Fred Fielding Willson (November 11, 1877 – August 13, 1956), most commonly known as Fred F. Willson, was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

who designed many buildings that are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Early life

He was born in

on November 11, 1877, the son of

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

general Lester S. Willson and Emma Weeks Willson. After attending Bozeman public schools and the Bozeman Academy, he studied at

Montana State College Montana State University (MSU) is a public land-grant research university in Bozeman, Montana. It is the state's largest university. MSU offers baccalaureate degrees in 60 fields, master's degrees in 68 fields, and doctoral degrees in 35 field ...

, for which he later designed buildings. Willson designed buildings on campus such as Hamilton Hall, the Student Union Building, the heating plant, Herrick Hall, the Chemistry Building, and Fort Ellis Ranch House.Bermes, Whitney. "FROM THE BAXTER TO GARAGES, EXHIBIT SHOWS ARCHITECT FRED WILLSON'S INFLUENCE ON BOZEMAN." Bozeman Chronicle, February 19, 2017. He left Montana State as a junior to attend

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

where he received his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in architecture in 1902.

Early career

After graduating from Columbia, Willson worked in

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would ...

for architect C.S. Haire for two years. In November 1904, to broaden his architectural experiences, Willson started an extended tour of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, including

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. He documented his impressions of European architecture and daily life in Europe during the early 20th century in his personal diaries. While in France, he studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. Willson returned to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

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 ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

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--

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

Mission Revival The Mission Revival style was part of an architectural movement, beginning in the late 19th century, for the revival and reinterpretation of American colonial styles. Mission Revival drew inspiration from the late 18th and early 19th century ...

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...

and Craftsman. In 1927 Willson designed a new, three-story structure for Eagle's Store on the site of the original store built in

West Yellowstone West Yellowstone is a town in Gallatin County, Montana, United States, adjacent to Yellowstone National Park. The population was 1,272 at the 2020 census. West Yellowstone is served by Yellowstone Airport. It is part of the Bozeman, MT Micropoli ...

, Montana, in 1908. Willson donated his expertise in order to promote the

National Park Service rustic National Park Service rustic – sometimes colloquially called Parkitecture – is a style of architecture that developed in the early and middle 20th century in the United States National Park Service (NPS) through its efforts to create buildings ...

architectural style. 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, was his design and now bears his name. An early design was the Gallatin County Jail (1911), which still remains today housing th
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 Lodge A Masonic lodge, often termed a private lodge or constituent lodge, is the basic organisational unit of Freemasonry. It is also commonly used as a term for a building in which such a unit meets. Every new lodge must be warranted or chartered ...

and local

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

member. He also served as the Regional Director of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) 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 su ...

. 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 and legacy

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. His papers and many of his drawings are now held by Archives and Special Collections at the

Montana State University Library The Montana State University Library (MSU Library) is the academic library of Montana State University, Montana's land-grant university, in Bozeman, Montana, United States. It is the flagship library for all of the Montana State University Sy ...

NRHP listed works

* Barrett Hospital, Chapman and S. Atlantic Streets,

Dillon, Montana Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,880 at the 2020 census. The city was named for Sidney Dillon (1812–1892), president of Union Pacific Railroad. History Dillon was fo ...

* Jack Bartlett House, 8 W. Harrison, Bozeman, Montana * Belgrade City Hall and Jail, Broadway at Northern Pacific Blvd.,

Belgrade, Montana Belgrade is a city in Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The population was 10,460 at the 2020 census. It is the largest city in Montana that is not a county seat. Belgrade and surrounding areas are experiencing significant population gro ...

, (1912) * Blackmore Apartments, 120 S. Black St., Bozeman, Montana * Bozeman Armory, 24 W. Mendenhall, Bozeman, Montana *

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

bottling plant that is part of the Bozeman Brewery Historic District, 700-800 N. Wallace St., Bozeman, Montana * Bozeman Sheet Metal Works, 26 S. Grand, Bozeman, Montana * Bozeman YMCA, 6 W. Babcock, Bozeman, Montana *

Club Moderne The Club Moderne is a bar in Anaconda, Montana, United States, in the Streamline Moderne style. It was designed by architect Fred F. Willson and built by Frank Wullus in 1937 for John Francisco. The facade was clad in Carrara glass. The interior ...

, 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 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 The Hotel Baxter, popularly called the Baxter or Baxter Hotel, is a seven-story hotel built in 1929 in the Main Street historic district of Bozeman, Montana. Designed in Art Deco style by architect Fred F. Willson, it opened for business on Mar ...

, 105 W. Main St., Bozeman, Montana *One or more works in Main Street Historic District, 100 block. W. Main-300 block. E. Main, Bozeman, Montana *One or more works in 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 * Sacajawea Hotel, Three Forks, Montana *One or more works in South Tracy-South Black Historic District, 200-600 blocks. of S. Tracy & S. Black Aves., Bozeman, Montana *One or more works in 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 * Mary Innes School, Dillon, Montana

Notes

External links

* Brief biographical note about the architecture firm Visscher & Burley. Gothic Revival at Lehigh: Lehigh University Special Collections Librar
Exhibits

Collection 2143: Fred. F. Willson Papers, 1889-1956.
Contains diaries, postcards, correspondence, printed materials, and architecture drawings. Held a
Montana State University's Archives and Special Collections

Historic Montana: Fred F. Willson.
Details about eight of Willson's buildings, including the

and the Gallatin County Courthouse in

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Willson, Fred F. 1877 births 1956 deaths People from Bozeman, Montana Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts Architects from Montana 20th-century American architects Notable residents of Montana