GNP Seeking Public Comment on St Mary Entrance
The St. Mary Visitor Center and Entrance Station were built in 1967-68 and reflect important elements of the park’s historic architecture. These structures were nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Today, the entrance station poses a number of functionality issues, including incompatibility with installation of new technology, faulty wiring, leaks, and poor vehicle circulation. The park is proposing to replace the St. Mary Entrance Station in order to provide a safe and functional work environment, improve vehicle circulation, and meet accessibility standards. The new entrance station architectural design would complement the St. Mary Visitor Center.
The Montana State Historic Preservation Office has preliminarily concurred with the park’s determination that replacing the entrance station and installing an AIS inspection station would have an adverse effect on the St. Mary Visitor Center, but would not affect the visitor center’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Under the proposed action, the park would work with the Montana State Historic Preservation Office to mitigate the adverse effect.