HELENA — The Montana Heritage Center, home of the Montana Historical Society, will be a community hub connecting thousands of people annually to Montana's rich history by November 2025.
“The Montana Heritage Center is built around the philosophy of exploring the interaction between people and the landscapes in our state, so every part of our building from the design of the building itself to our exhibit spaces talk about how the people of Montana have interacted with the landscape and how it has created our history today," Molly Kruckenberg, the director of the Montana Historical Society says.
The build began in 2020 and most recently 65,000 artifacts have been moved from the historic building to the new building where they have installed high-density storage that doubles the storage capacity.
A specialized H-VAC system to keep artifacts at specific temperatures and to avoid damage has been installed.
"We are so excited to have exterior interpretive trails that we can share with folks in the future," Kruckenberg says. "We are moving along with the interior finishes on the addition and a lot of work is going on in the renovations of our historic building.”
Also, construction of exhibit spaces has begun and will make up around 30,000 square feet. The exhibit areas are a Montana timeline beginning 13,000 years ago, a Charlie Russell art exhibit, and a rotating gallery space.
The new space will feature a café with Montana-grown products and a gift shop with goods relating to the exhibits or made in Montana.
All of these assets will not only provide the community with a connection to the past but also a positive economic impact.
"We have been working with VisitHelena and downtown Helena groups and the City of Helena to think about what those impacts might be and how we can work together to get tourists who come to visit the heritage center to visit other cultural sites in the city," Kruckenberg says.
Doors are set to open in November 2025 and admission will be free to provide learning access to all Montanans.
