Pierce Residence

The unusual architecture of this front-gabled vernacular style residence, built by Alfred Pierce in 1901, sets it apart from its neighbors. One of the first homes built in the neighborhood, it was considered a fairly expensive home at $2,400. Peterson was proprietor of the Somers Hack Line, and moved to Somers in 1907.

The home then had a variety of tenants between 1909 and 1920, including an ice dealer, a teamster, and one of the proprietors of the City Transfer and Coal Company. Most notable, however, was Kalispell architect Marion Riffo, who lived here with his family circa 1915. William J. Pierce, a decorator and painter, moved in with his family in 1920.

Pierce briefly moved to California and returned to buy the home in 1923; the Pierce family lived here for a decade. The turn-of-the century home features a distinctive clipped gable roof, projecting shed dormers, and ample porches. The upstairs front doorway likely once led to a finished second-story porch.