The architectural firm behind the design plans for Whitefish City Hall was selected by Flathead County to reconstruct the covered grandstands at the fairgrounds.  

Helena-based Mosaic Architecture was picked from a pool of eight contractors to renovate the 118-year-old grandstands at the Flathead County Fairgrounds in Kalispell. A key factor in its selection was the firm’s experience with similar arena and grandstand projects in Montana.  

Mosaic Architecture worked on the new grandstands and exhibit hall at the Lewis and Clark County Fairgrounds in the early 2000s. The 60,000-square-foot structure includes a gathering hall, catering kitchen and grandstands to seat 3,200 people.  

Commissioners in Powell County hired the firm in 2024 to head the county’s first Fairgrounds Master Plan, which includes the ongoing reconstruction of the grandstands and arenas. Mosaic Architecture has completed similar projects at the Fergus County Fairgrounds and Judith Basin County Fairgrounds, “all demonstrating the rodeo and arena expertise sought by Flathead County,” officials said in an Aug. 20 statement. 

“Our priority is to preserve that traditional aesthetic and community spirit while constructing a modernized and structurally sound venue,” said Flathead County Commissioner Pamela Holmquist in a statement. 

The 16,000-square-foot grandstands were renovated once before, in 2014, in the decades since the structure was built in 1908, according to the Montana Association of Counties. The only other project was a roof replacement in 2022.  

Condition assessments conducted in 2024 and 2025 suggested replacing the seating structure after decades of heavy use. The county shelled out $14,049 to repair the grandstands in 2024 after it was temporarily closed for safety reasons in May of that year. Another $49,542 was spent on grandstand repairs in 2025. 

Fairgrounds Manager Sam Nunnally said there’s long-term moisture damage around inaccessible areas, and the roof falls short of modern standards.  

Now that a firm has been selected, county officials will negotiate the project’s scope of work, design process and timeline with Mosaic Architecture.  

“Our goal is simple,” Nunnally said in a statement. “Deliver a quality arena that our kids and grandkids can enjoy just as we have, a hundred years from now.” 

Report for America Reporter Hannah Shields can be reached at 406-758-4439 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.