Built for Lewis “L.P.” Larsen in 1912 and perched prominently on a cliffside location that one historian concluded is “probably the most desirable building lot in Metaline Falls,” the English cottage-inspired design is the work of Kirtland Cutter, the architect behind Spokane’s Davenport Hotel, the Glacier National Park Lodge, and other prominent structures in the Northwest. And while the property stands as a landmark on its own merits, it also serves as a tangible monument to Larsen and the early development of Metaline Falls.

Born in Denmark in 1876, Larsen had arrived in the United States by age 20 and eventually settled in Wallace, Idaho, where he put his geology education to work in the mining industry. By 1904, Larsen had first visited the Metalines where he observed a region with no railroad, or roads of any kind. What he did find, however, was a wealth of mineral deposits. Within five years, the enterprising young man spearheaded acquisitions, investments, and partnerships that brought industry to the Metalines. Cement production, industrial hard rock mining, and even the development of the Metaline Falls town site can largely be attributed to Larsen. He also built power generating facilities and, alongside longtime business partner Jens Jensen, incorporated the Metaline Falls Light and Power Company to bring the town electricity and water.

Larsen’s financial success came with risk, and on a few occasions, he hit hard times. He was forced to sell his house due to financial reasons just a few years after building it. From that time forward, Lehigh Portland Cement Company used it as a home for the cement plant’s superintendent. Larsen lost other property too, but he always seemed to bounce back, often finding innovative ways to develop the region’s abundant natural resources. Larsen died in 1955, but evidence of his life’s work lives on throughout the region, not only in his house, but in many of the other historic structures in the vicinity of Metaline Falls.

Credits and Sources:

LaSota, Winifred Walton. “Louis P. Larsen and Jens Jensen: Early-day Developers of theMetalines.”Big Smoke, 1971.

Vandermeer, J. H. “Washington Hotel.” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form,September 1978.

______, “Lewis P. Larson [sic] House.” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form,October 1978.

Photographs courtesy of the Pend Oreille County Historical Society and Pend Oreille CountyLibrary District.