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FLATHEADBEACON.COM REAL ESTATE
FEBRUARY 19, 2014 | 37

LANDMARKS
825 Sixth Ave. E., Kalispell
The Graham House

the property so he could work in his oice there, and
By JAIX CHAIX
again honor the style with an elongated, horizontal

Even if you’re not paying attention, the moment structure.
you pass by the house at 825 Sixth Ave. in Kalispell, you And while Wilbur passed away in 1958, Celeste
will take notice. Indeed, the Graham House may leave lived in the home for nearly 60 years, until she passed
you wondering whether you just traveled back in time, in 2001. That’s a remarkable time for any house to be
or forward. It’s a chic, Art Moderne-style home that is cared for by its original owners.
extremely rare in more ways than one.
Appreciate the Graham House for its style and
The house bears the namesake of Wilbur and Ce- form, and as one of the rare examples of Streamline

leste Graham, who built the home in 1942, during Moderne in Montana. But also appreciate it as a symbol
World War II. This was an unsettling time in America – a house that embodies a rare blend of ingenuity, re-
– a time of collective sacriice and rationing no gen- sourcefulness and optimism that seldom inds its way
eration has known since (and perhaps few today truly to the drawing board.
understand). It was a time when most goods and provi- And appreciate this home as a unique landmark
sions were rationed for “the war efort.” Building ma- – one built in the rarest of progressive styles, during
terials were also quite scarce. And remarkably, this is PHOTO BY JAIX CHAIX
the worst of trying times, and in a deining manner of
one of the few homes built in Kalispell during the war.
ample of the Streamline Moderne style. And the house American spirit.

Yet this was also a time of resourcefulness. Aside has nearly all of the hallmarks of the style, including
from victory gardens, Americans found clever ways to curves (instead of edges), a preference for horizontal
make things last longer, to devise clever substitutes, to orientation, accentuated by a lat roof, smooth surfaces Jaix Chaix is a writer who appreciates history and
re-use, recycle, and otherwise “make do.” And in this (especially stucco) and a light-colored exterior (whites architecture. You can share ideas and historical facts
spirit, Wilbur Graham, a building contractor, likely and natural colors were preferred).
with him at [email protected]. Also visit
found the means to assemble the materials he needed Streamline Moderne also took cues from industrial facebook.com/latheadvalleylandmarks
to build this unique home.
and transportation designs of the late 1930s. Here, the
Take the “Historic Homes of Kalispell” Course
When it came to choosing a style for their home, the “porthole” at the front door is a nod to nautical ele-
Art Moderne, or “Streamline Moderne” style must have ments (ships), which were an important feature of the This April, Jaix will teach a course about “Landmarks”
seemed like a perfect it (although a rarity). Streamline style as well.
and historic homes of Kalispell at Flathead Valley
Moderne is much like Art Deco, but without all the or- What makes the Graham House even more unique Community College. Read more in the FVCC
namentation (indeed, a sleeker, more “streamlined” (aside from being one of the few examples of the style Community Education Classes brochure, call
version, if you will). It was a style that looked to the fu- in Montana), is that it is a residence – most dabblings (406) 756-3832 or enroll online at fvcc.edu.
ture with frugality in mind.
in Art Moderne were done with commercial buildings.
In nearly every way, this house is a textbook ex-
Incidentally, Wilbur built the long garage at the back of

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