Montana Historic Preservation Office

Montana Historic Preservation Office
Name	Montana Historic Preservation Office
Established	1969
Type	State historic preservation office
Location	Helena, Montana

Montana Historic Preservation Office is the state office responsible for identifying, evaluating, and protecting Montana's cultural resources through survey, nomination, and stewardship activities. It administers federal and state programs including the National Register of Historic Places, Section 106, and state tax incentives, working with tribes, municipalities, and private owners. The office collaborates with agencies such as the National Park Service, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) network to integrate preservation into land-use and transportation planning.

History

The office was established in the wake of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, alongside other state counterparts like the California Office of Historic Preservation and the New York State Historic Preservation Office. Early projects reflected nationwide initiatives such as the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS. During the 1970s and 1980s it expanded inventories influenced by programs from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Smithsonian Institution, and regional planning efforts connected to the Interstate Highway System impacts. The office worked with tribal governments such as the Crow Tribe of Montana, the Blackfeet Nation, and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes on cultural resource consultations under the National Historic Preservation Act and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. In later decades, initiatives aligned with federal efforts like the Save America's Treasures grants and state-level legislation paralleling the Tax Reform Act of 1986 historic tax credits. The office's archives preserve documentation similar to collections at the Montana Historical Society and coordinate with the Library of Congress geography and maps divisions.

Organization and Leadership

The office operates under the auspices of Montana's executive structure and is led by the State Historic Preservation Officer, a role modeled on counterparts in states such as Texas, Colorado, and Wyoming. Leadership has included professionals with backgrounds from institutions like the University of Montana, the Montana State University, the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The office comprises divisions handling survey, national register nominations, archaeology, tax incentives, grants, and compliance, interfacing with federal entities such as the National Park Service, the Federal Highway Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency on projects subject to Section 106 review.

Programs and Services

Programs administered mirror national frameworks including the National Register of Historic Places, state historic tax credits similar to those in Indiana and Georgia, and compliance review processes for federal undertakings tied to agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. Services include cultural resource surveys following standards from the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, archaeological permitting coordinated with the National Park Service and tribal authorities, and guidance on rehabilitation projects using methodologies promoted by the World Monuments Fund and the Getty Conservation Institute.

National Register and State Historic Preservation Programs

The office prepares and forwards nominations to the National Register of Historic Places via the National Park Service, evaluating properties ranging from historic districts in Butte, Montana and Helena, Montana to farmsteads, bridges, and sites associated with figures like Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument individuals. It administers the state survey and inventory, maintaining records used by planners, preservationists, and scholars at institutions including the Montana Historical Society Library & Archives and the Smithsonian Institution Research Information System. Nominations often address contexts tied to events such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Montana Gold Rush, and the expansion of the Northern Pacific Railway and the Great Northern Railway.

Grants and Financial Assistance

The office distributes competitive grants and technical funds modeled after federal programs such as Historic Preservation Fund allocations, and partners on grants like Save America's Treasures and state historic tax credit programs analogous to those in New Jersey and Maryland. It administers matching grants for rehabilitation projects, easement assistance in concert with land trusts such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local conservancies, and provides funding guidance for projects involving entities like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Preservation Planning and Technical Assistance

Planning work includes statewide historic preservation plans coordinated with transportation plans of the Federal Highway Administration and environmental reviews with the Environmental Protection Agency. Technical assistance covers treatment recommendations using the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, archaeological methodology aligned with standards from the Society for American Archaeology and the Registry of Professional Archaeologists, and flood- and climate-related resilience strategies that reference research from the United States Geological Survey and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Outreach, Education, and Partnerships

Outreach initiatives involve partnerships with educational institutions such as the University of Montana Museum of the Rockies, the Montana State University Archives, and cultural organizations like the Montana Historical Society, the Butte-Silver Bow Public Archives, and the Helena Civic Center. The office supports public programming tied to events like Montana History Day and collaborates with tribal cultural resource programs from the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes and other tribal nations. It also engages professional networks including the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers and regional preservation groups like the Western Archaeological and Conservation Center.

Notable Projects and Preservation Successes

Notable efforts include nominations and rehabilitations in Butte-Silver Bow, preservation of mining-era landscapes related to the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, documentation projects for Lewis and Clark historic places, and stewardship of historic bridges and railroad corridors associated with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and the Milwaukee Road. Collaborative archaeological recoveries have occurred near sites linked to the Battle of the Little Bighorn and Fort Benton, while downtown revitalization projects used tax-credit financed rehabilitation similar to successes in Dubuque, Iowa and Savannah, Georgia. The office’s role in preserving landmark properties has complemented federal preservation designations such as National Historic Landmarks and partnerships with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the World Monuments Fund.

Category:State Historic Preservation Offices Category:History of Montana