Victorian architects of the late nineteenth century had a remarkably nonchalant attitude when it came to exuberant combinations of architectural images. Seemingly, Heer had several premises that he wished to try out in the H. L. Stout house. The first was to create a contrast between the solidity of masonry and the fragility and lightness of wood. The stone base and first floor of the house are almost monumental; opposed to this quality is the lightness of the wood surfaces and detailing of the second floor, the attic, and the wide-based tower with its row of Moorish windows and curved roof. A second “game” played by the architect is in the realm of images: parts of the building are pure Queen Anne, others are Colonial Revival—and then there are the Richardsonian Romanesque elements, all held more or less in place by the Islamic tower.