Neighbors were few when Frank R. Dudley acquired this property in 1909. Dudley, the Anaconda Copper Mining Company’s mercantile department manager, added this charming bungalow to the lot circa 1910. The lots next door and across the street were vacant in 1914, and the home on its prominent corner served as a prime rental as other residences began to fill in the block. An early example of the bungalow style promoted in California, the house features a centered cross-gable roof, multi-paned windows, wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails, and the perfect symmetry that is characteristic of the style. Its low siting, nestled into the landscape, also follows the stylistic ideal. Bungalows appeared early in the Bitterroot valley, perhaps due to the “apple boom” and influence of California growers who settled here. Later additions have not altered the home’s excellent integrity. A post-1944 addition—sensitive to the original style—expanded the back and the front porch was enclosed. Owners also added a compatible gable-roof outbuilding in the 1990s. Tucked into a tree-lined corner, the historic residence illustrates the Southside’s post-1910 era of development.
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