(6.29.2020 - Midtown update
What's gone? What's going up? Click here: https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2020/06/midtown-update.html)
What's gone? What's going up? Click here: https://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2020/06/midtown-update.html)
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complain about the big-box monstrosities that line North 19th Avenue, others might argue that North 7th is more of an eye-sore. Filled with pawnshops, questionable old motels, auto repair shops, and other squat structures, this area does not fit in appearance-wise with Bozeman’s nearby and put-together downtown, and it does not make an positive impression on first-time visitors to Bozeman.
The Midtown redevelopment project encompasses the area between 5th and 8th Avenues and is believed to have unrealized potential. Within the district, there are Community Commercial – Mixed (B-2M) and Residential High Density – Mixed (R-5) zoning designations. The N. 7th Avenue Design and Connectivity Plan (District Plan) as well as the City Commission’s famed Blight Report from 2005 helped guide the Midtown project. One of the aims is to develop an area that, according to the website, “is attractive with a distinct character” by providing better transportation pathways for pedestrians and bikers and by creating ”buildings and landscaping that are of interest to users and passersby.”
Midtown is one of Bozeman’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) districts. TIF funds are available to cover redevelopment costs. Recently the first phase of a lighting improvement project was completed, but to my knowledge, not much more has happened.
It is impossible to know the fate of Midtown, but it’s never too early to wring your hands over Bozeman's latest development project, take a stance on the issue, and join in the debate. Perhaps Midtown is to 21st century Bozeman what Brooklyn was to New York City in the 1970s, an unsuspecting place that will be the next hot thing. Get a look at it now before it changes and share your opinions in the comments section of this post. (You don't have to have an account to post.)
Take the Midtown Bozeman Tour
1) Start in the parking lot of the often empty Bamboo Garden on West Main Street and 5th Avenue. Looking south, you’ll see Nights Delight, a curious bedding shop that interestingly also sells Geri wigs. Something about the name is slightly seedy, but they've been here since I first lived in the area in 1996. Another long-standing business with a curious name, Pogo Investments, used to be next door but they are now gone. I never heard anyone mention Pogo or Nights Delight nor have have I set foot inside them, but I will admit to having an unmemorable meal at Bamboo Garden. These businesses remind me of a theory a friend of mine has. He suspects establishments that never seem to have any customers yet somehow manage to stick around for years must be covers for money laundering operations. Fact or fiction? You decide.
2) From Bamboo Garden, gaze across North 5th and upon City Center Inn,
Bozeman’s answer to the old Yugoslav-style Hotel Durmitor (Mentioned briefly in this post: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2015/06/contemplaing-wild-beauty.html and evocatively explored by this intrepid traveler.)
Becoming Acquainted with Midtown
North 7th is one of several entry corridors into Bozeman extending from I-90 to Main Street. Currently, it is a down-and-out retail thoroughfare. While many people
The Midtown redevelopment project encompasses the area between 5th and 8th Avenues and is believed to have unrealized potential. Within the district, there are Community Commercial – Mixed (B-2M) and Residential High Density – Mixed (R-5) zoning designations. The N. 7th Avenue Design and Connectivity Plan (District Plan) as well as the City Commission’s famed Blight Report from 2005 helped guide the Midtown project. One of the aims is to develop an area that, according to the website, “is attractive with a distinct character” by providing better transportation pathways for pedestrians and bikers and by creating ”buildings and landscaping that are of interest to users and passersby.”
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| As Seen in Midtown |
Midtown is one of Bozeman’s Tax Increment Finance (TIF) districts. TIF funds are available to cover redevelopment costs. Recently the first phase of a lighting improvement project was completed, but to my knowledge, not much more has happened.
Let the Conversation Begin
Given its proximity to downtown, Midtown seems like a logical place to develop, but what will Bozemanites think as the area gentrifies? What if a dreaded mid-rise condo building goes in on the EZ Auto spot as this article says it might? Will residents welcome the new housing or will they lament the loss of the used car dealership and declare this another piece of evidence that Bozeman is ruined? In true Bozeman fashion, people are already complaining about parking in the area as you will read in this article.It is impossible to know the fate of Midtown, but it’s never too early to wring your hands over Bozeman's latest development project, take a stance on the issue, and join in the debate. Perhaps Midtown is to 21st century Bozeman what Brooklyn was to New York City in the 1970s, an unsuspecting place that will be the next hot thing. Get a look at it now before it changes and share your opinions in the comments section of this post. (You don't have to have an account to post.)
Take the Midtown Bozeman Tour
2) From Bamboo Garden, gaze across North 5th and upon City Center Inn,
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| Sarajevo 1994? No, Bozeman's City Center Inn |
Closed in 2015, the City Center Inn has since sat empty and is falling into disrepair. Graffiti is starting to cover the building and a skateboard ramp now occupies the back parking lot where you’ll find transient folks loitering. The upper floor windows are broken and boarded over, and a peak inside the old hotel reveals that the rooms appear as if a rock band trashed them with bedding strewn about, dressers tipped over, and the like. Another peak through a window reveals the indoor swimming pool sits empty and is coated in a thick layer of dust.
Bags of trash are heaped to one side of the hotel’s back door near their restaurant, the Black Angus, and on the other side of the door, a lone chair is propped on a liter-strewn stage that oddly includes a bunch of plastic flowers. I can almost see a former line cook relaxing on his or her break, perhaps smoking a cigarette, oblivious to the fate of the hotel and restaurant.
3) From the City Center Inn, head north and west to the corner of Mendenhall Street and 7th Avenue. Continue west on Mendenhall passing EZ Auto. The EZ in its name along with the “We Finance” sign screams sleazy-used car lot, yet try not to succumb to stereotypes when you pass by as the lot is tidy and the cars look to be in decent shape.
4) From EZ Auto, continue west to a sign shop on the north side of Mendenhall. The cool retro Starlite sign is one that I have noticed and admired for years, but it wasn’t until I walked by the building that I discovered a collection of ancient and faded beer cans in the small window above it. Another window displays a large work-in-progress, but it is hard to tell if it was still getting worked on or if the project/building has been abandoned. Around back, you’ll find the original Boodles sign hanging on the building.
5) Across the street from Starlite a small strip mall is home to the Vault Gun & Loan. With its sinister “We Buy Sell Trade Firearms” sign, something about the place creeped me out and I moved along quickly.
8) For the concluding leg of your Midtown tour, cross 7th at Villard (You'll soon leave Midtown proper) and wonder the alleys and passageways back to Willson. Once on Willson, head north. On the 400 block, you’ll find downtown Bozeman’s only trailer park. It’s next to a squat, one-story structure that looks like an old motor lodge but is apparently an apartment building. Interestingly, you’ll find similar apartments downtown, near the university, on North Montana Avenue, and in other locations throughout Bozeman.
Both the motor lodge-looking apartment building and the trailer park are clean, quiet, and free of crap, and both advertise spaces for rent. While neither is truly down-and-out looking, you’ll question if the ceilings are even seven feet high and wonder if they are really affordable or just affordable for Bozeman. You might find yourself saying, “Well, it’s not bad for a trailer park.”
9) When you hit Peach Street you are at the end of your ramble. Head over to 7th and Main, formerly the original Rockford Coffee location, and enjoy excellent ice cream at Sweet Peaks while you contemplate the area you have just visited. This new and wildly popular ice cream shop originated in Whitefish, Mont. and now has seven locations throughout Montana and Idaho. Yum.
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Bags of trash are heaped to one side of the hotel’s back door near their restaurant, the Black Angus, and on the other side of the door, a lone chair is propped on a liter-strewn stage that oddly includes a bunch of plastic flowers. I can almost see a former line cook relaxing on his or her break, perhaps smoking a cigarette, oblivious to the fate of the hotel and restaurant.
3) From the City Center Inn, head north and west to the corner of Mendenhall Street and 7th Avenue. Continue west on Mendenhall passing EZ Auto. The EZ in its name along with the “We Finance” sign screams sleazy-used car lot, yet try not to succumb to stereotypes when you pass by as the lot is tidy and the cars look to be in decent shape.
6) Head north on either 8th or 9th streets and explore the streets and alleys of this area free-format as you make your way to Durston/Peach & 7th Avenues. As you did in the Alley Tour (http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2017/07/bozeman-alley-tour.html), you’ll find the bustle, gentrification, and growth of town interspersed with a feeling of being in Appalachia. In this quadrant, you’ll discover ramshackle apartments and houses, alleys cluttered with junk, and more. A striking contrast of old and new, stylish and slapdash, it is interesting sightseeing.
7) Once you reach Peach/Durston & 7th Avenues, you’re in the heart of Midtown. To the south you’ll find pawnshops, sketchy and not-so-sketchy motels, auto shops, and the like. To the north of Durston/Peach, sits the empty lot that formerly housed K-Mart and the Cat’s Paw, a once popular music venue that is now filled with video poker machines and sketchy characters. Community Café in the former Frontier Pies spot is a pay-what-you-car restaurant and Midtown Tavern is a newly opened pub in the old Ferarro’s space. The Tavern is a decent spot with a nice outdoor patio and a festive atmosphere. Big kudos to the owner for being among the first to make an upgrade and do something new and vibrant here.
7) Once you reach Peach/Durston & 7th Avenues, you’re in the heart of Midtown. To the south you’ll find pawnshops, sketchy and not-so-sketchy motels, auto shops, and the like. To the north of Durston/Peach, sits the empty lot that formerly housed K-Mart and the Cat’s Paw, a once popular music venue that is now filled with video poker machines and sketchy characters. Community Café in the former Frontier Pies spot is a pay-what-you-car restaurant and Midtown Tavern is a newly opened pub in the old Ferarro’s space. The Tavern is a decent spot with a nice outdoor patio and a festive atmosphere. Big kudos to the owner for being among the first to make an upgrade and do something new and vibrant here.
Both the motor lodge-looking apartment building and the trailer park are clean, quiet, and free of crap, and both advertise spaces for rent. While neither is truly down-and-out looking, you’ll question if the ceilings are even seven feet high and wonder if they are really affordable or just affordable for Bozeman. You might find yourself saying, “Well, it’s not bad for a trailer park.”
9) When you hit Peach Street you are at the end of your ramble. Head over to 7th and Main, formerly the original Rockford Coffee location, and enjoy excellent ice cream at Sweet Peaks while you contemplate the area you have just visited. This new and wildly popular ice cream shop originated in Whitefish, Mont. and now has seven locations throughout Montana and Idaho. Yum.
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A few more posts about changes in Bozeman:
- Paradise Ruined: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2017/01/paradise-ruined.html
- Bozeman Alley Tour: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2017/07/bozeman-alley-tour.html
- Bozeman Graffiti Wars: http://annvinciguerra.blogspot.com/2017/10/bozeman-graffiti-wars.html
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