Accessibility improvements in the works for Montana’s new executive residence, state says

Reader-driven questions answered by the reporters of Montana Free Press.

When Governor Greg Gianforte and First Lady Susan Gianforte purchased the historic Samuel T. Hauser Mansion in Helena in 2024, many Montanans were left ogling at the ornate design of the 1885 residence.

Stained glass. Multiple fireplaces. Carved wooden staircases. Chiseled stone staircases. Even, at one time, a direct line to the White House. 

The Gianfortes pledged to donate the mansion to the state of Montana so the building can serve as the official governor’s residence for future elected officials. That donation is now complete, making the building a public asset. 

But the state’s acquisition of the historic, multi-floor residence raised a specific question for a recent Montana Free Press reader: Does the building comply with the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act that requires public buildings to be physically accessible?

And, if the state’s new executive mansion doesn’t include those accommodations, the reader asked, does the state plan to add them? At what cost?

The answer is that the state is working on it, but details about exactly what ADA upgrades are in store are not yet available.

“ADA accessibility for the Hauser Mansion is currently in the concept/design phase,” a spokesperson for the Montana Department of Administration, which oversees the upkeep of state-owned buildings, told MTFP in an email last week. 

The Montana Legislature in the 2025 session did set aside money for improvements to the mansion at 720 Madison Ave., according to Don Harris, an attorney for the General Services Division, an agency under DOA that specifically manages state-owned property. Harris, who updated the Capitol Complex Advisory Committee at an August meeting, said those planned improvements include unspecified ADA compliance and security projects, which the Daily Montanan previously reported would cost less than $2 million. 

The governor has previously said that he and his wife intend to live in the mansion until the end of his term in 2028. The former executive mansion at 2 Carson St. had fallen into disrepair, and a state committee recently voted to demolish the building and convert the site into green space. 

The new executive residence has cycled through many owners and purposes. It was built in 1885 by Montana Territorial Gov. Samual T. Hauser. After being purchased by Catholic Bishop John P. Carroll in 1913, it became a home for other bishops, according to the Montana Historical Society, and in 1960, then-Gov. Tim Babcock bought and restored the home to its original character. The federal ADA was signed into law in 1990.

“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 when announcing the gift of the home in 2024.

The home features two exterior sets of stairs: one leading to the front doors and the other facing north, leading to a porch. No ramp is visible. The mansion has nine bedrooms, five bathrooms, a sitting room, an office and a carriage house, as shown in this 2023 virtual tour by a luxury real estate brokerage. 

The mansion is two stories with a finished attic and a cement basement. 

The Hauser mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places. Some historic properties may qualify for certain ADA exemptions, according to DREDF, a national disability rights advocacy group. But just because a building is deemed “historic” doesn’t mean it can avoid all alterations for wheelchair users and others, the organization notes. 

Travis Hoffman, the policy director with Summit Independent Living in Missoula, said there is only one reason a historic public property would be exempt from ADA accommodations: if doing so would likely “threaten or destroy the historic significance” of the property. 

“If that were gonna be the case, they could come up with some alternative means of access,” Hoffman said.

Accessibility accommodations can take many forms, Hoffman added, such as building an addition to the property to accommodate a lift or elevator, ensuring the routes from parking to the entrance are accessible, and ensuring the building has accessible bathrooms. 

As the state prepares the design and concept for what the Hauser house will need, Hoffman said he hopes officials will bring someone from the disability community to the table.

“ I think that in the initial planning, [the state] needs to include somebody with access expertise or lived experience in that process,” Hoffman said. “I would hope that they would do that.”

Ricky Burns II, the ADA coordinator with Ability Montana, a statewide nonprofit focused on supporting independent living for people with disabilities, told MTFP that adding accessibility accommodations is easier and less expensive at the outset of construction.

“It’s much cheaper in the long run to build things that are accessible to start with,” Burns said. “Because retrofitting is always more expensive and more difficult.”

Additionally, Burns said that including those features shows ADA users they are seen, especially if the building is public property, such as the Hauser Mansion.

“ It is a public space. It’s not just the governor’s home,” Burns said. “It’s a place where the community should be able to go if they have the opportunity.”

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