Filed Under Kalispell

Pierce Residence

West Side Historic District

The unusual architecture of this front-gabled vernacular style residence, built by Alfred Pierce in 1901, sets it apart from its neighbors. One of the first homes built in the neighborhood, it was considered a fairly expensive home at $2,400. Peterson was proprietor of the Somers Hack Line, and moved to Somers in 1907. The home then had a variety of tenants between 1909 and 1920, including an ice dealer, a teamster, and one of the proprietors of the City Transfer and Coal Company. Most notable, however, was Kalispell architect Marion Riffo, who lived here with his family circa 1915. William J. Pierce, a decorator and painter, moved in with his family in 1920. Pierce briefly moved to California and returned to buy the home in 1923; the Pierce family lived here for a decade. The turn-of-the century home features a distinctive clipped gable roof, projecting shed dormers, and ample porches. The upstairs front doorway likely once led to a finished second-story porch.

Images

Pierce Residence
Pierce Residence Pierce Residence (PAc 91-51 Kalispell R15 F04). Front to side view of the house, facing west to northwest on 1st Avenue West. B&W. Source: Montana State Historic Preservation Office from the Photograph Archives at the Montana Historical Society Creator: Sis Ketcher Date: Dec. 1991

Location

614 1st Avenue West, Kalispell, Montana | Private

Metadata

The Montana National Register Sign Program, “Pierce Residence,” Historic Montana, accessed April 20, 2024, https://historicmt.org/items/show/489.