This commanding nineteenth-century home, built of locally quarried blue-gray granite with shingled upper stories, is a stellar example of the eclectic Shingle style. Its wide porch and asymmetry reflect Queen Anne hallmarks, its heavy stonework draws from the Romanesque, and its classical porch columns and Palladian windows show the Colonial Revival style, while curved corners and a tower dormer add further distinction. Inside are intricate parquet flooring, imported Italian tile fireplaces, stained glass windows, and a grand third-story ballroom. E. C. Babcock, proprietor of an elegant gentleman’s furnishings business, and his wife Minnie lived here by 1898. Around 1915, William and Ellen Nichols bought the property and raised their family here. Ellen Nichols was the daughter of Harry Child, whose Yellowstone Park Company provided early tourist transportation in the national park, and William Nichols worked for the family business and long served as the transportation company’s president. Ellen Nichols was also a generous Helena benefactor and a founder of the Green Meadow Country Club.