Central Office Building

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Central Office Building
Location 230 W. 3rd Street
Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates 41°31′21″N 90°34′35″W / 41.52250°N 90.57639°W / 41.52250; -90.57639Coordinates: 41°31′21″N 90°34′35″W / 41.52250°N 90.57639°W / 41.52250; -90.57639
Built 1904/1906
Architect Gustav Hansen
Clausen & Clausen
Architectural style Early Commercial
Governing body Private
MPS Davenport MRA
NRHP Reference # 83002411[1]
Added to NRHP July 7, 1983

Central Office 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, Henry Berg Building and 202 W. Third Street all of which are on the NRHP.

History

The Central Office Building was built in two phases. Gustav Hansen designed the first phase in 1904.[2] Two years later Clausen & Clausen designed the second phase. The building was designed for H.F.C. Petersen who also owned the J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store on Second and Main Streets. Petersen was prominent in wholesale and retail goods in the city and his buildings housed his various interests. The building was constructed with retail businesses housed on the street level and office space above. Some of the early businesses included Spencer Furniture Company, Schiller Piano Company and the Huebotter Furniture Company. Multiple retailers continue to fill the street level. Architectural firm Clausen & Kruse, formerly known as Clausen & Clausen, had offices on the third floor of the Central Office Building.

Architecture

The building is four stories and constructed of brick. The façade is divided into seven bays with three bays on either side of a central bay that contains a stairwell to serve the upper floors. While it appears symmetrical at first closer inspection reveals that it is not. The bays on the west are sized to accommodate groups of three double-hung windows. The bays of the east are narrower and are designed to accommodate a pair of double-hung windows.[2] The building also features pilasters with rolled edges and homed gargoyles that run through the upper elevation of the building. A simple cornice tops the building and raised parapets mark the two portions of the building.

The building shows elements of the Victorian and the Chicago Commercial styles. The cornice and the grotesques on the capitals are all Victorian while the expression of the structure in the façade reflects the Commercial.[2]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Central Office Building". Davenport Public Library. Retrieved 2010-11-01. 

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.