Forsyth in Rosebud County, Montana — The American West (Mountains)
Sorenson Residence
Forsyth Residential Historic District
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 14, 2020
1. Sorenson Residence Marker
Inscription.
Sorenson Residence. Forsyth Residential Historic District. Northern Pacific Railroad engineer Thomas Sorenson and his wife Hannah built this one-and-one-half-story residence circa 1910. That year the Norwegian immigrant couple lived here with their five children and two boarders, both of whom also worked for the railroad. The large gambrel roof dormer distinguishes this home from its neighbors. That distinctive shape, often associated with barns, characterizes Dutch Colonial Revival architecture. However, other elements, including the first floor octagonal bay, pedimented dormer, inset porch, and asymmetrical massing, reflect a number of different styles. The stylistic mix suggests that the design came from a pattern book, a book of mass-produced architectural plans. Such plans sometimes came with precut lumber for easy assembly on site; other times, the popular plans simply provided local builders with specifications for complex structures that may otherwise have been beyond their skill. In either case, pattern books expanded housing options for families like the Sorensons who wanted more than what local builders could easily offer, but who could not afford to hire an architect to design a home exclusively for them.
Northern Pacific Railroad engineer Thomas Sorenson and his wife Hannah built this one-and-one-half-story residence circa 1910. That year the Norwegian immigrant couple lived here with their five children and two boarders, both of whom also worked for the railroad. The large gambrel roof dormer distinguishes this home from its neighbors. That distinctive shape—often associated with barns—characterizes Dutch Colonial Revival architecture. However, other elements—including the first floor octagonal bay, pedimented dormer, inset porch, and asymmetrical massing—reflect a number of different styles. The stylistic mix suggests that the design came from a pattern book, a book of mass-produced architectural plans. Such plans sometimes came with precut lumber for easy assembly on site; other times, the popular plans simply provided local builders with specifications for complex structures that may otherwise have been beyond their skill. In either case, pattern books expanded housing options for families like the Sorensons who wanted more than what local builders could easily offer, but who could not afford
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to hire an architect to design a home exclusively for them.
Location. 46° 16.234′ N, 106° 40.714′ W. Marker is in Forsyth, Montana, in Rosebud County. It is at the intersection of North 12th Avenue and Oak Street, on the left when traveling north on North 12th Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 510 North 12th Avenue, Forsyth MT 59327, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Montana’s Northern Cheyenne Nation, in Southeast Montana, in Custer Country and in the Powder River Basin. It is also in the American Mountain West, in the Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, on the Great Plains, and specifically on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 14, 2020
2. Sorenson Residence and Marker
in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 14, 2020
3. Sorenson Residence
Credits. This page was last revised on January 17, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 17, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 9 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on January 17, 2021, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.
