MPA Annual Historic Preservation
Excellence Awards

Preservation Ovations!
MPA Honors 2007 Preservation Excellence Award Winners

Each year the staff and Board of Directors at MPA take great pleasure in recognizing the people behind the long list of outstanding historic preservation projects that have succeeded in preserving a piece of Montana’s architectural or tribal history. This year’s list of award nominees was chock full of examples of excellent efforts to preserve many important aspects of Montana’s architectural heritage, and it was a difficult task for our Board to choose just a few from the colorful list.  The people and projects honored are models for preservation that we hope to see replicated for years to come. We thank them for their dedication and applaud them for their hard work. And the honorees are . . .

Betty Babcock

As chairwoman of the Montana State Capitol Restoration Foundation, former first lady Betty Babcock provided leadership for preserving the most outstanding historic building shared by all Montanans.  The Capitol restoration became a project near and dear to the heart of people across our state, from school children to major donors. The result will live on for the next century, as a legacy for future generations to inherit. In addition, Mrs. Babcock continues to champion the cause of preserving Montana’s rich heritage.  From her support for the Montana Heritage Commission to her efforts on behalf of new space for the Montana Historical Society to her inspiring testimony at many legislative hearings she has continued to be an integral part in preserving Montana’s history.

Jean Baucus
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the publication of the first of Jean Baucus's four books on Helena's rich history.  Her first book, Helena: Her Historic Homes Volume I featured twenty-nine Victorian houses on Helena's West Side. The book quickly went into a second printing that November and then another in January 1979.  A subsequent volume, Helena: Her Historic Homes Volume II, followed in late 1979, expanding focus to the South Central neighborhood, the Lenox Addition near the State Capitol and more late19th/early 20th century homes on the West Side.  Mrs. Baucus then researched and wrote Gold in the Gulch, with its historic and contemporary photographs of downtown Helena before and after Urban Renewal, it today presents the viewpoint of a community grappling with the difficult post-demolition period.  Mrs. Baucus's most recent book, Helena: An Illustrated History, co-authored with legendary editor Vivian A. Paladin, is also among the foremost books published on Helena’s history.  As Marcella Sherfy Walter lauded in a 1981 review "Mrs. Baucus's ability to hunt new source material, to challenge gently old myths, to raise questions about the nature of the changes that have occurred and to respect the difficult decisions surrounding preservation and construction -- that blend of love, scholarship and inquisitiveness is a wonderful, rare commodity in preservation & history..." 

Pat Boedecker

For many years Pat Boedecker dedicated her time and energy to preserving buildings and history in Reeder’s Alley.  Pat and her two close friends, Pat Harper and Jane Tobin, were pioneers of preservation who led the way to revitalizing Reeder’s Alley in the 1960s and 70s when it was cheaper to tear down structures than restore them. The three purchased the alley in 1961 to save it and keep it from being lost forever.  Their vision was a self sustaining enclave of history, art and commerce, which it remains to this day, with small offices, studios and restaurants still lining the alley. Mrs. Boedecker’s self published book “Reeder’s Alley: History, Housewives and Art,” was created out of over 40 years of work and memories, and has changed the public’s view of Reeder’s Alley and saved many of the stories that give Helena its unique character.  Her work over the years not only helped in preserving a special part of Helena’s history and character that was nearly forgotten, she and her friends showed early on that preservation works to help preserve history and create local economic opportunity.

Goughnour Lumber Company Office
Goughnour Properties, LLC adapted the 1894 Goughnour Lumber Company office building in Livingston into two elegant residential condominiums.  One of the last remaining buildings associated with Livingston’s early lumber industry, the building was merely a shell when Bob and Robin Ebinger, and Lucas Schad purchased the building. The basement and second floor were bare open spaces while the first floor showed the remnants of many years of remodeled office spaces. During the restoration, all effort was taken to retain the building’s historic character. Remnants of early 1900s trim and wainscoting found during demolition were reconstructed, window sash replaced in-kind, and exterior features, including the “ghost” sign at the parapet, were carefully preserved. The project benefits the community by restoring and putting back into use an underutilized but appealing historic building.

Ray Marxer - Matador Beaverhead Ranch Barn Preservation
Ray Marxer began work as a cowboy for the Matador Ranch in 1974, working to sustain around 7,000 cows on the vast 300,000-acre Beaverhead Ranch near Dillon. Although his main concern is cows and cost-effective land management, he has also been a sensitive steward of the land, its wildlife, and the built environment. Since taking over as ranch manager in 1990, Marxer has worked to maintain the rich stock of historic ranch buildings, sensitively repairing, painting and re-roofing buildings to preserve their historic character and extend their useful life.  With 16 large historic barns and dozens of historic outbuildings on the property, Marxer and crew work continuously to ensure that the buildings are safe and sound. The Matador Ranch includes some of the oldest ranches in Montana including the Poindexter & Orr Ranch, the Selway Sheep Ranch, The Cook Sheep Company Ranch, the Staudaher Ranch, and several other small homesteads. In each case, the barns on these properties under Marxer’s control have been continuously used for ranching and meticulously maintained and preserved. Marxer’s knowledge, care, and genuine concern for these icons of rural heritage has contributed to the preservation of rural architecture in the Beaverhead and Centennial Valleys and will encourage future generations to learn about and appreciate the rich ranching history of the area.

 
University Area Homeowners Association
The University Area Homeowners Association began over 30 years ago in response to the degradation of university areas around the western United States with the goal to preserve one of the most diverse neighborhoods in Missoula. The University area is comprised of many historic homes, which are outstanding in terms of their architecture and lineage.  The area is also noted for its stately boulevards lined with maple trees. Recently the area has been a target for “in-fill” development which crowds existing lots with inappropriate structures that restrict frontage and green space.  The UAHA effectively lobbied city government to disallow such infringements on the residential character of the area, and has played an integral role in the Historic Overlay project that encourages maintenance and restoration of these important residences.  Missoula’s University neighborhood remains vital and diverse thanks to the UAHA and their commitment to preserving this valued area of Missoula.

Melville Walters, Montana Main Street
Mel Walters became the Montana Main Street coordinator in March 2006 and built the fledgling office into an active and highly effective program in just one short year. Montana Main Street was established by the 2005 Montana Legislature to assist in revitalizing Montana's downtowns.  Mel worked tirelessly to organize the program, share information and successes, encourage the communities, and keep in rigorous step with the National Main Street program.  In 2006, Mel's progress report demonstrated many effective efforts by the first six participating cities:  127 new jobs, 53 new businesses, $2.9 million in private improvements, 70 downtown promotions, and 3,780 volunteer hours invested, all in Main Street communities! His outstanding efforts in creating a strong Montana Main Street program will benefit our communities long into the future.