Filed Under Butte

John E. Davis Home

Butte National Historic Landmark District

A myriad of Victorian-era details makes this splendid residence and its next-door neighbor, built by brothers John E. and A. J. Davis, true period showcases. Known as the “Twin Sisters,” these mirror-image homes were constructed in 1891 for the handsome sum of $7,000 each. Steeply pitched roofs with front-facing gables, bay windows, and asymmetrical façades are hallmarks of the Queen Anne style. Among the many decorative elements are fish-scale shingles, elaborate bargeboards on the gable ends, and windows framed in small square lights. Turned posts and balustrades, delicate lattice-like bases, and scrolled brackets that grace the porches are fine examples of Eastlake detailing. Matching stained glass windows on the opposing sides of each home were crafted in a Tiffany glass shop once located in Butte. The original owner, grocer and hardware merchant John Davis, was an amateur painter and taxidermist who filled the home with the fruit of his talents. Following John’s untimely death in 1913, his widow lived in the home until the 1940s.

Images

John E. Davis Home
John E. Davis Home John E. Davis Home (PAc 91-51 B1 Roll22 F09). Front to side view of the house, facing north on the corner of West Granite Street and North Excelsior Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Sept. 1981
John E. Davis Home
John E. Davis Home John E. Davis Home (PAc 91-51 B1 Roll22 F10). Front to side view of the house, facing north to northwest near the corner of Granite Street and North Excelsior Street. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Photographer unidentified Date: Sept. 1981

Location

855 West Granite Street, Butte, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “John E. Davis Home,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/1957.