Baber/Jaquette House

Baber/Jaquette House. . , Carpenter Elmer Bader came to Kalispell from Wisconsin in 1891 to practice his trade. The energetic bachelor purchased two corner lots for $1,000 in 1895 and built two modest residences, one at 521 1st Street West and one at 36 5th Avenue West. In 1897, Bader married, and the couple lived in the 1st Street house and rented out the other. Bader opened his own lumberyard in 1899 on this northeast corner, where the present home is now. In addition to lumber, he sold windows, doors, moldings, building papers, lath, and shingles. By 1903, Bader had moved his business and was building this residence. According to the Flathead Herald-Journal, it was to be a “large and handsome house ... that anyone might be proud of.” Bader built many homes and buildings in early Kalispell, and his own exemplary residence reflects the stylistic details he favored. Shingles, clapboard, and a foundation of native rock provide the varied wall texture that is a hallmark of the Queen Anne style. A recessed second-story porch with curved arches and cutaway bay windows are typical Queen Anne features, while square fluted columns and stained and leaded glass add characteristic elegance. Egg-and-dart trim, wood floors, and a beautiful stairway grace the interior. When the Baders moved to Eureka in 1905, farmer Walter Jaquette bought this home and the 1st Street house. Jaquette rented out both houses during the next decades, then lived here from his retirement in 1934 until 1954. This historic residence with its companion rentals once shared the block with the Kalispell Malting and Brewing Company. The main house remains today a striking example of Elmer Bader’s craftsmanship.