Rocky Mountain Laboratories, Building No. 4, 903 South Fourth Street, center rear, Hamilton, Ravalli County, MT

Significance: The Rocky Mountain Laboratories possess national significance due to the pioneering research conducted at these laboratories from 1921-1945 toward the development of vaccines for insect-borne diseases. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever occurred frequently among the residents of the Bitterroot Valley in Montana. The facility was the primary site for research into the cause of the fever and many prominent members of the scientific community have worked at the laboratories. The period of historic significance for the site extends to the end of World War II as the Rocky Mountain Laboratories played a critical role in supplying vaccines to troops for the duration of the war. The buildings are of a high quality for a small community such as Hamilton, Montana. The majority of the buildings were constructed by the Office of the Supervising Architect, Department of the Treasury under the direction of Louis A. Simon, a long time architect for the Treasury Department. The Laboratory, which sits at the edge of this small town, offered employment to local individuals seeking work in the 1930's during the Depression. For all of the above reasons, the Rocky Mountain Laboratories Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. Building Four is a contributor to the Historic District.

Survey number: HABS MT-101-D

Building/structure dates: 1936-1937 Initial Construction

National Register of Historic Places NRIS Number: 88001274

brick buildings laboratories research medicine diseases war world war ii storage passageways freight elevators hamilton john ash robert evans historic american buildings survey bruce d judd bridget maley national institutes of health photo rocky mountain laboratories south fourth street ravalli county ultra high resolution high resolution montana architecture infectious diseases contageous diseases building plans architectural diagrams design copyright free medical images library of congress national register of historic places

1937 - 1980

Library of Congress

https://www.loc.gov/

No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/114_habs.html