Childs Carriage House - Helena, MT
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 46° 35.239 W 112° 02.049
12T E 420775 N 5159825
One of the oldest remaining buildings in Helena, this barn is also one of the very few of its era to survive both earthquakes and the modernization impulses of contemporary man.
Waymark Code: WMWHF7
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 09/07/2017
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member ZenPanda
Views: 1
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Childs Carriage House William C. Childs was a native of Iowa who moved to Helena, Montana during the gold camp era. He established the White Face Farm in 1871 and the following year he and his wife Mary built a brick residence on Ewing Street. Having purchased the entire block 48 of the Original Helena Townsite, their residence was the first built on the block. Behind the house, they also erected a stone chicken coop and this barn. All three buildings still stand today.

Childs later became owner of the Montana Sheep Company. The sheep ranch was located just east of Helena, near the Prickly Pear Creek on land purchased in 1886. On that property, with the assistance of forty-two masons imported from Italy, he erected an octagonal house and a huge 3Vi story stone barn. (See National Register Nomination for Childs Ranch, Lewis & Clark County.) A comparison of that stone barn to this one reveals strikingly similar handling of the native stone masonry, although otherwise the designs are quite different. It may well be that the same masons worked on these buildings for Childs.

The Childs Carriage House also provides an important example of early stone masonry methods and design. Constructed of a shale native to the area, the masonry and design of the building are very well preserved. Massive stone walls are all in good condition, complete with exposed stonework, heavy wooden lintels and brick arches, and all original openings retained. The masonry shows some signs of repair over the years, but retains a high level of original workmanship and materials. Good examples of such early stone masonry are rare in Helena, in part because many buildings of the 1860s and 1870s era were replaced or enlarged during the 1880s boom years, and in part because the 1935 earthquake damaged masonry buildings severely throughout town, and many were demolished. Those that were repaired were frequently completely stuccoed. The Childs Carriage House remains as a very early, very strong example of settlement period masonry design and construction ideas.
From the NRHP Continuation Sheet
CHILD CARRIAGE HOUSE

William C. Child came to Montana from Iowa in 1870 as an agent for the Wells Fargo Express Company. President U. S. Grant soon appointed him territorial land office registrar and Child made a small fortune in mining investments. This two-story barn, built in 1873, served as a stable and carriage house for the Childs’ residence at 305 Ewing. In the 1880s, Child began a ranching operation a few miles east of Helena called the White Face Farm (now the Kleffner Ranch), where he established one of the first herds of purebred Herefords in Montana. The Childs continued to live in their Helena residence. The carriage house, with its massive native fieldstone walls, heavy wooden lintels, and brick arches, is a rare remaining example of early masonry construction. The chicken coop across this alley and the barn at the Kleffner Ranch were also built of native fieldstone. Many of Helena’s early masonry buildings were torn down during the 1880s construction boom or were drastically remodeled. Others were heavily damaged by the 1935 earthquakes and then covered in stucco. This carriage house is a splendid reminder of the era of horse-drawn vehicles. It has added significance as the short-term residence of a famous Montanan, Charles M. Russell. According to old-timers, the much loved cowboy artist temporarily bunked in the loft living quarters once used by the Childs’ groom. Carefully preserved by John and Janice Hollow, the building now serves as a professional office and is an excellent example of adaptive reuse.
From the NRHP plaque at the building
Describe the area and history:
This is a cool old stone building almost unique in the area - EXCEPT for the chicken coop across the alley. It's the smaller stone building in the gallery.
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