Court Hill Historic District

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Court Hill Historic District
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Location111 E. Court and 407-1004 N. Court Sts.
Ottumwa, Iowa
Coordinates 41°1′31″N92°24′31″W / 41.02528°N 92.40861°W / 41.02528; -92.40861 Coordinates: 41°1′31″N92°24′31″W / 41.02528°N 92.40861°W / 41.02528; -92.40861
Area27 acres (11 ha)
Architect George Kerns
Edward Clark
Architectural style Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
MPS Ottumwa MPS
NRHP reference # 97001605 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 7, 1998

Court Hill Historic District is a historic district located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. It is a residential area of large homes with a few small homes in between. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as a part of Ottumwa MPS. [1] At the time of its nomination it contained 84 resources, which included 56 contributing buildings, two contributing structures, 25 non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing site. [2]

Historic districts in the United States group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated as historically or architecturally significant

Historic districts in the United States are designated historic districts recognizing a group of buildings, properties, or sites by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided into two categories, contributing and non-contributing. Districts greatly vary in size: some have hundreds of structures, while others have just a few.

Ottumwa, Iowa City in Iowa, United States

Ottumwa is a city in and the county seat of Wapello County, Iowa, United States. The population was 25,023 at the 2010 U.S. Census. Located in the state's southeastern part, the city is split into northern and southern halves by the Des Moines River.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the largest city by population is New York City. Forty-eight states and the capital's federal district are contiguous in North America between Canada and Mexico. The State of Alaska is in the northwest corner of North America, bordered by Canada to the east and across the Bering Strait from Russia to the west. The State of Hawaii is an archipelago in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S. territories are scattered about the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, stretching across nine official time zones. The extremely diverse geography, climate, and wildlife of the United States make it one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries.

Contents

History

Court Street was developed as a major artery from the Des Moines River to Sixth Street, which was Ottumwa's original city limits, where it made a slight turn to the north and headed up a bluff and into the countryside above the river valley. It is possible that it is the road established by the Iowa Territorial Legislature in 1844 that extended from the southern Davis County border to the northern Wapello County border and connected the two county seats. [2] Later it was signed as U.S. Highway 63. The oldest houses in the district were built between 1865 and 1875. The first electric streetcar began operating on Court Street in 1889. The street was paved with bricks in 1890 and 1891. Both projects led to increased development of the area between 1890 and 1915. From this period until 1942 a centralized steam heat system was available in the city and the main pipes were located under Court Street. Because of this, the street was never covered with snow or ice during the winter and people could always climb to the top of the bluff when other streets were impassable. [2] During the World War II years many of the large homes were divided into multi-family dwellings. That process started to be reversed in the late 20th century when historic preservation took root in Ottumwa.

Des Moines River river in Iowa, United States

The Des Moines River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the upper Midwestern United States that is approximately 525 miles (845 km) long from its farther headwaters. The largest river flowing across the state of Iowa, it rises in southern Minnesota and flows across Iowa from northwest to southeast, passing from the glaciated plains into the unglaciated hills near the capital city of Des Moines, named after the river, in the center of the state. The river continues to flow at a southeastern direction away from Des Moines, later flowing directly into the Mississippi River.

Davis County, Iowa County in the United States

Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,753. The county seat is Bloomfield.

Wapello County, Iowa County in the United States

Wapello County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2010 census, the population was 35,625. The county seat is Ottumwa. The county was formed on February 17, 1843 and named for Wapello, a Meskwaki chief.

Architecture

Most of the houses are large in size, but a few smaller houses are scattered throughout the district. While some of the houses have been altered over the years, most of them retain a high level of integrity. [2] Very few of the original buildings in the district have been torn down, and therefore, there is little in the way of new construction. A variety of the most fashionable Victorian styles were built in the district. The most popular include Italianate, Neoclassical, and Queen Anne. Architects who have designs in the district include George Kern, Edward Clark, and Fisher & Lowrie.

Victorian architecture series of architectural revival styles

Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. Victorian refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian were used in construction. However, many elements of what is typically termed "Victorian" architecture did not become popular until later in Victoria's reign. The styles often included interpretations and eclectic revivals of historic styles. The name represents the British and French custom of naming architectural styles for a reigning monarch. Within this naming and classification scheme, it followed Georgian architecture and later Regency architecture, and was succeeded by Edwardian architecture.

Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century. In its purest form, it is a style principally derived from the architecture of classical antiquity, the Vitruvian principles, and the work of the Italian architect Andrea Palladio.

Queen Anne style architecture in the United States architectural style during Victorian Era

In the United States, Queen Anne-style architecture was popular from roughly 1880 to 1910. "Queen Anne" was one of a number of popular architectural styles to emerge during the Victorian era. Within the Victorian era timeline, Queen Anne style followed the Stick style and preceded the Richardsonian Romanesque and Shingle styles.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Molly Myers Naumann. "NRHP Inventory-Nomination: Court Hill Historic District". National Park Service . Retrieved 2019-03-26. with photos
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