Prominent contractor Charles Doenges built this delightful Bungalow style dwelling in 1922 during a housing shortage related to the building of Thompson Falls’ hydroelectric dam. The home was one of several rental properties built and maintained by Doenges at that time. The first occupant was Irving E. Keith, bookkeeper for the Thompson Falls Mercantile. In 1913, Keith purchased the home from Doenges and remained here until 1922. In Thompson Falls the popularity of the Bungalow style, a descendant of the Queen Anne cottage with Craftsman elements, was largely promoted by Doenges, who added at least seventeen homes to the town’s streetscapes between 1905 and 1913. Five of these are nearly identical pattern book Bungalows, but each has its own personality. Bungalow characteristics include a full-width porch with battered (sloping) columns and solid railing, narrow lap siding, and a hipped roof with exposed rafter ends. Typical of Doenges’ fine craftsmanship and eye for elegance, this small but lovely home features multi-paned windows and an east side window seat, whose four windows have thirteen panes each. An interesting highlight is a stained glass window with the inverted image of two candles, three bells, and a ribbon. The exact window appears on this home’s near twin, but the motif is not inverted.

Images

102 Park Street
102 Park Street 102 Park Street (PAc 91-51 Thompson Falls R02 F31). Front to side view of the house, facing east near the corner of Park Street and West Preston Avenue. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Oct. 1984

Location

102 Park Street, Thompson Falls, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “102 Park Street,” Historic Montana, accessed April 25, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1845.