Davenport Public Library | |
---|---|
41°31′23.52″N90°34′30.72″W / 41.5232000°N 90.5752000°W | |
Location | 321 N. Main St. 3000 N. Fairmount St. 6000 Eastern Ave. Davenport, Iowa, United States |
Type | Public |
Established | 1877 |
Collection | |
Size | 372,826 |
Access and use | |
Circulation | 946,114 (2011) |
Other information | |
Director | Jeff Collins |
Website | www.davenportlibrary.com |
References: [1] | |
Built | 1968 |
Architect | Edward Durell Stone |
Architectural style | New Formalism |
Part of | Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District (ID100005546 [3] ) |
DRHP No. | 59 [2] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | September 11, 2020 |
Designated DRHP | January 23, 2019 |
The Davenport Public Library is a public library located in Davenport, Iowa. With a history dating back to 1839, the Davenport Public Library's Main Library is currently housed in a 1960s building designed by Kennedy Center architect Edward Durell Stone. The Davenport Public Library system is made up of three libraries—the Main Library at 321 Main Street; the Fairmount Branch Library at 3000 N. Fairmount Street; and the Eastern Avenue Branch Library at 6000 Eastern Avenue.
The library began with a reading room in the Le Claire Hotel established in 1839. [4] Another reading room and circulating library were announced in an 1853 article in the Davenport Gazette. The library eventually leased an entire building. Although then named the Young Men's Library Association, it was managed by the community's women. In 1877, one of them—Clarissa Cook—pledged $10,000 to the library for the construction of its own building if property were obtained for the construction by the citizens. [4] After successfully raising the funds to purchase a lot, the city laid the cornerstone for the Cook Memorial Building on November 7, 1877.
The library eventually outgrew its space. Even though the Library Association no longer had to pay rent and charged a fee for borrowing books, it was struggling financially and could not resolve the issue itself. Local author Alice French requested the assistance of her personal friend Andrew Carnegie, who was already becoming known for his philanthropic assistance of libraries. Carnegie promised to donate $50,000 to construct a new public library if the library were tax supported. [5] The question was successfully put to the vote at the April 1900 election, the first in Iowa which permitted women voters. The city opened its Carnegie library, the largest west of the Mississippi River in 1904, with $75,000.00 in funds donated by Carnegie. [6] The building was designed by Boston architect Calvin Kiessling. The library's first director in the new Carnegie building was Marilla Waite Freeman. [7]
By 1960, the library had outgrown the Carnegie Building as well. It was expanded in 1963 to provide space for further services for children, but the expansion caused displacement of the sand on which the building was founded, leading to structural damage. In 1966, the Carnegie Building had to be demolished, and the library temporarily relocated to a disused department store until new quarters could be constructed. The subsequent Davenport Public Library building, designed by architect Edward Durell Stone, was opened on October 6, 1968. [8] The local architectural firm of Stewart-Robison-Laffan served as associate architects. [9] In 2019, it was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties. [2] In 2020, the building was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. [10]
While the library had long maintained branches in area schools, it opened its first official branch, the 4,200-square-foot (390 m2) Annie Wittenmyer Branch, on April 3, 1978. [8] This branch was located in the historic Annie Wittenmyer Complex, in rooms that were used as the kitchen and dining room of the former Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home. However, due to the growth of the area and the proximity of this branch to the Main Library, officials began considering where to better locate a branch building in the mid-1980s. The citizens of Davenport passed a referendum in 2003 that supported the building and operation of two new library branches. The Annie Wittenmyer Branch closed in November 2005. The Fairmount Branch Library opened on Saturday, January 14, 2006; and the Eastern Avenue Branch Library opened on Saturday, July 10, 2010, completing the library expansion project.
The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is the public library system serving the city of Seattle, Washington. Efforts to start a Seattle library had commenced as early as 1868, with the system eventually being established by the city in 1890. The system currently comprises 27 branches, most of which are named after the neighborhoods in which they are located. The Seattle Public Library also includes Mobile Services and the Central Library, which was designed by Rem Koolhaas and opened in 2004. The Seattle Public Library also founded the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library (WTBBL), which it administered until July 2008.
The Salt Lake City Public Library system is a network of public libraries funded by Salt Lake City. The Free Public Library of Salt Lake City first opened on February 14, 1898. The system is under the direction of a library board and circulates more than three million items each year.
The United States Courthouse, also known as the Federal Building, is a historic building located in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has historically housed a post office, courthouse, and other offices of the United States government. The building now serves only as a federal courthouse, housing operations of the eastern division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In 2018, the operations of the Rock Island division of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois were also moved there.
Davenport City Hall is the official seat of government for the city of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The building was constructed in 1895 and is situated on the northeast corner of the intersection of Harrison Street and West Fourth Street in Downtown Davenport. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
The Kahl Building is an historic building located in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. The building also includes the Capitol Theatre.
The Iowa Soldiers' Orphans' Home, also known at the Annie Wittenmyer Home or the Annie Wittenmyer Center, located in Davenport, Iowa, United States is a former orphanage for children. It is listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The home was originally used for orphans from the American Civil War. Starting in 1876, children from broken homes, as well as orphans from all of Iowa's 99 counties, were taken in at the home.
The First National Bank Building is an historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. The building is now known as the US Bank Building, its main tenant.
The Hose Station No. 1 is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1999. In 2019 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District.
The Central Fire Station is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States and serves as the headquarters of the Davenport Fire Department, as well as the downtown fire station. Built from 1901 to 1902, the original building is the oldest active fire station west of the Mississippi River. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
The Linograph Company Building, also known as the Englehart Manufacturing Company Building and RiverWalk Lofts , is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
The Scott County Jail is the main detention facility for Scott County, Iowa, United States. Inmates are housed for no more than one year, by Iowa law. It is located in the county seat, Davenport, and is part of same facility as the Scott County Courthouse.
The Building at 202 W. Third Street, also known as the M.D. Petersen Estate Building, is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
The Burtis–Kimball House Hotel and the Burtis Opera House were located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It has since been torn down and it was delisted from the National Register in 2008. The theatre building has been significantly altered since a fire in the 1920s. Both, however, remain important to the history of the city of Davenport.
The Davenport Crematorium is located in Fairmount Cemetery in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was the first crematorium established in the state of Iowa and one of the oldest in the United States. The facility was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.
The Scott County Courthouse in Davenport, Iowa, United States was built from 1955 to 1956 and extensively renovated over a ten-year period between 1998 and 2009. It is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration. It is part of a larger county complex that includes the county jail, administration building and juvenile detention facility. In 2020 the courthouse was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. Downtown Davenport is defined as being all of the city south of 5th Street from Marquette Street east to the intersection of River Drive and East 4th Street. The locations of National Register properties and districts may be seen in an online map.
This is a list of the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in Davenport, Iowa, United States.
The First Federal Savings and Loan Association Building is a historic building located in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.
The Mason City Public Library is located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. The building that was funded by Andrew Carnegie, and is now an office building, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It was included as a contributing property in the Mason City Downtown Historic District in 2005.
The First National Bank of Davenport, also known as Brenton Bank and The Brenton, is an historic building located in central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. It is significant for its associations with the history of community planning and development, and as an important example of modernistic design.
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