Neighborhoods of Davenport, Iowa
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The city of Davenport, Iowa, USA has a variety of neighborhoods dating back to the 1840s.[1] The city can be divided into five areas for neighborhoods: downtown, central, east end, near north and northwest, and west end. The neighborhoods contain many architectural designs including Victorian, Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, along with others.[1] Many of the original neighborhoods were inhabited by German settlers.[1]
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[edit] Downtown
Downtown Davenport sits right on the Mississippi River. Downtown is bordered on the south by the river, the east and north by the railroad tracks running on the north side along Fifth Street, and to the west by Warren Street. Downtown experienced several generations of growth. The first came in the 1840s and 1850s. During this period, the buildings were all modest frame one and two story buildings. Prosperity of the 1880s and 1890s required a new generation of upscaled commercial buildings. The first department store was built during this period. It was a five-story brick building. By 1910, most important buildings were underway. Technology improvements of skeleton construction and elevators caused buildings to reach new heights. Development in the west end of Downtown turned from commercial to residential, mostly apartments.[1]
[edit] Central neighborhoods
The West Third Street neighborhoods runs from Scott Street to Myrtle Street along West Third Street. Significance of this neighborhood derived from the west end German-American community. The neighborhood consisted mostly of working class German-Americans. The focus of the neighborhood was Washington Square. A single block laid out by Antoine LeClaire in the original city. The square was the site of German beer gardens, musical events, veteran's celebrations and other outdoor activities. It served as the welcoming point for new German immigrants.[1]
Hamburg is a neighborhood located northwest of downtown, between fifth and ninth streets and Ripley street to Vine street, the neighborhood contains the most architecturally significant residents in the old German neighborhoods.[1] Hamburg slopes up to bluffs overlooking downtown and the river. Hamburg was a prime location for prominent Germans and contains mostly residential structures. There are very few commercial buildings or churches. The first dwellings were small one-story cottages modeled after the Greek Revival design. Other housing designs in the neighborhood include Victorian, Gothic Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne.
The Cork Hill neighborhood is located on a square mile of land east of the original town plot. It was plotted by Antoine LeClaire in the 1840s - 1880s. Cork Hill contained the residence of LeClaire himself, and his heirs, along with Irish and transplanted American settlers. Cork Hill contains densely built large and medium sized houses that are set close together. The houses are Italianate, Queen Anne cottage, Georgian, and Colonial Revival. The neighborhood contains Sacred Heart Cathedral, a historic church.
The East Fourteenth Street neighborhood contains sixty-seven houses from Pershing Street to Arlington Avenue along Fourteenth Street. Developed during the 1840s to the 1870s, the neighborhood contained mostly middle-class Irish immigrants and Americans. The houses are fairly large and range from Victorian to Classical Revival styles. All but one of the houses are wood frame. The original neighborhood contained prominent entrepreneurs, industrialist, and professionals.
College Square is a neighborhood located north of downtown, between Tenth and Fifteenth Streets and Brady to Harrison Street. Two blocks of the neighborhood on Harrison Street contain mid-nineteenth century houses. Two square blocks of the neighborhood are dedicated to large scale education and religious buildings, including the Palmer Chiropractic College campus. Most of the houses in the neighborhood date from 1860 to the early twentieth century. Harrison and Main streets have become more commercialized over the years, along with the east side of Brady Street. The west side of Brady Street, however, still contains mostly residential buildings.
[edit] East neighborhoods
The Village of East Davenport is a neighborhood that dates back to the 1850s. The area was originally known as "Stubb's Eddy". The Village, as it is sometimes called today, was established in 1851 as a result of the logging industry. The area was annexed in 1857. The Village experienced three stages of growth. Following the Civil War many residential buildings were being built. From 1890-1915, construction of large mansions on the bluffs began. They allowed a remarkable view of the river. The final stage of development came at the turn of the twentieth century, at the far east end of the neighborhood and the city. The houses created at that time followed the curve of the topography, not in the grid fashion that was found in the rest of the city.
Today the Village consists of residential and commercial buildings, mostly small specialty shops. The Village today is bounded on the west by Judson Street, the north by Kirkwood Boulevard, the east by Jersey Ridge Road, and to the south by River Drive. Set in a bowl like valley, commercial buildings are in the southern part of the neighborhood, while residential are in the northern part, on the hillside. Lindsay Park is located in the southeast corner of the Village and was used as parade grounds for Civil War soldiers from Camp McClellan. Today the park contains play equipment, baseball diamonds, and offers an excellent view of the river.
Prospect Park is a small neighborhood located on the western border of the Village of East Davenport. It runs along Mississippi Street from Eleventh Street down to River Drive and a block east along Prospect Drive and Prospect Terrace. The neighborhood was developed form 1895-1910, and is one of many Davenport neighborhoods at the turn of the century to focus around a park. Houses in Prospect Park are very large, and are set back on spacious lots. The houses are late Queen Anne style, Neoclassical, and Tudor Revival. The neighborhood contained many prominent figures, including contractors, physicians, and attorneys. The proximity and commanding view of the river kept this neighborhood a fashionable address long after the originally families had departed.[1] Unlike similar west end and central neighborhoods, Prospect Park has retained mostly single family usage.
McClellan Heights is the largest neighborhood in the east end of Davenport. It is located on four hundred acres east of the Village of East Davenport. It runs from Jersey Ridge Road to the Bettendorf city limits, and from River Drive to Middle Road. Four hundred houses make up the McClellan Heights neighborhood, dating from 1905-1940. The neighborhood is made up of many hills and ravines. The streets follow the topography which causes many winding roads, and odd-shaped lots. The southern portion of McClellan Heights is very wooded which adds to the attractiveness of the neighborhood.[1] Developed from south to north, four very large mansions before World War I became popular for upper-middle class residents. Housing styles include American Craftsman, Prairie, American Foursquare, Colonial Revival, and Georgian. The neighborhood was mostly settled by Dutch and New England immigrants. The park like setting, and proximity and view of the river, have kept this neighborhood fashionable even today. The houses remain in good to excellent condition. The few brick streets that run through the neighborhood remain in excellent condition.
[edit] Near north neighborhoods
At the turn of the twentieth century development extended along transportation arteries and street car lines. The areas along Locust Street, Brady Street, and Harrison Street were developed.
Oak Lane is a neighborhood on Oak Lane from High Street south to Locust Street. The neighborhood contains twenty-seven middle-class houses developed from 1900-1910 by Amos Cutter, a local real estate entrepreneur. Oak Lane is a significant example of speculative development which appeared in Davenport in the first decades of the twentieth century.
The Vander Veer Park neighborhood consists of houses surrounding Vander Veer Park. The neighborhood is bounded on the north by Central Park Avenue, to the east by Brady Street, south by Lombard Street, and to the west by Harrison Street. The houses were built between 1895 and 1915 and are Queen Anne and Tudor Revival style. The neighborhood is anchored on the south by a church and outing club. The park was originally the site of the Scott County Fairgrounds. Originally named Central Park, the Vander Veer Park reflected the New York City park. The park was renamed Vander Veer after and early Davenport park commissioner. Development of the Vander Veer Park neighborhood was the first major beautification effort outside two small spaces in downtown. The beautiful atmosphere of the neighborhood is marred only by the density of traffic on Brady and Harrison Streets (US 61).
[edit] Northwest and west end neighborhoods
At the time northwest Davenport consisting of the area around Locust Street, Marquette Street, and Washington Street, was developed with a post-Civil War expansion. The area contained many working class Germans and was plotted in the 1850s and extensive development occurred in the 1870s. The houses were mostly one and a half to two story front gable American Foursquare and simplified Queen Anne houses. The area around five-points, consisting of the intersections of Locust Street, Division Street, and Hickory Grove Road, contained the bulk of the commercial structures. Alterations or replacements of almost all of the turn of the century buildings has diminished the significance of this historic area.[1]
Riverview Terrace is a neighborhood that contains twenty-four houses and a three acre park. Riverview Terrace runs along Clay Street from Fillmore Street northwest a few blocks to the edge of the old Marycrest International University. On the south side of the neighborhood is Riverview Terrace Park, originally called Lookout Park. The park is a large steep hill, but offers an excellent view of the river and Rock Island, Illinois. The area around the park contains large Italianate, Georgian, and Federal style houses. Beyond the park are smaller houses along with brick streets.
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