Claude O. Marcyes House
Five brick houses, all built by early Forsyth merchant Hiram Marcyes, lined this block in 1903. Marcyes arrived in Forsyth in 1882 when it was just a tent town. In 1888, he built the first brick business block in Forsyth; fifteen years later he constructed the grand Commercial Hotel. The owner of a brickyard, Marcyes was responsible for most of Forsyth’s brick residential construction. While the town’s other businessmen built elegant wooden homes on the north side, Marcyes built a brick house for himself (since razed) and several rental properties on the south side. He also had south side homes built for each of his five children, including this one-and-one-half-story Queen Anne style residence, constructed in 1899 for his oldest son Claude. Claude was in college when his father built this house. In 1910, he was living on a nearby ranch. He may have used this residence as a town house until he sold it in 1916. In the 1920s he worked for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He reportedly crossed the picket line during a 1923 strike, after which the Northern Pacific relocated him to Missoula, where he worked as foreman in the tool department. Relatively few turn-of-the-century Forsyth homes display this level of detail and complexity. The residence’s contrasting textures, steeply pitched roof, patterned shingles, and asymmetrical façade all speak to its Queen Anne origins, while its graceful three-part Palladian window adds particular visual interest.
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