American Gothic House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Dibble House
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| Location | 300 American Gothic Street Eldon, Iowa |
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| Area | 504 sq ft (46.8 m2) (house) .92 acres (0.37 ha) (lot) |
| Built | 1881–1882 |
| Architect | Bussy and Herald (local carpenters) |
| Architectural style | Carpenter Gothic |
| NRHP reference No. | 74002291 |
| Added to NRHP | October 1, 1974 |
The American Gothic House, also known as the Dibble House, is a famous house in Eldon, Iowa. It was built in a special style called Carpenter Gothic. This style is known for its unique upper window.
This house became super famous because it was the background for the 1930 painting American Gothic. This painting was created by Grant Wood. Many people think it's his most well-known work. It's also one of the most recognized paintings in American art from the 1900s. Grant Wood only saw the house twice in his life. He made a quick sketch of it. He finished the actual painting in his studio in Cedar Rapids.
The house was first owned by Charles Dibble, who built it in 1881 and 1882. It was a private home for many years. Later, people worked for 30 years to save it. In 1991, the house was given to the State Historical Society of Iowa. Now, the site includes the original house, looking just like it did in 1930. There is also a visitors center. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Since 1991, people have continued to live in the house as caretakers.
Contents
Building the House: Early History and Style
Charles A. Dibble was born in 1836 in Saratoga County, New York. He was a Civil War veteran and worked with railroads. He and his wife, Catharine, started building their home in Eldon in 1881. They had eight children.
The house was pretty simple. It had board-and-batten siding and was painted white. It was also a moderate size, about 504 square feet (46.8 m2). This style was very common for homes in Iowa during the 1800s. For example, the birthplace of President Herbert Hoover in West Branch looks similar. It also has board-and-batten siding and a simple shingled roof.
The American Gothic House has two special Gothic windows on its upper level. It also has a steep roof. Grant Wood made these features look even bigger in his painting. The first floor of the house has three rooms and a bathroom. The top floor has two bedrooms. Many people say this house is the best example of a Carpenter Gothic cottage in the United States.
No one knows for sure why the Dibbles chose to put Gothic windows on the upper floor. People think they bought the windows from the Sears catalog. There are two main ideas about why they chose them:
- The Dibbles might have wanted to make their home look nicer. Life in rural Iowa was often hard back then.
- They might have been following a popular trend. In the late 1800s, people liked to add fancy details to their homes. These windows were probably not too expensive at the time.
Around 1897, the Dibbles lost their house because they couldn't pay their taxes. They moved to Portland, Oregon. The house was sold several times until 1917. That's when Gideon and Mary Hart Jones bought it. The Jones family owned the house until 1933. They even added a kitchen, which created a new part of the house. It was the Jones family who let Grant Wood use their home for his famous painting.
The Famous Painting: American Gothic
In the summer of 1930, a young art director named Edward Rowan came to Eldon. He was from Cedar Rapids, about 80 miles away. He wanted to bring art to the small town. He opened an art gallery and library and taught art classes. His efforts were very successful. The local newspaper, the Eldon Forum, called the art shows "an unusual treat." Grant Wood, who was from Anamosa, Iowa, felt he owed Rowan a favor. This is why he came to Eldon.
In August, a young painter from Eldon, John Sharp, drove Wood around town. Wood was looking for ideas for his art. Sharp's brother said in 1973 that Wood first sketched the house on the back of an envelope during this drive. Wood didn't think the house was beautiful at first, but he found it interesting. His first biographer, Darrell Garwood, wrote that Wood thought it was "a form of borrowed pretentiousness." He felt it was strange to put a Gothic window in such a simple house. At the time, Wood called it one of the "cardboardy frame houses on Iowa farms" but thought it was "very paintable."
The next day, Wood got permission from the Jones family. He made a sketch in oil paint on paperboard from the front yard. This sketch showed a steeper roof and a longer window than the actual house. These features ended up in the final painting. However, Wood did not add the people to the sketch until he went back to Cedar Rapids.
Wood never returned to Eldon. But he did ask for a photograph of the house to help him finish his painting.
Saving a Landmark: Later History and Today
For many years after American Gothic became an American icon, the house was still a private home. It was usually rented out. The Jones family sold it in 1942 to the Seldon Smith family during a "distress sale" (meaning they had to sell it quickly).
People started trying to save the house as early as 1945. Nan Wood, Grant Wood's sister and the woman in the painting, was one of them. In 1960, an architect and historian named William J. Wagner visited the house. It was starting to fall apart. He was one of the first to suggest saving the house as a historic site.
In the early 1970s, there were disagreements about what to do with the house. The owner, Carl E. Smith, only wanted to fix it up and protect it from damage. But leaders in Eldon wanted to make it a historic site. The house was empty for much of the 1970s. It was damaged by weather and vandalism. It wasn't until the late 1980s that the owner thought about giving the house to the state. Many people in southern Iowa were unsure about what to do. The owner wanted to keep the house only because he thought the renters would have nowhere else to go.
In 1974, an Eldon farmer applied to have the house placed on the National Register of Historic Places. After it was listed, the owner fixed up the house. He added an indoor bathroom and electricity. He also restored the windows and wallpaper. Local politicians believed this work, along with a new museum and education center, could bring many tourists. One state senator hoped for 100,000 visitors each year.
The house's owner finally gave the property to the State Historical Society of Iowa in 1991. There was an idea to move the house to Living History Farms near Des Moines. But the people of Eldon fought to keep it in their city. The house was renovated in 1992. Supporters hoped it would become a popular tourist spot, like the Field of Dreams site in Dyersville. Today, the American Gothic House Center welcomes about 15,000 visitors every year. Many more people visit after hours.
Visitors are encouraged to look at the house from the outside and take photos. The visitors center even has aprons and jackets like those worn by the models in the painting. The American Gothic House Center was finished in 2007. It has exhibits about the painting, Grant Wood, and the community. Every June, Eldon holds its Gothic Days festival. This celebrates the painting and rural life in Eldon in the 1930s. Since 2015, you can even take tours of the first floor of the house.
Images for kids
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This side view shows how small the house is. It also hides most of the newer parts, so you can see the original design.
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The house as it looks in Grant Wood's 1930 painting American Gothic.
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Center staff help visitors dress up and take their photo outside the house.
See also
In Spanish: American Gothic House para niños
