Locust Street 1389IOWA STATE HISTORICAL DEPARTMENT, DIVISION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION
DUBUQUE, IOWA 1978
Architectural SUrvey 1979
Inventory
STREET ADDRESS
BUILDING NAME
PRESENT OWNER
Address
Photograph ~o~ 7- Frame
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION
Source
ARCHITECT/BUILDER
Source
PRESENT USE
DESIGNED USE
Source
ACCESSIBILITY
STATUS
BUILDING MATERIALS
REs/uu-x/~
~/UNO/We
CONDITION
Foundation ~~ , Q 2 3 4
Walls 5Z~C~f~ (~/JT/F~GT~ 1~) 3 4
Trim *c~T~j~i. ~ ~ ~, ' i ~ 3 4
Porch/Storefront ~'~/~ ~2 3 4
Eaves/Cornice ~ ~ 2 3 4
Roof ~65tT~ ~2 3 4
Chimney(s) ~M~C~ ~ 2 34
1234
1234
DESIGN FEATURES
Style {'TfAL~ ~
Details of Note:
' '~ ~ ¢ ~ ¢C~ ~;¢~¢,
Interior Features:
Facade N/S/E/W By Date
MODIFICATIONS/ADDITIONS:
Site Features:
Evaluation
I QUALITY Aesthetic 1~3 4
Historical 1~2~3 4
Rarity ~34
II ENVIRONMENTAL STATURE 3 4
III CONTEXT Immediate ~IP2 3 4
Broad ~)2 3 4
IV INTEGRITY OF FABRIC 1~3 4
COMMENT:
Architectural Significance
PROBABLE ADDITIONAL AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE
REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS
m~ms/Nm-m
SURVEY CONSULTANT: Bruce M. Kriviskey, AICP Date
Site Inventory Form
State Inventory No. 31-02035
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 William "Hog" Ryan House
other names/site number
2. Location
street & number 1389 Locust
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/01A01single dwelling residence
7. Description
Architectural Classification Materials
(Enter categories from instructions)(Enter categories from instructions)
05-Late Victorian/05B-Italianate 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.
31-02035
Dubuque1389 Locust
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
Architecture1871-72
check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
1875
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above)
Architect
N/A Orsdel, Van
Builder
Woods, W. J. and Holland, Ora
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 # 7467 Frame/slot # 18 Date Taken Sept. 2003
Roll/slide sheet # Frame/slot # Date Taken
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
31-02035
Site Number
Iowa Site Inventory Form
Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
William "Hog" Ryan House Dubuque
Name of Property County
1389 Locust Dubuque
Address City
7. Narrative Description:
This property is located in the Jackson Park Historic District. Style/Year: 1871-72, Italianate style
(bracketed cornice, tower, oculus window, bays, narrow windows on ground floor front, side wall
chimneys), Second Empire style (concave mansard roof on the tower. This design is notable for its
pure Italianate lines, the tower and particularly the rarely surviving range of chimneys.
Designer/Builder: Van Orsdel, Chicago architect (designer of the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago), W.
J. Woods and Ora Holland, builders of 1875 addition.
Physical Description: Two-story brick L-plan core (52’6” deep, 42’ wide) with centered two-story gable
roof rear wing (24x35’6”) East”wing” on core extends 16’ and is 42’ wide. Raised stone foundation and
water table, symmetrical fenestration, floor-length lower level front windows, elaborate stone window
hoods with a rounded wrap-around base, a matching cap and keystone. The sills are of stone. The
cornice has triple bracket sets at each corner, is denticulated, and the end walls feature three brick
chimneys with their original corbelled decorative detailing intact. The façade consists of a left side
gabled wing with centered bay, the upper level being stepped back, the same ornamental cornice, and
an oculus window in the attic front. Centered on the façade is a splendid three or four-story square
tower with triple light window lights (in a Palladian-like arrangement with dominant center light with
keystone) a bracketed and denticulated cornice, a concave mansard roof and rounded dormers, all
capped by a widow’s walk and iron railing. The entrance is in the front of the tower base. The original
plan had a single-story porch across the north port of the façade and a side door on the second floor of
the tower accessed the roof of that porch. Tower (4x8), front bay 4’6”x11, single-story brick addition in
southwest corner, 26x16). Two fireplaces.
Alterations: loss of side porch as noted. Window replacement. Permits note re-roofing in 1931, 1950,
1995, 2000, roof repairs 1949, 1994 (flat roof), repair of fire damage to roof and siding 1994, brick
garage re-roofed 1945, side porch enclosed 1949.
th
Landscaping/Setting: prominent level corner lot, house placed close to 14 Street and advanced
eastward as well, stone retaining wall and iron fence. House fronts east.
8. Narrative Statement of Significance:
Special Significance; William “Hog” Ryan House
Original Owner/Builder: Ryan built this brick residence, 30x40, 2.5 stories with tower, “the finest
modeled dwelling in the city,” started in 1871, to be done in five months from the end of the year, total
cost $20,000 (Tribune, December 20, 1871). The Herald reported Ryan was “in the process of erecting
one of the finest residences in the city…brick…French style, very dashy in outline,” 40x30, 2.5 stories,
not to be ready until July 1872, $15-20,000 (Herald, December 17, 1871). He did $5,000 in interior
improvements in 1873 and added a 80x23 spite fence on the south side of his parcel, which cost $800
(Herald, November 9, 1873). In 1875 he added a 10’ brick kitchen addition, using builders W. J. Woods
and Ora Holland, $4,500 (ibid., October 31, 1875). In 1886 he spent $5,000 to move a residence and
he added a new stable to this property for $1,500 (Times, January 20, 1886; Herald, May 9, 1856).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa
31-02035
Site Number
Iowa Site Inventory Form
Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
William "Hog" Ryan House Dubuque
Name of Property County
1389 Locust Dubuque
Address City
Building History: Ryan was born July 10, 1820 in (West) Virginia and came to Galena in 1846 with his
brother James. The brothers sponsored an infantry company for Civil War service and both of their
Galena homes survive. A friendship with U. S. Grant netted them pork packing contracts and they
came to Dubuque in 1868 and built a packing house on the lower levee. It would burn in 1896, ending
the family association with meat packing. This house was associated with Ryan’s first family (his wife
was Ann Elizabeth Dignan Ryan, born in 1821, married 1862) and five of his six children owned the
house until 1942 (one child who developed conflicting religious beliefs refugeed to the house to the
south. Ryan was unhappy with the proximity of the Thompson house to the south and in 1873 he
erected a two-story high wooden spite fence along his southern boundary line. The family ties to the
Mount Sinsinawa (Wisconsin) sisters are credited to his first wife. Ryan died in 1890 and was buried
there. He willed this house to his children (first marriage). John and Marvel Link owned c.1955-63,
Vern and Merlin P. Michel bought the house by 1958 (contract), six-plex as of 1971 (Historic Houses
file, Folder F-1, Center for Dubuque History; Telegraph-Herald, December 27, 1995; Iowan Magazine,
Vol 16, Spring 1968, pp. 17-22, 54; ibid. Winter 1967-68, pp. 44-48, 52; 1990 Old House Enthusiasts
House Tour).
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
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William "Hog" Ryan House Dubuque
Name of Property County
1389 Locust Dubuque
Address City
10. Additional Documentation:
Legal Description: E 125’ N 1/5 663, E 125’ of N 10’4” of N 1/5 same.
Map: