Samuel Rownd, Sr. first came to what is now Cedar Falls in 1850. By 1859, when he moved his family to Cedar Falls and settled permanently, he owned 4,000 acres. He and his family eventually owned all of what is now College Hill and Cedar Heights, as well as additional land south of town.

Rownd began building the house in 1865. It was expanded and modified during the next thirty years, reaching completion by 1895. The presumed foundation of an earlier house can be seen in the back of the existing building. The house was built of limestone (possibly quarried at 18th and Main Streets in Cedar Falls) in the Queen Anne style. The two story house features four bedrooms and oak woodwork. The home remained in the family until 1945. Today, the house is a private residence.