Central School, which opened in 1884, had 13 classrooms and commanded a large city block. It was closed and razed in the late 1960s because of concern that its cavernous central hallways and wood floors would feed a disastrous fire. Photo supplied by Dale Case.

By Kevin S. Giles

I am reminded lately of how the disappearance of old buildings changes the character of cities and countrysides in often undesirable fashion. Not everyone agrees, of course, that history-altering demolitions inflict harm. Some people don’t hold sentimental attachments to old buildings, seeing them as impractical barriers to progress.

Recently I wrote about the value of hometowns, particularly mine. Deer Lodge, Montana, is often cited as the first incorporated city in the state. Despite the losses of several notable buildings over the past five decades, Deer Lodge remains a western town. It traces its roots to the early mining and Civil War eras, still wearing its history well, with enough of the very old infrastructure left to impress on us how the past can survive the future.

A series of photographs posted on Facebook show the finest old public buildings in Deer Lodge as they looked new and proud. Among them were the high school, the courthouse and the town library, all still standing. The high school wasn’t original, replacing a Gothic structure that stood nearby, but it’s old enough that many current and past residents think of it that way.

Most old buildings, in Deer Lodge and anywhere, disappear for two reasons: fire and development.

In Helena, Montana, where picturesque Last Chance Gulch once resembled a movie set, well-meaning civic leaders used federal “urban development” funds to tear down historic buildings. To some people the effort was intended to rejuvenate the city’s economy. To others, who watched in horror, a once-bustling downtown business district was reduced to a shadow of its former self, left with gaping holes and an abundance of surface parking lots that became glacial wind tunnels on winter days. Fires finished the job. At least half a dozen major buildings caught fire and collapsed since the 1960s, further dulling Helena’s history.

Order Kevin's books now and receive a 10% discount by entering code "SaveOnKevinsBooks"

In Butte, Montana, fires-for-insurance crimes and open pit mining tore across the hill. Many historic buildings remain but it takes a fair sum of imagination to envision the roaring Butte of legend.

In Missoula, Montana, the famous Mercantile department store was razed recently after years of debate over its fate.

In Deer Lodge, several historic buildings disappeared in the past 50 years. The original 1896 cell house inside the old prison walls, an ornate affair that today would be considered one of the very best examples of early penal history, was torn down because the warden wanted to build a case for prison overcrowding and — a new prison west of town.

The original St. Joseph Hospital, adjacent to the “new” hospital by the same name, was stripped of its furnishings and demolished. Old Central School, which truly commanded respect for having educated generations of elementary students, fell to a wrecking ball, further flattening the town’s skyline. A block away, fire destroyed the three-story St. Mary Academy. The territorial jail was torn down, as was the indoor swimming pool west of the junior high school and the two-story Elks Club building on Main Street.

The first chapter of “One Woman Against War: The Jeannette Rankin Story,” takes readers into the war protest under her name at the US Capitol in 1968. Rankin was asked how she proposed to bring American troops home from Vietnam. “The same way we got them there, by ships and planes,” she quipped.

I’ve never underestimated the determination of some people to destroy old buildings for the sake of “progress,” or the resolve of others to save them. I see both arguments but lean toward history preservation. What would be left of my hometown of Deer Lodge if the remaining old buildings disappear? What if residents hadn’t rallied after a catastrophic fire to save and restore the emblematic Rialto Theater? What if Old Montana Prison had been torn down? Or Hotel Deer Lodge, a rare legacy of Montana’s “railroad hotel” architecture? Or the Grant-Kohrs Ranch? Or any of the other marvelous historic buildings that define downtown Deer Lodge? What if the two survivors of Montana’s first college, Trask Hall and the gymnasium, were gone? Would Milwaukee and Missouri avenues feel like home if some of the grandest old houses were demolished?

It’s true that old buildings, presuming they haven’t caught fire, present other obstacles. They don’t have today’s technology. They’re often dark and drafty, lack updated wiring and plumbing, and sometimes become unstable. Razing old buildings clears the way for something new to appear in their place, although experience shows the replacement is sometimes nothing at all, or nothing more than a one-story building that lacks character. Some people want to tear down old buildings on grounds they don’t create jobs or attract commerce. The world is full of examples of repurposed old buildings that did both.

The presence of an old building doesn’t cause economic stagnation, nor is it often a drain on taxpayer dollars. Most often, nonprofit grants and private fundraising campaigns pay for restorations.

Old buildings have heart, and when they find new life, they’re often the most cherished destinations anywhere. Back in the 1970s in Stillwater, Minnesota, the county wanted to tear down Historic Courthouse, a stunning survivor of Civil War times that overlooks the city from a hilltop. Residents fought back, the county surrendered, and today Historic Courthouse is the heartbeat of the Stillwater community with events such as Victorian teas, history tours, weddings, ice cream socials and even a mock trial in the upstairs courtroom. In another instance in nearby St. Paul, citizens saved the majestic Landmark Center downtown. It’s now a dazzling destination for events such as galas, art shows and high school proms.

Keep Deer Lodge’s remaining historic buildings, including Hotel Deer Lodge? You bet. Those buildings constitute the heart and soul of a hometown. They’re what people remember, what gives a town a story. The world is full of surface parking lots, empty lots and soul-lacking nondescript buildings. People long for nostalgia. That by itself doesn’t pay the bills, but nostalgia is a powerful starting place for imaginative uses.

Deer Lodge’s updated growth policy recognizes the city’s “authentic connection to the western lifestyle” and supports the preservation and restoration of historic buildings.

After a disastrous fire in 2006, residents of Deer Lodge saved their 1921 Rialto Theatre (right) with a years-long financing and rebuilding effort. It reopened in 2012 to its former splendor, but with modern fire safety features. Photo supplied by Dale Case.

Receive Kevin's free e-letter! (In return you get his story, 'The Girl Behind the Glass')

Western Montana native Kevin S. Giles wrote the popular prison nonfiction work Jerry’s Riot, the coming-of-age novel Summer of the Black Chevy, and a biography of Montana congresswoman Jeannette Rankin, One Woman Against War, which is an expanded version of his earlier work, “Flight of the Dove.” His new novel, Headline: FIRE! is the third in the Red Maguire series. Masks, Mayhem and Murder is the second. The first is “Mystery of the Purple Roses.” More information is available at https://kevinsgiles.com.