Berne House

Longtime Missoula resident John C. Berne and his wife Agnes moved into this Queen Anne style home around 1912. The Bernes moved here from Billings where John was a brick manufacturer. John continued manufacturing bricks once in this city and made many of the bricks that were used in the building of downtown business blocks, the Montana State Prison at Deer Lodge, and the State Hospital at Warm Springs.

Aside from manufacturing bricks, John was also a well-known miner in the Butte area and served as a prison guard at the state prison for a number of years. In addition to his numerous business ventures, John was a charter member of the Missoula council of the Knights of Columbus. The two-and-one-half story home retains a simple wraparound porch supported by six classical columns.

A tower on the northeast side highlights the structure’s period characteristics. Coarse shingles and brick, reflecting the Victorian love of varied wall textures, cover the exterior.