German Bank (Dubuque, Iowa)

Last updated
German Bank
German Bank (Dubuque).jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location342 Main St.
Dubuque, Iowa
Coordinates 42°29′49.8″N90°39′53.7″W / 42.497167°N 90.664917°W / 42.497167; -90.664917
Arealess than one acre
Built1901
ArchitectW.G. Williamson
John Spencer
Part of Old Main Street Historic District (ID83000356)
NRHP reference No. 78001216 [1]
Added to NRHPMarch 28, 1978

German Bank is a historic building located in the Lower Main Street district of Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The city's German community was its most prominent ethnic group in the mid to late 19th century. [2] Like many other Iowa cities of that era, Dubuque had banks that were owned by, and catered to, members of their particular immigrant communities. T.H. Thedinga, the city's first German-born mayor, started this bank in 1864 to serve immigrant Germans. In 1868 it moved from its original location on Main Street and into the former Dubuque Miners' Bank building. That building was torn down in 1901 in order to construct this one. It was designed by Dubuque architect John Spencer in partnership with Chicago architect W.G. Williamson. The three-story brick building has a highly decorative main facade composed of polished pink granite on the main floor and terra cotta on the upper two floors. Decorative elements include egg-and-dart, Greek fret, a row of small lions' heads, bay windows, scroll pediments, imperial German eagles, and a bracketed cornice with dentils. The second and third floors are dominated by four fluted, banded columns with Corinthian capitals.

The bank remained in operation here until 1932 when it closed in the Great Depression. Since 1946 the first floor has housed a restaurant and bar. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. [1] and it was included as a contributing property in the Old Main Street Historic District in 1983. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Luke's United Methodist Church (Dubuque, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Luke's United Methodist Church, also known as St. Luke's Methodist and as St. Luke's United Methodist, is an historic Richardsonian Romanesque-style church located at 1199 Main Street in Dubuque, Iowa. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998, and as a contributing property in the Upper Main Street Historic District in 2005. It is part of the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque County Courthouse</span> United States historic place

The Dubuque County Courthouse is located on Central Avenue, between 7th and 8th Streets, in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The current structure was built from 1891 to 1893 to replace an earlier building. These are believed to be the only two structures to house the county courts and administrative offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Langworthy House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Langworthy House, also known as the Octagon House, is an historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Built in 1856, it was designed by local architect John F. Rague for local politician Edward Langworthy. The two-story brick home features tall windows, a columned entry, and a windowed cupola. Langworthy and three of his brothers were among the first settlers in Dubuque. They were partners in a lead mine, helped to build the territorial road between Dubuque and Iowa City, they farmed, invested in real estate, and they owned a steamboat and a mercantile exchange. The house has been passed down through Langworthy's descendants. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and it was included as a contributing property in the Langworthy Historic District in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Park House Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Park House Hotel, also known as St. Agatha's Seminary and Burkeley Apartments, is an historic building located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The building was built in 1852 for Ferdinand Haberstroh. As the Park House Hotel, it catered to those who did business when the city was the capitol of Iowa, and it is one of the few remaining commercial buildings from that era. After Haberstroh died in 1860, the Rev. William Emonds of near-by St. Mary's Catholic Church bought the property and its debt. Two years later the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary from Dubuque, Iowa opened St. Agatha's Female Seminary. The building acquired its mansard roof in 1875. Classrooms were located on the first two floors and residential space for the sisters and students who boarded here were on the upper two floors. The school closed in 1909 and Albert Burkeley converted the building into a women's boarding house called "Svendi". After 1918 it became an apartment building known as "Burkeley Place", and it has been an apartment building ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

St. Joseph Catholic Church is a former Catholic parish in the Diocese of Davenport. Its former parish church is located in the west end of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The church and the rectory were listed together on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1999. After serving as the location of a Reformed Baptist congregation and a private elementary school named Marquette Academy, the parish property now houses a fundamentalist Christian ministry named One Eighty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Third Street Historic District (Davenport, Iowa)</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Berg Building</span> United States historic place

The Henry Berg 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop's Block</span> United States historic place

The Bishop's Block, also known as the Bishop's Block Apartments, is an historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It was included as a contributing property in the Old Main Street Historic District in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steyer Opera House</span> United States historic place

Steyer Opera House is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The three-story, brick commercial block was designed by F.G. Brant of Dubuque. Its original owner and namesake was Joseph Steyer, who emigrated from Luxembourg in 1852 and settled in Decorah in 1865. The building was built in 1870 and an additional three bays were added to the east side in 1875. The first floor houses retail space, the second floor historically housed apartments, and the auditorium is on the third floor. The walls and ceiling are covered with tin that is pressed in a variety of decorative patterns. Doorways flank the proscenium. They are framed by paneled pilasters and capped with a broad architrave. The balcony that rings the main floor on three sides of the auditorium was part of the 1875 renovation of the building. It is now part of the neighboring Hotel Winneshiek. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2017 it was included as a contributing property in the Decorah Commercial Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parker's Opera House</span> United States historic place

Parker's Opera House, also known as Opera House Store, Woolworth's and Parker Place, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. It was designed by the prominent Des Moines architect William Foster. Cousins H. G. and A. T. Parker built this structure as an opera house, which was the first one in the community. While it initially filled a need in Mason City, it was replaced by more modern theatres around the turn of the 20th century. The third floor was created in the building in 1909 when it was placed across the middle of the auditorium. The first floor initially housed a clothing store, and F. W. Woolworth Company occupied it beginning in the mid-1920s, and the upper floors housed the local offices of the Standard Oil Company at the same time. The two-story addition in the rear was built in the 1960s. The first floor was redesigned in 1997 for Central Park Dentistry. The upper floors were converted into apartments in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evans Block (Sioux City, Iowa)</span> United States historic place

The Evans Block, also known as Northwestern National Bank Building, is a historic building located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. The city experienced a building boom that began in the late 1880s and continued into the early 1890s. Fred T. Evans, an entrepreneur who had business interests in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, had this building constructed to house Northwestern National Bank of which he was the president. The bank occupied the main level and other offices were housed on the upper floors. Local architect Charles P. Brown designed the four-story Romanesque Revival style building. The Black Hills sandstone for the public facades was from Evans' quarry. The Panic of 1893 brought Sioux City's building boom to an end, and the Evans block was sold in January 1895. Subsequently, the building has housed a hotel, a factory, a saloon, and a variety of stores. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, and as a contributing property in the Fourth Street Historic District in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles T. Hancock House</span> Historic house in Iowa, United States

The Charles T. Hancock House, also known as the Hancock-Gross House, is a historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Hancock owned a large wholesale grocery firm. He hired local architect Frank D. Hyde to design this three-story frame Queen Anne. Completed in 1890, the house is situated on the brow of a 64-foot (20 m) bluff. It has views of the city below, as well as the hills of Wisconsin and Illinois across the Mississippi River. While restrained when compared with other houses in this style, it does feature an irregular plan, a wraparound porch, multiple roof lines, narrow bargeboards in the gables, and a corner tower with a conical roof. The house was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, and it was included as a contributing property in the West Eleventh Street Historic District in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bell Block</span> United States historic place

The John Bell Block, also known as the German Bank & Trust Building, is a historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The three-story brick commercial Italianate building was constructed by local businessman John Bell in 1886. Its location on the north side of the central business district meant that it housed several businesses owned by the city's German immigrant population. Chief among them was the German Trust and Savings Bank. It became a tenant when the building was completed and it remained until it built its own building in 1922. In 1918 anti-German sentiments that resulted from World War I forced the bank to change its name to Union Trust and Savings Bank. It remained in operation until 1932 when a run on its deposits as a result of the Great Depression forced it to fail. Its building was taken over by Dubuque Bank and Trust. Three prominent Dubuque professionals also had offices on the second floor of the building. German-born architect Martin Heer had offices beginning in 1888. He partnered with another German-born architect, Guido Beck, from 1889 to 1895. Beck was noted for his commercial blocks and churches. Contractor Anton Zwack had offices here from 1911 to c. 1965. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque City Hall</span> United States historic place

Dubuque City Hall is located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The building was designed by J.N. Moody after Faneuil Hall in Boston and the Fulton Street Market in New York City. Dubuque architect John F. Rague served as the supervising architect during construction. Following a Medieval tradition, the city market was located on the first floor, municipal offices were located on the second floor, and a ballroom for civic events was located on the third floor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carnegie-Stout Public Library</span>

The Carnegie-Stout Public Library is located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The public library had its beginnings with the Young Men's Literary Association, established in 1859, and their book collection was the basis for the library's collection. The books were housed in a variety of buildings over the years. The community applied for a grant from Andrew Carnegie who on January 12, 1901, contributed $71,500 to build the library building. Local businessman Frank D. Stout donated the property, which was worth $20,000, in honor of his father Henry L. Stout. The two-story Bedford stone and brick building was designed by Chicago architects W. G. Williamson and John Spencer. It is considered one of the finest examples of the Classical tradition of Beaux-Arts architecture in Iowa. The main facade is dominated by a Roman Corinthian portico that was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome. Its fluted columns are matched with pilasters on the wall behind. The building was dedicated on October 17, 1902, and it opened three days later. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and it was included as a contributing property in the Jackson Park Historic District in 1986. An addition was added to the east side of the building in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate Power Company Building</span> United States historic place

The Interstate Power Company Building, also known as the Masonic Hall and the Dubuque Electric Company, is a historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. While a single facility, this is actually two buildings: an 1894 three-story Queen Anne, and a 1956 three-story Modern Movement free-standing addition. The Dubuque Electric Company moved into the older building in 1924, and the following year it was reorganized as Interstate Power Company. This became the headquarters of a regional electrical utility that, at one time, served parts of eight states and a Canadian province. The Great Depression and antitrust court rulings altered the company's fortunes. The 1956 addition was designed to hold the companies large computers in an air-conditioned environment, in addition to office space. Other additions to the building were made in 1962, 1981 and 1989. The facility remained Interstate's corporate headquarters until Alliant Energy bought and absorbed the company in 1996. Alliant continued to use the building for a period of time afterward. It was included as a contributing property in the Upper Main Street Historic District in 2005, and it was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dubuque Casket Company</span> United States historic place

The Dubuque Casket Company is a historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The city was a leading national market in the production of caskets towards the end of the 19th century. This location had been the site of a casket manufacturing plant from 1877 to 1987. The Dubuque Furniture and Burial Case Company was the first firm in Dubuque and the first to locate here. The building was largely destroyed by fire in 1883 and the company was forced out of business. The Dubuque Casket Company was incorporated in 1893 and acquired this property. They started construction of the first part of this building the same year. The four-story brick Neoclassical building was one of the largest manufacturing facilities in Dubuque. The machine and equipment room was located on the first floor, they manufactured fine cloth covered caskets on the second floor, they manufactured undertaker's dry goods on the third floor, and the fourth floor was used for storage. The first addition, now known as the center section was begun in 1903, and another expansion that also unified the main facade was begun in 1911. Two other Dubuque casket manufacturers, Iowa Coffin Company and the Hawkeye Casket Company, were out of business by 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Main Street Historic District (Dubuque, Iowa)</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

Old Main Street Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 33 resources, which included 30 contributing buildings and three non-contributing buildings. In 2015 the boundaries were increased to include five more buildings. Four of the buildings are contributing properties that were excluded from the original district because they were slated to be torn down as a part of the expansion of U.S. Route 61. While the highway was built the buildings were spared. The fifth building is non-contributing as are three structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Bank of Davenport</span> United States historic place

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iowa City Downtown Historic District</span> Historic district in Iowa, United States

The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 102 resources, which included 73 contributing buildings, one contributing site, one contributing object, 21 non-contributing buildings, and seven non-contributing objects. Eight buildings that were previously listed on the National Register are also included in the district. Iowa City's central business district developed adjacent to the Iowa Old Capitol Building and the main campus of the University of Iowa. This juxtaposition gives the area its energy with the overlap of university staff and students and the local community. The district was significantly altered in the 1970s by the city's urban renewal effort that brought about the Ped Mall, which transformed two blocks of College Street from Clinton Street to Linn Street and Dubuque Street from Burlington Street to Washington Street. It is the contributing site and the large planters/retaining walls that are original to the project are counted together as the contributing object. There are also several freestanding, limestone planters, five contemporary sculptures, and a playground area are the non-contributing objects.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. Donna Carter. "German Bank". National Park Service . Retrieved 2017-01-07. with photos
  3. Charles C. Vanda. "Old Main Historic District". National Park Service . Retrieved 2017-01-12. with photos