Western Life Insurance Company Helena Branch Office - Helena, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 46° 35.619 W 112° 02.446
12T E 420277 N 5160535
Along Park Avenue at Gilbert Street, this unassuming little building will possibly come as a surprise to many who may happen to stop to read the plaque out front.
Waymark Code: WMWHF3
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member ZenPanda
Views: 0
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Many history buffs would pass by this building without a second glance, but it seems that it was quite an important building in its time. Its time was the '60s and new styling, materials and methods were heralding a new direction in construction methods. This building was, apparently, at the vanguard of this movement, the first in Helena to be constructed using the newest ideas in the construction industry.

The building was listed in the National Register on September 10, 2012.
Western Life Insurance Company The Western Life Insurance Company Helena Branch Office, built by the Western Life Insurance Company in 1962, is acone-and-two-story building with a T-shaped footprint and a flat roof. It is located in the north corner of a wedge-shaped urban block in Helena bounded by N. Park Avenue/Gilbert Street on the north; N. Park Avenue on the east; W. Placer Avenue on the south; and N. Benton Avenue on the west. The building faces east onto N. Park Avenue and Hill Park beyond. To the north are Yund Park and the Helena Civic Center building, and to the south is the (former) main Western Life Insurance Company building, completed in 1956.

The well-designed building is a concrete masonry and curtain wall structure with a combination of finishing materials, including brick veneer, ceramic tile, metal panels, polished granite veneer, and concrete screen block. Designed by Morrison-Maierle & Associates in the Modern style, the building rests on a concrete foundation and is covered by a built up roof.

The Western Life Insurance Company Helena Branch Office is significant at the local level for its architectural design, for embodying the distinctive characteristics of a period and method of construction, and as a building that possesses high artistic values. This multi-textured building is a good example of curtain wall construction, specifically the stylistic qualities of curtain wall construction that characterized mid-century commercial and institutional design. Additional stylistic aspects of the small scale building that typify the era include asymmetrical, two-dimensional composition of individual facades and planar components, and the use of varied finish materials for decoration. The use of colored metal panels, Norman brick, small ceramic tiles, concrete screen block, and polished granite add depth and character to the building while complementing the aluminum-frame glass curtain walls. While this variety might ordinarily lead to visual confusion, the harmonious presentation and flow of both structural and finish elements at the Western Life branch office exemplify mid-century Modern design ideals.
From the NRHP Registration Form
WESTERN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
HELENA BRANCH OFFICE

Small in scale but highly distinctive, this colorful Modern style office building is an eye-catching anchor at one of Helena’s busiest intersections. When it opened in 1962, it was one of the nation’s most up-to-date office facilities. Western Life, founded in 1910 as Montana Life Insurance, grew by leaps and bounds and by 1938, the company served eight states. In 1957, Western Life affiliated with the St. Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company; two years later Western Life moved with 120 employees to St. Paul, Minnesota. Helena architect Grant Crossman of Morrison-Maierle and Associates designed this building as the new branch office. Its curtain wall construction and bold new styling set a high standard for commercial architecture in Helena. The building is a great ambassador of the Modern style and post-World War II construction techniques. New methods of manufacturing glass, better sealants and insulation, widespread use of air conditioning, and the ready availability of aluminum made curtain wall construction feasible. Separation of the window wall from the structural system as employed here allowed use of lightweight prefabricated aluminum panels, glass walls, and mosaic tiles. Aluminum framing and window walls brought abundant natural lighting inside and allowed colorful embellishments like the blue metal panels and ceramic tiles. The multi-leveled building features an asymmetrical T-shape and varied surface textures. Yellow and brown Norman brick, polished pink granite cladding, and a decorative concrete block screen at the upper entry add to the visual cornucopia. The company logo and motto, “As Enduring as the Mountains,” survives to recall the building’s original owner.
From the NRHP plaque at the building
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It's all there - the building described on the sign, and apparently looking pretty much as it did when built in 1962.
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