To blend the building into its surroundings it was given a generous amount of terra cotta, primarily at the cornice. It consists primarily of brackets, false capitals and shields under the overhanging cornice. Further down on the building are areas of decorative brickwork with terra cotta inlays. Though beautifully executed, its tall smokestack betrays its utilitarian character.
Red-brown brick, cream terra cotta, and huge Tudor style windows belie the utilitarian function of this lofty building. Missoula architects Ole Bakke and Clarence Forbis ingeniously applied the Renaissance Revival style of other contemporary campus buildings, completing the plant in 1922. The smokestack, boilers, mechanical works, and the tall coal-storage structure tucked onto the building’s east side were designed by the engineering firm of Charles L. Pillsbury Company of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Though situated just outside the edge of the plan designed by Carsley and Gilbert, the building’s design makes an important contribution to the overall quality of the university’s historic architecture.
From the NRHP Plaque