The Montana Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) this week announced the recipients of the inaugural SHPO Grant – an initiative to support the rehabilitation and stabilization of historic buildings across Montana.

The agency said in a news release that this summer, four historic properties will receive funding to help ensure their preservation and continued use for cultural, community, and heritage tourism purposes.

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The four properties are:

• Western Clay Manufacturing Tile Plant (Helena, MT) – Located on the Archie Bray Foundation campus, this historic industrial site will receive $41,720 for structural stabilization, re-roofing, and repairs to brick and wooden structural elements as part of its transformation into an exhibit and public meeting space.
• Dayton State Bank (Dayton, MT) – A rare example of Egyptian Revival architecture in Montana, the privately owned bank building from 1913 will receive $20,000 to replace its roof membrane and install new oak flooring that was previously damaged by flooding.
• State Bank of Terry / Prairie County Museum (Terry, MT) – Owned by Prairie County, this 1906 concrete block building will receive $55,000 to support foundation stabilization, masonry and plaster repair, historic window restoration, and electrical upgrades.
• Virginia City Schoolhouse (Virginia City, MT) – Constructed in 1876 and currently under lease by the Virginia City Schoolhouse Foundation, this project will receive $40,000 to support the first phase of its conversion into a year-round arts education center. Work includes masonry repair, gutter installation, and a French drain system.

The SHPO Grant is made possible through a legislative appropriation from Montana’s 4% Lodging Facility Use Tax. In its first year, SHPO received $155,000 to award and saw overwhelming demand, with 32 applications submitted totaling more than $2.2 million in requests.
“The goal of this grant is to help reactivate underutilized historic buildings so that they can be used to strengthen communities socially and economically,” said Lindsay Tran, Historic Architecture Specialist. “Sometimes these buildings are architecturally stunning, sometimes they are more quotidian. But they are all important to Montana history.”

Grants were awarded through a competitive process based on project feasibility, urgency, economic sustainability, and potential to support heritage tourism. Additional criteria included a property’s National Register status and adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.