page_title: Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art
section_title: Construction
hierarchical_section_title: Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art / Great Falls Central High School / Construction
caption_attribution_description: English: The "Central Building" of Great Falls High School (GFHS) in 1900. Great Falls High School is located in the town of Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. Founded in 1890, the school did not get its own building until the construction of the "Central Building" at 1400 First Avenue North in 1896. GFHS moved to its current building at 1900 2nd Avenue South in 1930. The "Central Building" was occupied by Paris Gibson Junior High School from 1931 to 1975. Since 1975, it has operated as the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art. The structure was added to the en:National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
context_page_description: Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is an art museum located at 1400 First Avenue North in Great Falls, Montana, in the United States. The building was constructed in 1896 to house the city's first high school, Great Falls High School. The high school moved to new quarters in 1931, at which time the building was renamed Paris Gibson Junior High School. The junior high school vacated the premises in 1975 for a new building. In 1977, Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art was formed, and it took ownership of the building. It is one of six museums in the city. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 1976.
  The museum focuses primarily on contemporary art by artists from the region. Much of its collection consists of folk art, abstract art, postmodern art, and functional artwork such as jewelry. In addition to two floors of galleries, the museum also hosts an outdoor sculpture garden.
  The structure should not be confused with the Roman Catholic parochial school also named Great Falls Central High School. This Catholic school opened in 1950 at 2400 Central Avenue. It closed in 1973, and the public school system purchased the building in 1975.
context_section_description: Great Falls was founded in 1883 when businessman Paris Gibson surveyed the city and platted a permanent settlement on the south side of the river. It was incorporated on November 28, 1888. By 1890, Black Eagle Dam had been built within the city limits on the Great Falls of the Missouri River, a meat packing industry (the largest between St. Paul, Minnesota, and Spokane, Washington) had arisen, a railway had come to town, and a silver smelter had been built. The city's public school system was established in 1886.  That year, the city opened the Whittier Building (later known as Whittier Elementary School) and began holding ungraded educational instruction for all students there.
  Great Falls High School was founded in the fall of 1890 by the city of Great Falls after four teenage girls (newly arrived in the city) asked to receive a high school public education. The four young women constituted the first class, which met in a corner of a classroom in the Whittier Building (which, by that time, featured instruction in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades). By September 1892, Great Falls High School was an independent school within the city public school system. Its 23 students also had a specified course of instruction (rather than general classes).
  In 1896, the Great Falls Public Schools built the first Great Falls High School building. City voters passed an initiative in 1893 to sell bonds to build a high school, but the Panic of 1893 delayed construction. A design by local architect William White was chosen over three other proposals.
caption: The original Great Falls High School Building (pictured) was constructed in 1896.
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