Agather House

Architect Marion Riffo designed this grand residence with a flair for the dramatic, and it was built in 1910 for State Lumber Company manager David Barber. Its tall prominent chimneys rise against a steep, side-gabled roof, and its varied exterior treatments include half-timbers, native rock, and ornate ironwork. After a series of tragedies decimated the Barber family, Alfons and Martha Agather purchased the home in 1919. Russian-born Alfons had served in the imperial guard of Czar Nicholas, then became cashier and eventually president of the First National Bank of Kalispell. Martha, a daughter of Julius and Mary Neils of the J. Neils Lumber Company in Libby, worked hard to keep the home after her husband’s death in 1929. Their daughter Margaret, who grew up there and later owned the home, remembered when it stood on the very outskirts of town and most of the Eastside was a grassy field. The home remains in the family because of Martha’s perseverance.

Kalispell, Montana · United States