The loss or damage of more than a dozen significant historic downtown buildings in recent months to fire and explosions is a reminder of how important such structures are to a community and its history, Montana State Historic Preservation Review Board Chairman Robert Valach of Lewistown said.

        "The loss is permanent, but hopefully new buildings can be built in a sensitive way to take their place and help keep these important downtown districts intact and thriving," Valach said. "A community is defined by the character and quality of its downtown."

        At its recent meeting in Red Lodge, the nine-member board, appointed by the governor and attached to the Montana Historical Society, lamented the recent loss of important historic buildings in Bozeman, Whitehall, Miles City, Great Falls, and most recently in Butte.

        Many of the buildings were listed in the National Register of Historic Places as contributing elements to commercial historic districts.

        Mark Baumler, State Historic Preservation Officer for the Montana Historical Society, said that consideration by owners of repairs to those buildings not completely destroyed or too severely damaged is ongoing.

        The Society preservation office, along with its partners and local preservation offices across the state, provides technical assistance and advice to owners of historic properties regarding repairs, and to communities about new construction to infill historic neighborhoods to maintain historic integrity.

        He said the recent string of disasters is a reminder of how important it is to list historic properties on the National Register and to recognize their significance to communities and the state as a whole.

        "The loss of historic properties to such disasters as these recent fires underscores the importance of recognizing and preserving those buildings that are left," Baumler said. "They are non-renewable resources and once they are gone - they are lost forever."

        Four new property nominations for the National Register were approved by the board at its Red Lodge meeting: the Point of Rocks Transportation Corridor (Mullan Road/Milwaukee railroad grade) in Mineral County; the Winnett Block/Petroleum County Courthouse in Winnett; the Lookout Cave in Phillips County; and the historic Smith Coal Mine (site of a 1943 disaster that claimed 74 lives near Bearcreek) in Carbon County