Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives
In keeping with the tradition of Butte’s proud heritage, the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives found its new home in the former 1900 Butte Fire Department station located in the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District. The $7.5 million renovation of the historic 1900 Butte Fire Department Station has breathed new life into the prominent building while keeping the historic ambience of the original fire station.
The original fire department was a two story brick building with wood framed floor and roof. The renovation modernized the structural elements of the building to meet seismic and snow loads for Butte as well as augmenting the exterior of the building. The renovation also included a new entry for improved public access and vault addition for secured housing. The building’s mechanical and electrical systems were improved including the addition of security and video surveillance to ensure the protection of the historical treasures.
The Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives houses a vast athenaeum of documents, photographs, and other material of historical significance. One illustration of the intense preservation steps taken was the inclusion of the highly transparent, custom UV Block Coating added to the light fixtures to eliminate premature degradation of sensitive exhibit items and protect from the UV spectrum by blocking UV radiation.
By preserving the 1900 Butte Fire Department Station, Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives continues to preserve history from the outside in. Through the entire project, Tri-County Mechanical & Electrical strove to keep the historical preservation’s integrity in balance with the key steps of each phase of the renovation and addition to ensure the historical significance was maintained.
Through the committed efforts of Butte-Silver Bow, A&E Architects, Stantec, Maxus Consulting Engineering, Oswood Construction Company, and Tri-County Mechanical & Electrical, the project’s finished success provided a magnificent addition to the historic uptown Butte.
