Filed Under Great Falls

Bus Depot and Garage

Great Falls Central Business Historic District

Streamline Moderne architecture celebrated America’s engineering prowess. The style—which offered an optimistic response to the woes of the Great Depression—promised a better future through technology. Its celebration of speed and efficiency provided a perfect match for Greyhound Lines, which adopted the style as part of its corporate identity. Founded in 1914, the bus company built dozens of Streamline Moderne depots during its dramatic post-World War II expansion, including this one in 1947. Complementing the sleek aesthetic of Greyhound’s Silverside buses, the depots incorporated modern materials, including glass block and aluminum, which gave the buildings a progressive feel. In typical streamlined fashion, the depots hugged the ground while their smooth, aerodynamic surfaces, rounded corners, and curved plate-glass windows echoed the company’s commitment to fast, efficient transportation. The site of the Great Falls depot had once housed a livery stable. After 1947, it provided access to a more modern form of transportation, conveniently located near the city center.

Images

Bus Depot and Garage
Bus Depot and Garage Bus Depot and Garage. Front to side view of the building, facing southwest on 4th Street South near the corner of 4th Street South and 1st Avenue South. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Apr. 2010
Bus Depot and Garage
Bus Depot and Garage Bus Depot and Garage. Side view of the garage area of the depot building, facing south to southeast on 1st Avenue South. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Apr. 2010
Bus Depot and Garage
Bus Depot and Garage Bus Depot and Garage. Side to rear view of the building, facing north from the sidewalk on 4th Street South. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Apr. 2010
Bus Depot and Garage
Bus Depot and Garage Bus Depot and Garage (PAc 91-51 Great Falls R25 F35). Front to side view of the building, facing southwest on the corner of 1st Avenue South and 4th Street South. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 1983

Location

326 1st Avenue South, Great Falls, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Bus Depot and Garage,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/178.