C.S. Stearns House, Historic Queen Anne house in Garden Grove, Iowa.
The C.S. Stearns House in Garden Grove, Iowa, is a vernacular Queen Anne residence with an irregular plan, a cluttered roofscape, varied surface textures, tall chimneys with decorative brickwork, and a prominent semicircular bay on the main facade.
The C.S. Stearns House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is associated with C.S. Stearns, a local merchant and banker linked to C.S. Stearns & Bros. and the First National Bank. The house represents the vernacular Queen Anne style that prominent citizens of Iowa's small towns favored toward the end of the 19th century.
The house shows the Queen Anne style that became fashionable among wealthy residents in small Iowa towns during the late 1800s. The architectural approach reflected how successful businesspeople displayed their status through ornate design choices.
The house stands in Garden Grove, Iowa, and is a private residence, so it is seen from the public street rather than entered. The semicircular bay and the tall brick chimneys face the main facade, where the exterior details are easiest to make out.
The house joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, the year the listing was made. Its nomination rests on the vernacular Queen Anne design built for a merchant-banker, not on any architect's name.
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