When the City of Billings, MT, recruited JLG Architects and Dick Anderson Construction to reimagine a new City Hall/Law & Justice Center in the 215,000 SF Stillwater Building—formerly the James F. Battin Federal Building—historic inspiration informed transformation. JLG’s creative reuse and reconfiguration of the 1963 U.S. Federal Courthouse reunited all 17 departments within a vibrant design that centralized police, court, and attorney facilities at the heart of downtown.
The City purchased the nearly vacant and bare-bones building in 2021, aware that it was constructed to federal specifications in the 1960s, which made it a more viable choice for a secure setting. To inform the renovation, the team conducted a facility assessment with the National Park Service and a Hazardous Material Abatement contractor to implement code-compliant updates throughout each of the new spaces, including basement vehicle parking; two courtrooms; Community Development; Facilities Management; Legal; City Administration; 24/7 Police resources; Parks; Public Works; and Emergency Operations.
Regional Reflections
Connecting the first and second floors, JLG designed a monumental stair that opens both spaces to a barrel-vaulted wood ceiling and a brighter, daylit environment with a lobby gallery and gathering space.
Inside City Hall, a standout of the historically dark building is its two-story lobby, a feature the building committee and all user groups enthusiastically supported. “It’s a monumental building, and to bring light inside isn’t typically very easy with historic buildings,” said JLG Architects’ Eric Hoffer. “Since we had the benefit of a blank slate not yet on the National Register, we were able to change the floor plan to maximize daylight. The two-story lobby was a great solution – it created a vertical light well that allowed light to travel to the main floor and throughout the space.”
Throughout the building, the renovation is curated to reflect the region’s resources, including an atrium gallery and a Yellowstone River replica running through the flooring of the first-level lobby.
Another extraordinary focal point that leverages the two-story lobby gallery is a five-panel, welded steel mural originally installed in Billings’ U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building on September 20, 1966. JLG worked with Bill Hanes of Collaborative Design Associates (CDA) and the family of local sculptor Lyndon Fayne Pomeroy to relocate, store, and reinstall each of the 8’8” x 9’8” rough-cut steel panels, ensuring an outward-facing presence that symbolizes the region’s history.
According to Pomeroy’s original letter to the Commissioner of Design & Construction in Washington, D.C., dated November 28, 1964, Panel I was designed to depict the reptilian age, while Panel II depicts the age of mammals of the region. Panel III reflects the time of the Indians, and Panel IV honors the period of the stockman and the honyoker or homesteader. The mural’s final Panel V depicts the present and the future. In Pomeroy’s words, “The figure on the left represents the designer, peddler, administrator. The central figure suggests the laborer, and the figure on the right suggests the farmer or agriculturalist. Together, they control the evolving ecology which is our region.”
Monumental Change
On the fifth floor, the team constructed a new Council Chambers from the original Federal Courtroom, which prioritized collaboration, security, and flexible meeting space. Here, the team emphasized the use of durable and timeless materials, including reclaimed terrazzo tile per National Historic guidelines, wood barrel-vaulted ceilings, acoustic paneling, and adaptable desks and dais that disconnect to accommodate the varying meeting needs of the chamber, courtroom, administrators, and weekly business. This space also features a secure lobby and back hallway where defendants can be safely escorted into the courtroom.
On the wall behind the dais in the Council Chambers, the team wove in sandstone-style cutouts that represent the region’s Rimrocks; geological rimrock sandstone formations found in outcrop sections of Billings.
A Historic Renovation
To offset additional costs of the historic renovation, JLG partnered with CDA and Dick Anderson Construction to earn a state grant from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and federal grant dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy. The team also secured the building’s official listing on the National Register of Historic Places, allowing the City to apply for nearly $6 million in historic tax credits.
High-performance reuse practices further included rebates from a $2.5M window replacement and the reuse of existing furnishings, elevator core, boiler plant, chillers, and bus duct system. Rather than replace the 1960s electrical bus bar system, the team reused it to honor the building’s engineering heritage, conducting specialized testing and securing UL listings and certifications that allowed the system to be safely integrated into the new design.
The new Billings City Hall, which has retained its hallmark exterior architecture, opened its doors in early 2025 to a reconfiguration and preservation that relieves jail overcrowding, enhances departmental security, and generates revenue from a first-floor restaurant fit-up and 17,000 SF of third-floor tenant space. Collectively, the community-driven design invites public servants and citizens to come together in a safer, more convenient, and welcoming environment that honors the past and celebrates a more vibrant future for downtown Billings.