What will be the fate of the governor’s mansion?

Rotted ceilings, toilets that can’t flush and a shoddy electrical system are just a few of the problems plaguing the former executive residence for Montana’s governor. Oh, and it’s also full of asbestos.

The fate of the 67-year-old building could be decided soon. In a survey that closed last month, the state Department of Administration asked the public what they think should happen to the vacant house: 

• Demolish it and turn the land into a park.
• Remodel it for use as something else besides a home.
• Sell it off.

The DOA’s Capitol Complex Advisory Council will present the survey results and cost models for consideration at its next meeting. The date for that meeting isn’t set yet, according to DOA Communications Director Janna Williams. 

Years and millions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance have led to the sad state of the governor’s executive residence, located just up the road from the Capitol at 2 Carson St. It has sat empty for the last five years, after Gov. Greg Gianforte and his wife moved out of the home in 2021 just nine months into his first term to make space for renovations that never came. 

Last month, Misty Ann Giles, the director of the Montana Department of Administration, which manages government-owned properties within a 10-mile radius of the Capitol, laid out the “critical” condition of the residence.

“They [past governors] have prioritized other state infrastructure over their own house,” Giles said at a December meeting of the community group called Hometown Helena. 

Maintenance issues that need to be addressed include a roof replacement, asbestos abatement, repairs to rotting exterior fixtures and complete demolition and replacement of the entire electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems, according to a presentation from the Capitol Complex Advisory Council.

When Gianforte, who sold the tech company he founded to Oracle in 2012 for about $1.5 billion, vacated the Carson Street home, he and his wife purchased a home in Helena’s Mansion District on the other side of downtown from the Capitol. They lived there before purchasing the historic Samuel T. Hauser mansion in 2024, with plans to donate the property to the state after he leaves office in 2028 at the end of his second term. 

Gianforte’s two personal homes, plus the executive residence by the Capitol and the original governor’s mansion just off downtown that’s now used as a museum, mean that there are four homes in Helena that have been called the governor’s mansion at some point.

Montana Free Press was able to tour the now-decrepit executive residence on Carson Street, providing photos of the state of the home, and also collected photos of the other mansions that have housed governors.

EXECUTIVE RESIDENCE NEAR THE CAPITOL

The 12,000-square-foot Carson Street mansion was built in 1959 and designed by Billings architect Chandler C. Cohagen. The two-level property is meant to resemble a ship as the “Ship of State,” pointed towards the Big Belt Mountains, with the design described as “western, naturally,” by Cohagen.

In a 2007 Montana Quarterly interview with Cohagen, he said the design of the home was to “meet entertainment requirements.”

The property has six bedrooms, four bathrooms, a 350-square-foot kitchen, a ballroom, hosting and dining spaces and a three-car garage, with about 1.2 acres of green space.

The Executive Residence, built in 1959 designed after a ship as the “Ship of State,” is currently uninhabitable due to an array of maintenance issues including roof replacement, asbestos abatement, repairs to rotting exterior fixtures and complete demolition and replacement of the entire electrical.

THE ORIGINAL GOVERNOR’S MANSION

The Original Governor’s Mansion was built in 1888 by William Chessman, not with the intention of becoming the executive residence, but as a private property. The mansion, located at 304 N. Ewing St., has Queen Anne-style architecture that towers three stories high. 

The state assumed ownership of the mansion in 1913, when it became the first official governor’s residence, and it subsequently housed the families of nine governors until the Carson Street property was built, according to the Montana Historical Society.

The property is now partially managed by the DOA and the Montana Historical Society, serving as a museum. It is currently closed for renovations.

The Original Governor’s Mansion, at 304 N. Ewing St., built in 1888 by William Chessman is seen in photos provided by the Montana Historical Society as the mansion’s porch undergoes renovations.

HISTORIC SAMUEL T. HAUSER MANSION

The Hauser Mansion was built in 1885 by pioneer entrepreneur and Montana Territorial Governor Samuel T. Hauser. In 1913, the mansion, at 720 Madison Ave., was purchased by Bishop John P. Carroll and was the home of succeeding bishops. Then in 1969, the home was purchased by then-Gov. Tim Babcock, who restored the mansion to its original character. 

Gianforte announced the purchase of the mansion in January 2024 from former owner Gary Rapaport, for $4 million. 

“We purchased the beautiful and historic Hauser House to call our home here in Helena, and to provide a space for the people of Montana to come together,” Gianforte said after the initial announcement. “Following my service, we will donate this home to the State and the people of Montana.”

The DOA plans to take over management responsibilities of the Hauser residence for future governors and their families, Williams told MTFP.

The Hauser Mansion, at 720 Madison Ave, is the mansion Gov. Gianforte current Helena residence and is seen in historical photos from the Library of Congress.

GIANFORTE’S OTHER MANSION DISTRICT HOUSE

Gianforte also owns another mansion in Helena, 618 Madison Ave., which is for sale and currently listed for $1.25 million. According to Zillow, the property received a $100,000 price reduction earlier this month. 

The property has been live on Zillow, a real estate and housing company, for about a year and a half.

Gov. Greg Gianforte’s other mansion in Helena, 618 Madison Ave., is currently for sale for $1.25 million and is seen on Jan 9, 2026, in Helena.