904 Monroe

Newspaper pressman Portus B. Thornton and his wife Victoria were the original owners of this Colonial Revival/Folk Victorian transitional cottage built circa 1905. Thornton came to Missoula from his native Canada in 1901 and married that same year. A trained printer, Thornton went to work at the Missoulian and, in the mid1910s, he and a partner established the Missoula Bureau of Printing.

As a veteran member of the local printer’s union and its longtime secretary, Thornton was a key player in the development of the local press. The Thorntons were at home here until 1929. Their charming home features a centered entry, front gabled roof, clapboard siding, and square Tuscan columns. These elements showcase the clean lines and classical features designed to recapture a simpler, more modest time.

Influenced by the various expositions and World’s Fairs, such classical elements began to replace the well-loved Queen Anne style of the Victorian era. The home beautifully illustrates this shift. The open porch with pedimented roofline and latticework at the foundation as well as original interior bullseye molding throughout reveal the persistence of Victorian-era details.