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58-500: The Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in the central business district of Davenport, Iowa , United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 43 resources, which included 33 contributing buildings , one contributing structure , and nine non-contributing buildings. In addition,

116-507: A Certificate of Appropriateness (COA), and the historic commission or architectural review board may decide upon the changes. The COA process is carried out with all aspects of due process, with formal notification, hearings, and fair and informed decision-making. According to the National Park Service, historic districts are one of the oldest forms of protection for historic properties. The city of Charleston, South Carolina

174-444: A State Historic Preservation Office, not all states must have a "state historic district" designation. As of 2004, for example, the state of North Carolina had no such designation. Local historic districts usually enjoy the greatest level of protection legally from any threats that may compromise their historic integrity because many land-use decisions are made at the local level. There are more than 2,300 local historic districts in

232-580: A federal designation, such as granting qualifications and tax incentives. In addition, the property can become protected under specific state laws. The laws can be similar or different from the federal guidelines that govern the National Register. A state listing of a historic district on a "State Register of Historic Places", usually by the State Historic Preservation Office , can be an "honorary status", much like

290-514: A historic district could comprise an entire neighborhood with hundreds of buildings, or a smaller area with just one or a few resources. Historic districts can be created by federal, state, or local governments . At the federal level, they are designated by the National Park Service and listed on the National Register of Historic Places ; this is a largely honorary designation that does not restrict what property owners may do with

348-596: A historic district per U.S. federal law , last revised in 2004. According to the Register definition, a historic district is: a geographically definable area, urban or rural, possessing a significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united by past events or aesthetically by plan or physical development. A district may also comprise individual elements separated geographically but linked by association or history. Districts established under U.S. federal guidelines generally begin

406-544: A mesh of structures, streets, open space, and landscaping to define a historic district's character. As early as 1981, the National Trust for Historic Preservation identified 882 American cities and towns that had some form of "historic district zoning " in place--local laws meant specifically to protect historic districts. Before 1966, historic preservation in the United States was in its infancy. That year

464-514: A price per square foot basis increased in value significantly more than non-designated properties. The original concept of an American historic district was a protective area surrounding more important, individual historic sites. As the field of historic preservation progressed, those involved came to realize that the structures acting as "buffer zones" were key elements of the historical integrity of larger landmark sites. Preservationists believed that districts should be more encompassing, blending

522-431: A property. State -level historic districts usually do not include restrictions, though this depends on the state. Historic districts created by local municipalities, however, almost always protect historic properties by regulating alterations, demolition, or new construction within the district. Much criticism has arisen of historic districts and the effect protective zoning and historic designation status laws have on

580-456: A separate process unrelated to zoning. Local historic districts are identified by surveying historic resources and delineating appropriate boundaries that comply with all aspects of due process . Depending on local ordinances or state law, property owners' permission may be required; however, all owners are to be notified and allowed to share their opinions. Most local historic districts are constricted by design guidelines that control changes to

638-423: A specific definition in relation to the National Register. All but the eponymous district category are also applied to historic districts listed on the National Register. A listing on the National Register of Historic Places is a governmental acknowledgment of a historic district. However, the Register is "an honorary status with some federal financial incentives." The National Register of Historic Places defines

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696-484: Is connected to the bank/office building by a three-story hyphen that reflects the modern parking structure architecturally. Its north elevation is primarily glass The ceiling decoration of the main banking room was designed by Chicago artist Alexander Rinoskopf and was executed by the Davenport decorating firm of Hartman and Sedding. Ten men created the stencils on 85 yards (78 m) of paper and two artists rendered

754-407: Is credited with beginning the modern-day historic districts movement. In 1931, Charleston enacted an ordinance which designated an "Old and Historic District" administered by a Board of Architectural Review. Charleston's early ordinance reflected the strong protection that local historic districts often enjoy under local law. It asserted that no alteration could be made to any architectural features

812-471: Is little more than recognition by the government that the resource is worthy of preservation. Generally, the criteria for acceptance to the National Register are applied consistently, but there are considerations for exceptions to the criteria, and historic districts influence some of those exceptions. Usually, the National Register does not list religious structures, moved structures, reconstructed structures, or properties that have achieved significance within

870-488: Is not involved, then the listing on the National Register provides the site , property or district no protections. For example, if company A wants to tear down the hypothetical Smith House and company A is under contract with the state government of Illinois, then the federal designation would offer no protections. If, however, company A was under federal contract, the Smith House would be protected. A federal designation

928-519: Is within the historic district. Because there was a question concerning the title to the land, lots were slow to sell so LeClaire platted additions on land to the east of the original plat, also in the district. He received the land as the interpreter for the 1832 treaty that ended the Black Hawk War . He set aside one of the squares for St. Anthony's Catholic Church , the town's first church, which has been located there ever since. Scott County

986-583: The J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store (1892) and M.L. Parker (1922). Multiple theaters were located in the district, but only two remain the Capital Theatre (1922) and the former RKO Orpheum (1931). Of the apartment buildings constructed downtown, the Dorothea (1910) was one of the few buildings constructed by a woman. [REDACTED] Media related to Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District at Wikimedia Commons Historic districts in

1044-537: The Mississippi River that was part of the Black Hawk Purchase , a 40-to-50-mile (64 to 80 km) tract of land in what is now eastern Iowa . It was platted by land company stockholders that included George Davenport , a merchant and trader at Fort Armstrong and the city's namesake, and Antoine LeClaire , a French-Indian interpreter, lawyer, and speculator. Part of the original town plat

1102-492: The New Formalism style of architecture. It is made up of five stories of parking comprising 250 parking spaces, and a sixth floor that cantilevers over the lower floors. The top floor originally housed office space. The panels that hold up the structure are cast concrete and the screen is made of aluminum. A continuous circular ramp located in the center provides access to all of the parking levels. The parking structure

1160-560: The U.S. Conference of Mayors penned an influential report which concluded, in part, that Americans suffered from a sense of "rootlessness." They recommended historic preservation to help give Americans a sense of orientation. The creation of the National Register of Historic Places in 1966, on the heels of the report, helped instill that sense of orientation the mayors sought. The mayors also recommended that any historic preservation program not focus solely on individual properties but also on "areas and districts which contain special meaning for

1218-485: The 1890s the city had become the financial center of the region and the state. The district was the location for the city's financial institutions, including the city's tallest building, Davenport Bank and Trust (1927). Several hotels, including the Davenport Hotel (1907), were built in the district to serve the main train stations and Hotel Blackhawk (1914, 1920) was a convention-oriented hotel. In addition to

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1276-646: The Iowa & Illinois Railway (Incorporated 1901) until their 1916 merger after being purchased by the United Light & Railways Co.). The latter's station is still extant on Brady Street. The period of significance for the historic district is from 1850, when the present St. Anthony's Church was begun, until 1968 when the present Davenport Public Library was completed. During the intervening years buildings were constructed for civic, commercial, light industrial, entertainment, multiple dwelling, and fraternal uses. By

1334-470: The National Register of Historic Places. If such an objection occurred, then the nomination would become a determination of National Register eligibility only. This provision is controversial because of the presumption that owners who do not file a formal objection support the designation, placing the burden on opponents. Most U.S. state governments have a listing similar to the National Register of Historic Places. State listings can have similar benefits to

1392-669: The National Register. For example, in Nevada , listing in the State Register places no limits on property owners. In contrast, state law in Tennessee requires that property owners within historic districts follow a strict set of guidelines from the U.S. Department of Interior when altering their properties. Though, according to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, all states must have

1450-632: The Sauk warrior Black Hawk (1812); the battle on Davenport's Credit Island in the War of 1812 (1814); the last bison chased from what is now the Quad Cities (1816); the construction of Fort Armstrong on what is now Arsenal Island (1817); the first steamboat up the Mississippi River (1823); the establishment of Davenport and immigration to the new town (1836); Davenport's first school (1838);

1508-663: The Security Savings Bank at this time. They had this building constructed in 1927. The new building reflected the significance of the bank in the community, and it has dominated the city's skyline since it was built. As a result of the Great Depression , it absorbed Iowa National Bank, the Citizens Trust and Savings Bank, and the Farmers and Merchants Bank and was one of five banks in the city that

1566-499: The United States Historic districts in the United States are designated historic districts recognizing a group of buildings, archaeological resources, or other properties as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects, and sites within a historic district are normally divided into two categories, contributing and non-contributing. Districts vary greatly in size and composition:

1624-424: The United States is primarily based on arguments that such laws creating such districts restrict the supply of affordable housing, and thus the result of such districts is that of enforcing caste structures and class divisions by region and segments of urban areas. Several historic districts have been proposed not for a true preservation purpose but to prevent development. The issue of local historic districts and

1682-425: The United States. Local historic districts can be administered at the county or the municipal level; both entities are involved in land use decisions. The specific legal mechanism by which historic districts are enacted and regulated varies from one state to the next. In some areas, they are a component of zoning (where they are sometimes referred to as "overlay districts." In other places, they are created under

1740-668: The Vieux Carré Commission and authorizing it to act to maintain the historic character of the city's French Quarter . Other localities picked up on the concept, with the city of Philadelphia enacting its historic preservation ordinance in 1955. The regulatory authority of local commissions and historic districts has been consistently upheld as a legitimate use of government police power, most notably in Penn Central Transportation Co. v. City of New York (1978). The Supreme Court case validated

1798-478: The building is 255 feet (78 m), which makes it the tallest building in the Quad City area. The building has retained its original banking room, a multi-story space with an elaborately painted ceiling. The space is lit by the large Roman arched windows on the east elevation. The ceiling is a canopy of groin vaults and is painted in a multi-colored design. A painting by Davenport artist Hiram Thompsen depicting

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1856-435: The building is a conservative office building with a smooth limestone surface punctuated by windows. Most of the south elevation and part of the west elevation, however, are clad in buff-colored brick. The building is capped by a pedimented temple and a three-story-tall clock tower. Four 6-foot (1.8 m) statues of eagles sit at the corners of the tower. The clock faces are 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter. The total height of

1914-484: The building's fifth, ninth, tenth and eleventh floors into 29 market rate apartments. Wells Fargo Bank remained alongside other commercial and residential tenants until the weekend of April 23–24, 2016 when it moved its operations to the redeveloped Putnam-Parker Block . The building was renamed Davenport Bank Apartments. The main bank building was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Weary & Alford . It

1972-410: The community." Local, state, and federal historic districts now account for thousands of historical property listings at all levels of government. Davenport Bank and Trust Henry Lischer and H.H. Anderson formed German Savings Bank in 1869. Davenport had a large German community and it contributed to the bank's success. By the 1890s the city had become the financial center of the region and

2030-476: The contributing structure in the historic district. The CRI&P passenger station was also located in the district, but service ended there in 1968 and the depot was torn down in the 1970s. The city was also served by three other rail lines, five streetcar lines, and an interurban line called the Clinton, Davenport & Muscatine Railway (Originally the Davenport & Muscatine Railway (Incorporated 1910) and

2088-541: The county courthouse, the district also includes Davenport City Hall (1895), Central Fire Station (1901), and the United States Courthouse (1933). Light industrial uses included cigar manufacturing, wood planning, and carriage and plow manufacturing before those buildings were converted into other uses. Initially, commerce focused on dry goods , groceries, specialty stores, and wholesale goods before fashionable department stores were built, including

2146-421: The designation process through a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the official recognition by the U.S. government of cultural resources worthy of preservation. While designation through the National Register does offer a district or property some protections, it is only in cases where the threatening action involves the federal government . If the federal government

2204-759: The district also contains 33 buildings that are individually listed on the National Register. This historic district is bordered by four other districts: the Crescent Warehouse Historic District and the Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District on the east, the Hamburg Historic District to the northwest, and the West Third Street Historic District on the west. Davenport was founded in 1836 on land along

2262-441: The first courthouse was completed. Davenport was the first city in Iowa to receive rail service. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P) entered the city in 1856 after the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River was completed in 1856. The CRI&Ps mainline followed the base of the river bluff on the north side of the downtown area. From 1901 to 1903 the tracks were elevated along Fifth Street. They are

2320-603: The first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River (1856); and the Civil War training camps that operated in Davenport (1861). The largest mural occupies the south wall of the building and depicts the signing of the Black Hawk Treaty in September 1832. The treaty was signed at what is now Fifth and Farnam Streets in Davenport. Hiram Thompsen, who created the painting, was a native of Cincinnati and studied at

2378-528: The historic designation process has in many places been hijacked by NIMBY homeowners to block housing. The first U.S. historic district was established in Charleston, South Carolina in 1931, predating the U.S. federal government designation by more than three decades. Charleston city government designated an "Old and Historic District" by local ordinance and created a board of architectural review to oversee it. New Orleans followed in 1937, establishing

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2436-521: The housing supply. When an area of a city is designated as part of a 'historic district', new housing development is artificially restricted and the supply of new housing permanently capped in area so designated as 'historic'. Critics of historic districts argue that while these districts may offer an aesthetic or visually pleasing benefit, they increase inequality by restricting access to new and affordable housing for lower and middle class tenants and potential home owners. Housing advocates have argued that

2494-627: The impact on property values concerns many homeowners. The effects have been extensively studied using multiple methodologies, including before-and-after analysis and evaluating comparable neighborhoods with and without local designation status. Independent researchers have conducted factual analysis in several states, including New Jersey, Texas, Indiana, Georgia, Colorado, Maryland, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Virginia, and elsewhere. As stated by economist Donovan Rypkema, "the results of these studies are remarkably consistent: property values in local historic districts appreciate significantly faster than

2552-406: The last 50 years. However, if a property falls into one of those categories and are " integral parts of districts that do meet the criteria", then an exception allowing their listing will be made. Historic district listings, like all National Register nominations, can be rejected based on owner disapproval. In the case of historic districts, a majority of owners must object to nullify a nomination to

2610-545: The market as a whole in the vast majority of cases and appreciate at rates equivalent to the market in the worst case. Simply put – historic districts enhance property values." In a 2011 study Connecticut Local Historic Districts and Property Values , it was found that "property values in every local historic district saw average increases in value ranging from 4% to over 19% per year." Similarly, in New York City between 1980 and 2000, local historic district properties on

2668-606: The northeast corner of Third and Main Streets. To replace the surface lot, a modern parking structure and additional space for the bank were built adjacent to the west side of the building in 1971. Davenport Bank & Trust was sold to Norwest Bank of Minneapolis in 1993 and became part of Wells Fargo following the merger of the two large banks in November 1998. In 2005 the building was purchased by Financial District Properties. A $ 7.5 million renovation project in 2013 converted

2726-467: The properties included in the district. Many local commissions adopt specific guidelines for each neighborhood's " tout ensemble " although some smaller commissions rely on the Secretary of Interior Standards. For most minor changes, homeowners can consult with local preservation staff at the municipal office and receive guidance and permission. Significant changes, however, require homeowners to apply for

2784-435: The property owner's consent or compensation for the historic overlay. Historic districts are generally two types of properties, contributing and non-contributing. Broadly defined, a contributing property is any property, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make a historic district, listed locally or federally, significant. Different entities, usually governmental, at both

2842-516: The protection of historic resources as "an entirely permissible governmental goal." In 1966, the federal government created the National Register of Historic Places, soon after a report from the U.S. Conference of Mayors had stated Americans suffered from "rootlessness." By the 1980s, there were thousands of federally designated historic districts. Some states, such as Arizona, have passed referendums defending property rights that have stopped private property from being designated as historic without

2900-658: The public could view from the street. Local historic districts, as in New Orleans and Savannah, Georgia , predate the Register by ten years or more as well. Local historic districts are most likely to generate resistance because of the restrictions they tend to place on property owners. Local laws can cause residents "to comply with (local historic district) ordinances." For example, homeowners may be prevented from upgrading poorly insulated windows unless they spend tens of thousands of dollars on identical styles. Criticism of historic districts in Chicago and elsewhere in

2958-441: The second largest bank in Iowa. V.O. Figge became associated with the bank in 1931 as a bank examiner and served as vice-president, president and CEO into the 1990s. The bank's assets were at $ 1.5 million the year this building was completed and they grew to $ 100 million by 1960, once again making this the state's largest bank. In 1966, Davenport Bank built a Modern Movement drive-in banking facility on its surface parking lot at

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3016-606: The signing of the treaty between the Sauk and Meskwaki tribes and the US government after the Black Hawk War has hung prominently on the south wall since 1928. The original wrought iron teller "cages" remain and the rest of the interior features dark wood and marble elements. The six-story parking structure with additional space for the bank was designed by the Detroit engineering firm Richard C. Rich & Associates. The addition follows

3074-525: The state and national level in the United States, have differing definitions of contributing property, but they all retain the same basic characteristics. In general, contributing properties are integral parts of a historic district's historical context and character. In addition to the two types of classification within historic districts, properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places are classified into five broad categories. They are: building, structure, site, district, and object; each one has

3132-418: The state. German Savings Bank took over Citizens National Bank in 1906, and it merged with the Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank in 1910. By 1916 it was the largest bank in Iowa. Because of anti-German sentiments that resulted from World War I the bank's name was changed in 1918 to American Commercial and Savings Bank. As the 1920s began, Davenport had 11 banks. American Commercial and Savings Bank absorbed

3190-563: The work in oils. The Italian Renaissance style of work features spirals , rosettes , festoons , griffins , swans and masks . In addition, there are also ten murals that are 6 feet (2 m) high, which provide a chronological history of Davenport from its earliest times to the American Civil War . The murals depict the arrival of the first Europeans to this part of the Mississippi River Valley (1654);

3248-506: Was built by Walsh-Kahl Construction Company from 1926 to 1927. The main building is twelve stories with a steel frame faced with limestone . Bowers and Svendsen refer to the building's architecture as "ungainly" because of its juxtaposition of disparate stylistic elements that fail to provide a cohesive composition. The lower story façade features black marble panels on the lowest level, an ornate metal entrance, columns with stylized capitals and recessed Roman arched windows. The middle part of

3306-526: Was established by the legislature of the Wisconsin Territory in 1837, and the city fought a protracted battle for the county seat from 1838 to 1840. As part of the deal to gain that distinction, Davenport and LeClaire donated a park square for the courthouse , and the county's three courthouses and its jail have all been built there. The first court sessions were held in St. Anthony's Church until

3364-560: Was still active when President Franklin Roosevelt signed the Emergency Banking Act in 1933. The others included: Bechtel Trust Company, Northwest Davenport Savings Bank , Union Savings Bank and Trust , and Home Savings Bank. It was one of only two banks to re-open in Davenport. The bank changed its name at this time to Davenport Bank and Trust Company under the direction of E.P. Adler. By 1936, it rebuilt itself to become

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