Henry Berg Building

Henry Berg Building
Location 246 W. 3rd Street
Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates 41°31′22″N 90°34′36″W / 41.52278°N 90.57667°WCoordinates: 41°31′22″N 90°34′36″W / 41.52278°N 90.57667°W
Area less than one acre
Built c. 1875
Architectural style Romanesque Revival
Governing body Private
MPS Davenport MRA
NRHP Reference # 83002400[1]
Added to NRHP July 7, 1983

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 National Register.

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 with a cut corner and two richly detailed facades. It is constructed of brick. It is considered one of the most visually interesting commercial buildings from Davenport's mid-Victorian mercantile history.[3] The corner entrance faces the intersection of West Third and Harrison Streets. Both facades 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.[4]

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] The ground floor has been modified over the years.

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 "Henry Berg Building". Davenport Public Library. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  3. Wehner, Nowysz, Pottschull and Pfiffner. "Henry Berg Building". Davenport Community Development Department - Iowa Division of Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  4. Svendsen, Marls A., Bowers, Martha H (1982). Davenport where the Mississippi runs west: A Survey of Davenport History & Architecture. Davenport, Iowa: City of Davenport. pp. 6–2.

External links