Explore Montana’s Storied Mansions: Icons Of History And Architecture

With a little digging, you'll find that the oldest still-standing building in Montana date back to the 1860s. The very oldest recognized building is the Fort Connah Site from 1846. Our list isn't about the very oldest mansions in the state, but some of the most significant and beautiful to this day.

Their architecture and recognizability make these stunning buildings some of the most famous in all of Montana. History was made within the walls of these mansions, and most are available for the public to view and tour.

Montana became a state on November 8th, 1889 and ever since with railroads, ranching, and mining - Montana's wealth began to grow, as did it's homes. In no particular order, we picked just a few to highlight here. They're packed with history and interesting architecture. Some of these buildings were designed by extremely famous architects with famous pedigrees.

LOOK AT THE GOVERNOR'S NEW HISTORIC MANSION IN HELENA

So many of Montana's oldest and most beautiful mansions have been very well cared for. Some are in public hands (such as the Story Mansion in Bozeman), and others are museums...or are still being used as private homes. What technically defines a "mansion"? According to Smith & Associates Real Estate, a mansion is described as this:

The typical real estate definition of a mansion is a home that offers at least 5,000 square feet of space and at least five to six bedrooms. Mansions typically sit on small acreage (homes set on vast amounts of land are considered estates).

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Top 10 New (Old) Places Across Montana For Unique Photo Ops

Montana has more than 1,100 listings on the National Register of Historic Places. Not all of those listings are buildings or mansions, of course. But it does give some context to how many places in the state are historically significant. Some of those stories involve our big, beautiful, old mansions.