Architecture Styles | The Original Man: A.J. Gibson

A.J. Gibson arrived in Montana towards the end of the 19th century and helped transform the west central part of the state. Where ramshackle log cabins once stood on muddy streets, Gibson fashioned solid stone and brick homes. He designed office buildings and schools, apartment blocks and libraries, bringing a sense of civilization to the frontier. The crowning works of his career were the first five buildings on the University of Montana campus, and a sprawling mansion in Ravalli County for copper king Marcus Daly’s family. But it was the struggle over a new courthouse for Missoula County that pushed Gibson into retirement before the building was complete.