R. Bruce and May W. Louden House

Iowa, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Heritage registerNational Register of Historic Places↗

The R. Bruce and May W. Louden House is a Colonial Revival residence built in 1905 in Fairfield, Iowa, and home to R. Bruce Louden, the third president of the Louden Machinery Company, until his sale of the property in 1948. The interior underwent remodeling in Art Deco style in 1928. Situated within walking distance of the factory—a practice common among industrial owners of the era—the house reflected Louden's prominence in a company that became one of the world's largest farm equipment manufacturers and a critical wartime supplier. During World War II, Louden Machinery produced overhead handling equipment and assembly lines for both the B-29 bomber and, unknowingly to R. Bruce Louden himself, the world's first atomic bomb, with liaison conducted through Vice President R. R. Louden. Louden was killed in an automobile accident in 1951. The house was converted into apartments during the 1960s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.