These days, if you wander down to the Great Northern Town Center, you’ll see a lot more than the carousel and the Silver Star restaurant.

According to Kathy Brown, Great Northern project coordinator, the area has grown in numerous ways, adding new buildings, businesses, and activities.

One of the larger changes taking place recently is the construction of the Compass Block. The Montana School Boards Association, which owns the building, chose the name based on the historic “block” naming tradition of downtown Helena and the Lewis and Clark Expedition theme of the Great Northern Town Center.

When completed the four-floor building will provide office space for the Montana School Boards Association, Montana Schools Group Insurance Authority, Montana Rural Education Association and a CPA firm.

The ground floor will offer over 5,600 square feet of retail space where they are hoping to attract a restaurant that will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

The ExplorationWorks! Museum, across from the carousel, is nearing the final stages of its construction. The building, which will be considered a permanent exhibit itself, is Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certified as a sustainable living structure demonstrating energy efficiency and environmentally friendly technologies.

According to Executive Director Suzanne Wilcox, the museum’s exhibits will focus on three different areas of discovery and learning: ourselves (health and the human body), our world (the natural world around us), and the world we create.

In addition to the Compass Block and the museum, Brown says other building projects are in the works. The Great Northern will add another building, tentatively named the Ahmann II building, adjacent to the Artisan Block although a construction date has not yet been set.

In the spring of 2008, Sage Spa, a Montana based spa chain plans to build a full spa and six spa-inspired living condominiums called “Stillwater” on the north side of the Compass

Block. Brown also notes that the areas to the northeast and northwest of the Cinemark theaters are still open to development.

A number of new businesses have recently joined the Great Northern or are soon planning to call it home.

In November, the Great Northern welcomed Sassi Clothing to the Expedition Block. Owned by Erin Luce, the store specializes in stylish women’s clothing and gifts.

In December, Sage Spa opened a retail location in the Great Northern Hotel Complex. According to local manager Mary Agostinelli, Sage carries unique, all-natural and plant derived product lines not easily available elsewhere in Montana. With other locations in Bozeman, Billings, Whitefish, and Helena, Agostinelli says that their goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle for Montanans. As soon as the full spa is completed, they will relocate the retail portion to that building as well.

Critical Courses, a company that conducts online training for the medical industry, opened new offices in the Expedition Block on May 1.

On June 1, American Home Mortgages also opened an office in the same building.

Active Relief Chiropractic, run by Dr. Kammeron Gersbach, opened an office just after

the first of the year on Front Street, across from the main hub of the Great Northern.

Boxwoods Fine Furniture and Design opened its new store Boxwoods Home on June 16 in the northeast corner of the Discovery Block. The new store, managed by Karen Putman, specializes in bed and bath linens, accessories, and gifts.

“It’s still Boxwoods,” says Putman, “but it has really evolved and taken on its own personality.”

Park Avenue Salon is in the process of relocating to the space adjacent to Boxwoods Home. According to employee Carrie Halverson they have outgrown their space on Park Avenue. The new space will be significantly larger and allow for amenities such as a fresh brewed coffee bar and a relaxation room.

“We want it to have the ambience of a spa for your hair,” says Halverson. The new Park Avenue Salon will open to the public on September 4.

The Great Northern Town Center is also

celebrating some noteworthy successes. Alan

Nicholson, developer of the Great Northern, has been recognized by the Sonoran Institute (a non-profit organization promoting community decisions that respect the land and people of the western U.S.) for “Best Development Practices in the Northern Rockies.” Nicholson accepted the award recently at a dinner celebration.

“This award is meant to acknowledge all that have been involved in the Great Northern Town Center,” he said, mentioning the important roles of Mike Dowling of Dowling Architecture and Ben Tintinger of Mosaic Architecture.

The Great Northern Carousel was also recently honored by Downtown Helena Inc. at the second annual “Townie Awards.” Open since 2002, the carousel won the “Downtown Business of the Year” award, which manager Rick Davis happily accepted. The Best Western Great Northern Hotel celebrated four years in operation in June. The hotel, managed by Marti Bara, was assessed by a quality assurance inspection which placed it in the top 20 percent of all the Best Westerns in the nation.