Filed Under Bozeman

404 South Willson Avenue

Bon Ton Historic District

South Central Avenue—renamed Willson Avenue in 1920—was the heart of Bozeman’s earliest residential neighborhoods. Elegant homes appeared along the avenue with the advent of the Northern Pacific Railroad. This home dates to that first period of growth. George Mardis, a warehouse clerk, came from Missouri with his widowed mother before 1880. He built this residence as a single-family home circa 1883. By 1900, attorney George D. Pease was the longtime homeowner. Born on a ranch near Gallatin City in 1871, Pease served as both city and county attorney and was well known throughout the state. By 1918, the Pease family still owned the home but rented it to tenants. In 1933, Pease’s son Douglas briefly took up residence and opened a restaurant, The Rendezvous, on the premises. In 1940, three families occupied the property. By 1947, it had become a two-family home. Like many residences in this neighborhood, the two-story main house has a large one-story wing. The home’s early footprint included an unusual side entry and offset orientation of the wing, which remains virtually unchanged since its construction.

Images

404 South Willson Avenue
404 South Willson Avenue 404 South Willson Avenue. Front to side view of the house, facing southeast near the corner of South Willson Avenue and West Koch Street. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office Creator: Mary Kay Peck Date: Apr. 1983

Location

404 South Willson Avenue, Bozeman, Montana | Private

Metadata

Montana National Register Sign Program, “404 South Willson Avenue,” Historic Montana, accessed March 28, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/2673.