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American Gothic House

Eldon, United States of America

American Gothic House

The American Gothic House, also known as the Dibble House, is a house in Eldon, Iowa, designed in the Carpenter Gothic style with a distinctive upper window. It was the backdrop of the 1930 painting American Gothic by Grant Wood, generally considered Wood's most famous work and among the most recogn

ized paintings in twentieth century American art. Wood, who observed the house only twice in his lifetime, made only an initial sketch of the house—he completed American Gothic at his studio in Cedar Rapids. First owned by Eldon resident Charles Dibble after its construction in 1881–82, the house remained (with one 1897 exception) a private residence well into the late twentieth century. A thirty‑year preservation effort culminated in 1991, when the property was donated to the State Historical Society of Iowa and developed as a historic house museum with a visitors center. The house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, is preserved in its 1930 appearance.

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