Coues helped found the American Ornithologists' Union in 1883 and edited about 15 volumes of journals, memoirs, and diaries by famous Western explorers and fur traders.

Coues' house is the simpler of the two; it is 3+1⁄2 stories in height with a dormered gable roof and a tall basement.

The entrance is in the right bay of the basement level, framed by pilasters and entablature that rise to also enclose the first-floor window.

A native of New Hampshire, Coues served in the United States Army from 1862 until 1881, pursuing a scientific interest in birds as an avocation.

In 1883 he helped found the American Ornithologists' Union, also holding a chair in the anatomy department at Columbia University.