New book celebrates life of architect A.J. Gibson

From the 1880s to the 1910s, architect A.J. Gibson reshaped Missoula from a rustic accumulation of buildings to a rational and civilized space and was an integral figure in the development of architecture, urbanism and society.

Now, Hipólito Rafael Chacón, a University of Montana professor of art history and art criticism, has written the first complete biography of Albert John Gibson, Missoula County’s best-known and most beloved architect.

Using historical photographs and architectural drawings, Chacón creates an accurate and rich portrayal of Gibson’s life and his impact on Montana towns in “The Original Man: The Life and Work of Montana Architect A.J. Gibson.”

The book’s catalog of Gibson’s buildings includes recent discoveries and materials from unpublished archival material, documents, drawings and photographs from the architect’s life.

Gibson’s legacy and work have endured for more than a century and include the first five buildings on the UM campus in Missoula, the Daly Mansion near Hamilton, and the Ravalli County and Missoula County courthouses.

His meteoric rise as an architect and builder in the 1890s was remarkable, given that he had no professional training in the field. A self-made individual, he designed and built a broad range of buildings, from modest homes to grand residences and significant civic structures.

Gibson’s other great passion was automobile travel. He and his wife, Maud, earned a reputation as automotive pioneers. Their lives ended tragically in an automobile accident on New Year’s Eve 1927.

“The Original Man” is available for purchase at the Montana Museum of Art & Culture’s Meloy and Paxson galleries, located in UM’s PAR/TV Center; by calling 406-243-2019; or e-mailing museum@umontana.edu. It also can be purchased by calling The Bookstore at UM at 888-333-1995.