The complex was built, at least in part, by Civilian Conservation Corps labor, with most of the development occurring between 1933 and 1941. In all, there are 11 contributing buildings and 4 noncontributing buildings within the confines of the district. They consist of these contributing buildings:
St. Mary Utility Area Historic District
The St. Mary Utility Area is located east of the Continental Divide, at the foot of Upper St. Mary Lake within Glacier National Park, Montana. The flat, wooded building site is hidden from yet proximate to the Going-to-the-Sun Road and to the town of St. Mary, Montana. The area serves as east-side administrative headquarters and includes residential, maintenance, and administrative facilities. Historic resources associated with the area's period of principle growth (1933-1941) are concentrated in the center of the area. Modern housing units, either moved to the area in the 1980s or dating to the Mission 66 era (1956-1966), flank the historic district to the northeast and southwest.
Within the boundaries of the historic district, maintenance buildings form the dominant element: the simple, unobtrusive buildings are arranged hi two "wings" running roughly east to west and facing each other across an open asphalt-covered utility yard. The rustic log gas and oil house forms the center or anchor of this configuration.
The barn complex, the gas and oil house, and the dormitory are representative of NPS rustic architecture. The majority of the buildings within the district, however, are of the simple utilitarian design reserved for maintenance facilities hidden from the primary travel corridors.
The St. Mary Utility Area Historic District is historically significant at the local level for its association with those changes in park administration inspired by an increased road network within Glacier National Park, by increased visitation, and by commensurate needs to augment the park's housing and maintenance infrastructure. The district is also significant for its association with Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) utilitarian architecture and with rustic design. The district's period of significance extends from 1933-1945, a period during which completion of the Going-to-the-Sun Road provided a unifying link to the formerly disparate portions of the park, allowing centralization of east-side administrative functions at St. Mary, and during which cheap CCC labor allowed construction of those facilities integral to this centralization. The district is a component of the Major Developed Areas property type, as defined in the Glacier National Park Multiple Resource Listing.
From the NRHP Registration Form