Dr. Albert and Minnie Brassett built this house with money given Minnie as a wedding present by her father. Constructed in 1911, the comfortable Craftsman style bungalow reflects the fashions of its day. Craftsman style houses abound in Kalispell; this one, designed by local architect Marion Riffo, features a full-length front porch, wide eaves, a flared brick chimney, and a shed dormer. A well-known physician, Dr. Brassett opened his practice in Kalispell in 1909 and performed the first surgery at Kalispell General Hospital. He retired in 1954 on his eightieth birthday, having served in some cases as family physician for three generations. Before buying one of the first automobiles in Kalispell in 1913, Dr. Brassett walked to attend his in-town patients, including those at Kalispell General; the hospital’s location two and a half blocks away likely influenced the Brassetts’ choice of building site. The Brassetts raised two children here. Their long-term residency testifies to the home’s fine design: Minnie and Albert both lived here until their deaths, hers in 1952 and his in 1956.
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