Woman's Club Art Building - U of M - Missoula, MT - Montana Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

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Woman's Club Art Building - U of M - Missoula, MT

in Montana Historical Markers

Posted by:  T0SHEA

12T E 272347 N 5193839

There were five buildings built on the U of M campus in the years 1935 to 1939. Two of the five were built in the Art Deco Style while the other two followed the Renaissance Revival style already extant. This is one of the two art deco buildings.

Architects designing campus buildings between 1935 and 1939 were faced with a dilemma. Should they choose the style of most previous campus buildings or opt for the modern designs prevailing throughout the nation? In a compromise, three of the five buildings constructed during this phase allude to the previous style, but the Student Union and this building proudly illustrate the modern Art Deco architectural movement. Very simple in design, the building features a flat roof, windows framed in terra cotta, and a stepped parapet. Completed in 1937, the building was financed by the Woman’s Club of Missoula and the PWA. It originally served as a clubhouse and art building housing the first art museum in the inland Northwest. Later occupied by the Alumni Association, the building now accommodates Continuing Education and the Woman’s Club of Missoula.
From the NRHP Plaque