Butte Silver Bow

ARCHIVES

a special publication of

2 • Butte Archives 2010

Butte Archives 2010 • 3

4 • Butte Archives 2010

By Justin Post of The Montana Standard Visitors to the Butte Public Archives might hardly recognize the new facility. Frompolishedhardwoodfloors,wall-to-wallfreshpaintandaspa-ciousnewinterior,thepublicareaof thefacilityishousedinthelong-time archives building. The new vault addition next door is where the bulk of the tens of thousands of feet of historic documents are in permanent storage. The public will enter the building through a front door located be-tween the two structures on Quartz Street.Fromthere,anewelevatororthestairwaywillleadvisitorstothesecondfloorwhereanantiquelightedgreenstoplighthangsfromtheceiling.Tothewest,adoorwayleadsintowhatmostpeoplerememberasthe

oldarchivesbuilding,whichnowfeaturesanopenfloorplan. This gives archives workers and volunteers an unobstructed view of peopleenteringandleavingthefacility,saiddirectorEllenCrain.It’sherewhereCrainsaysthepublicwillfindalotof workspace.Totheeast,rowsof shelvingarekeptbehindcloseddoorsinthenewbuilding,whichCraindescribesasa“state-of-the-artvault”tohousemanuscripts. Thevault’stemperatureandhumidityarecontrolledto“maintainarchivalstandardsperfectly.” Thelightinthevaultisfilteredtokeepoutharmfulultravioletraysthat would otherwise damage the documents. Thebuildingissecuredandfireproof tokeepintrudersandflamesatbay.

New archives boasts beauty,and state-of-the-art vault

Continued on page 5

The exTerior of the newly remodeled Butte Archives, 17 W. Quartz St., features red brick, new windows and granite slabs inscribed with Butte quotes. Photo by Walter hinick of the Montana Standard

Butte Archives 2010 • 5 Thevault,saysCrain,isbasicallyalargeconcretewarehousethatishighly insulated to help insure temperature and humidity. “Itwouldbethebestall-aroundenvironmentforallourstuff,”Crainsaid. Thesouthsideof thenewaddition,however,isseparatefromtheupstairs vault and is home to a new public auditorium. “Wethinkthat’sgoingtobeareallygoodspot,”Crainsaid. ArchivesofficialsvisitedarchivesandlibrariesfromMontanatoWashingtonD.C.andbeyondwhilestudyinghowtobuildthemostef-ficientanduser-friendlyfacility. “Wegotalotof ideas,”saysCrain.“Weusedthosethroughthedesign process to ensure we knew what problems were around and ensurewedidn’t’havethose.” OneissueCrainsaysotherarchivesfacilitiesfacedisfindingspacetofree materials from pests who have taken up residence in the historic documents. Thefirststoryof theButtefacilitycontainsadecontaminationspacewhereitemsarefirstbroughtforprocessing. That’s where archives employees and volunteers will clean and repair documents and let them sit for a time to allow mice and other animals to crawl out of boxes and between pages. “Thenwe’reensuringnobadstuff getsintoourvaults,”Crainsaid. She says the archives will rely on a fairly large volunteer staff to help

orientatefirst-timevisitorswithanintroductorytour. A majority of those who visit the archives have traditionally called weeks in advance to give the facility time to prepare needed documents for review and schedule a visit. Crainanticipatesthattrendwillcontinueformany. “Itwillworkessentiallythesame,”shesaid,addingthattherefur-bished building new offers a large reading room for the public. The facility is expected to open to the public later this summer.

PhotoS by Walter hinick of the Montana Standard

CloCkWiSe from ABove: hardwood floors and natural light enhance this room in the revamped Butte Archives; archives director ellen Crain accesses documents for research; detail within the building feature items such as this antique traffic light.

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8 • Butte Archives 2010

By Justin Post of The Montana Standard EllenCrainlovestotalkaboutthefutureof theButtePublicArchives.Sometimes she just doesn’t know where to begin. ButteschoolteachersalreadyarecallingCrain,thearchivesdirector,seeking to incorporate the new facility into lesson plans. And she says the facility’s new auditorium will be available to play host tomeetings,speakers,educationalprograms,conferences,filmsandother events. Whiletheoldarchivesbuildinghadreacheditscapacityforhousinghistoricdocuments,Crainsaysthere’sroominthenewvaultadditiontocontinue expanding the collection for decades.

“Someof Butte’sbesthistoryisyettobewritten,”shesaid. Historicdocumentsoutliningthecity-county’smassiveSuperfundcleanupareamongthosedocumentsCrainseesasanimportantaddi-tion to the facility’s collection. “We’reexcitedaboutthatkindof opportunitytostartdealingwithsome of our most recent history and dealing with environmental his-tory,”shesaid. She says the site will offer a learning experience even before visitors step inside the building. The landscaping and a small park outside the building are expected to includeinterpretivematerialsofferingpeopleinsightintoButtehistory,

Archives will be availableto host meetings, films,conferences, speakers

roomS WiTh A vieW -- and space -- allow for multi-use in the new Archives building. Photo by Walter hinick of the Montana Standard

Butte Archives 2010 • 9Crainsaid. She sees the building as a more user friendly opportu-nityforpeopletolearnabouttheMiningCity’shistorylike never before. At least two exhibit cases are planned for the build-ing to display historic documents and photographs on a rotatingbasis,likelyinthebuilding’slobby. AnnSt.Clair,presidentof theFriendsof theButteArchivesanddirectorof theMontanaTechlibrary,saysarchivesofficialsareeagertounveilthenewbuildingtothe taxpayers who made it a reality. “We’reintoawholeneweraof programmingbecausenow we have this beautiful space where we can host speakers and have a comfortable auditorium for people tocometo,”shesaid,addingthatspeakers,exhibitsandeducational programs will be scheduled at the facility.Shesaidthenewbuildingwill“reallyfeaturetheitemsintheachieves”andgivethepublicanopportunitytoview“uniquedisplaysusingarchivalmaterialssopeoplecanreallyseewhatisinthecollection.” Thisnew,cleanfacilitywillofferpeoplefromButteandbeyondauniqueopportunitytolearnaboutthearea’shistory,St.Clairsaid. “Thisopensupaccesstothecollectionsnowthatthere’sacentralplaceinsteadof adamp,animal-infestedbasementthat’sdirty,”shesaid.“Nowthere’sthisstateof the art vault where things can be arranged in order andprotected.It’sgreat.” The new building has its main entrance on Quartz Street,whichshehopeswillhelpdrawvisitorsandmakethemfeelmorecomfortable,asopposedtotheoldar-chives’ entrance from the alley. “Ithinkit’sgoingtobeaspacethatisgoingtodrawmorepeople,”Crainsaid.“Whentheycomeintheywillsay‘thisisspaceIwanttouse.’” A grand opening of the archives is planned for this fall.

Photo by Walter hinick of the Montana Standard

STAirWAyS WiTh inTriCATe railings add a unique touch to the new Butte Archives.

10 • Butte Archives 2010

By Justin Post of The Montana Standard IthadbeenanissuethatButtePublicArchivesofficialshaddiscussed for years. Therewasnolightinthebasement,thebreezybuildingneededmany repairs and critters were getting in. Andin2004,thearchivesboardof directorsfinallydecidedsomething had to be done. TheFriendsof theButteArchives,thenonprofit’sfundraisingandpromotionorganization,commissionedanindependentMis-soula archivist to study the building and its conditions. Thearchivist,JodiAllison-Bunnell,finishedherreportandherconclusions were not surprising to those familiar with the historic Uptown building. “Shesaidthatthestorageconditionsintheallywerebettercon-ditionsthaninourbuilding,”saidarchivesdirectorEllenCrain.“Thetemperaturesintheallyweremorestable.” Ina45-pageassessment,Bunnellmadeawiderangeof recom-mendations,saidAnnSt.Clair,presidentof theFriendsof theButteArchivesanddirectorof theMontanaTechlibrary. “Thatcamebackanditwasapparentsomethingbigneededtobedone,”shesaid.“Thisraisedalltheseissuesandthisdocu-mentwasourjustificationforwhatneededtobedone.Itwasthestory.” Among those recommendations was to complete an architec-tural assessment of the building. That’swhenarchivesofficialsbeganponderingthepossibilityof moving or refurbishing the existing building. WithfundingfromButte’sUrbanRevitalizationAgency,thearchiveshiredA&EArchitectstostudythearchivesbuilding,aformerfirestation. Thearchitectdeterminedthebuildingwas“pregnantwithpos-sibilities,”Crainremembers. The building was determined to be stable and could be rehabili-tated to serve as the Butte Public Archives for years to come. “Theylookedatavarietyof issuessurroundingthewholequestionof whetherthiswasagoodplaceforthearchives,”saysCrain. Meanwhile,morepeoplewereusingthearchivesthaneverwiththe facility used as a research tool for authors and others seeking out family histories. The president of Ireland also visited the archives noting the valueof itshistoricdocuments,Crainsaid.

Poor conditions spur new archives project

Take a video tour through the new Butte-SilverBowArchives,ledbyEllenCrain,director.The tour offers a glimpse of the newfacility,includingthegrandreadinghall,foyermodeledtolooklikeagallowsframe,state-of-the-artcold storage and the public meeting room. Both the video tour and a photo time-lapseof thefinalstagesof construction are available online at mtstandard.com/archives.

ONLINE

Continued on page 11

Butte Archives 2010 • 11 Ratherthanbuildnew,archivesofficialsdecidedtheexistingbuilding should continue in its long history of serving the public. Staff beganwritinggrantsandhadsomesuccess,butnotenoughto foot the roughly $7.5 million project tab. “Theboardfinallysaid,‘thisisit,you’regoingforabondissuewhetheryoulikeitornotandthat’sthat,’”Crainsaid. Then the work began. Archives representatives began meeting with local leaders and won approval from commissioners to put a bond issue on the bal-lot.VotersonNov.14,2007,overwhelminglysupportedtheissuewith75 percent approval and a whopping 68 percent voter turnout.“Itwasamazing,”Crainsaid. Commissionersthenapproveda15-membertechnicalreviewcommittee to oversee the bond sale and forthcoming construction project. Demolitionbeganontheinteriorof thelongtimearchivesbuild-ing in fall 2008 and a grand opening of the refurbished structure and the new vault is planned for this fall.

WorkerS puT The finiShing touches on the Butte Archives at 17 W. Quartz St. in uptown Butte. grants and a bond issue made the $7.5 million project a reality.

PhotoS by Walter hinick of the Montana Standard

12 • Butte Archives 2010

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one of The founDerS of the Butte Archives was Bill Walker, a Texas native. in this January 1980 photograph, Walker looks over a bound volume of the Butte inter mountain newspaper, which was located directly across from the current montana Standard building. (montana Standard archives)

IN APRIL 1972, Butte’s fire station was located at 17 W. Quartz, which is now home to the Butte Archives. (Montana Standard archives)

ARCHIVIST BILL WALKER stands on what once was the Butte fire station’s dormi-tory. (Montana Standard archives)

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