Well-known German architects designed one-of-a-kind homes for the more affluent German immigrants. The less affluent immigrant’s home was likely to be a modest cottage similar in layout to other homes in the neighborhood.

The family’s pocketbook may have decided the size of the house, but the desire for a well built and functional home was universal. A look at the number of early German-American homes still being used as residences today is a tribute to the success of this desire.