Updated on December 22, 2025
Take a gander around Iowa City, and you’ll see houses of every shape, size, and style. From stately Victorians lining Summit Street to new neighborhoods popping up on the edge of the town, you can find houses dating back to as early as the first half of the 19th century, all the way to homes being built today. As time has progressed, styles have come and gone out of fashion, leaving us with a wonderfully eclectic mix of old and new.
Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting various architectural styles you can find in Iowa City and the surrounding areas. Last week, we kicked off our Architecture 101 series with a blog featuring the Prairie Style. This week, we’ll be looking at the picturesque Tudor-style home.
History
The Tudor architectural style originated in the 19th century and was inspired by early English folk houses and medieval palaces. Most Tudor-style homes in America were built between 1890–1940. The design lost its allure after World War II during a time when patriotism was increasing, and American styles such as Colonial Revival homes became the new standard.
Identifying Tudor-Style Homes
- Steeply pitched, gabled roofs
- Elaborate chimneys
- Decorative detailing
- Embellished doorways
- Half-timbering
- Multi-paned windows in groups of two, three, or four
Decorative detailing is quintessential to the Tudor style. Nearly all Tudor homes have some form of embellishment, often including decorative half-timbering, large, elaborate chimneys, and detailed doors and windows. Doorways are typically arched, and both windows and doors feature elaborate trim.
Variations in the Tudor House
With its endlessly adaptable characteristics, the Tudor style can be seen on houses big and small, often with unique, asymmetrical facades. One of the most notable variations between Tudors is the exterior wall cladding, the largely decorative outermost layer of building material.
Tudor homes are well known for their high-quality craftsmanship and durability, and their cladding is no exception. Most commonly found are homes featuring brick, stone, wood, or stucco cladding. Â
Photo Credit: Avi Werde (Unsplash)
Early on, brick was a popular choice among the more lavish Tudor homes. With time, the material became more widely used among smaller, more modest Tudor cottages. It is common to find homes featuring brick cladding laid in a decorative, elaborate pattern on the first floor and another material—such as stucco or stone—on the second floor.
Tudor homes can also be found with stucco, stone, and wooden cladding. Stucco was often utilized on more modest Tudor homes built before the rise in popularity of brick cladding. While stone is quite popular in the Tudor style, it is rarely found as the main cladding material but rather as a complementary decorative material on chimneys and as a focal point on entryways.
Photo Credit: Gordie Jackson (Unsplash)
A distinctive characteristic of Tudor-style homes is their steeply pitched, gabled roofs. This type of roof is well-suited to the Midwest due to its ability to withstand excessive amounts of rain and snow. The roof is often adorned with small, gabled dormers.
While this style of roofing has come to define the style, it didn’t start this way. When the Tudor design first became popular, most homes channeled late Medieval buildings and featured Renaissance detailing with parapeted gables. With time, this faded away and transitioned into the classic gabled roof design we know and love today.
Local and National Examples
Local: Pi Beta Phi House, University of Iowa
Located along the historic, tree-lined streets of Iowa City, the Pi Beta Phi house at the University of Iowa stands as a cornerstone of the Greek community. The house at 815 East Washington Street serves as a physical landmark of one of the oldest Greek organizations at the University of Iowa.
Photo Credit: Pi Beta Phi
Chi Omega House, University of Iowa
The Chi Omega house at 804 Iowa Avenue is a historic centerpiece for the Psi Beta chapter, which started at the University of Iowa in 1919. Over the last century, the ‘804’ (as it’s known by members) has been meticulously maintained.
Photo Credit: Iowa Chi Omega
National: Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
Completed in 1928, the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House, also known as Gaukler Point, is a testament to the ‘Country Place Era’ of American architecture. The estate was a departure from Architect Albert Kahn’s famous industrial work for the Ford Motor Company. Edsel and Eleanor wanted a home inspired by the vernacular architecture of the English Cotswolds.
And they got their wish: The 30,000-square-foot mansion mimics a quaint English village through its irregular massing, steeply pitched gables, and hand-chiseled sandstone walls.
Photo Credit: Edsel and Eleanor Ford House
Van Sweringen House, Cleveland, OH
The Van Sweringen Mansion at 17400 South Park Boulevard in Shaker Heights was intended to be the premier ‘demonstration home’ for the newly developed Shaker Country Club estates. Designed in 1924 by the architectural firm Small & Rowley, the mansion is one of the most iconic representations of the architects’ Tudor Revival standards. It features steeply pitched gables, prominent decorative half-timbering, and massive chimneys with intricate brickwork.
Photo Credit: Cleveland Historical
Show Us the Tudor-Style Homes Near You
Do you know of any Tudor-style homes in your community? We’d love to see them! Take a picture, and use the hashtag #UAhistorichomes.
Looking for your own place to call home? Whether you’re on the hunt for a historic home or a new build, we’re here to help!
