Fire destroyed a small wooden residence, located toward the rear of this lot, in 1910. The prime corner parcel remained vacant for almost thirty years. Kalispell saw a small building boom in the 1930s, as people from areas harder hit by drought and depression moved to the community. Many of the new homes were small, relatively plain rental units, but those who could afford it looked to current fashion for design ideas. The picturesque Tudor Revival style was particularly popular. Built circa 1938, this one-story stucco home boasts many Tudor features, including a multi-paned front window, decorative shutters, a prominent chimney with decorative brickwork, and an arched front door with a brick tabbed door surround. Leon and Ella Phillips, who moved to Kalispell in the 1930s, had the home constructed after Leon became president of Phillips-Wohlwend Motors. The automobile salesman was an active promoter of area agriculture and a “tireless worker for Flathead Valley causes.” The Phillips sold the residence in 1942 to Virgil Manion, president of Manion Motors. He and his wife Dorothy owned the property until 1956.
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