Build

Construction of the Montana Heritage Center in Helena is slightly ahead of schedule, which means the Montana Historical Society has ramped up the anticipated temporary closures. We’re finding new ways to fulfill the publics’ needs while having limited access to our artifacts and documents.

Many of our items are available for viewing online. They include more than 40,000 artifacts, nine exhibits, one million-plus pages of newspapers, 100,000 books, letters, lesson plans, photographs, and much more. Just call 406/444-2694 and our staff will help you find what you’re seeking.

MTHS Director Molly Kruckenberg notes that while she would rather remain open during construction, the staff must inventory, pack, and store the priceless art, artifacts, and documents to protect them. The galleries will be used for storage and office space.

The Library & Archives reference room closed Dec. 15 for about two years while we pack items, move out of our offices, and reopen on the main floor of our renovated building.

Our final galleries closed in January 2023, as construction workers moved into the 70-year-old Veterans and Pioneers Building to do the renovations. They started in the basement with utility upgrades, then they’ll tackle the second and third floors, before wrapping up on the first floor.

“Our staff will remain in our offices as long as possible, but clearly the construction renovations will be impactful,” MTHS Director Molly Kruckenberg said. “We’re trying to minimize the disruption, but some staff will temporarily work from home and we’re also seeking alternative office space for others.

“We apologize for any hardships that creates, but know that when we reopen early 2025, our expanded and renovated facility will be worth the temporary disruption in services.”

The MTHS also is seeking a temporary space in which to relocate the museum store. Until then, it will remain open in its current location at 225 No. Roberts in Helena. People can shop online anytime at app.mt.gov/shop/mhsstore/

The popular public programs will be held at the Lewis and Clark Library at 120 So. Last Chance Gulch in Helena and will change to a 6:30 p.m. start on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month to better accommodate the public. The program schedule is at mths.mt.gov

The building is now almost entirely enclosed (yellow) and is being weather proofed (black). As the summer days end, construction crews are quickly finishing this critical phase so interior work can ramp up as the we go into the cooler months. You can really see the shape of the addition now.

We did it!

On May 17, the Montana Historical Society, along with Sletten Construction and Cushing Terrell architects, held a "Topping Out" ceremony that celebrates setting the highest steel beam in place. The ceremony started with an honor song and blessing by Smokey Rides at the Door, a Blackfeet tribal member. Dignitaries said a few words about their roll in the project and the significance of it.

MTHS Director Molly Kruckenberg said the heritage center will be more than a building that is the home of the big history of the Big Sky state.

With 55-degree temperatures, nature cooperated on Feb. 10, 2022, as we poured the concrete slab for the main floor immediately adjacent to the existing Montana Historical Society building.

Be sure to check our live construction camera at http://137.26.89.246:81/mjpg/Cam1?user=mtstate&pw=135246 to watch us grow!

The walls are going up and it's now easy to see how the Montana Heritage Center addition will connect with our historic building. Construction work is starting early and staying late, even as December's darkness descends on us from the 8 a.m. sunrise to the 4 p.m. sunset. Crews are using huge spotlights to keep moving forward.

The concrete walls are poured!! Workers climbed the rebar, and added insulation to protect the building during cold weather. Plans are in place that will allow construction to continue even in winter. Thank you for all your support!

This week, we started pouring the foundation for the Montana Heritage Center - a whopping 200 cubic yards of concrete! Crews are working long hours even as the days get shorter, and expect to be working throughout the winter. In anticipation of colder temperatures, they've gathered ground warming materials that will allow them to proceed throughout the year.

The foundation for the Montana Heritage Center will begin next week! There will be increased traffic and exciting progress on site. The site is prepped and ready to go. Some of the Montana Historical Society staff are now working in offices with boarded up windows as we connect the two buildings together. This is going to provide the optimal visitor experience to the Heritage Center as all galleries and public spaces will be on one level. The project team and staff of the Montana Heritage Center have been working hard for many years to make this happen.

Excavation work for the foundation footings will be ongoing this week. The construction team anticipates that rebar will be arriving by the end of August and foundation work will follow. The goal is to get the foundation work completed before the winter weather arrives.