Montana state officials are weighing three options for the governor’s executive residence in Helena — demolition, remodeling, or sale — after years of deferred maintenance left the 67-year-old building with rotted ceilings, non-functional toilets, a failing electrical system, and asbestos. The state Department of Administration closed a public survey on the building’s fate last month, and the Capitol Complex Advisory Council is expected to review the results and cost estimates at a forthcoming meeting, the date of which has not yet been scheduled.
The decision over the Carson Street property, which has sat vacant since 2021, is unfolding alongside an unusual accumulation of gubernatorial real estate: Gov. Greg Gianforte owns two additional homes in Helena’s Mansion District, including a historic mansion he purchased for $4 million and plans to donate to the state when he leaves office in 2028.
Montana state officials are weighing three options — demolition, remodeling, or sale — for the governor’s executive residence in Helena, a 67-year-old building that has sat vacant for five years as asbestos, rotted ceilings, non-functional toilets, and a failing electrical system have pushed it into what administrators describe as “critical” condition.
The state Department of Administration closed a public survey on the building’s fate last month, asking residents to choose among the three options. The Capitol Complex Advisory Council will present the results and cost models at a future meeting, though DOA Communications Director Janna Williams said a date has not been set, according to Montana Free Press.
Misty Ann Giles, director of the Montana Department of Administration, told a December meeting of the community group Hometown Helena that past governors “have prioritized other state infrastructure over their own house.” A Capitol Complex Advisory Council presentation listed the needed work: a full roof replacement, asbestos abatement, repairs to rotting exterior fixtures, and complete demolition and replacement of the electrical, HVAC, and plumbing systems.
The Carson Street Residence
The 12,000-square-foot property at 2 Carson St. was built in 1959 and designed by Billings architect Chandler C. Cohagen, who described its purpose in a 2007 interview as to “meet entertainment requirements.” The two-level structure was intended to resemble a ship — dubbed the “Ship of State” — pointing toward the Big Belt Mountains. It includes six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a ballroom, hosting and dining spaces, a 350-square-foot kitchen, a three-car garage, and about 1.2 acres of grounds.
The home has been vacant since 2021, when Gov. Greg Gianforte and his wife moved out nine months into his first term to make way for renovations that were never carried out.
Gianforte’s Personal Real Estate Holdings
Gianforte, who sold the tech company he founded to Oracle in 2012 for about $1.5 billion, according to Montana Free Press, has since acquired two additional homes in Helena’s Mansion District.
In January 2024, he purchased the historic Samuel T. Hauser mansion at 720 Madison Ave. from Gary Rapaport for $4 million. “We purchased the beautiful and historic Hauser House to call our home here in Helena, and to provide a space for the people of Montana to come together,” Gianforte said at the time. “Following my service, we will donate this home to the State and the people of Montana.”
The DOA plans to take over management of the Hauser residence for future governors after Gianforte leaves office at the end of his second term in 2028, Williams told Montana Free Press.
Gianforte also owns a separate Mansion District property at 618 Madison Ave., which has been listed for sale for roughly a year and a half and is currently priced at $1.25 million.
Helena’s History of Governor’s Residences
The accumulation gives Helena four properties connected to the governor’s office at various points in the state’s history.
The original Governor’s Mansion, at 304 N. Ewing St., was built in 1888 by William Chessman as a private home. The state acquired it in 1913, and it served nine successive governors until the Carson Street building was completed. The Montana Historical Society now operates it as a museum; it is currently closed for renovations.
The Hauser mansion was built in 1885 by Samuel T. Hauser, a pioneer entrepreneur who served as Montana’s territorial governor. The property passed through several owners, including then-Gov. Tim Babcock, who purchased it in 1969 and restored it, before Gianforte acquired it last year.