Morris Silverman House
An unknown yet gifted architect created this glorious three-story residence with its turret, pillars, intricate ornamentation, and imaginative stained glass. Completed in 1892, the beautifully crafted residence well illustrates eclectic Victorian taste. The home is remarkable for its energy-efficient design, with twenty-seven windows to the east and south and five to the north. Strong brick lines are softened by three fanciful porches stacked pagoda style. The porches provide the home’s interior with shade in summer and maximized light in winter. Handsome oak graces the entry and front rooms while center rooms display the original hand-painted faux bois woodwork. Each floor boasts its own design of hardware. This impressive residence was well suited to its distinguished owner, pioneer Helena merchant and city council member Morris Silverman. A Jewish immigrant from Russian Poland, Silverman crossed the plains with teams of oxen, settling here in 1867. Silverman, a man of influence, in 1888 presided over the committee to establish the Jewish synagogue, which still stands a block away. After his death in 1931, Silverman’s daughter Dorothy, a Helena schoolteacher for almost forty years, lived here until her death in 1969. Although the 1935 earthquakes destroyed three elaborately paneled chimneys, the home appears today almost as it did in 1892, revealing a marvelously whimsical side to the otherwise straight-laced Victorian era.
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