Armory Gym complex, the conclusion

Gary A. Wilson

Havre-Hill County

Preservation Commission

(This is the fifth and last in a series of stories on the history of Montana State University-Northern.)

New Northern Montana College President Lou Brockmann continued the building expansion that G.H. Vande Bogart had started over the first 22 years, through the Depression and the war years.

Under Brockmann, Cowan Hall was finished in 1953, and the building expansion continued all the way through the construction of the new Student Union Building in 1961. Before tackling the Armory Gym complex, a concrete Auto Mechanics building, Morgan Hall residence hall and a small brick auto storage structure were built.

The Armory Gym project became a near reality when a ground-breaking ceremony was held on Nov. 1, 1955, under stormy skies with many local and state dignitaries present. Attorney General Arnold Olsen gave the dedicatory speech since Gov. J. Arnold Aronson wasn't available and Lt. Gov. George Cosman's airplane was grounded in Helena due to the foul weather. Olsen had been a fan of deposed President Vande Bogart, and he had fought his dismissal by the majority of the State Education Board. Olsen said in part that "lots of people said that the building should not have happened, but it happened anyway. Then when it did, many still thought it was a mistake."

Dr. Brockmann chronicled the history of the building project, and the battle for partial federal funding. The projected cost of the building was about $300,000. A pool, small gym locker rooms, first floor offices and classroom funding came later. Besides the federal funding, the building was to be jointly financed and used by the college and the Montana National Guard. The student fund, started when the gym was eliminated from the Cowan Hall plan, also was used. The student fund had been voted in by students.

A picture of the prospective structure had appeared in the Havre Daily News in December 1953, but nothing was mentioned about its unique design. The architect for the project was Oswald "Ozzie" Berg of Bozeman along with the Haggerty-Meissner Construction Company also of Bozeman. Brockmann said, "A joint committee of the college and the National Guard officials are working out final plans for the structure. There still are many detailed problems of a financial and legal nature which has to be worked out."

Ozzie Berg was on the cutting edge of "Montana Modernism" style of building. The building design featured a now rate "hyperbolic paraboloid roof, composed of large luminated wood arches." Modernism came primarily from architectural schools of the Netherlands, Germany and France - with an American school in Chicago - led by a Louis Sullivan. His famous maxim of Modernism was "form always follows function."

The post-World War building style was made possible by new, advanced industrial equipment and the introduction of new materials and the use of traditional materials in new ways.

During construction, two of the arches came loose in a windstorm and the buildings entire skeletal structure collapsed. In 1958 two additional arches were added to the north side of the gym, allowing 40 additional feet for more seating space and a wrestling room. In 1962 another storm took off the roof between the connecting hall between the pool and gym. At the point, it turned out to be a very expensive building at over $812,774. 92.

Recently, a new floor was installed, and new bleachers added, making the inside brighter and shinier.

The National Guard gave up its occupancy in the late 1980s when the Guard moved to the new facility across town. This made the police department very happy because the Guard's burglar alarms were going off constantly. It was now a perfect place for the new football program to take over. The repair costs for the pool were so overwhelming that it was eventually shut down. East Hall was razed and Donaldson vacated.

Both the Bozeman and Missoula campuses added more buildings, especially dormitories, after World War II for returning veterans. At Missoula, 12 such modernism-inspired buildings were constructed and two housing complexes off campus, following the "Jones Plan" of a Seattle-based architectural firm, with Ozzie Berg, Jr. involved from Bozeman.

According to University of Montana President James a McCain, "This job of the university is to enrich and enlarge the life of the student (by) providing students with an effective personal living environment and instilling a sense of social responsibility. Education must exploit literature," he said, "and the arts to culture man's imagination and emotions for harmonious living." Hence it was akin to a great painter trying to create a portrait of the world or Montana we live in, but recognizing that it has many aspects depending on whether we view it from such viewpoints on an airplane, mountain, microscope, a psychiatrist's desk, etc. However, to my unskilled eye, the roof design looks to have been taken from the sci-fi movie, "The Blob."

President Roland Renne of Montana State University followed suit with several "modernism" projects, inspired by the school's college of architecture. The Brick Breeden Field House (1958) is perhaps best known. It was once the largest unobstructed wood domes in the Western Hemisphere. The building is one of Montana's outstanding examples of modernist architecture. The style was "characterized by simple form and design, the absence of applied decoration and an emphasis on function." In other words, the architectural form did not dictate the inside make-up as the Gothic would have with the major entrance, tower, etc.

The next buildings were not as radical, sporting neo-modern styles.

Brockmann left in 1962 after a successful and popular reign, leaving former faculty member and new President Dr. J.C. Crowley to contend with the strong state political opposition that wanted to reduce Northern back to junior college status. The Nursing and Education departments were offering three- and four-year degrees at the time. Crowley also faced severe budget cuts that would stop any further expansion.

Crowley served until June 1975, returning to Missoula. Under his administration, a food service was added to the SUB, followed by the Electronics Tech building, Brockmann Engineering and Industrial Arts and MacKenzie Residence Hall. Dr. Duane M. Leach was the interim president, who worked towardthe goal of a new library.

After another interim leader, Dr. James Erickson came to Northern as president. He came from Central Washington College at Ellensburg. The area was quite similar to Havre. Erickson served as president from 1978-1984. In 1982, the very important Farm Mechanics Building was constructed and a new library named after Vande Bogart. Now large tractors could become an inside classroom and the computers had a home.

Under the reign of these men, several buildings had been erected to enhance Northern's ability to expand science, mathematics, vocational and engineering capabilities student services and housing.

In more recent years, the technical sciences area has advanced beyond the certificate to associate's and bachelor degrees and branching into biofuels, with one converted and one new building.

Yes, it's an exciting time for Northern.

One of the biggest challenges is not the curriculum, but the loss of population along the Hi-Line. Unfortunately this has resulted in the loss of some courses in both liberal arts and vocational areas.

The other major area (besides financing), is the revolving door of NMC Presidents and MSU-Northern chancellors. They come and go, mostly go. Each short-term leader brings a new style of leadership to Northern, and this leads to confusion and turmoil, and not necessarily the best recruited leaders. Many failed or had no interest in acclimating to either the local scene, people or the high plains weather.

If we could again recruit excellent long-term leaders like Vande Bogart, Brockmann, Crowley and Erickson, the school and area would be much better for it. Long live Northern.

Where the leaders of this decade will rate in terms of leadership, will be left to future historians.

Vande Bogart expressed the Montana Spirit that keeps the school going in a 1934 NoMoCo article.

"Attendance is drawn finally, toward the great body of citizens in Havre and Northern Montana who have long recognized the need for Higher Education and who now realize the important work our college is doing ... Students, faculty and townspeople working towards one objective - the provision of adequate advantages. That is the spirit of Northern Montana."

(Special thanks to Toni Hagener and Dan Ulmen for helping me understand the building histories during the whole series, and Becki Miller of Gildford for her architectural expertise.)