156 Garfield St., Valparaiso, Indiana. County/parish: Porter.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places July 17, 1980. NRIS 80000030.
1 contributing building.
The David Garland Rose House was built circa 1860 in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. David Rose was a local businessman. This Gothic Revival house is unusual in that it is eight-sided, an octagon. Each of the eight gables include decorated wood panels. Covered porches have been added to three sides.
The octagon house rose in popularity in 1849 with the publication of Orson Squire Fowler's book A Home For All. The idea was to develop affordable and comfortable housing for the working class. Fowler proposed the use of concrete due to its long life and low cost. Most octagon houses are of wood or brick construction. The "octagon craze" was short-lived and pre-dates the American Civil War. Fewer than 120 octagon houses survive.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/132004509