(UPDATE) As of December 15th, the debris of the Bunkhouse Inn still sits along Main Street in Augusta. In October, a fire destroyed the historical building. The cause is ruled undetermined but two months after the incident, many are still saddened to hear about the Bunkhouse Inn, including the Lewis & Clark County Heritage Tourism Council.
“The loss of a historic building is always pretty devastating,” says Renee Kelley, the Chair of the Heritage Tourism Council. “I think what's really exciting is that the owners, through their architect, are really trying to [go] back to its original grandeur. That's really exciting to see community members take that upon themselves. I think that's what really makes our little corner of Montana really great."
The architect of the rebuild has been in contact with the council. They are excited the owners wish to rebuild. The council discussed in their December 15th meeting that the owners and their architect wish to commemorate the original Bunkhouse Inn and needed help.
“Apparently, they had a historic photo that burned in the fire and thankfully, somebody had taken a picture of it,” says Pam Attardo, the Heritage Preservation Officer. “Actually, Preserve Montana [took the photo], and they sent it to me a couple of years ago and I had it in my database. So, I was able to provide them with that photo.”
The photo (pictured above) was provided to the Bunkhouse owners and their architect. Now, the council say they are working with them on ways to preserve the original Bunkhouse in the rebuild.
According to the owner of the Bunkhouse Inn, the removal of the debris is expected to take place December 18th, 2020 to begin the rebuilding process. The GoFundMe page for the inn is still active and can be found here.
**Original article, 3:16 p.m. on December 15th**
The Heritage Tourism Council is scheduled to talk about rebuilding the historic Bunkhouse Inn in Augusta. A fire destroyed the Bunkhouse Inn back in October. The cause of the fire was ruled undetermined but many community members came together to support the inn. Close to $5,000 has been raised for the Bunkhouse Inn.
The Heritage Tourism Council will talk more about community support towards the inn. According to the council, they expect to talk about waiving the 60-day public comment period before the reconstruction process begins of the Bunkhouse Inn. They say they are excited the community is already working together to bring back the historic inn.
“The loss of a historic building is always pretty devastating,” says Renee Kelley, the Chair of the Heritage Tourism Council. “I think what's really exciting is that the owners, through their architect, are really trying to harken back to its original grandeur. That's really exciting to see community members take that upon themselves. I think that's what really makes our little corner of Montana really great."
If you wish to join in on the virtual council meeting, here are the details are posted below:
Lewis & Clark County Heritage Tourism Council Meeting
Tuesday, December 15th, 2020
Via Zoom 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://zoom.us/j/94012134128?pwd=MjZLOXRqSUxhV3B2czRJNHppeFVmZz09
Meeting ID: 940 1213 4128
Passcode: 303346
