Fred F. Willson
Encyclopedia
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
in Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
who designed many buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.,
Early life
He was born in Bozeman, MontanaBozeman, Montana
Bozeman is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States, in the southwestern part of the state. The 2010 census put Bozeman's population at 37,280 making it the fourth largest city in the state. It is the principal city of the Bozeman micropolitan area, which consists...
on November 11, 1877, the son of American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
general Lester S. Willson
Lester S. Willson
Brevet Brigadier General Lester Sebastion Willson, , was a U.S. Civil War officer in the Union Army, Assistant Quartermaster General of New York, and a Montana merchant and politician in Bozeman, Montana. He was married at Albany, N.Y., on March 2, 1869, to Miss Emma D. Weeks, a native of Vermont...
and Emma Weeks Willson. After attending Bozeman public schools and the Bozeman Academy, he studied at Montana State College, for which he later designed buildings. He left Montana State as a junior to attend Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where he received his Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in architecture in 1902.
Early career
After graduating from Columbia, Willson worked in Helena, MontanaHelena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
for architect C.S. Haire for two years. In November 1904, to broaden his architectural experiences, Willson started an extended tour of Europe, including France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He documented his impressions of European architecture and daily life in Europe during the early 20th century in his personal diairies. While in France, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Willson returned to New York in 1906 to work for the architecture firm Visscher & Burley. In late 1906, took charge of the offices of architects Link & Haire in Butte, Montana
Butte, Montana
Butte is a city in Montana and the county seat of Silver Bow County, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. As of the 2010 census, Butte's population was 34,200...
where he worked until returning to Bozeman in 1910.
Bozeman architecture
Fred Willson played a significant role in the architectural face of downtown Bozeman and surrounding residential areas. His European experience significantly influences his designs which include representatives of multiple architectural styles--GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
, Mission Revival
Mission Revival Style architecture
The Mission Revival Style was an architectural movement that began in the late 19th century for a colonial style's revivalism and reinterpretation, which drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century Spanish missions in California....
, Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
.
Between January 1910 and 1928 Willson worked as an architect under his own name. Between 1928-1932 he was in the partnership of Shanley, Willson & Hugenin. From 1932 until his death in 1956, Willson again was an independent architect. Many of his buildings are landmarks in downtown Bozeman—the Gallatin County Court House, the Baxter Hotel, the Hamill and Blackmore Apartments. The Willson Middle School, originally the Gallatin County High School
Gallatin County High School
The Gallatin County High School was a high school in Bozeman, Montana that was designed by Fred F. Willson and was built in 1902. It later was renamed Willson School when it was converted to a middle school....
, was his design and now bears his name. An early design was the Gallatin County Jail (1911), which still remains today housing the Gallatin Historical Society and Pioneer Museum on Main Street.
In a 1954 address at Montana State University, Willson expressed his architectural philosophy:
Family and civic life
Willson was active in the Bozeman community and in professional organizations. He served as a member of the city council and the city commission. He was a member of the Montana State Board of Architectural Examiners for Licensing, a Masonic LodgeMasonic Lodge
This article is about the Masonic term for a membership group. For buildings named Masonic Lodge, see Masonic Lodge A Masonic Lodge, often termed a Private Lodge or Constituent Lodge, is the basic organisation of Freemasonry...
and local Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
member. He also served as the Regional Director of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
. Fred Willson married Helen Fisher on October 15, 1913. They had three children Lester, Virginia and Beverly. Willson died in Bozeman, Montana on August 13, 1956. He is buried in the Willson family plot, Sunset Hills Cemetery, Bozeman.
Works
Between 1910 and his death in 1956, Willson was responsible for at least 330 architectural projects in Bozeman and other cities of Montana. Many of his projects are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.NRHP listed works
- Barrett Hospital, Chapman and S. Atlantic Streets, Dillon, MontanaDillon, Montana- Notable residents :* Ed Barker - NFL wide receiver - Washington Redskins* Cree Paul - [Where is she now?]* Charles Xavier Larrabee - owner of the nearby stock ranch Brooknook.* Lloyd Meeds - Politician, lobbyist, and navy officer....
- Jack Bartlett House, 8 W. Harrison, Bozeman, Montana
- Belgrade City Hall and Jail, Broadway at Northern Pacific Blvd., Belgrade, MontanaBelgrade, MontanaBelgrade is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,728 at the 2000 census.The original townsite of Belgrade was established and filed in the Gallatin County Clerk and Recorder's Office by Thomas B. Quaw, a businessman from the midwest, in July 1881...
, (1912) - Blackmore Apartments, 120 S. Black St., Bozeman, Montana
- Bozeman Armory, 24 W. Mendenhall, Bozeman, Montana
- Bozeman Sheet Metal Works, 26 S. Grand, Bozeman, Montana
- Bozeman YMCA, 6 W. Babcock, Bozeman, Montana
- Club ModerneClub ModerneThe Club Moderne is a bar in Anaconda, Montana in the Streamline Moderne style. It was designed by archtitect Fred F. Willson.-External links:*, at Historic American Building Survey...
, 811 E. Park Anaconda, Montana, (1937) - Dokken-Nelson Funeral Home, 113 S. Willson, Bozeman, Montana
- Eagle's Store, 3 Canyon St., West Yellowstone, Montana
- Emerson School, 111 S. Grand Ave., Bozeman, Montana
- First Baptist Church, 120 S. Grand, Bozeman, Montana
- Gallatin County Courthouse, 301 W. Main, Bozeman, Montana
- Gallatin County High SchoolGallatin County High SchoolThe Gallatin County High School was a high school in Bozeman, Montana that was designed by Fred F. Willson and was built in 1902. It later was renamed Willson School when it was converted to a middle school....
, 404 W. Main, Bozeman, Montana - Gallatin County Jail, 317 W. Main St., Bozeman, Montana (1911)
- Graf Building, 219—221 W. Arthur, Bozeman, Montana
- Hamill Apartments, 427 E. Main, Bozeman, Montana
- Hotel Baxter, 105 W. Main St., Bozeman, Montana
- Main Street Historic District, 100 block. W. Main-300 block. E. Main, Bozeman, Montana
- Northern Pacific--Story Mill Historic District, Roughly bounded by the Northern Pacific Railroad right-of-way and the Story Mill spur line from Wye to Bridger Canyon Rd., Bozeman, Montana
- South Tracy-South Black Historic District, 200-600 blocks. of S. Tracy & S. Black Aves., Bozeman, Montana
- South Willson Historic District, Willson Ave. between Curtiss and Arthur Streets., Bozeman, Montana
- Story Motor Company, 202 W. Main, Bozeman, Montana
Other notable works
- Lehrkind Brewery Building, Bozeman, Montana