Antoine LeClaire House
Encyclopedia
The Antoine LeClaire House, located at 630 East 7th Street Davenport, Iowa
, United States
, is a community center that was built as a private home by one of the founders of city of Davenport. The home was constructed in 1855. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974 and the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1992.
Antoine LeClaire
was an interpreter for the U.S. Government stationed at Fort Armstrong
on Rock Island on the Mississippi River
. In 1832 he was the interpreter for the treaty signing between the Sac (Sauk) and Fox
( Mesquakie) tribes and the United States
after the Black Hawk War
. The tribes gave LeClaire two parcels of land in Iowa, one at the top of the Rock Island Rapids and one below. The lower parcel became part of the city of Davenport, which he was instrumental in establishing in 1836.
LeClaire agreed to build his house on the location where the Black Hawk Treaty was signed. He built a small log structure on the site in 1833 after the treaty was ratified by the United States Senate
. It was replaced by a small white house that became known as the Treaty House. LeClaire and his wife Marguerite lived in the modest house until 1855 when they built an Italianate
mansion in the LeClaire Reserve. The house, and others being built by Davenport’s wealthier citizens, shows the progress the city had made in the twenty years since its founding. LeClaire donated the Treaty House to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
and it became the town’s first railroad station. The house was moved from its original location.
LeClaire and his wife lived in the mansion until they died in 1861 and 1876 respectively. The couple had no children, but they informally adopted his nephew, Louis Antoine LeClaire, after Antoine LeClaire’s half brother Alexis died in 1849. He inherited the couple’s property upon their death.
In 1881 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
was established and the Very Reverend John McMullen from Chicago
was named its first bishop. The clergy of the diocese purchased the LeClaire House for the bishop’s residence. He died in the house less than two years later. His successor, Henry Cosgrove
, moved into the residence after he was named Bishop of Davenport in 1884. When Cosgrove died in 1906 his successor, James Davis
, chose to live elsewhere because the LeClaire House needed extensive repairs and it needed to be renovated. The diocese sold the house and purchased the F.H. Miller House
as the new house for the bishop.
By the start of World War I
the neighborhood was in decline and the LeClaire House had been converted into a boarding house. In the succeeding decades the house continued to deteriorate.
In 1976 the Bicentennial Commission of the city of Davenport purchased the house as one of their projects. An extensive renovation process has been ongoing since then. Extensive work has been done to the exterior and interior with all the mechanical systems having been replaced.
, wide, bracketed eaves
and a belvedere
on the top of the roof. The house has nine fireplaces, 12-foot high ceilings, ornate plaster medallions and a 3-story elliptical staircase. There are also Greek Revival elements to the house as well. They are found in the doorway framed between pilasters and the scroll
pediments over the windows. The property originally had a circular drive made of cinders that was lighted with gas lamps. The estate also contained carriage barns, a summer kitchen, an icehouse and a plum grove.
, he donated the property for both St. Anthony’s
and St. Margaret’s Churches. The later church was largely built by LeClaire, and became the city’s first Catholic Cathedral
.
The renovation of the LeClaire House is more than a make-over for an old home. As the five goals show, its focus is also on the refurbishment of the surrounding neighborhood and a community/interpretive center for the central city.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, is a community center that was built as a private home by one of the founders of city of Davenport. The home was constructed in 1855. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974 and the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1992.
History
Antoine LeClaire
Antoine LeClaire was a US Army interpreter, landowner in Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois, businessman, philanthropist and principal founder of Davenport, Iowa-Early life:...
was an interpreter for the U.S. Government stationed at Fort Armstrong
Fort Armstrong
Fort Armstrong , was one of a chain of western frontier defenses which the United States erected after the War of 1812. It was located at the foot of Rock Island, Illinois, in the Mississippi River between present-day Illinois and Iowa. It was five miles from the principal Sac and Fox village on...
on Rock Island on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. In 1832 he was the interpreter for the treaty signing between the Sac (Sauk) and Fox
Meskwaki
The Meskwaki are a Native American people often known to outsiders as the Fox tribe. They have often been closely linked to the Sauk people. In their own language, the Meskwaki call themselves Meshkwahkihaki, which means "the Red-Earths." Historically their homelands were in the Great Lakes region...
( Mesquakie) tribes and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after the Black Hawk War
Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a brief conflict fought in 1832 between the United States and Native Americans headed by Black Hawk, a Sauk leader. The war erupted soon after Black Hawk and a group of Sauks, Meskwakis, and Kickapoos known as the "British Band" crossed the Mississippi River into the U.S....
. The tribes gave LeClaire two parcels of land in Iowa, one at the top of the Rock Island Rapids and one below. The lower parcel became part of the city of Davenport, which he was instrumental in establishing in 1836.
LeClaire agreed to build his house on the location where the Black Hawk Treaty was signed. He built a small log structure on the site in 1833 after the treaty was ratified by the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
. It was replaced by a small white house that became known as the Treaty House. LeClaire and his wife Marguerite lived in the modest house until 1855 when they built an Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
mansion in the LeClaire Reserve. The house, and others being built by Davenport’s wealthier citizens, shows the progress the city had made in the twenty years since its founding. LeClaire donated the Treaty House to the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad was the first railroad in Iowa and was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa on the Mississippi River and Council Bluffs, Iowa on the Missouri River and was to play an important role in the construction of the First Transcontinental...
and it became the town’s first railroad station. The house was moved from its original location.
LeClaire and his wife lived in the mansion until they died in 1861 and 1876 respectively. The couple had no children, but they informally adopted his nephew, Louis Antoine LeClaire, after Antoine LeClaire’s half brother Alexis died in 1849. He inherited the couple’s property upon their death.
In 1881 the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport is a diocese of the Catholic Church for the southeastern quarter of the state of Iowa. There are within the diocese...
was established and the Very Reverend John McMullen from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
was named its first bishop. The clergy of the diocese purchased the LeClaire House for the bishop’s residence. He died in the house less than two years later. His successor, Henry Cosgrove
Henry Cosgrove
Henry Cosgrove was a late 19th century and early 20th century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the second bishop of Diocese of Davenport, in the state of Iowa from 1884-1906....
, moved into the residence after he was named Bishop of Davenport in 1884. When Cosgrove died in 1906 his successor, James Davis
James J. Davis (Catholic bishop)
James J. Davis was a 20th-century bishop of the Catholic Church in the United States. He served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Davenport in the state of Iowa from 1906 to 1926.-Early life and ministry:...
, chose to live elsewhere because the LeClaire House needed extensive repairs and it needed to be renovated. The diocese sold the house and purchased the F.H. Miller House
F.H. Miller House
The F. H. Miller House, located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building houses the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations for Saint Ambrose University and is called Alumni House.-History :The house was built by...
as the new house for the bishop.
By the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the neighborhood was in decline and the LeClaire House had been converted into a boarding house. In the succeeding decades the house continued to deteriorate.
In 1976 the Bicentennial Commission of the city of Davenport purchased the house as one of their projects. An extensive renovation process has been ongoing since then. Extensive work has been done to the exterior and interior with all the mechanical systems having been replaced.
Architecture
The LeClaire House is a 14-room Tuscan Italianate mansion on the top of a 125 foot bluff above the Mississippi River. It features a shallow hipped roofHip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
, wide, bracketed eaves
Eaves
The eaves of a roof are its lower edges. They usually project beyond the walls of the building to carry rain water away.-Etymology:"Eaves" is derived from Old English and is both the singular and plural form of the word.- Function :...
and a belvedere
Belvedere (structure)
Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...
on the top of the roof. The house has nine fireplaces, 12-foot high ceilings, ornate plaster medallions and a 3-story elliptical staircase. There are also Greek Revival elements to the house as well. They are found in the doorway framed between pilasters and the scroll
Scrollwork
Scrollwork is an element of ornamentation and graphic design using a spiral. The name comes from by the supposed resemblance to the edge-on view of a rolled parchment scroll. "Scrollwork" is today mostly used in popular language for two-dimensional decorative flourishes and arabesques of all...
pediments over the windows. The property originally had a circular drive made of cinders that was lighted with gas lamps. The estate also contained carriage barns, a summer kitchen, an icehouse and a plum grove.
Renovation Goals
Five goals were established as guiding principles for the LeClaire House renovation:Significance
The LeClaire House is historically significant both in its architecture and the importance of Antoine LeClaire to the local community. It was one of the first Italianate residences in the city, and was influential in the design of other large-scale homes in the city. LeClaire was the founder of the city, one of its most prominent philanthropists and entrepreneurs in its early years. He is also significant in the establishment of the Catholic Church in Davenport. While his death pre-dates the establishment of the dioceseDiocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, he donated the property for both St. Anthony’s
St. Anthony's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Saint Anthony's Catholic Church is a parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of 4th and Main Streets. It is the first church congregation organized in the city of Davenport and the second, after St. Raphael's...
and St. Margaret’s Churches. The later church was largely built by LeClaire, and became the city’s first Catholic Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
.
The renovation of the LeClaire House is more than a make-over for an old home. As the five goals show, its focus is also on the refurbishment of the surrounding neighborhood and a community/interpretive center for the central city.