Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
Preserving historical treasures of the American West.
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
ARCHITECTURE | HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives occupies a historic 1900 Butte Fire Department station house located in the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District. The facility collects and preserves historic artifacts while providing access to the community, tourists, and history buffs. After the Archives outgrew the building’s configurations, the design team launched an extensive rehabilitation of the existing space and created a state-of-the-art vault addition to provide ample secure storage for the facility’s copious historic treasures. The vault mirrors the original, historic building. Additionally, a transitional lobby was constructed to connect the two buildings in a linear fashion, seamlessly merging old with new. Unique design details epitomize the admiration people share for Butte’s enduring place in Montana history. Six quotations are etched in the vault’s exterior granite panels, including the powerful words of Mary Hagan, the great grandmother of infamous stuntman Evel Knievel: “…when you get to the new world, don’t stop in America. You go straight to Butte, Montana.”
Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
Preserving historical treasures of the American West.
ARCHITECTURE
INTERIORS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives occupies a historic 1900 Butte Fire Department station house located in the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District. The facility collects and preserves historic artifacts while providing access to the community, tourists, and history buffs. After the Archives outgrew the building’s configurations, the design team launched an extensive rehabilitation of the existing space and created a state-of-the-art vault addition to provide ample secure storage for the facility’s copious historic treasures. The vault mirrors the original, historic building. Additionally, a transitional lobby was constructed to connect the two buildings in a linear fashion, seamlessly merging old with new. Unique design details epitomize the admiration people share for Butte’s enduring place in Montana history. Six quotations are etched in the vault’s exterior granite panels, including the powerful words of Mary Hagan, the great grandmother of infamous stuntman Evel Knievel: “…when you get to the new world, don’t stop in America. You go straight to Butte, Montana.”
Making the old new again
The historic building was transformed through major structural, mechanical, and electrical upgrades, in addition to various aesthetic enhancements, including masonry replacement, brick and stone restoration, contemporary furnishings and fixtures, and a new building entrance.
Safeguarding Butte’s historical cache
The new vault addition provides more than just abundant space – The environmentally controlled area incorporates high density storage systems, specialty equipment, fire protection systems, and high-performance ventilation to offer a secure, climate-sensitive space for the archive’s fragile collection. Additionally, the vault offers a community gathering room with video and audio technology for presentations and educational opportunities.
The adaptive reuse of a century-old fire station
The renovation retained and protected historic fire station features, including a hose-drying tower, firehouse garage doors, and firepole. Even an original storage locker remains intact, showcasing historic Butte Fire Department bunker gear and rescue equipment.