Miles City, Montana – after heavy snow loads damaged the Exhibition Hall at the Custer County Fairgrounds the community decided to replace the building with a bigger and better venue for public and private events, called the Custer County Events Center. The new 21,000 sf building has an increased capacity and will be available year-round for a variety of gatherings including trade shows, county fair exhibitions, conventions, wedding receptions, concerts, and theatrical performances. The maximum occupancy of the building is 2,170 and the main event space can sit 750 people. Partition walls are available to host multiple events at the same time.
Designed with the end user in mind
Stahly provided structural and civil engineering services for the brand new Custer County Events Center. Challenges included poor soil conditions for foundations; tolerance for interior fenestrations to large building deflections; coordinating the needs and requirements of multiple design teams; and providing a roof access that prevents the public from getting on the roof. Collaborative Design Architects provided architectural design and led the project teams. Their team did a great job designing the building to fit the County’s needs and budget. CDA created a team approach as they listened to the needs of the community.
The capacity will increase from about 450 to 750; heat and air conditioning will allow for year-round use; and seating and interior configurations will feature flexibility for a variety of gatherings. The new center will be able to host everything from wedding receptions and trade shows to county fair exhibitions and conventions. Acoustics for concerts and theatrical performances were allowed for in the design as well.
Attractive and Useful
The new attractive building will entice and encourage entities to come and use it. As well as the design for easy expansion to accommodate multiple functions at one time. Extra parking and restrooms enhance the expansion. Although the old Exhibition Hall filled a vital niche in the community, it had several design challenges. Inherent issues were apparent during a variety of large events and the annual Eastern Montana Fair. The interior pillars were an obstacle to large groups. Lack of heat forced winter closures, not allowing for revenue during that time. Capacity limits kept the facility from hosting large conventions. This in turn cost the community opportunities at hosting large events that would help the local economy. The goal for the new center is to have an attractive, functional hall that meets the region’s needs.
This project is currently under construction with the General Contractor being Jackson Group.