Fort Missoula

The owners of property at Fort Missoula on Tuesday said they're ready to apply for a demolition permit to remove the Old Post Hospital after the city denied a permit to develop housing on an adjacent lot to fund the hospital's restoration.

After an eight-hour hearing, the Missoula City Council on Thursday upheld the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of a permit to a Fort Missoula property owner who intended to build housing to fund the restoration of a historic building.

The Historical Museum at Fort Missoula plans to begin renovations on a detention barrack and begin designing an immersive exhibit to fill the space next year.

A developer's appeal of the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of their project to build housing on private property while restoring the historic hospital at Fort Missoula will be heard early next year, members of the City Council said on Monday.

John Westenberg writes, "It is disappointing to read statements from some opponents that allowing the hospital to gradually deteriorate in place, even to the point of demolition, is preferable to any proposal that requires some attendant development."

he Missoula City Council on Wednesday detailed the process and timeline it will take to consider an appeal filed by a developer regarding the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of a permit.

The developers behind Fort Missoula Commons have secured legal representation and have appealed the Historic Preservation Commission's denial of their permit, arguing that members of the commission violated their due process rights and “failed to provide a fair, objective consideration.”

Bill Van Horn writes, "I read Friday’s Missoula Current article about the proposed renovation of the post hospital at Fort Missoula with a mixture of amusement and irritation."

Dave McEwan writes, "Save the Fort, the citizens group formed in the 1990s, is still committed to preserving the rich heritage of the Fort for the sake of all Missoulians."

While the 1911 hospital sits in disrepair at Fort Missoula, a local developer has plans to restore the facility to its historic state, but doing so won't be cheap.