Filed Under Missoula

Central Heating Plant

The University of Montana Historic District

Red-brown brick, cream terra cotta, and huge Tudor style windows belie the utilitarian function of this lofty building. Missoula architects Ole Bakke and Clarence Forbis ingeniously applied the Renaissance Revival style of other contemporary campus buildings, completing the plant in 1922. The smokestack, boilers, mechanical works, and the tall coal-storage structure tucked onto the building’s east side were designed by the engineering firm of Charles L. Pillsbury Company of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Though situated just outside the edge of the plan designed by Carsley and Gilbert, the building’s design makes an important contribution to the overall quality of the university’s historic architecture.

Images

Heating Plant
Heating Plant Heating plant at the University of Montana, Missoula. Mt. Sentinel in background. Source: Montana History Portal Creator: Rollin H. McKay Date: ca. 1922
Heating Plant Construction
Heating Plant Construction Heating plant at the University of Montana, Missoula. Facing north near present-day Aber Hall and the University Center. Source: Montana History Portal Creator: Rollin H. McKay Date: ca. 1922
Central Heating Plant
Central Heating Plant Central Heating Plant. Front to side view of the building, facing northwest on the University of Montana campus near Washington-Grizzly Stadium (to the northeast, right), McGill Hall (to the west, left) and Aber Hall (to the south, behind). Digital photograph. Source: Montana Historical Society Creator: Michael Connolly Date: Jan. 2020

Location

32 Campus Drive, Missoula, Montana | Public

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Central Heating Plant,” Historic Montana, accessed March 29, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/961.