Regarding architecture, real estate, and history in general, the terms “simple” and “obvious” are often troublesome. At the least, the “simple” genius of a historic home may not seem “obvious.” And it’s a bit odd how many homes – with painstakingly simple designs – often go unnoticed. Indeed, Kalispell has a rich collection of historic homes with understated, modern styles. And the Pearce House, at 132 Eighth St. W., exemplifies things (deceptively) simple and obvious.
Perhaps least obvious is what the Pearce House has in common with the City Water Department (336 First Ave. E.), the Montgomery Ward Store (333 Main St.) and the Symes Hot Springs Hotel: they were all designed by the same architect, Fred Brinkman.
In designing the Pearce House, Brinkman once again left his mark on Kalispell’s architectural history. For example, the through-the-roof-line pediment, with its triangle-shaped point above the front door, contrasts simply, yet boldy with the flat, hipped roof above (there are few homes with such a treatment). Other masterful, yet understated architectural elements include the “fluted” trim work around the front door, which nods to the Colonial Revival Style. And the footprint of the house nods to the Queen Anne foursquare. Hence, the Pearce House obviously consists of older styles in an understated, modern form. It’s a study of old things done new with minimalist flair.
And as part of the collection of modern, small-scale houses in Kalispell (just one reason why Kalispell architecture is so important), the Pearce House bears the name of John Alton and Jean (née Barnum) Pearce. And rightly so, as it took some bold thinking to make such an architectural statement, especially considering the times.
The Pearces commissioned Brinkman to build the house in 1939 – a year of contrasts and conflicts, if ever there was one. It was the year of “Gone with the Wind,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and the first regular TV programs. But also the year Nazi Germany invaded Poland, Russia invaded Finland, and President Roosevelt grappled with forming the Advisory Committee on Uranium and the lingering effects of the Great Depression. Hence, embracing a modern aesthetic was likely not just a simple matter of preference.
Incidentally, the historic plaque mentions that Brinkman designed this house and also the First Presbyterian Church, where Jean’s father, Rev. G. William Barnum, was a pastor. However, there was likely a greater affinity among Brinkman and Pearce and the history of the house and town in general: baseball.
In his younger days, Brinkman played baseball (notably on a team sponsored by one of the few successful Chinese businessman who remained at Kalispell). And as a longtime pharmacy owner, Alton sponsored a baseball team, including the locally renowned Pearce Drug Club of 1936 (which was still a topic of talk about town in the 1950s). The Pearces’ son Mike (for whom the basement apartment was built) was also an avid baseball player and fan. And it is quite likely that father and son likely annoyed younger daughter Nancy with “baseball talk” on more than one occasion.
Indeed, baseball was a Flathead Valley tradition. And so was the Alton Pearce Drug Co., a family drug store (at 237 Main St.) that the Pearces kept for more than 40 years, about just as long as Alton Pearce lived in the home, until he passed away in 1978.
So whether keeping a longtime family-owned business, or honoring the pastime of baseball, or preserving an architectural legacy, the Pearce family and the Pearce House are part of Kalispell history, which is course “simple” and “obvious.”
Jaix Chaix is a columnist and author of Flathead Valley Landmarks and other local history books that are available for sale at the Flathead Beacon at 17 Main St. in Kalispell.