Helena in Lewis and Clark County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)

Board of Health Building

Montana State Capitol Campus Historic District

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 15, 2021

1. Board of Health Building Marker

Inscription. Established by the state legislature in 1901, Montana’s Board of Health was originally housed in two small offices in the capitol building. As the state devoted more attention to public health during the Progressive Era, the Board’s responsibilities grew, as did its need for space. The prominent Helena firm of Link & Haire (which was also responsible for the capitol’s wings) designed this new home for the Board. Completed in 1920, the three-story building features a restrained revivalist style that combines elements of Italian Renaissance Revival and Neoclassical Revival. Ornamentation includes granite coping and window sills, terra-cotta detailing, and decorative brickwork. A projecting vestibule with a rounded fanlight and trapezoidal-shaped parapet marks the building’s entrance. The Board oversaw many programs, including communicable diseases, water quality, food and drug safety, social and industrial hygiene, child welfare, public nursing, and health education. To facilitate its work, the third floor contained “a first-class up-to-date hygienic laboratory,” in use until 1955. With the creation of the State Department

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of Health in 1967, the Board lost many of its day-to-day responsibilities and was terminated in 1994.

Erected by Montana Historical Society.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Government & Politics • Science & Medicine. In addition, it is included in the Montana National Register Sign Program series list.

Location. 46° 35.085′ N, 112° 1.065′ W. Marker is in Helena, Montana, in Lewis and Clark County. It is on East Lockey Avenue near Roberts Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1301 East Lockey Avenue, Helena MT 59601, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in andspecifically entral Montana in Gold West 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

Board of Health Building and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, July 15, 2021

2. Board of Health Building and Marker

The marker is on a post at the building's entrance.

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Livestock Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Unemployment Compensation Commission (within shouting distance of this marker); Legislative Restaurant - Capital Annex (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Original Headquarters - Montana Highway Patrol (about 300 feet away); Mitchell Building (about 400 feet away); Cogswell Building (about 500 feet away); Dedicated to You, A Free Citizen in a Free Land (about 600 feet away); Thomas Francis Meagher. (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Helena.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 26, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 293 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 26, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.