Alex Halone House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Alex Halone House
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Front of the house seen from the east
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 Location in Wyoming
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| Location | 204 Amoretti Street Thermopolis, Wyoming |
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| Area | 3 acres (1.2 ha) |
| Built | 1919 |
| Architect | Alex Halone |
| Architectural style | Folk Builder-designed stone |
| NRHP reference No. | 93001473 |
| Added to NRHP | 14 January 1994 |
The Alex Halone House is a special home in Thermopolis, Wyoming. A Finnish immigrant named Alex Halone built it for his family between 1909 and 1910. Alex Halone was a very skilled stonemason, someone who builds with stone. His family had been stonemasons for three generations! This house shows off his amazing talent. On the property, there's also a traditional log Finnish sauna. Alex and his son Eugene built it with a friend in the 1940s and 1950s.
Building the Halone House
Alex Halone started building his house in 1909. First, he dug a basement that was about 12 feet (3.7 meters) by 12 feet (3.7 meters). He used sandstone for the walls and put a temporary roof over it. He and his family lived in this basement during the winter.
The next year, he built the main two-story house. It was about 27.5 feet (8.4 meters) by 27.5 feet (8.4 meters). He used a type of stone called "rock-faced ashlar sandstone." This means the stones were cut into squares but had a rough, natural look on the outside. For special details, he used travertine. This is a type of limestone found naturally near hot springs in the area.
Over the years, Alex added many porches and other small buildings. These additions often showed off his amazing stonework skills. For example, a chimney on the east side of the house is made from different stones. It uses slate, pink granite, and sandstone. This chimney even has a balcony and a window built into it.
Alex also changed the house to make room for people who wanted to rent a part of it. Other important buildings on the property include a garage from the 1920s and a barn. The sauna is especially important for its history. There are also other structures like a picnic shelter and a fish pond. Even though these are newer, they fit well with the older stone buildings.
Who Was Alex Halone?
Alex Halone was born in Finland on June 18, 1877. His father, Anti Halonen, was a granite cutter. Alex learned the stonemason trade from his father. In 1904, he moved to the United States. He arrived at Ellis Island and later changed his last name to "Halone."
He first worked at a stone quarry in Quincy, Massachusetts. Then he moved to Valparaiso, Indiana. There, he took night classes at Valparaiso University to learn English. He was very impressed by the hot springs and natural beauty of Thermopolis, Wyoming. So, he decided to move there.
Alex Halone claimed 160 acres (65 hectares) of land outside Thermopolis. He grew crops on this land. He also dug a dugout, which is a shelter dug into the ground. He sent for his family to join him in Wyoming. His homestead grew to 640 acres (259 hectares). This land included a quarry where he got stone for building. At the same time, he bought land in Thermopolis for his house in town.
Alex built his own house between 1909 and 1910. He also became active in the local miners' union. He sometimes worked as a miner in Gebo, Wyoming. He eventually became the president of the union, helping workers.
During World War II, Alex worked as a stonemason. He built structures for the Army in Alaska. In Thermopolis, he did stonework for the Hot Springs County Courthouse. He also built many houses in Gebo, and two are still standing today. He even built the Mondell Park Fountain in Hot Springs State Park. In 1923, Alex Halone built the base for the famous statue of Buffalo Bill in Cody, Wyoming.
Alex and his son Eugene worked together from 1928 to 1935. They did stonemasonry work in several National Parks. These included Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and Sequoia. They built fireplaces at the Old Faithful and Fishing Bridge Hamilton's Stores in Yellowstone.
Alex Halone was still healthy at 82 years old. Sadly, he was hit by a car and died in 1959.
What the House Looks Like
The Halone House truly shows off Alex Halone's artistic stonework. It has many unique stone designs. The main part of the house is a nearly square two-story building. It is built with square sandstone blocks and has a sloped roof.
At the front, there is a porch made of rough travertine stone. The front door has a special arch above it called a "rubble jack arch." This means the arch is made from rough, uneven stones. A garage is next to the porch on the left side.
On the east side of the house, there is a tall chimney. It goes up the height of the first floor. This chimney supports an enclosed balcony. The smoke pipe from the chimney goes between two windows that look out onto the balcony. Above the balcony, the chimney gets narrower and is covered in stucco with small stones stuck in it. The back of the house has a second story added, covered with shingles. The west side of the house looks rougher. It was probably not meant to be seen as much.
The Finnish Sauna
The log sauna was built later in Alex Halone's life. He worked on it for several years with his son Eugene. Another Finnish immigrant, Lauri Suikaonen, also helped them. This building has two parts. The sauna room is under a flat roof. A dressing room is under an upstairs room.
The sauna was very important to Finnish immigrants like Alex. It was a big part of their culture and traditions. This sauna is one of only two examples of its kind in Wyoming.
The Halone House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
