Otto J. Hager House

Iowa, United States

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

Built between 1907 and 1908 in Waukon, Iowa, the Otto J. Hager House is the sole known Iowa commission of Chicago architect Robert Clossen Spencer, Jr., a leading figure in the Prairie School movement. Completed during what is considered the most innovative period of Spencer's career, the residence marks his move away from English Arts and Crafts influences toward the modernist vocabulary of the Prairie School. The two-story brick structure features a distinctive asymmetrical main façade, with an off-center entry porch supporting a superimposed chamfered balcony room and flanked by two free-standing flared columns with decorative capitals. A stepped window stair on the right balances these elements, while two hipped dormers crown the roofline in vertical alignment. The rubble stone foundation and contrasting Postville limestone details—used for the water table, window sills, belt courses, and the surround of the stair window—articulate the design against the red Monona brick walls. A half-octagonal kitchen wing extends from the rear. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.