Distinctly Montana Magazine

54 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 3 ing windows in a historically sensitive way; and reopening num- ber 419's bricked-in door. Macgregor says SARTA approved his application, but as of fall 2022, work had not begun for a number of reasons, including dif- ficulties in confirming contractor availability for the project. Many local contractors were hired by the production team of 1923, a spin-off of the popular Yellowstone series. Butte is the main film- ing location for 1923, and while production is injecting millions of dollars into the local economy, property owners like Macgre- gor are struggling to secure qualified contractors willing to take on smaller, less lucrative projects. The scarcity of contractors with preservation knowledge was already an issue, Macgregor says, and the pressure that both the pandemic and 1923 have put on the local building economy highlights the problem. In an ideal future, Macgregor explains, the duplex will even- tually house a small museum dedicated to MacLane on the first floor of number 419. The second floor above will be a dedicated apartment for visiting writers. The entirety of number 417 will house the Butte Literacy Center, a local nonprofit that teaches adult literacy classes. The number of people using Butte Literacy Center's services surged during the pandemic, which demon- strates the dire need for these kinds of services in Butte. As Butte reinvents itself, no one—not least of all the people who have called the city home for generations—wants to see the city lose its essence, what MacLane described as "some- thing aloof and metallic and distinctive and gray-purple and Butte-Montana." Given the abundance of historic fabric in Butte, it seems feasible and logical that some of it be used for some- thing other than upscale apartments, coffee shops, and cowork- ing spaces. Historic preservation is a proven beautification tool for attracting tourists and developers. But historic preservation can also be used to invest in the existing community by provid- ing needed spaces and services. Macgregor's goal to house the Butte Literacy Center in MacLane's restored home is an example of such an application. Butte's architecture would not be half so beautiful without the determination and resourcefulness of Butte preservation- ists over the last 60 years, ever since the designation of the Butte-Anaconda National Historic Landmark District in 1961. Preservation is a sustained endeavor, as exemplified by Macgre- gor's considerable investment of resources in the restoration of the Mary MacLane house. An old house is a lot like a relation- ship: you put in time, money, compromise, and sacrifice, but none of that makes it any easier. You do it not for the promise of a fat return on your investment, or even the guarantee of ever finishing. You do it out of love. OPEN APRIL OCTOBER rough (OPEN IN NOVEMBER WEATHER PERMITTING) OPEN PURCHASE TICKETS AT WWW.MININGMUSEUM.ORG 155 MUSEUM WAY BUTTE, MT 59701 406-723-7211 TAKE AN UNDERGROUND TOUR IN THE ORPHAN GIRL MINE AND EXPLORE THE STREETS OF HELL ROARIN' GULCH N O M I N A T E U S ! A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T B E S T O F M O N TA N A B M D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A ' S 2023 Professor Bill MacGregor COURTESY OF BILL MACGREGOR N O M I N A T E U S ! Travel and Adventure dalymansion.org For more information: 406-363-6004 Where History and Fun Collide. B E S T O F M O N TA N A B M D I S T I N C T L Y M O N T A N A ' S 2023

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