Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
STEAMBOAT ARCHITECTURE
STEAMBOAT ARCHITECTURE. Also known as "Riverboat Gothic," the style displays multi-level porches typical of those found on homes with a French influence in Louisiana. Large porches helped shade walls, thus cooling the home and providing a sheltered place to rest on hot, humid days. Many examples were once found along the bluffs of Dubuque.
Today the few examples that exist have often enclosed one of the porches making identification of this style more difficult.