The house was designed by Waters and built in 1883 for Moses Hooper. Hooper was an Oshkosh attorney who represented Kimberly-Clark among others, and was such an authority on riparian rights that he appeared before the US Supreme Court repeatedly. In 1900 the house was bought by Dr. Charles Oviatt, a noted surgeon who insisted that nuns assisting in surgery wear sterilized garb rather than woolen habits, and eventually received a letter of agreement from Pope Leo XIII.[2]
After Oviatt's death, the house was purchased by what is now the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The school has used it as a girl's dormitory, the president's residence and a charity headquarters.[3] In 1979, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it was also listed on the State Register of Historic Places in 1989.[4]
^Noyes, Edward (1979-02-21). "Moses Hooper House". NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form. US Dept. of the Interior. National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-04-18.
