W. A. Talmage arrived in Red Lodge in 1888 to manage a branch of a Billings mercantile. By 1894, the ambitious businessman owned his own large hardware and farm implements store on Billings Avenue. Undoubtedly, his business connections helped Talmage locate first-rate material and workmen to build this impressive two-and-one-half-story home in 1903. In fact, local sources note that Talmage contracted with an Iowa carpenter, who arrived with a boxcar of oak, to install the home’s interior trim, including the staircase, paneling, and parquet floors. The exterior of the “free classic” style Queen Anne residence matches the interior’s elegance and attention to detail. Classical elements include paired Tuscan porch columns, banded friezes, molded cornices, and the symmetrical front pediment. Queen Anne style decoration includes the delicate balustrade, beveled glass windows, and prominent curved brackets under the side. The cross-gabled roof, multiple porches, bay windows, and varying wall textures—including a river rock foundation and patterned shingles—also reflect Queen Anne’s emphasis on assembling elements in interesting and artistic combinations.
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