Bozeman Magazine

The Bozeman Main Street Historic District, the heart of the city of Bozeman and the only urban environment in the Gallatin Valley, is composed of a virtually uninterrupted streetscape of commercial buildings along both sides of four blocks.  The district stretches along a segment of the primary, east-west thoroughfare in the valley, not far from its emergence from the mountainous Bozeman Pass. It is bounded at either end by the two major city landmarks, the six-story Baxter and four-story Bozeman Hotels. With the exception of a few buildings on Tracy Avenue and Babcock Street, the entire district is visible from any point within it on Main Street. Characterizing the district in general are two-story late 19th and early 20th century brick commercial blocks of varied height and design. Most have generally high architectural significance, but few stand out as exceptional. Bands of colorful irregular storefronts, canopies, and signage unify all the buildings at street level, where little historic fabric survives. Of the 68 buildings in the district, 49 are architecturally significant. At least another three, while not yet fifty years old, are nevertheless architecturally important including the city’s only commercial example of the International Style.