The History of the NCAT Building

NCAT's Butte, Montana, headquarters is a 1902 brick building that is on the National Register of Historic Places. In its early years, the building operated as the Silver Bow County Poor Farm Hospital, providing care for the elderly and indigent of the community. The building was adapted to serve as a county hospital by 1930. The building housed both resident patients and operating rooms where surgeries were performed.The building continued as a hospital until 1956, but had been standing empty for several years by the time NCAT was founded in 1976, and set up its offices in the landmark structure.

NCAT has updated the building to improve its energy efficiency, and to serve today's communication and technology needs, without damaging its historic character.

Throughout the years the building and adjacent grounds have been the site of the design, construction, and demonstration of many appropriate technologies, including the following:

• solar photovoltaic panels provide part of the building's electricity, and power outdoor lighting,
• water-conserving turf grasses were grown as a demonstration,
• a solar greenhouse has operated as a test site and for community food distribution,
• a community garden involved local children,
• an anemometer measured wind speeds for potential wind power generation,
• a solar forge, solar oven, solar water heaters and solar wall panels were built and demonstrated,
• rammed-earth construction technologies were demonstrated, and
• a small-scale fuel alcohol plant was built and demonstrated.