Henry Berg Building

The Henry Berg Building is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.^[1] It is on the same block as the American Commercial and Savings Bank, Central Office Building and 202 W. Third Street. It is also next to the Ficke Block on Harrison Street. All of these structures are listed on the NRHP.

History

The building was built around 1875 by Henry Berg who was a gunsmith. He occupied the retail space until 1910. Other businesses that occupied the storefront include the Hickey Brothers Cigar Store Number 6, Griffins Confectionary, Davenport Brick and Tile Company and Suburban Home Mortgage. The upper floors have been divided into apartments.^[2]

Architecture

The building is three stories and it is constructed of brick. It has a corner entrance, which faces the intersection of West Third and Harrison Streets. Both elevations feature three bays on the upper stories. The south elevation, which faces Third Street, has three windows in each bay. The west elevation, which faces Harrison Street, has two bays with double windows and one with single windows.^[2] The widow heads on the second floor are all arched and those on the third floor are flat arched. All the windows feature hoods of turned bricks and keystones. The Romanesque revival style is found predominately in the arched windows. It reflects the Rundbogenstil, or round-arched style, that was brought from Europe with German immigrants.^[3]

The upper stories of the building also feature decorative brickwork, which is the distinctive feature of the building. Turned bricks separate the main floor from the second floor. Paired pilasters with simplified capitals define the bays. The cornice at the top of the building is constructed of turned bricks layered in rows, to create an ornate pattern.^[2]

References

External links

• Archiplanet Listing