Montana hospital considered demolition candidate

A century-old hospital building in Bozeman, Montana, could be scheduled for demolition later this year, with the property’s current owner indicating the structure is no longer safe to house activities.

An online article by the Bozeman Daily Chronicle says regional developers HomeBase Partners and Andy Holloran have sought approval from Bozeman’s city government to dismantle the former Deaconess Hospital building.

The four-story 22,000 structure was built in 1920 and served as a regional hospital until the mid-1980s, according to the Daily Chronicle and the Bozeman Magazine website. While the lower two floors hosted a care center during part of the subsequent 35 years, the upper floors appear to have deteriorated, according to a Chronicle reporter who visited the site.

The demolition permit is expected to be discussed at a city commission meeting in March. The developer has offered to use deconstruction techniques to salvage pertinent fixtures and items, but a preservation group tells the newspaper it would prefer to see the shell of the building preserved. Halloran is quoted by the Chronicle as saying that option “doesn’t make any sense at all economically.”