The Archie Bray Foundation began restoration this week of the 142-year-old building at the heart of its campus.
The building, a tile plant from the days of Western Clay Manufacturing, has fallen into disrepair after over a century of exposure.
The foundation, along with Preserve Montana, is hoping to stabilize the historic building to avoid continued degradation and hopefully occupy the space again.
This clay plant was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and the Bray foundation is pursuing a certification for it to become a National Historic Landmark. Since 1951, the staff have been collaborating with the nonprofit Preserve Montana to work on many projects, including the restoration of two of the five beehive kilns formerly used to dry clay products.
Members of the Preserve Montana Trades Corps work on July 16 restoring the historic tile plant on the