Columbia Avenue Historic District

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Columbia Avenue Historic District
Building at 2648 Ripley Street - Davenport, Iowa.JPG
Building at 2648 Ripley Street
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Location Roughly W. Columbia Avenue, and Harrison and Ripley and W. Hayes Streets, Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates 41°32′49″N90°34′40″W / 41.54694°N 90.57778°W / 41.54694; -90.57778 Coordinates: 41°32′49″N90°34′40″W / 41.54694°N 90.57778°W / 41.54694; -90.57778
Area 6.95 acres (2.81 ha)
Built 1930-1939
MPS Davenport MRA
NRHP reference # 84000298 [1]
Added to NRHP November 1, 1984

Columbia Avenue Historic District is located in the central part of the city of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. [1] The district lies north and west of Vander Veer Park. The area is entirely residential and it contains brick apartment buildings that were built between 1930 and 1939. It is one of the city's smallest districts and it is unique among the other historic districts in that it contains primarily apartment buildings. [2]

Davenport, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Davenport is the county seat of Scott County in Iowa and is located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. It is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population estimate of 382,630 and a CSA population of 474,226; it is the 90th largest CSA in the nation. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine Le Claire and was named for his friend George Davenport, a former English sailor who served in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, served as a supplier Fort Armstrong, worked as a fur trader with the American Fur Company, and was appointed a quartermaster with the rank of colonel during the Black Hawk War. According to the 2010 census, the city had a population of 99,685. The city appealed this figure, arguing that the Census Bureau missed a section of residents, and that its total population was more than 100,000. The Census Bureau estimated Davenport's 2011 population to be 100,802.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Vander Veer Botanical Park

The Vander Veer Botanical Park is a 33-acre (130,000 m2) botanical garden in the Vander Veer Park Historic District of Davenport, Iowa. It is believed to be one of the first botanical parks west of the Mississippi River. The park was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties on August 4, 1993.

Contents

History

Building at 328 Columbia Avenue Building at 328 Columbia Avenue - Davenport, Iowa.JPG
Building at 328 Columbia Avenue

The historic district is quite possibly the earliest apartment complex in the city of Davenport. [3] The city has a long history of multiple-family housing. There is at least one row house from the 1860s still in existence. The double-house, or duplex, was popular in the city throughout the 19th century and were designed in the same styles as single-family dwellings. Larger apartment blocks of three to five floors were built in and around the city center for middle and upper-middle class households around the turn of the 20th century. During the 1910s and 1920s, most residential construction in the city was devoted to single-family homes. Harrison Manor was built from 1925 to 1926. It is a 46-unit building on Harrison Street, across from Vander Veer Park. At the time it was the largest apartment building constructed in Davenport and was similar to the apartment blocks that were being built in Chicago during the same time period. [3]

Duplex (building) two-unit flat building or condominium

A duplex house plan has two living units attached to each other, either next to each other via townhouses or above each other like apartments By contrast, a building comprising two attached units on two distinct properties is typically considered semi-detached or twin homes but is also called a duplex in parts of the Northeastern United States.

Chicago City in Illinois, United States

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois and the third most populous city in the United States. With an estimated population of 2,716,450 (2017), it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States. Chicago is the county seat of Cook County, the second most populous county in the United States, and the principal city of the Chicago metropolitan area, which is often referred to as "Chicagoland." The Chicago metropolitan area, at nearly 10 million people, is the third-largest in the United States; the fourth largest in North America ; and the third largest metropolitan area in the world by land area.

The apartment complex centered on Columbia Avenue was begun in 1930 by Mclnnes Brothers, a local contractor and developer. It is located a block northwest of Vander Veer Park. They had several buildings of the complex under construction when they went bankrupt in 1931. Otto Behrens and John F. Steffen stepped in and completed the buildings begun by Mclnnes Brothers. Archie Mclnnes reorganized the construction firm and completed the five remaining buildings in the complex.

Bankruptcy legal status of a person or other entity that cannot repay the debts it owes to creditors

Bankruptcy is a legal status of a person or other entity who cannot repay debts to creditors. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor.

Architecture

Building at 2650 Harrison Street Building at 2650 Harrison Street - Davenport, Iowa.JPG
Building at 2650 Harrison Street

The apartment buildings in the Columbia Avenue Historic District are made up of 19 four to six-unit apartment buildings that were built between 1930 and 1939 and two similar structures built in the 1950s. [3] The buildings form a complex along city streets. Eight of the buildings face both sides of West Columbia Avenue, which runs through the middle of the district between Harrison and Ripley Streets. Three of the buildings flank Columbia facing Harrison. Four more building face West Hayes Street to the north, and six buildings face Ripley Street on the west.

The garage behind 333 West Hayes Street Columbia Avenue Historic District garage - front.JPG
The garage behind 333 West Hayes Street

There are several characteristics that are basic to each structure. They are all two stories with a raised basement-level unit. All of the buildings follow a rectangular plan with a symmetrical three or five-bay main facade. They are all frame construction and the exteriors are covered with polychrome tapestry brick. For the most part, the decorative detail of each building is restrained with the main entrance as the primary decorative element. Each unit has a matching brick multi-car garage that faces an alley. While all of the buildings contain the above characteristics they are each distinct in appearance from each other.

Bay (architecture) space defined by the vertical piers, in a building

In architecture, a bay is the space between architectural elements, or a recess or compartment. Bay comes from Old French baee, meaning an opening or hole.

Facade exterior side of a building, usually the front but not always

A facade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually the front. It is a foreign loan word from the French façade, which means "frontage" or "face".

The differences in each building are largely found in their decorative detail. Some of the buildings have flat roofs with parapets and a recessed main entrance bay. Others have hipped roofs with dormers and a flat facade, or a projecting central bay that terminates in shallow gables with partial returns. The main entrances into the buildings also differ in style and shape. Some of the entrances are rectangular, while others have a round-arch or a depressed Tudor arch. The door surrounds are composed of brick, rock-faced stone, or glazed terracotta. [3] A number of the newer buildings feature end-bay windows. The stairwell windows also differ from building to building. Some contain leaded glass and stained glass, while others have bits of mirror glass that are used in abstract designs.

Parapet barrier which is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure

A parapet is a barrier which is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian parapetto. The German equivalent Brüstung has the same meaning. Where extending above a roof, a parapet may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the edge line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a fire wall or party wall. Parapets were originally used to defend buildings from military attack, but today they are primarily used as guard rails and to prevent the spread of fires.

Hip roof type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls

A hip roof, hip-roof or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus a hipped roof house has no gables or other vertical sides to the roof.

Dormer structural element of a building

A dormer is a roofed structure, often containing a window, that projects vertically beyond the plane of a pitched roof. A dormer window is a form of roof window.

Related Research Articles

Marycrest College Historic District

Marycrest College Historic District is located on a bluff overlooking the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The district encompasses the campus of Marycrest College, which was a small, private collegiate institution. The school became Teikyo Marycrest University and finally Marycrest International University after affiliating with a private educational consortium during the 1990s. The school closed in 2002 because of financial shortcomings. The campus has been listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places since 2004. At the time of its nomination, the historic district consisted of 13 resources, including six contributing buildings and five non-contributing buildings. Two of the buildings were already individually listed on the National Register.

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Vander Veer Park Historic District historic district in Davenport, Iowa

The Vander Veer Park Historic District is a historic district in Davenport, Iowa, United States, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over its 70.8-acre (287,000 m2) area, in 1985 it included 66 contributing buildings, two contributing structures, one contributing site, and one contributing object.

Prospect Park Historic District (Davenport, Iowa)

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Davenport Hotel (Davenport, Iowa)

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College Square Historic District historic district in Davenport, Iowa

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Dillon Memorial

The Dillon Memorial is a historic structure located in LeClaire Park, near downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1983 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993. It is commonly referred to as the Dillon Fountain.

West Third Street Historic District (Davenport, Iowa)

West Third Street Historic District is located on the west side of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The historic district connects the central business district with the working-class neighborhoods of the West End. Its historical significance is its connection to Davenport's German-American community. Germans were the largest ethnic group to settle in Davenport.

Henry Berg Building

The Henry Berg Building is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. It is on the same block as Davenport Bank and Trust, Central Office Building and 202 W. Third Street. It is also next to the Ficke Block on Harrison Street. All of these structures are listed on the National Register.

E. P. Adler House

The E.P. Adler House is a historic building located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. In 1984 it was included as a contributing property in the Vander Veer Park Historic District. It has been on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties since 2008.

Bridge Avenue Historic District

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St. Paul Lutheran Church (Davenport, Iowa) Church in Iowa, United States

St. Paul Lutheran Church is located in central, Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The church's original property, which subsequently housed other Protestant congregations, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It has since been torn down. The present complex that was built in 1952 contains two buildings that are contributing properties in the Vander Veer Park Historic District. The present church building was completed in 2007.

Outing Club building and club in Davenport, Iowa

The Outing Club is located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. In 1985 it was included as a contributing property in the Vander Veer Park Historic District.

Linden Flats

Linden Flats was located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and included as a contributing property in the West Third Street Historic District in 1983. The building was torn down after it was destroyed in a fire in 2005.

Edward Hammatt architect

Edward Hammatt was an architect in the United States. He designed several notable buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. ↑ Gaul, Alma (February 11, 2008). "Davenport most historic city in Iowa". Davenport: Quad-City Times . Retrieved 2010-05-23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Martha Bowers, Marlys Svendsen. "Columbia Avenue Historic District". National Park Service . Retrieved 2014-04-14. with photos

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