A Concept for Restoration & Community Use
Goals
- Authentically restore and adaptively reuse the Leonardi Farmstead (Pendergast Homestead, ~1890) including barn, house, bunkhouse, shedrow, and outbuildings.
- Develop interpretive programs to tell the story of the place and people who lived and worked here. Tie these stories to the Daly Mansion and the Ravalli County Museum.
- Host the Center for Local Agriculture to help preserve and sustain traditional agriculture, support emerging agricultural traditions, and help build community through these activities.
Restoration
The Leonardi Place (originally the Pendergast Homestead) is a fine example of an early Bitterroot homestead. Its home, barn, bunkhouse, and outbuildings are eligible for listing on the National Register. The apple orchard and ditch are important features of the homestead as is the canopy of trees along the lane from Golf Course Road.
The house will be returned it to its historically correct façade and the interior will be renovated to provide modern office space. The bunkhouse will also be adaptively reused as office/meeting space. The barn and outbuildings will provide storage space for the farmland tenant as well as a variety of passive interpretive displays and living history exhibits.
The apple orchard will be maintained by the BRCHT, the Ravalli County Museum will have the privilege of harvesting the apple crop for Apple Day.
Interpretation
A variety of interpretive methods will be used to tell the stories and history of the Leonardi Homestead including displays and living history programs. Passive interpretation includes signage, sculpture, or play structures (for young people) or other methods of telling stories without a live interpreter present. The barn area will serve to display a collection of historic farm implements and machinery. First person historical interpretation programs will also be developed and include in character chautauguas.
Center for Local Agriculture
We envision that The Center for Local Ag will be well known throughout the Northern Rocky Mountain Region as the primary advocate for sustaining traditional and emerging agriculture to build communities. The Center will serve as a focal point where local farmers, ranchers, and anyone interested in sustaining a vital agricultural presence in the Valley regularly engage in collaborative conversation. It is a place where:
- new ideas germinate,
- there is a meeting place for neighbors, an interface between town folks and country folks,
- agricultural history and culture and community values of hard work, neighboring, self reliance, and conservation are preserved and adapted for coming generations,
- the next generation of ag entrepreneurs are supported and encouraged, and
- appreciation of town folk of the ag lifestyle, build relationships between people of both lifestyles.
As part of planning for the future, BRCHT like to suggest a discussion among those interested to determine the feasibility of designating the use of all or part of the adjoining farmland to showcase and support our local food system.
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