-side.

BLACKMORE APARTMENTS

In 1903, an architectural journal called apartment buildings "the most dangerous enemy American domesticity has had to encounter." The article's author joined a chorus of critics who claimed that the proximity of bedrooms to living areas—and the easy access to both by neighbors—encouraged promiscuity. Nevertheless, apartments increasingly attracted middle-class residents and, since apartments were a hallmark of big cities like New York and Chicago, many Montanans embraced them as signs of urban sophistication. That was the Bozeman newspaper's reaction to the Blackmore's construction in 1913. An apartment building, crowed the Courier, is "one of the sure signs that your city is a progressive one … passing from the days of a country town." Designed by architect Fred Willson, and financed by Willson and other prominent city boosters, the Blackmore Apartments boasted twenty-nine units. Each featured "a disappearing bed in the living room," an electric stove, an icebox, and "a chute to convey garbage to the basement, where it is burned in a heating apparatus that heats the water for the building." A careful designer, Willson minimized the negative aspects of apartment living. For noise reduction and fire protection, he specified brick walls between each unit. Balconies and a U-shaped design assured residents ample sunlight and fresh air. Architectural flourishes include Prairie style elements along the cornice line and a pattern of recessed brick separating the foundation from the upper stories. In 1920, the Blackmore housed a mix of professionals, including merchants, teachers, stenographers, salesmen, a doctor, a milliner, and a druggist.
From the NRHP plaque at the building

Type of documentation of superlative status:The Blackmre website Location of coordinates:At the site Web Site:[Web Link]

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