Moses Fowler House: Indiana's Gothic Revival Masterpiece

The Fowler House on the hill in Lafayette, Indiana is often described as one of the finest examples of a large Gothic Revival residence still standing in the United States. Moses Fowler built it in eighteen fifty-one and eighteen fifty-two, inspired by a business trip to New York City, where he bought a copy of Andrew Jackson Downing's book The Architecture of Country Houses, hired a local contractor, and used native white oak and black walnut throughout. The decorative plasterwork in the parlors was done by Italian artisans who traveled from New York via the Wabash and Erie Canal.

Fowler was one of Lafayette's leading merchants and cattlemen, and the house reflected his ambition. The Tippecanoe County Historical Association has occupied it since nineteen forty. The Library of Congress holds detailed documentation of the structure, and it remains among the most architecturally significant houses in Indiana.