KCFW is an NBC station in the NBC Montana stable of three stations - the flagship station KECI in Missoula, KCFW in Kalispell and KTVM in Butte. Together, with repeaters, the three reach 45% of the population of Montana, about 200,000 households.
The building opened as the City Service Station and operated until about 1940, when it became Phil’s Texaco. The $13,000 building became the home of KCFW TV in about 1968 and they remain there to this day.
Historically: City Service Station
Built 1931
Currently: KCFW Television
401 1st Avenue East
This Art Deco service station was constructed in 1931 from a design by Kalispell architect Fred Brinkman. It was completed in early 1931 and the City Service Company station operated there until approximately
1940, when the business was then called Phil’s Texaco. The building
cost $13,000 to construct, including the architect’s fees. When it opened there were five pumps in operation. It was unusual for its time in that all departments of automobile services were included in the one building. By 1968 the KCFW TV station was located at this address. A 1991 remodeling of the building kept the feeling of the original design, although the building has been significantly modified. The most significant change is the extension of the northwest corner of the building, effectively placing the tower in the center of the
building instead of at its entrance.
From the Kalispell Walking Tour