Well Settled
After
finding paradise in Montana, a couple builds the perfect
abode
from which to enjoy it.
By Lisa Marquis Jackson
Jerry and Carol Brown weren’t in the market for
another house. After all, they already had their longtime
residence in southern Califor-nia and a vacation home
in Calgary, Canada. But after visiting the mountain country
of Whitefish, Mont., the Browns were hooked. Located
just 25 miles from Glacier National Park, Whitefish
is gateway to all manner of Western and alpine attractions
and a retreat from the hustle and bustle of the big-city
life elsewhere. The town’s 10,000 full-time residents
rub shoulders with people from all parts, as Whitefish’s “occupancy” bumps
up around the 40,000 mark in most months, due to steady
visitation by nonlocals who can’t get enough of
the region’s beauty and recreational opportunities.
It
was while they were exploring the area some years ago
with a local real estate agent that the Browns
discovered a unique parcel of farmland previously
used to raise
spearmint. While most of the land is heavily wooded,
this property contained lush meadows and was nestled
up against the Stillwater River, boasting a view
of the state-owned wild game preserve directly across
its banks.
Jerry and Carol were smitten with the sprawling 140-acre
property, and decided this place was the perfect
retreat
from their crowded California lifestyle.
Jerry
had built a career out of environmental engineering
by designing supermarkets and drug stores across
the country. Having spent so much time with architects,
he was not eager to plunge into another such collaboration.
But after finding local architect Ross Anderson
and seeing
Anderson’s unique approaches, the two of them took
to the task.Their
vision gave rise to the intricate Craftsman-style home
that exists today.
Thrilled
with the results, Jerry and Carol at first made this
their second home (selling off
another “second” residence)
and then quickly decided to make the Big Sky state their
permanent abode. The Brown’s daughter and
her family built their home on adjoining property,
and their son
and his family ended up relocating to the area
as well.
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The
massive timber system that frames the home’s
entryway carries directly through the main living
area with large beams and rafters and eventually
ex-tends to a huge truss system over the back porch.
Using rock native to the area, the masonry work
was done in a ledge stone type of pattern.
The
ornate curved stairway was the most memorable part
of this project for custom builder Phil
Duty. “Every time you build something custom,
it’s basi-cally the first time you’ve
done it. We’ve certainly built curved stairways
be-fore, but just seeing this design come to
life was exciting.”
Photographs by HEIDI LONG
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