This sturdy-looking cement block house—known for many years as the
‘stone house’ or the ‘castle’—has occupied the northwest corner of Fifth
Avenue North and Sixteenth Street since 1908.
Henry W. Wolfe purchased the corner lot in 1903 that extended along
Sixteenth Street from Fifth to Sixth Avenues North and five years later
built the big house. In 1910 he erected the cement house just to the
north—at the Sixth Avenue corner.
The house with the address of 1530 5th Ave. N. is now owned by Mr. and
Mrs. Robert Bocken, 831 N. 21st St. who purchased it in 1965. Many years
ago it was converted into a duplex with two apartments that are rented
out. Each apartment has a living room, dining room, kitchen on the first
floor and two bedrooms and bath on the second floor.
A unique feature of the house is the corner tower-like area that extends
from the ground floor to the attic. At the roof level is a cupola with
six windows and a peaked roof. Wolfe, a Spanish-American War veteran
brought back many mementoes of the Philippine Islands which he displayed
in cases in the cupola area. There was also a landscape mural painting
on the six sections of the wall.
Mrs. A. F. Jessen, 2442 10th Ave. N. is a daughter of the late Mr. and
Mrs. Henry W. Wolfe, and relates interesting information about the house
where she lived with her parents. Original interior arrangement of the
house included a large living room, entry hall, dining room, library
with fireplace, kitchen and pantry on the first floor; four bedrooms and
bath on the second floor, the bedroom above the library with a
fireplace.
[Illustration: The Wolfe home
1530 5th Avenue North]
The house was occupied by the Wolfes until 1918. In 1923 it was acquired
by Dr. E. M. Van Patten, a well-known osteopathic physician here, and
the Van Pattens resided there for many years. Since then the house has
changed ownership several times.
Wolfe built the home when he was associated with the Iowa Hydraulic
Stone Company which had its plant in the area where the Hormel plant is
now located. The company manufactured cement blocks, ornamental stone
and special forms of cast work. Wolfe was secretary and general manager
of the stone company and F. C. Minogue was president. After the company
ceased operations Wolfe was employed at the Fort Dodge post office for
some years. He died in 1955 at age 83; Mrs. Wolfe died in 1970 at age
92.