West Third Street Historic District (Davenport, Iowa)
Encyclopedia
West Third Street Historic District is located on the west side of downtown Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. 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.
residents were natives of Germany
. A disproportionate number of those immigrants came from Schleswig-Holstein
, which was in a border and personal rights dispute with Denmark
in the 1840s. Other German immigrants to Davenport came from Bavaria
, Hamburg
, Hanover
, and Mecklenburg
.
Washington Square was a city block that was laid out by city founder Antoine LeClaire
as part of the original town. By the 1850s it became the focus for the cultural life of many German immigrants who came to Davenport. The Germania Gasthaus
, which housed many immigrants when they first came to the city, was just off the square on West Second Street. The Deutsch Theatre and the Central Turnverein, which no longer exist, faced the square on Third Street. The square itself, which sported a fountain topped with the statue of Lady of Germania, was the site of German beer garden
s, outdoor music events, veterans’ celebrations and other community gatherings. Today the square is the downtown location of the YMCA
, which was built in the 1960s. In 2006 a new gateway park at the foot of the Centennial Bridge
was installed and it contains a statue of the Lady of Germania that was modeled on the one that once graced the square. The Lady of Germania is an ancient symbol that personified strength, unity and liberty. She was also a reminder to many people of their native Germany.
German “free thinkers” were part of the German immigration that came to Davenport. Their political and philosophical thinking tended to be anti-clerical and secular. This included their opposition to the establishment of parochial schools. Instead they started the Freie Deutsche Schule near Washington Square in September 1852. The school remained in operation for 35 years and instructed children of the German families in their political stance of a separate German culture that emphasized secular concerns. Not all German immigrants were of this political bent and parochial schools were started at Trinity Lutheran Church and St. Kunigunda Catholic Church (later renamed St. Joseph
).
Washington Square, and what is now the West Third Street Historic District, was lined with buildings that had small shops with residential space above. In some cases the residential space housed the proprietor of the shop below. In other cases the residential space was rented out by the shopkeeper for additional income. By and large the buildings along West Third Street were built between the 1850s and 1900. It was a working-class neighborhood. Besides the shopkeepers it was also home to residents who worked in the factories and mills along the Mississippi River
. The German character of the area diminished as a result of anti-German sentiments that resulted from World War I
. As the 20th century continued larger and more modern buildings were built closer to the central business district, and the areas further to the west started to decline.
fashion in the back, or they could be extended on one or both ends.
Toward the end of the 19th century larger buildings were built in and near the central business district. These buildings generally had more ornate store fronts and apartments above. Large brick apartment blocks were also built at this time. The commercial buildings were three to three and a half stories tall with cast iron store fronts and window bays on the upper floors. The side walls in between the buildings were opened up with recessed polygonal “wells” for the windows. The large apartment buildings are similar to those in other parts of the city. Many were built above high basements, had window bays and some had decorative doorways and cornice
s. Some of the buildings had a central entrance that led to a center stairhall. Others featured two entrances which led to flats on one side of a shared wall. The later arrangement featured mirror-image facades similar to the double houses.
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...
. It is 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...
. 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.
History
German immigrants started moving into the city in noticeable numbers starting in the late 1840s. In 1848 250 Germans came to Davenport and by 1850 that number rose to close to 3,000, or 20% of the city’s population. German immigration remained strong through the 1880s The Iowa census of 1890 showed that a quarter of Scott CountyScott County, Iowa
-2010 census:The 2010 census recorded a population of 165,224 in the county, with a population density of . There were 71,835 housing units, of which 66,765 were occupied.-2000 census:...
residents were natives of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. A disproportionate number of those immigrants came from Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein
Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...
, which was in a border and personal rights dispute with Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
in the 1840s. Other German immigrants to Davenport came from Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, and Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg
Mecklenburg is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern...
.
Washington Square was a city block that was laid out by city founder Antoine LeClaire
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:...
as part of the original town. By the 1850s it became the focus for the cultural life of many German immigrants who came to Davenport. The Germania Gasthaus
German American Heritage Center
The German American Heritage Center also known as the Germania-Miller/Standard Hotel, is a cultural center and museum in Davenport, Iowa, United States, that chronicles and preserves the history of German-Americans in the Midwest region.- History :...
, which housed many immigrants when they first came to the city, was just off the square on West Second Street. The Deutsch Theatre and the Central Turnverein, which no longer exist, faced the square on Third Street. The square itself, which sported a fountain topped with the statue of Lady of Germania, was the site of German beer garden
Beer garden
Beer garden is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany...
s, outdoor music events, veterans’ celebrations and other community gatherings. Today the square is the downtown location of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
, which was built in the 1960s. In 2006 a new gateway park at the foot of the Centennial Bridge
Centennial Bridge
- Canada :* Centennial Bridge, in Chatham, New Brunswick- United States of America :* Rock Island Centennial Bridge, which connects Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa...
was installed and it contains a statue of the Lady of Germania that was modeled on the one that once graced the square. The Lady of Germania is an ancient symbol that personified strength, unity and liberty. She was also a reminder to many people of their native Germany.
German “free thinkers” were part of the German immigration that came to Davenport. Their political and philosophical thinking tended to be anti-clerical and secular. This included their opposition to the establishment of parochial schools. Instead they started the Freie Deutsche Schule near Washington Square in September 1852. The school remained in operation for 35 years and instructed children of the German families in their political stance of a separate German culture that emphasized secular concerns. Not all German immigrants were of this political bent and parochial schools were started at Trinity Lutheran Church and St. Kunigunda Catholic Church (later renamed St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Catholic Church (Davenport, Iowa)
Saint Joseph Catholic Church is a former parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. The church is located in Davenport, Iowa, United States, at the corner of Marquette and W. 6th Streets. It is listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of...
).
Washington Square, and what is now the West Third Street Historic District, was lined with buildings that had small shops with residential space above. In some cases the residential space housed the proprietor of the shop below. In other cases the residential space was rented out by the shopkeeper for additional income. By and large the buildings along West Third Street were built between the 1850s and 1900. It was a working-class neighborhood. Besides the shopkeepers it was also home to residents who worked in the factories and mills along 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...
. The German character of the area diminished as a result of anti-German sentiments that resulted from 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...
. As the 20th century continued larger and more modern buildings were built closer to the central business district, and the areas further to the west started to decline.
Architecture
The buildings in the West Third Street Historic District are made up of small commercial buildings, single family dwellings, double houses, row houses, tenements and apartment buildings. The combination of land use and different building types gives the district a unique character that is not found elsewhere in Davenport. The buildings, overall, are simple structures. Generally they are one and two-story side-gabled structures that can be expanded saltboxSaltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
fashion in the back, or they could be extended on one or both ends.
Toward the end of the 19th century larger buildings were built in and near the central business district. These buildings generally had more ornate store fronts and apartments above. Large brick apartment blocks were also built at this time. The commercial buildings were three to three and a half stories tall with cast iron store fronts and window bays on the upper floors. The side walls in between the buildings were opened up with recessed polygonal “wells” for the windows. The large apartment buildings are similar to those in other parts of the city. Many were built above high basements, had window bays and some had decorative doorways and 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...
s. Some of the buildings had a central entrance that led to a center stairhall. Others featured two entrances which led to flats on one side of a shared wall. The later arrangement featured mirror-image facades similar to the double houses.