Montana SHPO Awards Grants to Preserve Historic Properties

• May 06 2025

Helena, MT – The Montana Historical Society’s State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) is proud to announce the recipients of the inaugural SHPO Grant – an initiative to support the rehabilitation and stabilization of historic buildings across Montana. This summer, four historic properties will receive funding to help ensure their preservation and continued use for cultural, community, and heritage tourism purposes.

The SHPO Grant is made possible through a legislative appropriation from Montana’s 4% Lodging Facility Use Tax. In its first year, SHPO received $155,000 to award and saw overwhelming demand, with 32 applications submitted totaling more than $2.2 million in requests. 

“The goal of this grant is to help reactivate underutilized historic buildings so that they can be used to strengthen communities socially and economically,” said Lindsay Tran, Historic Architecture Specialist. “Sometimes these buildings are architecturally stunning, sometimes they are more quotidian. But they are all important to Montana history.”

Grants were awarded through a competitive process based on project feasibility, urgency, economic sustainability, and potential to support heritage tourism. Additional criteria included a property’s National Register status and adherence to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

2025 SHPO Grant Recipients:

• Dayton State Bank (Dayton, MT) – A rare example of Egyptian Revival architecture in Montana, the privately owned bank building from 1913 will receive $20,000 to replace its roof membrane and install new oak flooring that was previously damaged by flooding.
• State Bank of Terry / Prairie County Museum (Terry, MT) – Owned by Prairie County, this 1906 concrete block building will receive $55,000 to support foundation stabilization, masonry and plaster repair, historic window restoration, and electrical upgrades.
• Virginia City Schoolhouse (Virginia City, MT) – Constructed in 1876 and currently under lease by the Virginia City Schoolhouse Foundation, this project will receive $40,000 to support the first phase of its conversion into a year-round arts education center. Work includes masonry repair, gutter installation, and a French drain system.
• Western Clay Manufacturing Tile Plant (Helena, MT) – Located on the Archie Bray Foundation campus, this historic industrial site will receive $41,720 for structural stabilization, re-roofing, and repairs to brick and wooden structural elements as part of its transformation into an exhibit and public meeting space.

As part of the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) review process, SHPO invites public comment on all four projects. The public can view the draft environmental checklist and register for an informational online meting to be held May 21, 2025 at: https://mths.mt.gov/shpo/news

Public comments are being accepted now through 5:00 p.m. on May 21, 2025 and may be submitted by email to SHPOgrant@mt.gov or by mail to:

Montana SHPO

225 North Roberts Street

Helena, MT 59620

For additional information or to request a copy of the environmental checklist, visit the website or contact SHPO directly.