55 Main Revitalization
This historic two-story, 3,000 square foot building was moved two blocks down Main Street and is being revitalized to meet community needs. This project has galvanized the community with over 75 volunteers coming together – donating over 2,100 hours and raising $708,000 since January 2021!
PHASE 1 - COMPLETE
Phase 1 of this project was to purchase lots, build a foundation, install utilities, prep the building for being moved, and move the building! Phase 1 wrapped up with the moving and setting of the building on its new location on February 7th , 2022!
Moving an Historic Building
On a chilly day in February, 2022, the community gathered and cheered to watch a semi haul a 100+ year old building across town. Built around 1915, the Odd Fellows Hall has had a rich history in the town of Winnett and now, thanks to the ACES, the Petroleum County Community Center (PCCC), and the Winnett Community, it will be getting a fresh start down the street to one day better serve our growing community.
PHASE 2 COMPLETE
With Phase 1 complete, the Phase 2 work began immediately to restore the exterior of the building, with all labor provided by volunteers except the gutters – many hours went into a new roof, new paint on the original siding, new storefront, new windows, and tearing out the last of the lathe and plaster in the interior. Phase 2 wrapped up with the installation of the new storefront windows in March of 2023!
Our Summer Cultural Events Series hosted 400 people at events featuring culinary arts, visual arts, and fine arts during the summer of 2022!
PHASE 3 and BEYOND
And now, we are on to Phase 3 – Building a public restroom/shower/laundry facility and finishing out the first floor as a Visitors Center and business space. This facility will serve the many travelers through the area, including bicyclists and hunters and anglers, as well as community members as events are held at the Town Square that has been created on the four lots owned by the Winnett ACES on Main Street.
Already, the Town Square and 55 Main have hosted thirteen different events from February 2022 – December 2023 – and that’s as an unfinished space. The desire for events and attendance by residents shows the need for a space such as the Town Square. From the beginning, Winnett ACES has worked to meet community needs and this space will do that through providing a place for the community to gather in a relaxed setting that fosters goodwill and community building.
ACES officially hosted a “Summer Cultural Events Series” in the summer of 2022 in this unfinished space. 55 Main and the empty lots next to it served as the backdrop for culinary arts, visual arts, and fine arts events that saw 400 people in total attendance.
During the summer of 2023, ACES hosted a summer jam session series that featured local musicians on the first Saturday of each month from June – September and again during the Christmas Stroll on December 9th.
2024 Project Update!
Funding recieved over the 2024 summer from the Central Montana Jaycees, the Red Ants Pants Foundation, and the Murdock Charitable Trust is making it possible to finish the first and second floors at the same time! Work will begin as soon as permits from the State of Montana have been approved. We anticipate opening the building by April 2025!
Contact Charsi Shearer (charsi@winnettaces.org) with questions.
