Filed Under Helena

Board of Health Building

Montana State Capitol Campus Historic District

Established by the state legislature in 1901, Montana’s Board of Health was originally housed in two small offices in the capitol building. As the state devoted more attention to public health during the Progressive Era, the Board’s responsibilities grew, as did its need for space. The prominent Helena firm of Link & Haire (which was also responsible for the capitol’s wings) designed this new home for the Board. Completed in 1920, the three-story building features a restrained revivalist style that combines elements of Italian Renaissance Revival and Neoclassical Revival. Ornamentation includes granite coping and window sills, terra-cotta detailing, and decorative brickwork. A projecting vestibule with a rounded fanlight and trapezoidal-shaped parapet marks the building’s entrance. The Board oversaw many programs, including communicable diseases, water quality, food and drug safety, social and industrial hygiene, child welfare, public nursing, and health education. To facilitate its work, the third floor contained “a first-class up-to-date hygienic laboratory,” in use until 1955. With the creation of the State Department of Health in 1967, the Board lost many of its day-to-day responsibilities and was terminated in 1994.

Images

Board of Health
Board of Health Board of Health. Front view of the building, facing south on Lockey Avenue. Digital photograph. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 2006
Board of Health
Board of Health Board of Health. Front to side view of the building, facing east to southeast on Lockey Avenue. Digital photograph. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 2006
Board of Health
Board of Health Board of Health. Close view of the front entry, facing south to southeast from the front lawn off of Lockey Avenue. Digital photograph. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 2006
Board of Health
Board of Health Board of Health. Rear view of the building, facing north from the employee parking lot near Broadway Street. Digital photograph. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 2006
Board of Health
Board of Health Board of Health. Side view of the building, facing east from the west lawn off of Lockey Avenue. Digital photograph. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photograph unidentified Date: 2006
Board of Health
Board of Health Board of Health. Front view of the building, facing south on Lockey Avenue. Digital photograph. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: 2006

Location

1301 East Lockey Avenue, Helena, Montana | Public

Metadata

Montana National Register Sign Program, “Board of Health Building,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/2714.