Lynn Donaldson
Riverside Barbecue Pavilion, Big Timber, Mont.
It would have been tempting to try to build a barbecue pavilion as grand as the views from this site, which overlooks the Yellowstone River and Montana’s Rocky Mountains. Instead, architect Stephen Muse built a structure that didn’t interrupt them.
“We didn’t want it to look like we tried too hard,” says Muse, noting that the pavilion is used by residents of the 3,600-acre Yellowstone Bend Ranch, roughly 85 percent of which is set aside as a conservation area. Local ranchers graze cattle there. “We used the barest of materials … . This is a place to sit protected from the elements to enjoy the amazing views.”
Designed with common materials for the uncommon view, the structure is essentially a corrugated metal roof sitting on columns. The barbecue area is fashioned from unadorned masonry blocks. The walls, really doors that slide into a stack to completely open the structure’s sides, are made of Douglas fir siding, emulating building materials from ranches.
Project Details:
Special Focus
Category: Outdoor living space
Entrant/Architect: Muse Architects, Bethesda, Md.
Builder: On-Site Management, Bozeman, Mont.
The pavilion has no sheer walls for support in Montana’s stiff winds, so a cable system in the roof members gives extra stability without distracting from the simple framing. “It’s really industrial farm-like materials,” Muse says. “We didn’t want this thing to look too new sitting on the river. We wanted instant age and for it to blend in.”
