Area less than one acre MPS Oskaloosa MPS Opened 1903 Added to NRHP 13 December 1991 | Built 1903 NRHP Reference # 91001761 Architectural style Neoclassical architecture Architect Frank E. Wetherell | |
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Location William Penn University campus, N. Market Extension
Oskaloosa, Iowa People also search for Dr. William H. and Mae R. Klose House | ||
The E.H. Gibbs House, also known as Griffith Hall, was a historic building located in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States. Gibbs settled in town in 1869 and became a prominent member of the community here. He was a banker, real estate developer, founded an insurance company, a coal mining company, developed a coal mine, helped to bring the railroad to town, founded the Oskaloosa Times, and served as its first editor. He hired Oskaloosa architect Frank E. Wetherell to design this Neoclassical house, which was completed in 1903. It was the third large commission he received in a three-year period. The other two being St. James Episcopal Church and the Oskaloosa Public Library. Known as "The Elms," the two-story brick house replaced a frame house at the same location, which was the family farm. This house shows his continued interest in Neoclassical detailing, but this is his first executed in brick. Wetherell relocated to Des Moines three years after the house was completed. The Gibbs family gave the house to neighboring William Penn University, and they renamed it Griffith Hall. It was used for offices and music rooms The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991. It has subsequently been torn down.