Professor T. F. Campbell built a log cabin on this corner where he opened Helena’s first public school in 1865. Druggist Henry M. Parchen founded his long-time Helena apothecary that same year. Parchen acquired this property circa 1872 and commissioned Fred Heinlein as architect. Heinlen and his partner, Thomas Mathias, later became prominent, designing the Masonic Temple at Jackson and Broadway, as well as numerous other Helena landmarks. Then located on the very outskirts of town, the Parchen home was one of the community’s most luxurious early residences, and prominent Helenans considered this a choice neighborhood. In 1884, an outhouse and the family’s stable (now the residence next door) stood behind the house to the west. By 1888, the Parchens had updated the home with brick veneer and added a third bay on the west. Installation of the latest innovation—indoor plumbing—was likely added around this time. Despite a fire, earthquakes, and conversion to apartments, the home retains its 1870s L-shaped footprint. Half-round windows in the gables are perhaps its most charming feature.
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