Bozeman’s National Guard Armory was listed for sale this week
for $1.2 million, and so far about a dozen groups have expressed
interest in buying it, a real estate agent trying to sell the
landmark said Thursday.
The Armory at 24 W. Mendenhall St., was built in 1941 and
dedicated just after the Pearl Harbor attack. The building was made
to the specifications of the U.S. War Department, with a rifle
range, soundproof room and a maple block drill floor capable of
accommodating military trucks.
Jerry Pape of Triple Creek Realty in Bozeman said the Armory was
officially listed for sale on Wednesday. First Interstate Bank in
Bozeman took ownership of the property last year and has been
trying to get it ready for potential buyers.
The Armory has been vacant for five years and needs significant
repairs.
Nevertheless, Pape said a dozen groups have inquired about
buying the property.
“The building’s a mess, but the location is nearly one of the
ideal locations you could have in Bozeman,” Pape said.
He said six of the interested parties appear to have viable
plans.
Nonprofits, a restaurant, a redevelopment agency and an
environmental remediation company are among those interested, Pape
said. The groups are both in state and out, he said. He declined to
name them.
Pape said he has not yet received any formal offers in
writing.
The Armory has changed hands several times in the past
decade.
The Montana National Guard moved out of the Armory into a new
location near the Bozeman airport in 2003. The state of Montana
then sold the Armory to the city of Bozeman and Bozeman sold it to
a local developer to build a performing arts center. But that
project never happened.
Two other local developers bought the building in 2004. In 2007,
they got permission from the city to demolish it and replace it
with a four-story, modern retail, office and residential space, but
that project also never materialized.
Both Pape and First Interstate Bank representatives say they
plan to be choosy about who buys the Armory.
Amanda Ricker can be reached at aricker@dailychronicle.com
or 582-2628.