On September 13, 1956, Lawrence (Larry) and Virgie Colton purchased the lot at the corner of
Heather and Tartan from Guy and Beatrice Stephenson. The Stephensons had acquired the lot
in Unit No. 1 from The Highlands Inc. in March. On that same date in September, the Coltons
secured a mortgage from the Prudential Insurance Co. ? Larry?s place of employment ? in the
amount of $10,700. That unpretentious amount likely covered the cost of both the land and
the construction of their house. In 1957, the Coltons moved into their unassuming new Ranch
style house.
The typical Ranch house was simple and inexpensive to build. The Ranch traditionally has one
story with a rectangular or L-shaped plan and low-pitched roof. It generally has no true porch,
but rather a simple extended eave over the entry. The wide side of the house faces the street
and gives the appearance of spaciousness. No architect has been identified for the Colton
house and it was likely designed and built by a contractor. Before alterations in 2011, the house
featured many of the elements identified above. Rose-colored brick and a very shallow side-gabled
roof comprised most of the design features of the house. An extended eave over the
front entry and a small carport with attached storage provided subtle variation to the rectilinear
footprint. A recent remodel extended and enclosed the garage, added a large, shed-roofed,
glass-walled entry, adjusted the height and pitch of the roof, and added a wing to the rear.
Larry Colton was born in Colfax, Washington in 1911. The family soon moved to southern
Idaho where they farmed in the Nampa area. Colton graduated high school at Nampa in 1931.
Virgie Masingill was born in Oklahoma in 1916 before the family moved to Nampa in 1920.
She met Larry and married him in 1934 after graduating from Nampa High School in 1933.
The couple had two sons and moved to Boise in 1956 where he became staff manager at the
Prudential Life Insurance Company. After retirement in 1976 the couple traveled extensively
together. Larry died in 2004 and Virgie followed in 2008 having lived in her home for over 50
years.
This home was on the 11th Annual Heritage Home Tours in 2013 thanks to the generosity of the current homeowners Richard and Ruth Grossa.