Walker Residence

Walker Residence. West Side Historic District. , The Kalispell Bee in 1903 described the newly completed residence of county clerk and recorder James Wiltse Walker as “one of the handsomest dwelling houses in the city.” A classic example of the Queen Anne style, typical architectural elements include an irregular plan, wraparound porch, varied siding, and recessed semicircular windows. The house, built by Cassius McCarty, featured nine rooms including a reception hall, maid’s room, fruit room, laundry, and pantry. There were six clothes closets, picture molding, dining room plate railings, a pocket door, a foundation of native rock, and a lawn beautifully landscaped with shrubbery and fruit trees. Walker, a former pharmacist later elected state treasurer, was an early automobile enthusiast. His eleven-year-old daughter, Phyllis, was reportedly the first child in Kalispell to learn to drive. Kalispell National Bank president Clifford B. Harris (1908-1914) and John Hogl of Kalispell Malting and Brewing Company (1914-1920) were subsequent owners. Then Sarah Ingraham, widow of the county sheriff, operated a popular boarding house here from 1920 to 1946. A single family residence again since 1964, spacious grounds and a carriage house complement this elegant turn-of-the-century home.