Ice dam damages historic home

A heavy snowfall in early January, followed by thawing and freezing that created a thick ice dam on the roof of the Conrad Mansion Museum, has damaged the ceiling and walls within the historic 120-year-old Kalispell home.

The trouble spot is on the upper veranda where three roof sections come together to drain onto the veranda.

“It works wonderfully 90 percent of the time, but this time we just couldn’t get ahead of it,” said Gennifer Sauter, executive director of Conrad Mansion Museum.

A 19.2-inch snowfall over Jan. 4 and 5 later created ice that was 5 inches thick on the veranda. Normally the staff doesn’t deal with that much ice on the roof at one time and can keep up with the removal, Sauter said.

The veranda area serves as an emergency exit and has to be kept clear, she said.

She estimated the damage at about $15,000 but hasn’t gotten a firm estimate yet. The original plaster ceiling and walls in the billiard room were affected, and a chandelier over the pool table will have to be professionally inspected.

Staffers and volunteers were taking down Christmas decorations on Jan. 12 when one of the volunteers noticed water on the floor and water dripping heavily from the ceiling.

“It was a rough couple of nights,” Sauter said about the mitigation that ensued.

Large rugs in the damaged area had to be dried out, along with the wood floor. Buckets were strategically placed to catch the drips.

“My big concern is if there is mold growing on the wood [beneath the veranda],” Sauter said, explaining the exterior plastic covering on the veranda will have to be removed and replaced.

For now, a plastic rain gutter is being used as a makeshift drain.

The damage, while never a welcome event, comes at an inopportune time because the Conrad Mansion is celebrating its 40th anniversary as a public museum this year. Sauter said money raised from the museum’s annual Death by Chocolate event, planned April 24-25, now will be diverted to pay for the repairs.

The Victorian home was built in 1895 by Charles E. Conrad, a founder of Kalispell. Conrad’s youngest daughter, Alicia Conrad Campbell, lived in the home until 1964 and in 1974 gave the home to the city of Kalispell in memory of her pioneering parents.

While the city owns the mansion, the nonprofit organization that operates the facility relies completely on proceeds from tours, gift shop sales, special events, membership and donor contributions to maintain the mansion.

The recent water damage also puts a damper on future plans to build a facility on the west side of the mansion to house the gift shop and office, Sauter said.

“Our ultimate dream is to build a 20-by-30 building on the west side so the grandmother bedrooms can be restored,” she said.

Alicia Conrad’s mother used the current office for her bedroom, and Charles Conrad’s mother used what is now the gift shop for her bedroom during visits. Original furnishings from both bedrooms is stored in the basement.

Plans for the building project are very preliminary. It’s possible the carriage room on the west side would be incorporated into the new office/gift shop facility. It would be built with the same architectural design as the mansion.

“We have to keep this building standing before we build another, though,” Sauter added.

Anyone wanting to donate to the mansion’s repair fund may send contributions with a note in the check memo line for “roof repair” to Conrad Mansion Museum, 330 Woodland Ave., P.O. Box 1041, Kalispell, MT 59903.

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.