William G. Smith House (Davenport, Iowa)

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William G. Smith House

William G. Smith House - Davenport, Iowa.JPG

The house from East Tenth Street
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Location 1002 Bridge St.
Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates 41°31′49″N90°33′30″W / 41.53028°N 90.55833°W / 41.53028; -90.55833 Coordinates: 41°31′49″N90°33′30″W / 41.53028°N 90.55833°W / 41.53028; -90.55833
Area less than one acre
Built 1894
Architectural style Queen Anne
Colonial Revival
MPS Davenport MRA
NRHP reference # 84001566 [1]
Added to NRHP April 5, 1984

The William G. Smith House is a historic building located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. [1]

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.

Contents

History

William G. Smith, who was the president of A.J. Smith and Sons, had this house built in 1894. The firm was started by his father and dealt in retail furniture and carpets sales. [2]

Architecture

The house from Bridge Street William G. Smith House.JPG
The house from Bridge Street

This two-story, frame house follows an irregular plan. It is eclectic in nature in that its builder borrowed from several architectural styles that are disassociated chronologically and based on a personal aesthetic. Though the practice was not uncommon in late 19th-century Davenport the other examples of eclecticism are transitional from one style to another. [2] The Smith House features a complex roofscape that begins with a large main roof shaped as a truncated asymmetrical gable in the back and a neo-mansard in the front. There are three gables on the west side of the house with one of them perpendicular to the other two. One of the more eclectic features of the structure is the Gothic Revival front gable located above a Colonial Revival entrance. [2] The entrance-way features engaged columns, a semi-circular fanlight, and a columned porch at the southwest corner. The house is located on a large corner lot with shaded grounds that contribute to its sense of prominence.

Eclecticism in architecture architectural style

Eclecticism is a nineteenth and twentieth-century architectural style in which a single piece of work incorporates a mixture of elements from previous historical styles to create something that is new and original. In architecture and interior design, these elements may include structural features, furniture, decorative motives, distinct historical ornament, traditional cultural motifs or styles from other countries, with the mixture usually chosen based on its suitability to the project and overall aesthetic value.

Gable Generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches

A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesthetic concerns. A gable wall or gable end more commonly refers to the entire wall, including the gable and the wall below it.

Gothic Revival architecture Architectural movement

Gothic Revival is an architectural movement popular in the Western world that began in the late 1740s in England. Its momentum grew in the early 19th century, when increasingly serious and learned admirers of neo-Gothic styles sought to revive medieval Gothic architecture, in contrast to the neoclassical styles prevalent at the time. Gothic Revival draws features from the original Gothic style, including decorative patterns, finials, lancet windows, hood moulds and label stops.

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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 Martha Bowers; Marlys Svendsen-Roesler. "William G. Smith House". National Park Service . Retrieved 2015-03-17. with photo(s)
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