Henry Berg Building

Henry Berg Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	246 W. 3rd Street Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates	41°31′22″N 90°34′36″W / 41.52278°N 90.57667°W / 41.52278; -90.57667Coordinates: 41°31′22″N 90°34′36″W / 41.52278°N 90.57667°W / 41.52278; -90.57667
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

External links

• Archiplanet Listing

Historic Commercial Buildings in Davenport, Iowa Downtown American Commercial and Savings Bank Henry Berg Building Building at 202 W. Third Street Central Office Building City Market Clifton-Metropolitan Hotel Davenport Hotel Democrat Building Donahue Building Ficke Block First National Bank Building Forrest Block Hibernia Hall Hoffman Building Hotel Blackhawk Hotel Mississippi-RKO Orpheum Theater Iowa Reform Building Koenig Building Kahl Building J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store J.H.C. Petersen's Sons Wholesale Building Prien Building Putnam-Parker Block Charles F. Ranzow and Sons Building Renwick Building Riepe Drug Store/G. Ott Block Schauder Hotel Schick's Express and Transfer Co. Schmidt Block Union Arcade Wupperman Block/I.O.O.F. Hall Col. Joseph Young Block East Finley Guy Building West American Telephone & Telegraph Co. Building Brammer Grocery Store Building at 813-815 W. Second Street Building at 1119-1121 W. Third Street Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building Frick's Tavern Koch Drug Store Nicholas Koester Building Meiser Drug Store Miller Building Northwest Davenport Savings Bank Peters' Barber Shop Jacob Raphael Building Schroeder Bros. Meat Market Rudolph H. Sitz Building Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph Washington Gardens Werthman Grocery Wolters Filling Station Davenport Register of Historic Properties National Register of Historic Places listings in Scott County, Iowa