Helena Civic Center - Helena, MT - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

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Helena Civic Center - Helena, MT

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Posted by:  T0SHEA

12T E 420286 N 5160631

Completed in 1921, the Algeria Shrine Temple eventually became the property of the City of Helena, thereafter being used as a civic centre.

The 175 foot tall minaret of the Algeria Shrine Temple is exceeded in height in Helena only by the twin spires of the Cathedral of St. Helena, the spires being 230 feet in height. Completed in 1921 at a cost of close to $200,000, the building ultimately cost the Shriners more like $360,000, as they were obligated to pay an interest rate of 7% on the building for more than a decade. To make matters worse, the building was severely damaged by the 1935 earthquakes, damage that the Shriners could ill afford to pay for. Ultimately, the Shriners sold the building to the city in 1938 for the sum of $46,500. Though city offices occupied the building until the 1970s, it has, since 1938, been used as a civic centre, hosting such events as concerts, conferences, conventions, banquets, balls, weddings, wedding receptions, expositions, art shows, craft shows, dances, trade shows and more.

Intricate artwork on the building's exterior, some of which was destroyed in the earthquakes, has been restored or reproduced, taking the building back to its original resplendent glory.

Algeria Shrine Temple

Completed in 1921 at a cost of nearly $200,000, the Shrine Temple is of Moorish Revival style architecture and features a single minaret that reaches a height equivalent to 17 stories. The minaret towers above all other city buildings and is well known as a distinctive landmark on the city's skyline.

The building is composed of two major blocks, with a compatible addition constructed on the east elevation toward the rear in 1938-39. Over 200,000 pounds of reinforcing steel and 100,000 cubic feet of concrete was used in the construction of the Shrine Temple. Over one million bricks face the load-bearing concrete walls, 245,000 of which are of three colors laid in intersecting patterns. The Shrine Temple has a 66,030 square feet of floor space, 244 doors, and only 85 windows. A particularly interesting feature of the building is the 1170 feet of underground and concealed passages, tunnels and ducts that make a network throughout.

Now used as the Helena Civic Center, the auditorium stage has been extended 12' and is Helena's largest public facility for concerts and performing arts. The rear section of the building accommodates a 7,000-square-foot banquet hall and ballroom, with a maple dance floor measuring 75' by 150', which is large enough to accommodate 1,500 people at an exhibition, 500 couples dancing or 700 people at a banquet or conference.
From the NRHP Nomination Form

SHRINE TEMPLE
The Algeria Shrine Temple, completed in 1921, was built by the Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine both for their use and for public events in Helena. George S. Carsley and Charles S. Haire, prominent architects of the era, designed this Moorish Revival building. Its minaret rises seventeen stories, and its façade six. Upon completion, the auditorium was ninth-largest in the nation, seating 2,608 people. The ballroom accommodates 500 dancing couples. The fire station, a 1939 addition, carries out the polychromatic design of the exterior brick. Severe damage by earthquakes in 1935 was beyond the financial means of the local Shrine to repair, yet the facility remained in demand for public use. The City of Helena purchased this structure in 1938, when it became the Civic Center, housing city government departments until 1979. The citizens of Helena, through local government and a Civic Center Advisory Board, have worked for the renovation and preservation of this building that serves many cultural needs of the Helena community.
From the NRHP plaque at the building