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Ambrose Hall
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| Location: | 518 W. Locust Street, Davenport, Iowa |
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| Built: | 1885 |
| Architect: | Victor Huot |
| Architectural style: | Second Empire |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 77000553 [1] |
| Added to NRHP: | April 11, 1977 |
Ambrose Hall, located in Davenport, Iowa, USA, is the first building constructed on the campus of Saint Ambrose University. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Saint Ambrose University was founded in 1882 by Bishop John McMullen, the first bishop of the Diocese of Davenport. The school initially held classes in two classrooms in the school building at St. Margaret’s Cathedral. The desire, however, was for the school to have a campus and a building of its own.
Bishop Henry Cosgrove initially chose the corner of Eighth and Ripley Streets as the new location for the school, as it would be convenient for the day students. However, others suggested Noel's Grove along Locust Street as a possible location. Cosgrove was familiar with the location as he had held parish picnics at the location when he was pastor of St. Margaret's. He was concerned that the location was too isolated and inaccessible, and Locust Street was not a descent roadway. In the end, convinced that the location was accessible by way of the Brady Street car line, Cosgrove bought Noel's Grove.[2] The cost for purchasing the property and building the central section of the building amounted to $20,000.[3] The Revs. Aloysius Schulte, the college president, and James Davis, the cathedral rector, toured the diocese to solicit funds for the project.
Victor Huot was chosen as the architect for a new building. Previously he had designed St. Joseph’s and St. Mary’s churches and Mercy Hospital. He also designed the building for the Immaculate Conception Academy in Davenport. Both Ambrose Hall and the academy building were designed in the Second Empire style, and they were designed so they could be built in stages over a period of time.[4]
The cornerstone for the building was laid on July 5, 1885.[2] The central section of Ambrose Hall, with the entrance tower and spire, was the first section built. It had space for 75 boarding students as well as office space and classrooms. The Congregation of the Humility of Mary was placed in charge of the dining room, cooking and housekeeping.[3] Additions were added to the building in 1887, 1893, 1901, 1908 and 1912.[5] The building was constructed of yellow stone and red brick with marble and stone trim. A mansard roof, typical of the Second Empire style, rings the structure on all its additions. The building housed the entire school until 1927 when Davis Hall was built.
An exterior renovation of the building in the 1960s altered the mansard roofline of the central section of the building.[6] The rest of the exterior has remained largely unchanged. The interior of the building has been renovated numerous times depending on the college's needs.
A chapel filled the third and fourth floors of the western most section of the building. It served the school until Christ the King Chapel was built in 1952. The room now serves as the board room. The Seminary Department was also housed in Ambrose Hall until it was relocated when Hayes Hall was built in 1967. There is a grotto with a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the north side of Ambrose Hall. The altar and ambo at the grotto were made from the altars that were in the crypt chapels below Christ the King.
The LeClaire Gym is attached to the rear of Ambrose Hall and it included a swimming pool. It was built during the presidency of the Rev. William Hannon (1915–1926), and was replaced by Lee Lohman Arena in the 1980s.
Today, the building houses offices for admissions, financial aid, records and registration, the John R. Lewis Board Room, classrooms, faculty offices and the student union.[7]
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