The original section bears elements of simplified Italianate architecture in its cubical massing, shallow hip roof, and narrow windows.

Shortly after the original construction, a 1½-story wing was added to the north and integrated into the earlier section with a full-length porch along the eastern elevation.

He was an early settler and promoter of Belle Plain who prospered as a businessman and was mentioned frequently in area newspapers.

[2] The home was purchased in 1886 by Samuel Bowler, a founder of the State Bank of Belle Plaine and a lumber-yard owner.

A man with a large family, Bowler added the west wing, a new kitchen, a buttery, a copper-lined bathtub, and the two-story outhouse.