Grenville M. Dodge House - Council Bluffs, IA - Victorian Style Architecture on Waymarking.com

County of house: Pottawatomie County
Location of house; S. 3rd St. & Story St., Councli Bluffs
Phone: 712-322-406
Architect: William Boyington
Architectural Style: Victorian - Second Empire

" Perhaps one of Council Bluffs’ most famous residents, Gen. Grenville M. Dodge has been called “the greatest railroad builder of all time.” A Civil War veteran, Dodge’s involvement in political, financial and military affairs made him an associate of many of the most influential Americans of his time and counsel to presidents, including Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. During his lifetime he engaged in the mercantile business, organized a bank, surveyed the Missouri River Valley to the West for the Transcontinental Railroad, served a term in the U.S. Congress, and served with distinction in the Civil War, attaining the rank of Major General. It is said that he was the youngest General in the US Army until WWII. Although, Grenville Dodge achieved fame, fortune and historic importance by being a renowned railroad builder.

"In 1869, Dodge built his handsome Victorian home at 605 Third Street at the cost of $35,000, a lavish sum for that day. The house was designed by William Boyington, a Chicago architect. The fourteen-room, three-story mansion stands on a high terrace overlooking the Missouri Valley, and displays such architectural features as parquet floors, cherry, walnut and butternut woodwork, and a number of “modern” conveniences quite unusual for the period. General Dodge was deeply involved in the planning and building of his home, making several modifications; such as central heating and hot and cold running water. Despite the home’s elegant appointments, it is important to remember that it was built on what was essentially the frontier." ~ Historic General Dodge House