New room sponsorship helps maintain historic home
The Conrad Mansion may be well over a century old, but there’s a new twist on fundraising at the historic Kalispell home.
The mansion’s board of directors debuted an innovative new strategy this year that enables local businesses and individuals to sponsor a room in the mansion as a way to generate money to preserve the building.
Construction of Conrad Mansion began in 1892 and was home to Kalispell founder Charles E. Conrad and his family starting in 1895. It was gifted to the city and opened as a museum in the 1970s.
“We are forever fundraising,” confessed Teri Iwersen, who has served on the museum board for approximately five years. “The city owns the mansion, but we get no funds from them” to cover the costs of maintaining the garden, paying for utilities, funding the tours and keeping up with general maintenance of the late 19th century building.
The latest strategy to meet these needs came from board member Tia Robbin.
“Each room is for sale,” explained Iwersen. “Everything from the bathroom to the carriage house.”
Those who sponsor one of the 27 available spaces have their names featured on plaques in their respective rooms, which thousands of museum visitors see throughout the season, according to Iwersen. Room sponsors are not responsible for any actual maintenance or setup of the rooms. “Anyone is invited to help us out,” Iwersen stated. “It’s a unique way to connect to our past.”
Sponsors purchase a space on a yearly basis from January to December, and 18 of the 27 rooms are spoken for so far this year. “People are buying based on something that means something to them,” Iwersen said.
One such person is Ward Clark, general manager of High Country Linen. Clark decided to sponsor the laundry room “to support the history of this valley so it doesn’t get forgotten.” The laundry room on the mansion’s third floor features historic laundry appliances and original soap from 1895, as well as a sign displaying High Country Linen’s support for the mansion.
“It’s a good deal,” Clark said. He added the mansion is “such a piece of history, you want to preserve it.”
The cost to sponsor a room ranges from $500 to $5,000, depending on the size of the space. So far, there’s been interest from private individuals, families, local businesses and, of course, all of the mansion’s board members. Spaces such as the master bedroom are still available for purchase for the remainder of 2019, and rooms that are currently sponsored will be available to renew or change hands in 2020.
Iwersen emphasized the importance of maintaining the museum and connecting Flathead Valley residents to this historic landmark: “It’s our past. It’s our history…[Charles E. Conrad] made the city what it was.” But a lot of people in the area “don’t realize it.”
“We want to thank the individuals and businesses who’ve contributed,” she said. “We want this to be a back and forth. We want the community to be involved.”
To find room availabilities and prices, call the mansion museum at 755-2166. The Conrad Mansion Museum is located at 330 Woodland Ave. in Kalispell. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Reporter Bret Anne Serbin may be reached at bserbin@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.