City guide
6 buildings worth a detour, each with what to look for. Open them on the map, or walk them with the iPhone app, which collects each one you photograph.
The buildings that define the city's architecture.
The Cathedral of Saint Helena is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Helena, modeled by architect A.O. Von Herbulis on the Votivkirche in Vienna, Austria. Construction began in 1908 and the first mass was held in November 1914. Bishop John Patrick Carroll worked tirelessly to raise the funds and administered the entire project, while the site itself was purchased with a $25,000 donation from Thomas Cruse in 1905.
Photo: SWD at English Wikipedia , Public domain
The Helena Civic Center began as the Algeria Shrine Temple, a Moorish Revival meeting hall built in 1920 for the Algeria Shriners that also served civic functions. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places under the shrine name in 1988. Today the building holds a 1,925-seat auditorium and a 15,000-square-foot ballroom and exhibition hall, and as of 2012 was owned and operated by the City of Helena for banquets, craft shows, dances, weddings, trade shows and conferences.
Photo: Robstutz , CC BY-SA 3.0
The Montana State Capitol is the seat of the Montana State Legislature at 1301 East Sixth Avenue in Helena, built between 1896 and 1902 with wing annexes added from 1909 to 1912. A 1896 design competition was first won by George R. Mann, but after the original commission was disbanded over a funding scam, a second competition selected Charles Emlen Bell and John Hackett Kent, who relocated their firm from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Helena to see the building built.
Photo: Martin Kraft , CC BY-SA 3.0
St. Peter's Cathedral is the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana in Helena. The first Episcopal services in Helena were held on August 11, 1867 by Bishop Daniel Sylvester Tuttle and the Rev. E. N. Goddard, and Bishop Tuttle formed a committee in 1869 to establish the mission, paying $1,200 for property on Warren and Grand Streets. The stone church with a bell tower cost $12,000 to build, held its first Holy Eucharist on October 19, 1879, and was consecrated on November 11, 1881, with the current cathedral completed in 1932 under architect Harold C. Whitehouse.
Temple Emanu-El is a former synagogue in Helena, completed in 1891 as the first synagogue built between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Portland, Oregon. Construction began in 1890 with the cornerstone laid by Montana governor Joseph K. Toole. Architects Heinlein and Mathias used granite, porphyry and sandstone to build a sanctuary that could hold as many as 500 people.
Photo: Montanabw , CC BY-SA 3.0
Worth a stop when you're nearby.
The Former Montana Executive Mansion, also known as the Original Governor's Mansion, was built in 1888 by William Chessman and became the official residence of the governor of Montana from 1913 to 1959, housing nine governors and their families. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Photo: Parkerdr , CC BY-SA 3.0
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