The Helena Public Library and auditorium, located at 7th and Warren, operated from 1892 to 1933, when the stacks were moved to the new library, the converted former Unitarian Church on the corner of Park and Lawrence.

The 1892 buildings were heavily damaged by the 1935 earthquakes, and were subsequently demolished.

The adjacent 1908 Seventh Avenue Gym, the red-roofed building seen in the satellite image below, still survives.

The library and auditorium was damaged by the 1935 earthquakes, and was pulled down in 1937. The cornerstone was opened during demolition, and a copper box 'time capsule' containing various items was taken by Helena Street Commissioner Noble P. Evans.

Helena's first librarian, Mr. Leslie Sulgrove, objected to this. Unfortunately, online newspaper archives don't reveal what ultimately happened to the box and its contents. The first newspaper story suggests that the entire cornerstone was taken by Evans, but that seems improbable. Click on the image below to open a big version in a new window...

Rubble from the demolition, including the cornerstone, was buried on the site as fill. Luckily, the cornerstone was unearthed in 2018 during excavation for the new Central School building. It's origin was in question for a time, but a photograph in the Montana Historical Society collection (see above) confirmed that it was indeed the cornerstone of the library and auditorium.

The cornerstone in storage in back of the Seventh Avenue gymnasium, June 2019. Photo by Kennon Baird.

After the discovery and positive identification of the cornerstone, some in the Helena history community urged the removal of the stone to the Lewis and Clark Library, 120 S. Last Chance Gulch, where it would enjoy a better historical context. The cornerstone was set on the Central School grounds in 2019, and in 2021 was moved to the newly-remodeled Lewis & Clark Library.

Because the interior of the Unitarian Church was originally configured as a proscenium theater, considerable renovation of the structure was needed to convert it into a library. Stacks were moved from the old library building on N. Warren to the former church in November of 1933.

In 1976, when the library moved to a new building at the south end of Last Chance Gulch, the former church / library became the Grandstreet Theatre, a purpose much more in keeping with its original design. Thanks to Tom Cordingly and the Grandstreet for these excellent photos!