Moss Mansion

Preston B. Moss House
Location 914 Division St, Billings, Montana
Area 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built 1903
Architect Hardenbergh,R.J.; Gagnon,E.H.
Architectural style English Renaissance
NRHP Reference # 82003181[1]
Added to NRHP April 30, 1982
Solarium at Moss Mansion

The Moss Mansion Historic House Museum [2][3][4] is located in Billings, Montana on 914 Division St. It is a red-stoned mansion built in 1903 by Preston B. Moss, who moved to Billings from Paris, Missouri.

History

Moss Mansion was inhabited solely by Mr. and Mrs. Moss, their six children, and 3 servants until 1984 at which time a community effort was organized to save the building. The house was built for a cost of $105,000, when most homes averaged about $3000. It is a three story house with a basement and an attached solarium; it has 28 rooms, and is 60 feet (18 m) square. It rises 45 feet (14 m) into the air.

The high-end interior decoration includes all the wood paneling, walls with gold threading, hand painted walls and ceilings, marble fireplaces, columns, elegant decor. Its rooms are filled with the original fixtures, furniture drapes, carpets and Moss family artifacts, including: Many pieces of Kula's furniture, Kula's quilts and needlepoint, Melville's harp, Martha's paintings and china patterns. Each room in the house has a theme, as Martha Moss was artistic, and had different purposes for each room .[5]

The Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Visitors can still see the original furniture, draperies, carpets and fixtures during a one-hour guided tour. Seasonal exhibits are also featured. The Moss Mansion was designed by the famous New York Architect Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, who also designed the original Waldorf-Astoria, Plaza Hotel, The Dakota, Williard Hotel, and Copely Hotel. In 1986, the Billings Preservation Society, a non-profit organization obtained proprietorship of the Moss Mansion through a lease agreement with the family and separate option agreement.

Activities

In 2014, during the Halloween, an event called "the Haunted House" was held in the yard of the Moss Mansion.

The 27th Annual SpringFest will be held at Moss Mansion on June 6, 2015. Artists across Montana are invited to showcase their art and crafts.

References

External links

Moss Mansion Museum on Facebook

Coordinates: 45°46′47″N 108°30′58″W / 45.7796°N 108.5160°W / 45.7796; -108.5160


This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, December 06, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.