1400 1st Ave., N., Great Falls, Montana. County/parish: Cascade.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places September 01, 1976. NRIS 76001120.
1 contributing building.Also known as:
Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art (also known by its acronym, PGSMoA) is an art museum located at 1400 First Avenue North in Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. The building was constructed in 1896 to house the city's first high school, Great Falls High School (later known as Great Falls Central High School). The high school moved to new quarters in 1931, at which time the building was renamed Paris Gibson Junior High School. The junior high school vacated the premises in 1975 for a new building. In 1977, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art was formed, and it took ownership of the building. It is one of six museums in the city. The structure has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since September 1976.
The museum focuses primarily on contemporary art by artists from the region. Much of its collection consists of folk art, abstract art, postmodern art, and functional artwork such as jewelry. In addition to two floors of galleries, the museum also hosts an outdoor sculpture garden.
The structure should not be confused with the Roman Catholic parochial school also named Great Falls Central High School. This Catholic school opened in 1950 at 2400 Central Avenue. It closed in 1973, and the public school system purchased the building in 1975. The building housed Paris Gibson Junior High School (later Paris Gibson Middle School) from September 1976 to May 2005. Paris Gibson Education Center, an alternative high school, opened in the building in 2007. This building also houses Paris Gibson Middle School Academy, a program for at-risk students.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71975734