University of Montana instructor Harold Lansing and wife Irene bought this house in 1922 when it was new. The home’s design suggests that it came from a pattern book, a catalog of mass-produced architectural plans. The second-floor shingle siding, overhanging eaves with exposed decorative rafter tails, and knee brackets evoke typical Craftsman style hallmarks, while the interior layout reflects the American Foursquare floorplan. Harold taught forestry engineering and Irene worked as a homemaker. She also led the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority alumni club and the American Association of University Women local chapter. The first of two tragedies struck the Lansings in 1923 when Harold died at age twenty-nine. His parents, Joseph and Meda Lansing, moved in with Irene by 1925. Then, in 1930, Joseph died suddenly following a head injury. Meda sold the home to George and Eileen Duncan in 1936. The Duncans both worked in the engineering division at Missoula’s U.S. Forest Service office. After George died in 1945, Eileen remained in residence. She retired in 1965 and lived here with her second husband until her death in 1985.
Images