Dick Anderson Construction
Dick Anderson Construction Wins 2025 MCA Award for Best Historic Renovation
Billings, MT — Dick Anderson Construction (DAC) was honored with the 2025 Best Historic Renovation Award by the Montana Contractors Association (MCA) for its work on the Billings City Hall renovation, an adaptive reuse project in the heart of downtown Billings. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in preserving Montana’s historic structures while meeting modern performance, safety, and community needs.
Read feature story in NonStopLocal Billings News
“The City Hall project was a true collaboration,” Kevin Iffland, Assistant City Administrator for the City of Billings, said. “Dick Anderson Construction—Todd, AJ, Zach, and Rick, to name a few—demonstrated a strong commitment to historic preservation, quality construction, and partnership with the City of Billings. We are proud of the result and honored to see the project recognized by the Montana Contractors Association.”
The Billings City Hall project involved the renovation of the former 1963 U.S. Federal Courthouse, also known as the Stillwater Building, into a new 215,000-square-foot City Hall and Law and Justice Center. The project consolidated 17 City departments —previously dispersed throughout downtown—into one secure, efficient, and accessible civic hub, while preserving the building’s mid-century architectural character.
Key features of the project include restored terrazzo flooring, preserved granite and precast concrete elements, adaptive reuse of existing infrastructure, and the sensitive relocation and reinstallation of a historic steel mural. The DAC team worked in close partnership with JLG Architects, Collaborative Design Architects, and the City of Billings. The project was ultimately listed on the National Register of Historic Places, unlocking nearly $6 million in historic tax credits and reinforcing its long-term value to the community.
In addition to preserving the building’s architectural legacy, the renovation emphasized fiscal responsibility and sustainability. The team reused major building systems, including elevator cores, boiler plant, chillers, and electrical infrastructure, while implementing high-performance upgrades such as a comprehensive window replacement program to improve energy efficiency.
The new City Hall also plays a key role in revitalizing downtown Billings, incorporating leasable tenant space and a restaurant-ready first floor, strengthening intergovernmental collaboration and activating the surrounding urban core.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by the Montana Contractors Association for this project,” AJ Harmon, Project Manager at Dick Anderson Construction, said. “The opportunity to partner with the City of Billings to create a state-of-the-art facility that streamlines government services is a benefit to all stakeholders involved—including city staff, our elected officials, and the community members who visit each day. We’re proud to help preserve an important piece of Billings’ history while delivering a facility that will serve the community for decades to come.”
