Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
Livingston was inextricably tied to the railroad, but its business community also influenced the town's character. After 1900, professionals and entrepreneurs built new homes on the Westside when the expansion of downtown encroached on the previous residential neighborhoods. The less pretentious homes of Livingston's lawyers, merchants, doctors, and businessmen comprise the majority of the Westside, but the district includes Livingston's most architecturally significant residences. These were home to important figures such as Charles Garnier, founder of the exclusive "Montana Sport" cigar factory whose Livingston payroll was second only to the Northern Pacific. Garnier built a residence here in 1902. The 1903 mansion of Livingston mayor and bank president Edward Talcott sprawls over six city lots on "Banker's Row." Wealthy rancher J. H. Harvat moved to town, building a home so that his children could attend school. Telephone company franchise owner Joseph Swindlehurst, banker J. C. Vilas, and renowned criminal lawyer Hugh J. Miller were other wealthy residents. Among the larger homes, examples of Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Shingle, and Prairie styles reveal an astute awareness of national architectural trends of the early twentieth century. After the 1920s, more modest homes were added to the district. The wide, inviting tree-lined streets, churches, and schools make this Livingston's preferred residential area even today.
122 South Yellowstone Street
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
Hand-cut local sandstone showcases the fine craftsmanship of master stonemason Martin Rolfson, who built this Colonial Revival style home in 1900. A hipped roof with front-facing gable and off-center frame porch create balanced asymmetry, while a graceful semicircular window in the gable,…
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128 South Yellowstone Street
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
This very early Westside home was the first on the block, built during the year Montana achieved statehood in 1889. Its anonymous builder, using locally manufactured brick, constructed the solid walls with three layers of masonry. The front porch with its lovely Queen Anne style trim preserves the…
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221 South Yellowstone Street
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
In 1891, only eight years after Livingston's founding, Julia Rolfson and her husband John, a stone mason, lived in this substantial, brick, cross-gable home. The Italianate style inspired the one-and-one-half-story residence's wide, overhanging eaves, decorative brackets, and narrow…
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315 West Callender
West Side Residential Historic District
W. H. Campbell, a physician, president of the Montana State Board of Medical Examiners, and two-term state senator from Park County, built this Queen Anne style home in 1890. The one-and-one-half-story residence has a central hipped roof with two cross gables and an open front porch, a common Queen…
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Hefferlin House
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
Delicate turned spindles, classical columns, red-rippled stained glass, and a welcoming front porch evoke the gracious hospitality of a bygone era. City planners intended South Yellowstone Street, with its unusual width and spacious feel, as a haven for Livingston’s prominent citizens. The…
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Judge Frank Henry Mansion
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
When the new state of Montana held its first elections in 1889, Frank Henry became judge of the sixth judicial district. He served on the bench until 1912, longer than any other Montana judge. Henry built this exemplary Queen Anne style residence, one of the first on the Westside, in 1892. Its…
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Olaf W. Mattson Home
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
Olaf Mattson came to the United States from Sweden in 1861 at the age of twenty. He learned the trade of stonemason and migrated west. In 1882, he set out on horseback from Dakota for Montana. After his traveling companions were killed in a conflict with Indians, Mattson pushed on alone to…
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Hugh J. Miller Home
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
A harmonious blending of architectural styles yields an unusual façade in this elegant residence, built by noted attorney Hugh J. Miller circa 1900. A pedimented entry of classical design, gracefully flared roof of oriental influence, and square Italianate-inspired tower demonstrate the eclecticism…
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St. Mary's Catholic Church
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
Father Lawrence Palladino said the first Catholic mass at Livingston in the summer of 1883, on the cusp of the Northern Pacific Railroad’s arrival. The town was still a makeshift settlement of canvas tents and temporary dwellings. In 1884, Rev. J. B. Halton, Livingston’s first resident priest, set…
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Talcott House
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
Edward Talcott came West in 1883, settling in the newly platted town of Livingston. As the town grew, Talcott discovered his professional niche. By 1891, he had risen from manager of a mercantile to assistant cashier and then to president of the National Park Bank. Talcott served his adopted…
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Josiah C. Vilas Residence
Livingston Westside Residential Historic District
The blocks between Clark and Calender streets were known as “Banker’s Row” because three prominent bankers made their homes in the neighborhood. Josiah C. Vilas was one of these men directly involved in Livingston’s financial welfare. Vilas came to Montana in 1881 and was the first postmaster at…
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