Davenport City Hall

Davenport City Hall
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Davenport Register of Historic Properties
The Davenport City Hall was built in 1895, for the meager price of $100,000.[2]
Location:	226 W. 4th St., Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates:	41°31′27″N 90°34′35″W / 41.52417°N 90.57639°W / 41.52417; -90.57639Coordinates: 41°31′27″N 90°34′35″W / 41.52417°N 90.57639°W / 41.52417; -90.57639
Area:	less than one acre
Built:	1895
Architect:	Ross,John W.; Morrison Bros.
Architectural style:	Romanesque, Richardsonian Romanesque
Governing body:	Local
NRHP Reference#:	82002639[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	April 22, 1982
Designated DRHP:	June 2, 1993[3]

Davenport City Hall is the official seat of government for the city of Davenport, Iowa, United States. The building was constructed in 1895. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993.

History

Davenport started to outgrow its previous city hall, which had been built on Brady Street from 1857-1858.^[4] The role of city government expanded during the mayoral administration of Henry Vollmer (1893-1896).^[5] One of his major achievements were public works projects. Streets were paved in the older sections of the city as developers laid out new subdivisions around the perimeter. Because of excess money in the city's coffers, a new city hall was planned and built. It was completed in 1895 for the meager price of $100,000.^[2] Architectural journals poked fun at city leaders due to the small amount budgeted for the project.^[2] The building is situated on the northeast corner of the intersection of Harrison Street (U.S. Route 61) and West Fourth Street in Downtown Davenport.

Architecture

City hall was designed by Davenport architect John W. Ross,^[6] who also designed the city's first fire station, Hose Station No. 1. It is a four story building constructed of sandstone in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The heavy stone appearance is deceptive as the weight of the building is born by a steel frame.^[4] As is common with this style, the city hall integrates elements such as towers, rustic stone, and Roman arches. It also incorporates corner towers and gable ends. Three stories of windows line the front of the building with the two front corners containing cone-shaped roofs that stick out from the main roof. Above the entrance is a large clock tower that is taller than the rest of the building. An addition was constructed on the north side and does not correlate to the original architecture.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} Svendsen, Marlys (1987). Davenport A Pictorial History. Davenport: G. Bradley Publishing, Inc.. p. 88. ISBN 0940286-05-x. 
3. ^ Historic Preservation Commission. "Davenport Register of Historic Properties". City of Davenport. http://www.cityofdavenportiowa.com/egov/docs/1157124087_589019.pdf. Retrieved 2011-03-07. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Svendsen, Marlys A., Bowers, Martha H (1982). Davenport where the Mississippi runs west: A Survey of Davenport History & Architecture. Davenport, Iowa: City of Davenport. pp. 10–3. 
5. ^ Svendsen and Bowers, 7-3
6. ^ Davenport Public Library. "4th Street West - 226". Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs - State Historical Society of Iowa. http://www.qcmemory.org/Default.aspx?PageId=274&nt=207. Retrieved 2009-12-12.