William and Mabel Guthrie Residence

Upscale neighborhoods often placed “restrictive covenants” to assure new buildings did not compromise the ambience. When developer James King sold lots in this new suburb, covenants he set required a twenty-five-foot setback for new homes, which had to cost at least $3,000 to build. This elegant residence certainly met those requirements.

The home boasts characteristic Colonial Revival details: symmetry, a side-gabled roof, decorative shutters, dentils at the eaves, and accentuated front entrance. The interior features original chandeliers, hardwood floors, and brocade wallpaper. Likely built as an investment by Herbert Tunnell, the house was first purchased by store manager Edward Olson and wife Agnes in 1925.

Mining engineer William Rossberg and his wife Katherine lived here from 1928 to 1930. William and Mabel Guthrie purchased the home in 1931, residing here until their deaths (hers in 1970, his in 1972). A Stanford University–educated electrical engineer, William helped design the power plant that supplied the Anaconda Company with electricity.

Mabel attended the University of Montana and in 1918 gained renown as the first woman to staff a Missoula-area fire lookout station.