North Tracy Avenue Historic District
The twenty-eight homes along this stretch of North Tracy Avenue illustrate the extensive residential development that occurred north of Main Street. Impressive homes at 322 and 316 North Tracy, built in 1890 and 1900, and two bungalows at 519 and 518, built in 1916 and 1929, anchor the opposite ends. These and the homes that lie in between reflect a mixture of nineteenth-century vernacular forms and later bungalows that span from the 1890s through the 1920s. Although platted in 1885 in response to the coming of the railroad and expanded in 1891, the area was sparsely developed until after 1900 when Bozeman's economic importance increased significantly. Homes then built north of Main Street were generally less elaborate, were constructed for sale rather than commission, and had a higher rate of occupant turnover than the more expensive areas to the south. The Republican Courier in 1907 lamented this discrepancy, pointing out that the north side of town remained largely unimproved while property values on the south side were "vastly more valuable" and that "... many who formerly lived north of Main Street have moved across the line." Indeed, by this time the character of Bozeman's north side was decidedly working class. The small district offers a cross-section of earlier more elaborate homes, vernacular house forms, and later bungalows that sheltered the working backbone of Bozeman's economy. This cohesive and well-defined neighborhood is today a vital remnant of Bozeman's early history.
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