Edward Gay House

The Craftsman bungalow was brand new to Kalispell when Edward Gay built this beautifully finished home, a classic example of the style, in 1907. The Kalispell Journal reported that among the town’s new homes, the nearly completed Gay residence was “probably the prettiest.” Stylistic features include wide eaves with exposed and decoratively notched rafter tails, leaded glass, hipped dormers, and the use of varied exterior construction materials.

The interior was masterfully crafted with exposed ceiling beams, mahogany trim, a dining room plate MT NATIONAL REGISTER SIGN TEXT 1990 TO APRIL 2019 rail, and built-in china cabinet with leaded glass. Gay, president of the Kalispell Malting and Brewing Company, was remembered as a dapper man who drove a Model T, and the Gay family was one of the first in Kalispell to own a radio.

For many years this splendid residence was the solitary occupant of five city lots. The Gays grew potatoes in their large garden and always donated them to the hospital and elsewhere. Edward Gay reputedly had a hidden room in the house, probably for the storage of alcohol during Prohibition, and it is said that bear traps were embedded in the foundation under the windows to keep out intruders.

The graceful cast iron fence, one of the few left in Kalispell, is original to the property. A former resident recalls having to paint it as punishment for a missed curfew. Enhanced by mature landscaping, the home appears today as inviting as it did in 1907.