E. H. Harrison House

The E. H. Harrison House (1857) in Keokuk, Iowa, is a Federal/Greek Revival/Second Empire residence designed by Frederick H. Moore for banker Enos H. Harrison. It is believed to be Iowa's first house with a mansard roof. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Local tradition mentions a 'friendly ghost' but no documented event anchors this story.

The E. H. Harrison House stands at 401 Keokuk Street in Keokuk, Iowa, a two-and-a-half-story brick residence built in 1857 for Enos H. Harrison, a prominent banker and civic leader. The house was designed by Frederick H. Moore, a local architect whose work helped shape Keokuk's mid-19th-century building stock. The structure blends Federal, Greek Revival, and Second Empire details, and local historians regard it as the first house in Iowa to incorporate a mansard roof-a hallmark of the Second Empire style that became fashionable in the United States after the 1850s. Harrison himself was instrumental in Keokuk's economic development: he helped organize the Keokuk Branch of the Iowa State Bank and was a leading advocate for the city's waterworks system, which was completed in the 1870s. He lived in the house until his death in 1877. After passing out of the Harrison family, the building served various commercial purposes and was converted to office use around 1967. Today it remains privately owned and occupied. The "friendly ghost" tradition attached to the house appears in local folklore and is mentioned by people who have worked inside, but no single documented event anchors the story. The house itself is a well-preserved example of Iowa's pre-Civil War residential architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Harrison House represents a transitional moment in Iowa architecture: the Federal and Greek Revival styles that dominated the 1840s and 1850s were giving way to the more ornate Italianate and Second Empire fashions that would prevail after the Civil War. Frederick H. Moore's decision to incorporate a mansard roof-a feature then at the cutting edge of American architectural fashion-demonstrates both the Harrisons' wealth and their connection to eastern design trends. The house's two-story bowed front bay, elliptical doorway arch, and offset entrance are characteristic of the Federal-Greek Revival vocabulary, while the mansard roof and its decorative brackets signal the Second Empire influence. Interior details include the original open two-story staircase, said to be one of only seven self-supporting staircases of its type in the United States, and decorative plasterwork in the principal rooms. The property originally included outbuildings and a larger lot that was gradually subdivided as Keokuk grew.

The E. H. Harrison House is located at 401 Keokuk Street, Keokuk, Iowa. The building is privately owned and occupied as offices; it is not open to the public for tours. The exterior can be viewed from the public right-of-way. Keokuk's downtown historic district includes several other 19th-century buildings worth visiting for architecture enthusiasts. For those interested in Iowa's Second Empire residential architecture, the State Historical Society of Iowa maintains records and photographs of the Harrison House and comparable structures. The building's exterior retains its original brickwork, mansard roof with decorative brackets, and the distinctive bowed front bay. Architecture enthusiasts can compare the Harrison House with other Second Empire residences in Iowa, including the Governor's Mansion in Des Moines and the William H. H. House in Davenport. The Keokuk Historical Museum maintains a small exhibit on the Harrison family and the house's architectural significance. The National Register nomination form, available through the National Park Service, provides detailed architectural description and historical context.