The Harker House is a historic building located in

Storm Lake, Iowa Storm Lake is a city in and the county seat of Buena Vista County, Iowa, United States. The population was 11,269 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase from 10,076 in the 2000 United States Census, 2000 census. Located along ...

, United States. This two-story Second Empire house is attributed to

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. F ...

architect James Harker. It is the only local house remaining in this style that has not been torn down or substantially altered. with Featuring

mansard roof A mansard or mansard roof (also called French roof or curb roof) is a multi-sided gambrel-style hip roof characterised by two slopes on each of its sides, with the lower slope at a steeper angle than the upper, and often punctured by dormer wi ...

s with

dormer A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a Roof pitch, pitched roof. A dormer window (also called ''dormer'') is a form of roof window. Dormers are commonly used to increase the ...

windows, a mansarded tower, bracketed

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...

, hooded windows and doors, projecting bays, and highly decorative single-story porches, it is a textbook example of the Second Empire style. It was built in 1875 of locally produced brick. The house was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1990.

References

Houses completed in 1875 Second Empire architecture in Iowa Storm Lake, Iowa Houses in Buena Vista County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Buena Vista County, Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{BuenaVistaCountyIA-NRHP-stub