Talk:List of United States federal courthouses in Montana

Latest comment: 13 years ago by BD2412 in topic Billings one

Billings one edit

Is the James F. Baffin (?) Courthouse, in Billings, Montana, that is included here, the NRHP-listed U.S. Post Office and Courthouse-Billings? 2600 block on one street may be same building as address on 26th street, or may be different. --doncram (talk) 17:08, 28 October 2010 (UTC)Reply

Interesting question. Montanabw added the 1914 start date, but provided no reference for it actually being the same courthouse. The Federal Judicial Center states that this courthouse is "Still in use as a post office" (language that usually indicates that it is not still in use as a courthouse). The General Services Adminstration lists only the Baffin Courthouse, but the GSA generally does not administer post offices. Finally, I went to Google Maps, punched in the addresses, and got two distinctively different buildings, the James F. Baffin Courthouse being much larger and decidedly not 1914 architecture. Probably a Public Buildings Act construction. This leaves the current post office as having previously also been a courthouse, the one referenced by the FJC. bd2412 T 18:24, 28 October 2010 (UTC)Reply
By the way, there's a public domain image of the NRHP-listed post office on the FJC page. I'll clean it up and post it tonight, if no one gets to it before that. Cheers! bd2412 T 21:23, 28 October 2010 (UTC)Reply
Um, people, it's BATTIN, not "Baffin." See James F. Battin. And that building of that name is the current primary federal courthouse currently in use in Billings today. This may help you sort out the buildings: "The United States courthouse located at 316 North 26th Street in Billings, Montana, shall be known and designated as the `James F. Battin United States Courthouse.' http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/cpquery/R?cp106:FLD010:@1(hr021) (February 23, 1999) If I screwed up two buildings that are close together, it's possible. I haven't needed to appear in federal court over in Billings, so haven't paid all that much attention to which of all the official buildings in that neighborhood are which. Montanabw(talk) 03:17, 29 October 2010 (UTC)Reply
Thanks. Ideally we'll be able to find the complete use dates for the respective buildings. Cheers! bd2412 T 03:55, 29 October 2010 (UTC)Reply