The Great Northern Town Center Story
The Great Northern Town Center is an urban redevelopment project in progress. Great Northern is a reference to the Great Northern Railway, a big part of Helena history. The Town Center has been recognized by the Sonoran Institute for development techniques that respect the land and people of the West. It was recently a finalist for Excellence in Economic Development Award from the US Economic Development Administration. The Great Northern Center lies in the Last Chance Gulch, the sight of the gold strike, up the Gulch approximately a mile south of the hotel, that led to the development of Helena
The new building you see west of the hotel is called the Compass Block. The Compass Block is owned by the Montana Schools Boards Association and will provide office and retail space. The inclusion of Block in the name preserves a Helena tradition. When mining claims turned into Helena they were often odd-shaped or at odd angles to the roads defying the word block. So owners, in the ever adventurous spirit with which marketers deal with the language, defiantly named their irregular properties, blocks. You will see several of these block names proudly displayed by errant blocks downtown, which is up the hill from you.
The Great Northern Town Center also includes restaurants, a Cineplex, an interactive museum of science and culture called Exploration Works (under construction 9/28/2007), Great Northern Carousel (ice cream), and shopping. The other shopping districts are downtown (within walking distance) and the shopping centers on N. Montana Avenue.