Do you hear what I hear? The sounds of demolition!

This month Intermountain Residential in Helena begins the demolition phase of old Bridger Cottage into the new Van Orsdel Commons. With guidance by SMA Architects and the expertise of Golden Eagle Construction, the transformation of one of our older residential cottages on the Helena campus has begun in earnest. Van Orsdel Commons will house chapel services, offices for the chaplain and Jewish Educator, and provide unique meeting places designed for children’s spiritual and cultural education.

“The vision for this space is to make it as comfortable and accessible as possible for all the children, staff, and families we serve– regardless of their religious, ethnic or cultural background,” relates Chaplain Chris Haughee. “True to our founding and heritage within the Methodist Deaconess movement, our mission of healing through healthy relationships celebrates the power of restoration available through a relationship with God, while maintaining a posture of humble service and hospitality towards all.” Chaplain Chris Haughee added, “I am excited to be a small part of envisioning a place on campus that will help all our children, staff, and families feel the love, care, and compassion of God.”

Looking over the preliminary plans for the Van Orsdel Commons

Intermountain CEO Jim Fitzgerald is passionately committed to the project, and will jointly manage the project with lead maintenance supervisor, James Spradlin.

Of course, the process of demolition and construction will be done in a manner that maintains Intermountain’s high standards of care, ensuring the protection of the children in our Residential Program. This posture of care will necessitate that we secure the site during construction, but also limit those hours in which work will be done in order to not disturb the educational and therapeutic environment on campus. The entire building and design team is committed to putting the children and their needs first and recognizing the unique setting in which this building project is in.

So… do you hear what I hear? No, not the sound of Christmas bells. It’s the joyous sound of demolition and the cheers of many children, staff and Intermountain supporters! Join us in celebrating the culmination of a decades-long dream of a permanent home for the chaplain’s program within our residential program in Helena, Montana.

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