[5] The exterior of the building is faced with St. Louis pressed brick and rests on a raised ground story covered in rusticated pink Kasota stone.

A checkerboard pattern of brick and rusticated stone adorns the area just above the main entrance and the façades of the east and west gables.

Characteristic Richardsonian arches, supported by red granite columns, frame the north and south entrances.

However, the corner turrets, hipped roof, cross gables, and hewn stone trim are more typical of the Queen Anne style.

The semi-circular transoms on the middle east and west windows feature the seal of the State of Iowa in frosted glass.