Bearing no less than seventeen dormers, this true Second Empire building has one of the more interesting histories of the buildings in Lewistown. Originally built at Fort Maginnis sometime between 1880 and 1890, it was purchased by David Hilger after the fort's closure, dismantled and rebuilt on its present site around 1898. Hilger had moved the building about 16 miles (as the crow flies) over wagon roads after dismantling it. The building had served as officers' quarters at the fort, which closed in 1890. Hilger and family lived in the house until 1913, at which time the family moved into a new house built across the alley at 216 Seventh Avenue North.
An "Apartment for Rent" sign in the sidelight beside the front door tells us that the building has been subdivided into apartments.
Hilger Residence
A true mansard roof encloses the second floor of this two story frame structure. The building is L-shaped in plan with two one-story gable roofed additions in the back at the west corner and a hipped shed roof over the open porch at the entry. Numerous gabled dormers (14 in all) and three shed dormers peer out from all sides of the mansard, which is flared at the eave. The cornice below the composition shingled mansard is simple and linear with molded edge trim at the fascia, bead joint board soffit, and crown mold above the frieze board at the top of the wall. A wood molding also occurs at the transition between the steep slope of the mansard and the hipped area above. Double hung windows are 4/4, have aluminum storm windows, and are surrounded by flat butted wood casing with a drip cap at the head. The wood entry door is surrounded by double hung sidelites and a transom above. The siding is narrow wood bevel siding and butts into corner boards at all inside and outside corners. The porch has a low enclosed railing faced with composition shingles and is supported by square wood posts that are chamfered at the corners... ...This residence is significant because of its building type as a military officers' quarters, as well as its association with Fort Maginness.
Classification: Second Empire
This property is significant in its association with David Hilger, who played an active role in the development of Lewistown and the settlement of Fergus County. In 1894, when he was appointed registrar of the Land Office, Hilger moved his family south to Lewistovn from his large sheep ranch. He formed a partnership in 1898 with George W. Cook, former receiver of the Land Office, in the real estate, insurance, commission and land office business. In 1898 he purchased all of Block 10 of the Stafford addition and located his family in this residence which was disassembled and moved to the site from Fort Maginnis. The large frame building served as officers' quarters at the military fort, which had been established southeast of the Judith Mountains in 1880 and was closed in 1890. The Hilgers resided here until 1913, when they moved across the alley into their new residence at 216 Seventh Avenue North.
This structure was used as residential quarters for officers at Fort Maginnis and has been relocated in Lewistown. Although this is a relocated structure, it merits further analysis insofar as it represents some of the last physical evidence of a frontier military post in Montana Territory. Very little evidence of construction remains at the Fort Maginnis site.
From the NRHP Architecture Inventory Form, Site 072