Mortuary Lives On - For Now

By Teresa Rochester

A wrecking ball aimed at the funeral home at 1230 Montana Avenue has been diverted for the time being and plans to erect a strip mall on the site have subsequently been delayed.

In a unanimous decision Monday night the Landmarks' Commission directed City staff to study whether or not the old abandoned mortuary on the upscale shopping strip might be eligible for a historic landmark hearing.

"It has very interesting architecture and siting," said Commissioner Ruthann Lehrer after the meeting. "It has open space as part of the use of the building. Architecturally it's a very interesting design. More importantly to me it has a very residential look. We had no information about the building. It certainly seemed to have merit."

The decision reverses the commission's vote last year to okay a demolition permit for the 65-year-old structure. That permit's recent expiration prompted Monday's hearing.

Although the building is not listed in the city's Historic Resources Inventory and there was no public outcry to save the building at the initial hearing, nearly a dozen residents turned out to protest a renewed demolition permit. On Tuesday they called the commission's decision a victory, while commissioners marveled at the outcry.

"When it came through last time there was absolutely no neighborhood response," the commission's vice chair, Scott Page, said after the meeting. "It suddenly gained somewhat of a new importance... We weren't aware of how important it may be. It might not seem important to those who don't live around it, but the people who came last night saw things we might not see."

"This is an amazing thing that happened," Doris Sosin, president of the North of Montana Association, said Tuesday. "It is a gorgeous building. To lose this to a strip mall is just shocking. We are just elated and delighted. We felt the Landmarks' Commission really had the same goals in mind as us, to save this thing that truly deserved saving."

Bill Bauer, former vice chair of the Wilshire/Montana Neighborhood Association, said the building fits landmark criteria because it has charm, atmosphere and is known in the neighborhood. He said the site's use of green space and gabbled roof are especially noteworthy.

"The plot of open space is like a breath of fresh air," said Bauer.

In the past Sosin and others have called for the mortuary site to be turned into a neighborhood park. But if the building is deemed historic, demolishing it would become nearly impossible.

When asked how neighbors would reconcile saving the building with their desire for a park, Bauer said, "of course the building can be moved." He cited the recent relocation of a house near St. Monica's Catholic Church, which was deemed a landmark. It sat on property purchased by the church and slated to become a parking lot.

Commissioners said the mortuary is indeed worth looking at, but Page cautioned that it might be too late to save the structure.

"There's no guarantee that it will be saved," said Page, adding that the property's owner has probably invested quite a bit of money into the location and therefore could argue financial hardship, which could allow plans for the strip mall to move forward.

Page also argued that Landmarks should be the first commission developers go to instead of the last. If a building is found to be historic, a proposed project may never see the light of day, Page said. By the time most developers come before the Landmarks' Commission they have already spent considerable money and time.

"The bottom line is one thing came out of this meeting," said Page. "The Landmarks' Commission is always at the end of the road. He [the developer] has already gone before the Planning Commission and the ARB (Architectural Review Board).... One thing we want to change is we want to be at the front end not the back"