Great Falls in Cascade County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Great Falls Civic Center

Great Falls Railroad Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019

1. Great Falls Civic Center Marker

Inscription. Clean lines, formal monumental openings, and restrained revival details mark the 1939 Great Falls Civic Center as a municipal Art Deco style building. The Works Projects Administration provided most of the funding for the building. The Depression-era federal jobs program employed people doing everything from local history research to public works projects. Since WPA funds could not be used to purchase land, the city situated the Civic Center on parkland, angering residents who wanted to preserve Great Falls’ beloved Gibson Circle at the end of Central Avenue. A lawsuit that went all the way to the state supreme court failed to save the park. Despite the controversy, the completed building filled a real need for a governmental and recreational center. Prominent Great Falls architects George Shanley and Johannes Van Teylingen collaborated on the modern design. The interior, ornamented with terrazzo, Art Deco details, and travertine plaster, still houses city offices and an eighteen-hundred-seat auditorium. The original ice rink was converted into a convention center in the 1980s.

Erected by The Montana National Register

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Sign Program.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Charity & Public Work • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the Art Deco, and the Montana National Register Sign Program series lists.

Location. 47° 30.319′ N, 111° 18.377′ W. Marker is in Great Falls, Montana, in Cascade County. It is at the intersection of Park Drive South and Central Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Park Drive South. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2 Park Drive South, Great Falls MT 59401, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Russell Country. It is also in the American Mountain West

and in the Lewis & Clark Corridor.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker:

Great Falls Civic Center and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, August 19, 2019

2. Great Falls Civic Center and Marker

The marker is at the left end of the stairs at the shadow's edge.

New Park Hotel (within shouting distance of this marker); Arvon Block (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Murphy Maclay Hardware Store (about 600 feet away); Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Depot (approx. 0.2 miles away); Liberty Theatre (approx. 0.2 miles away); "Nibbles" (approx. ¼ mile away); Bus Depot and Garage (approx. ¼ mile away); McCulloh Residence (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Great Falls.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 19, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 19, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 456 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 19, 2019, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.