Putnam-Parker Block
Encyclopedia
The Putnam-Parker Block are historic structures located in downtown Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. The property is three buildings that take up the south half of block 43 in what is known as LeClaire’s First Addition. The main façade
of the structures face south along the north side of West Second Street. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2011.
, who was primarily responsible for establishing the city of Davenport, built a hotel named the LeClaire House on the northeast corner of Main and West Second Streets in 1839. It contained retail space on the ground level. At the other end of the block on the northwest corner of Brady and West Second Streets he built a three-story brick building in 1850. It also provided retail space on the main level and LeClaire Hall on the upper floors. It was later renamed LeClaire Row. Charles Viele bought the half-block sometime before 1886. The LeClaire House was renamed the Newcomb House after Viele’s sister Mrs. V. Newcomb and the LeClaire Row was renamed the Viele Building. The Fair, a department store that would eventually become the M.L. Parker Department Store occupied the retail space of the Newcomb house at this time.
. H.E. Schraff Store occupied space from around 1928-1956, and Simon & Landauer from 1933-1964.
and changed its name to the M.L. Parker Department Store in 1922. It occupied the Parker Building until 1972. The building was converted into office space after that.
architect Daniel Burnham
. The Parker Building is a modified design by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
, a successor to D. H. Burnham & Company
. He designed the whole half block to have a same appearance and the Putman and Parker buildings are nearly identical. They show clear references to the Chicago School
. Both buildings are eight-story structures built on a brick foundation. They are 120 feet (36.6 m) tall and feature a steel skeleton covered in red brick. Decorative materials include stone facing and decorative panels of terra cotta
. The two towers each show a clearly defined tripartite façade. Classical Revival elements are found in the decorative cornice
at the top. However, the simplified design and use of terra cotta show the Chicago School’s influence.
Between the Putnam and Parker buildings is a two-story infill section. It was designed by Burnham to complement the two towers. However, it was never built. It is unclear whether the present structure is the 1850s LeClaire Row, or if it was torn down and the present structure was built on top of it. Regardless, the façade was covered by 1964 and it has been modernized since. Rather than having a unified appearance as envisioned by Burnham, the Putnam-Parker Block now appears to be three separate structures. For many years the central building housed the downtown J.C. Penney
store. It continues to house retail establishments.
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...
. The property is three buildings that take up the south half of block 43 in what is known as LeClaire’s First Addition. The main façade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of the structures face south along the north side of West Second Street. They were 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 2011.
History
Antoine LeClaireAntoine 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:...
, who was primarily responsible for establishing the city of Davenport, built a hotel named the LeClaire House on the northeast corner of Main and West Second Streets in 1839. It contained retail space on the ground level. At the other end of the block on the northwest corner of Brady and West Second Streets he built a three-story brick building in 1850. It also provided retail space on the main level and LeClaire Hall on the upper floors. It was later renamed LeClaire Row. Charles Viele bought the half-block sometime before 1886. The LeClaire House was renamed the Newcomb House after Viele’s sister Mrs. V. Newcomb and the LeClaire Row was renamed the Viele Building. The Fair, a department store that would eventually become the M.L. Parker Department Store occupied the retail space of the Newcomb house at this time.
Putnam Building
W.C. Putnam bought Viele’s interest in the building in 1895. He renovated the buildings and lowered the stores to street level. He planned to replace the old hotel with a modern office building, but he died in 1906. The plans were eventually carried out and the Putnam Building was completed in 1910. The other structures on the block were renamed the North Putnam Buildings. A variety of retail and professional offices have been housed in the building over the years. Among them was the historical library of the Davenport Public Museum, now the Putnam Museum of History and Natural SciencePutnam Museum and IMAX Theater
The Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre is a museum of history and natural science in Davenport, Iowa, United States. The museum was founded in 1867, and was one of the first museums west of the Mississippi River. It houses 160,000 historical artifacts and specimens...
. H.E. Schraff Store occupied space from around 1928-1956, and Simon & Landauer from 1933-1964.
M.L. Parker Building
The M.L. Parker building was constructed on the northwest corner of Brady and West Second Street in 1922. The Fair Store opened before World War IWorld 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...
and changed its name to the M.L. Parker Department Store in 1922. It occupied the Parker Building until 1972. The building was converted into office space after that.
Architecture
The two office buildings were designed by ChicagoChicago
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...
architect Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
. The Parker Building is a modified design by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White is a Chicago architecture firm that was founded in 1912 originally as Graham, Burnham & Co. This firm was the successor to D. H. Burnham & Co. by Daniel Burnham's surviving partner Ernest Graham and Burnham's sons Hubert Burnham and Daniel Burnham Jr...
, a successor to D. H. Burnham & Company
D. H. Burnham & Company
D.H. Burnham and Company of was an architecture firm based in Chicago, Illinois. As successor to Burnham and Root, the name was changed once John Root died in 1891. Root was the chief consulting architect for the World's Columbian Exposition. After Root's death, Daniel Burnham took that title...
. He designed the whole half block to have a same appearance and the Putman and Parker buildings are nearly identical. They show clear references to the Chicago School
Chicago school (architecture)
Chicago's architecture is famous throughout the world and one style is referred to as the Chicago School. The style is also known as Commercial style. In the history of architecture, the Chicago School was a school of architects active in Chicago at the turn of the 20th century...
. Both buildings are eight-story structures built on a brick foundation. They are 120 feet (36.6 m) tall and feature a steel skeleton covered in red brick. Decorative materials include stone facing and decorative panels of terra cotta
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
. The two towers each show a clearly defined tripartite façade. Classical Revival elements are found in the decorative cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
at the top. However, the simplified design and use of terra cotta show the Chicago School’s influence.
Between the Putnam and Parker buildings is a two-story infill section. It was designed by Burnham to complement the two towers. However, it was never built. It is unclear whether the present structure is the 1850s LeClaire Row, or if it was torn down and the present structure was built on top of it. Regardless, the façade was covered by 1964 and it has been modernized since. Rather than having a unified appearance as envisioned by Burnham, the Putnam-Parker Block now appears to be three separate structures. For many years the central building housed the downtown J.C. Penney
J.C. Penney
J. C. Penney Company, Inc. is a chain of American mid-range department stores based in Plano, Texas, a suburb north of Dallas. The company operates 1,107 department stores in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. JCPenney also operates catalog sales merchant offices nationwide in many...
store. It continues to house retail establishments.