Rocky Mountain College

Rocky Mountain College, Billings, Montana

Rocky Mountain College report to the Getty (PDF) 8.1MB

Rocky Mountain College Report Attachments (PDF) 16.5MB

Founded in 1878, Rocky Mountain College was for many years the only institution of higher learning within 750 mile radius. Many of the monumental stone buildings that form the core of its historic campus were built by students in exchange for tuition, room, and board. From quarrying stone in campus quarries to hewing the wood framing and building furniture, the students' efforts are the embodiment of the history and culture of the college. Getty funds are supporting research into the history and current condition of campus buildings and historic landscapes, to be followed by the development of a campus protection plan. Related educational components include student internships and the creation of a campus walking tour.

Rocky Mountain College received a Getty grant in 2007 for $110,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Purpose:The purpose of the grant was to plan for the preservation of significant historic buildings and landscape of Rocky Mountain College through historic surveys, conditions assessment, and guided recommendations. After research and assessment, the project team devised relevant work plans for the protection, maintenance, and stabilization of these sites and made recommendations for a campus-wide historic preservation plan.

Historic Designation(s): Prescott Commons (National Register of Historic Places).

Planning Process: The college assembled a project team of specialists that including leadership from the Board of Trustees, architects, landscape architects, structural engineers, mechanical and electrical consultants, an arborist, a hazardous materials consultant, a documentary photographer, and web designer. Historic research was carried out by two student interns. The project followed the rehabilitation guidelines of the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. The resulting plan addressed changes and additions for seven historic core buildings of the campus.

Outcomes—Products: The project resulted in a campus preservation plan, including a focus on accessibility; energy conservation; heating, ventilation, and cooling systems; protection and maintenance; and mothballing buildings where appropriate. This plan completed a historic survey of the campus and landscape that had several sub-outcomes: a complete narrative of the period, 1908-1940, a web-based virtual tour, a paper brochure about the history of the campus, an inventory of historic drawings, and archival storage of historic documents in the campus library. Condition assessments were completed as were a tree inventory and recommendations about tree removal and replacement. Schematic plotting of landscape features assisted in long-term maintenance recommendations for the site.

Another important outcome was increased awareness and donor interest in the repair and renovation of three of the college’s core buildings: Technology (Tech) Hall, Morledge-Kimball Hall, and Bair Family Science Center.

Outcomes—Strategies and Goals for the Future: Rocky Mountain College hopes to continue to increase public awareness of the depth of their historic built and natural resources and to continue fund-raising efforts that will secure the legacy of these assets of their campus.