Majestic 133-Year-Old Iowa House Was Home to Famous Author [PHOTOS]
This home has both beauty and a history that's nearly unprecedented for houses its age. Despite it being 133 years old, it appears to be in impeccable condition.
This amazing home was built in 1890 by Frank D. Hyde. A charter member of the Architectural Association of Iowa, he would build a number of noteworthy structures in Iowa. After moving to Chicago, he was the architect who designed the Leigh Valley Railroad Station (below) in Rochester, New York. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.
The house, at 900 W 3rd St. in Dubuque, was built for L.C. Bissell. Nineteen years after it was completed, he was an original board member of what eventually would become the Dubuque Chamber of Commerce. The home was in the Bissell family for an incredible 87 years, but L.C. wasn't its most famous inhabitant.
Richard Bissell, L.C.'s grandson, grew up in the home and eventually attended Harvard. After spending many years working on the river as a seamen and towboat employee, he returned to Dubuque in 1938. Bissell was a writer and in 1953, authored the book '7 1/2 Cents', which was set in the fictitious town of Junction City, Iowa.
The book was such a huge success that in the spring of 1954, a musical based on it premiered on Broadway. 'The Pajama Game' won a Tony Award for Best Musical in 1955. The musical has continued to have great success through the years. In 1957, Doris Day would star in a movie, also called 'The Pajama Game'.
Bissell moved into the home his grandfather built in the mid-1970s and lived there until he passed away in 1977. The home was then sold to the Mozena family that's owned it ever since. Yes, 133 years and only two owners.
According to the listing, the house has been the site for several films and has been featured in The Iowan, Riverland, and Midwest Living.
You can see photos of this absolutely beautiful home below.