Bluff Street 0504IOWA STATE HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT, DIVISION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DUBUQUE, IOWA 1978
Architectural Survey 1979
Inventory
STREET ADDRESS
BUILDING NAME
PRESENT OWNER
Address
Photograph ~o~ ~
Frame
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION
Source
ARCHITECT/BUILDER
Source
PRESENT USE ~7~,~/~/
ESIGNED USE
Source
ACCESSIBILITY
STATUS
BUILDING MATERIALS
Foundation ~~Q~
Walls Q~f~/~
~UNR/NO
~UN0/W
CONDITION
1~34
12~4
Trim ~A~ 1 2~4
Porch/Storefront ~~Q~ 1 2~4
Eaves/Cornice %~ff~ ~ ~A~%fA~ 2 ~4
1~3 4
Chi~ey(s) ~~ ~ 1 2 3 4
DESIGN FEATURES
Style ~O ~
Details of Note:
Interior Features:
1234
1234
Site Features:
Evaluation
I QUALITY Aesthetic ~ 234
Historical ~ 34
Rarity 34
II ENVIRONMENTAL STATURE ~234
III CONTEXT Immediate ~234
Broad ~1(~3 4
IV INTEGRITY OF FABRIC 34
~ Amhitecturai Significance
PROBABLE ADDITIONAL AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE
REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS
SURVEY CONSULTANT: Bruce M. Kriviskey, AICP
Facade N/S/E/W By Date
MODIFICATIONS/ADDITIONS:
COMMENT:
COMMENT:
m~s/~
~ate %2 ~( '7~
Site Inventory Form
State Inventory No. 31-00847
New Supplemental
State Historical Society of Iowa
Part of a district with known boundaries (enter inventory no.)
Relationship:ContributingNoncontributing
(December 1, 1999)
Contributes to a potential district with yet unknown boundaries
National Register Status:(any that apply) Listed De-listed NHL DOE
9-Digit SHPO Review & Compliance Number
Non-Extant (enter year)
1. Name of Property
historic name The Redstone/Elizabeth Cooper Sullivan/Daniel A. Sullivan residence
other names/site number
2. Location
street & number 504 Bluff
city or town Dubuque vicinity, county Dubuque
Legal Description: (If Rural) Township Name Township No. Range No. Section Quarter of Quarter
(If Urban) Subdivision Block(s) Lot(s) see below
3. State/Federal Agency Certification []
Skip this Section
4. National Park Service Certification []
Skip this Section
5. Classification
Category of Property Number of Resources within Property
(Check only one box)
building(s) If Non-Eligible Property If Eligible Property, enter number of:
district Enter number of: Contributing Noncontributing
site 0 buildings 1 0 buildings
structure sites sites
object structures structures
objects objects
0 Total 1 0 Total
Name of related project report or multiple property study
(Enter “N/A” if the property is not part of a multiple property examination).
Title Historical Architectural Data Base Number
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, 1833-1955N/A
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions Current Functions
(Enter categories from instructions)(Enter categories from instructions)
01-Domestic/01A01single dwelling residence 01-Domestic/01D-Hotel/01D01-Inn
7. Description
Architectural Classification Materials
(Enter categories from instructions)(Enter categories from instructions)
05-Late Victorian/05D-Queen Anne foundation Stone
walls brick
roof Asphalt
other
Narrative Description
( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria
(Mark “x” representing your opinion of eligibility after applying relevant National Register criteria)
Yes No More Research Recommended A
Property is associated with significant events.
Yes No More Research Recommended B
Property is associated with the lives of significant persons.
Yes No More Research Recommended C
Property has distinctive architectural characteristics.
Yes No More Research Recommended D
Property yields significant information in archaeology or history.
31-00847
Dubuque504 Bluff
County Address Site Number
Dubuque
City District Number
Criteria Considerations
A Owned by a religious institution or used E A reconstructed building, object, or structure.
for religious purposes. F A commemorative property.
B Removed from its original location. G Less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past
C A birthplace or grave. 50 years.
D A cemetery
Areas of Significance Significant Dates
(Enter categories from instructions)
Construction date
Architecture1894
check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above)
Architect
N/A Carkeek, Thomas T.
Builder
Unknown
Narrative Statement of Significance
( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography
See continuation sheet for citations of the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form
10. Geographic Data
UTM References
(OPTIONAL)
Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing
1 2
3 4
See continuation sheet for additional UTM references or comments
11. Form Prepared By
name/title James E. Jacobsen
organization History Pays! Historic Preservation Consulting Firm date June 15, 2004
street & number 4411 Ingersoll Avenue telephone 515-274-3625
city or town Des Moines state IA zip code 50312
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION
(Submit the following items with the completed form)
FOR ALL PROPERTIES
1. Map: showing the property’s location in a town/city or township.
2. Site plan: showing position of buildings and structures on the site in relation to public road(s).
3. Photographs: representative black and white photos. If the photos are taken as part of a survey for which the Society is to be
curator of the negatives or color slides, a photo/catalog sheet needs to be included with the negatives/slides and the following
needs to be provided below on this particular inventory site:
Roll/slide sheet # 7470 Frame/slot # 27 Date Taken Sept. 2003
Roll/slide sheet # 7471 Frame/slot # 9 Date Taken same
Roll/slide sheet # Frame/slot # Date Taken
photo & slide catalog sheet
See continuation sheet or attached for list of photo roll or slide entries.
Photos/illustrations without negatives are also in this site inventory file.
FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF PROPERTIES, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AS WELL
1. Farmstead & District:
(List of structures and buildings, known or estimated year built, and contributing or non-contributing status)
2. Barn:
a. A sketch of the frame/truss configuration in the form of drawing a typical middle bent of the barn.
b. A photograph of the loft showing the frame configuration along one side.
c. A sketch floor plan of the interior space arrangements along with the barn’s exterior dimensions in feet.
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Use Only Below This Line
Concur with above survey opinion on National Register eligibility: Yes No More Research Recommended
This is a locally designated property or part of a locally designated district.
Comments:
Evaluated by (name/title): Date:
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa
31-00847
Site Number
Iowa Site Inventory Form
Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
The Redstone/Elizabeth Cooper Sullivan/Daniel A. Sullivan residence Dubuque
Name of Property County
504 Bluff Dubuque
Address City
7. Narrative Description:
This property is located in the Cathedral Historic District. Style/Year: 1894, Queen Anne style,
embodied in asymmetry of form, round tower and turret, bays, mixed materials (stone, brick), ornate
chimneys and caps, porches.
Designer/Builder: Thomas T. Carkeek, architect (Dubuque of Today, 1897).
Physical Description: two-story basic rectangular brick plan with high hip roof, southwest corner three-
story tower and turret/finial cap, a pedimented gable front southern wing and porch, a south-facing
three sided bay with Shingle style roof and half round cap, twin hip roof east-facing dormers, a rounded
southeast corner with turret cap (engaged tower) and a east facing porch. On the west façade there is
a second stone porch and a pedimented gable wall dormer. There is a one-story three-sided bay on
the ground floor between the tower and porch. Romanesque arches infill the west gable front and the
upper level of the corner tower. Broad rusticated stone belt courses trace the lintel levels of each story,
there is a high raised stone foundation and water table. Classical style friezes run beneath the cornice
line of the tower, south wing and bay. Two original full stone and a frame porch survive.
Alterations: very well preserved. The carriage house/power plant was apparently demolished when the
Federal Building was built in 1932. Permits note repairs 1974, exterior alterations for restaurant
conversion 1979 ($1,500), conversion to restaurant, 1984 ($380,000), replacement of porch steps and
railings 1998, replacement of wood rails on porch 2000.
Landscaping/Setting: Prominent quarter block and corner location with short dimension oriented
east/west.
8. Narrative Statement of Significance:
Special Significance; The Redstone/Elizabeth Cooper Sullivan/Daniel A. Sullivan residence, individually
National Register listed. This is the only surviving Cooper house and the least significant of the three;
the first was on the present post office site, the second was the Greystone, a 37-room mansion
demolished in the 1960s, and this one was the third. Commonly cited as the D. A. Sullivan house.
Original Owner/Builder: A.A. Cooper.
Building History: Newspapers termed this the Daniel A. Sullivan house when it was built for $20,000 in
1894. This was the last surviving and least significant of three Cooper family homes. This house was
built as a double residence (Sommer, p. 103; Gebhard, p. 83; Herald, January 1, 1895). This house
was built for daughter Nell/Elizabeth, who married Daniel A. Sullivan, as a duplex, the finer side being
for the family. It was converted into apartments, was used for numerous bars and was a popular night
spot by the 1970s. It was then vacant and deteriorated. Sixteen investors, led by Paul Pekosh
purchased the house for use as an inn in 1984 for $300,000, the rehabilitation costing an additional
$500,000. The consortium was titled the Dubuque Historical Improvement Company. Restoration work
began October 15, 1985 with Charlie Glab as architect (Iowan Magazine, Summer 1986, pp. 55-60;
Telegraph-Herald, January 8, 1985).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
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State Historical Society of Iowa
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31-00847
Site Number
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Iowa Site Inventory Form
Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
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The Redstone/Elizabeth Cooper Sullivan/Daniel A. Sullivan residence Dubuque
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Name of Property County
504 Bluff Dubuque
Address T City
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The 1955 Assessor card found that the north portion of this double residence (506 Bluff) contained 10
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sleeping rooms which rented for $7.00 weekly, with the caretaker occupying two rooms. The interior
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was “plain compared to next door.” There were no fireplaces.
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The Augustus Cooper mansion (the “Greystone,” non-extant) was located on the northwest corner of
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West 5 and Bluff. Cooper announced plans to build a “fine large stone residence with tower, circle T
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bays, wide verandah, fine conservatory and carriage house” in early 1887, the finished house is
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reported in 1888 as costing $25,000, and the next year at $13,000 (Shanks, p, 38; Times, February 27,
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1887; Herald, December 23, 1888; December 29, 1889).
9. Major Bibliographical References:
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, 1884, 1891, 1909/36
Dubuque City Directories, 1902, 1915, 1925, 1934
Bruce Kriviskey, Dubuque, Iowa--Architectural Survey 1978/1979, Atlas of City Wide and District
Survey Maps, Dubuque; n.p., c.1979
Dubuque County Assessor’s Data
Newspapers and other primary sources as noted in the text above.
Historical photographs, Center For Dubuque History, Loras College
10. Additional Documentation:
Legal Description: Lot 137, south 10’ Lot 138.
Map: