In 1901, the Billings community celebrated the opening of this city landmark as its new library. It would, the paper reported, make Billings “a better place in which to live.” Designed by architect C. S. Haire, the elegant structure was built using native sandstone. It features the steep roofs, turrets, and rounded arches typical of the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The library sits on land donated to the city by the Northern Pacific Railroad, and was built through the generous philanthropy of the Billings family. City founder Frederick Billings was a former president of the Northern Pacific Railroad. Frederick Billings, Jr., gave $20,000 for the building and its furnishings in memory of his brother, Parmly, who died at age twenty-five in 1888. The Billings family again donated funds in 1913 and 1923 to construct the east and west wings. The city’s continuing growth forced the relocation of the public library in the 1960s. In 1971, the building was saved from demolition and became the Western Heritage Center, a regional museum which interprets Montana history.
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