One of two surviving missionary houses on the island of Kauai, this rectangular, two-story house with a gable roof and prominent verandahs running around both stories was built by the Reverend Peter Gulick in 1829. It features twenty-four-inch-thick sandstone walls and a cellar. Native hardwoods are used extensively throughout the building.
Following the Gulick family's reassignment to Koloa in 1834, the house stood empty until the arrival in Waimea of missionary George Rowell and his family in 1846. Reverend Rowell, a carpenter and cabinetmaker, substantially rebuilt the house, adding the rear end, all the woodwork for the verandahs, and a new roof. Rowell also made most of the furnishings for the house, some examples of which may be viewed at Kauai Museum (KA23) in Lihue. The Rowells resided here until 1884. The house remains a private residence.