The two identical houses were built by Charles Calder who moved to Cedar Rapids from the state of New York in 1851.

[2] He was involved in real estate and land speculation and at the time of his death in 1890 he held a significant amount of real estate in the city.

The houses are two-story front gable cottages.

The brick structures are built on stone foundations.

The houses were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.