Your Turn: Capitol Complex best for museum
By Frank R. Grant 10/19/07
Since 1999 the Montana Historical Museum Staff, the Montana Historical Society Board of Trustees, interested Helena promoters, and Society members from around the state have been actively evaluating sites for the construction of a Montana Heritage Center.
The interested parties have acknowledged the need for more space to house the Society’s valuable and growing collection of artifacts, art, photographs, and archival materials. They also agree that additional room is needed to interpret the history of Montana, to exhibit the art collections, to create educational programs for students of all ages, to house the Historic Preservation Office, and to provide adequate room and up-to-date equipment for researchers.
During the past year, Richard Sims, Director of the Montana Historical Society, has been traveling the state, seeking advice from local people on their expectations for a state museum. Overwhelmingly they have responded that they would like to see a Montana Heritage Center created with resources invested in establishing a strong outreach program to provide museum services to support local programs.
The people of Helena have expressed the desire to build a Heritage Center that adds to the amenities that make Helena a destination city. That requires an adequate, accessible, aesthetically pleasing, site-related structure.
The investment in a Heritage Center will be large. Although the state Legislature has committed funds for the project, it is clear that most of the money will be raised in the private sector. The fund-raising record for cultural projects in Montana indicates that there is a limited pool of private resources for funding projects on the scale of the proposed Heritage Center. When considering the money required for the project, planners need to recognize that other state and local institutions will also be seeking funding for their projects. We do not want to invest in a building that overtaxes our resources and becomes a financial burden that constricts rather than enhances the state’s variety of history and cultural programs.
After evaluating several sites, the long-range planning committee under the direction of the State Architect has recommended the Capitol Complex site for the Montana Heritage Center. The Historical Society’s Board of Trustees agrees. The Board of Administration should accept this recommendation. The location of the Heritage Center within the landscape of the Capitol enhances the project’s aesthetic and interpretive attributes. While the city includes many fine historic homes, gives great support to the arts, and has a colorful mining, commercial, and banking past, Helena is primarily known as Montana’s capital city, and the Capitol provides a focus for interpreting the state’s history.
With an extraordinary effort, Montanans could raise the money to complete the modest project proposed for the Capitol Complex. We would gain adequate room to house the museum’s fine collections, exhibit space worthy of the collections, and space and equipment for educational activities and research. At the same time we would be creating a museum program that provides improved resources for supporting local historical societies and educational institutions throughout the state. By capitalizing on its primary historic site — the Capitol — Helena gains an enhanced tool to encourage people to visit.
I urge you who are committed to seeing the Montana Heritage Center become a reality to support the planning committee and the Historical Society Board of Trustees in their recommendation. And when the Board of Administration has acted, I urge you to join the Trustees in raising money to complete the project.
Frank R. Grant, Ph.D., is a Montana historian and former director of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula.
The interested parties have acknowledged the need for more space to house the Society’s valuable and growing collection of artifacts, art, photographs, and archival materials. They also agree that additional room is needed to interpret the history of Montana, to exhibit the art collections, to create educational programs for students of all ages, to house the Historic Preservation Office, and to provide adequate room and up-to-date equipment for researchers.
During the past year, Richard Sims, Director of the Montana Historical Society, has been traveling the state, seeking advice from local people on their expectations for a state museum. Overwhelmingly they have responded that they would like to see a Montana Heritage Center created with resources invested in establishing a strong outreach program to provide museum services to support local programs.
The people of Helena have expressed the desire to build a Heritage Center that adds to the amenities that make Helena a destination city. That requires an adequate, accessible, aesthetically pleasing, site-related structure.
The investment in a Heritage Center will be large. Although the state Legislature has committed funds for the project, it is clear that most of the money will be raised in the private sector. The fund-raising record for cultural projects in Montana indicates that there is a limited pool of private resources for funding projects on the scale of the proposed Heritage Center. When considering the money required for the project, planners need to recognize that other state and local institutions will also be seeking funding for their projects. We do not want to invest in a building that overtaxes our resources and becomes a financial burden that constricts rather than enhances the state’s variety of history and cultural programs.
After evaluating several sites, the long-range planning committee under the direction of the State Architect has recommended the Capitol Complex site for the Montana Heritage Center. The Historical Society’s Board of Trustees agrees. The Board of Administration should accept this recommendation. The location of the Heritage Center within the landscape of the Capitol enhances the project’s aesthetic and interpretive attributes. While the city includes many fine historic homes, gives great support to the arts, and has a colorful mining, commercial, and banking past, Helena is primarily known as Montana’s capital city, and the Capitol provides a focus for interpreting the state’s history.
With an extraordinary effort, Montanans could raise the money to complete the modest project proposed for the Capitol Complex. We would gain adequate room to house the museum’s fine collections, exhibit space worthy of the collections, and space and equipment for educational activities and research. At the same time we would be creating a museum program that provides improved resources for supporting local historical societies and educational institutions throughout the state. By capitalizing on its primary historic site — the Capitol — Helena gains an enhanced tool to encourage people to visit.
I urge you who are committed to seeing the Montana Heritage Center become a reality to support the planning committee and the Historical Society Board of Trustees in their recommendation. And when the Board of Administration has acted, I urge you to join the Trustees in raising money to complete the project.
Frank R. Grant, Ph.D., is a Montana historian and former director of the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula.
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Reader Comments:
purple wrote on Oct 24, 2007 11:59 AM:
" "consider this" you might want to re-read some of the stories in the IR about this because it was there.
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consider_this wrote on Oct 22, 2007 12:23 PM:
" Is there a documented plan to confiscate homes on the south side of Broadway? If so, I haven't read anything about it. Anyone can dream up scare tactics to support his cause (think Iraq). I suppose I could claim that there is a secret plan to raise everyone's state income taxes to pay the extra $30 million for the Capitol Hill Mall site, since that's how much more it would cost to build there, but then again, facts are so inconvenient. "
Crabby1 wrote on Oct 22, 2007 8:29 AM:
" Let me re-state that I love Montana history. My family has been in this state for over 120 years and we work hard to preserve our history, on up to and including volunteering, donating artifacts, hands-on preservation with our own homes and giving money. However, the taking of someone's homes is not right in any context (I believe eminent domain has outlived is true and intended usefullness) and I will not support and will cease any activity with the MHS if this johnny-come-lately project moves forward. No amount of saving tax dollars is worth one person losing their home to an oppressive government. Isn't that why we fought for independence starting in 1776? "
purple wrote on Oct 20, 2007 8:38 PM:
" "consider this" - do your computations include the cost of stealing the homes and what it will cost to build that parking garage? Then there is the matter of the DOA overseeing the entire project and how much personnel in that department will embezzle.
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consider_this wrote on Oct 19, 2007 4:13 PM:
" It seems to me that if folks are worried about the government trying to separate its citizens from their money, then the capitol site would be a clear choice since it would cost millions less of that "confiscated" money to build across from the existing museum on property already owned by the state than the extra millions it would cost to buy and build at the Capitol Hill Mall site. "
purple wrote on Oct 19, 2007 10:19 AM:
" THE GREAT SWAMMY SAYS - I foresee a grand opportunity for FRAUD, WASTE, and ABUSE if the new facility is built where the DOA and the MHS want it built. Many communities across this nation have already witnessed LEGAL CONFISCATION OF PRIVATE PROPERTY via the Emminent Domain strong arm tactics of local, county and even state governments. Legal confiscation of private property WILL take place because tied into the grand scheme is the state wanting to CONFISCATE the homes of people living on the southside of Broadway so they can build a parking structure to provide the additional parking which will be needed. The mall site ALREADY has an overabundance of parking. ALAS, it is nothing more than a scheme to seperate the citizens of this state from THEIR money.
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Crabby1 wrote on Oct 19, 2007 8:24 AM:
" If the DOA decides to go with the MHS, as I suspect they will do as they have been in cahoots from the start of this project, I will not support or donate a dime to this project. The Legislature acted on a "panic" by the MHS to buy the Mall; "it's a once in a lifetime opportunity", and then pulled this political garbage. How shameful our history is being used as a political toy! As a member of a Montana pioneer family, I find this disgraceful. Also, I have not seen the "Great Wizard of Montana", Mr. Sims, in my community. Perhaps instead of spending his time on a project many Montanans don't want, he should be spending some time updating the outdated website, which is a shame to the State! Put this up to a vote of the people and quit playing games with Montanans' history! "
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purple wrote on Nov 2, 2007 10:19 AM: