Architect Hist Survey Ph IIMEMORANDUM
February 12, 2002
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Architectural/Historic Survey/Evaluation Phase II Survey Report
Planning Services Manager Laura Carstens is transmitting the Architectural/Historic
Survey/Evaluation Phase II Survey Report for the Garfield, Rhomberg and Lincoln
Street area for City Council review and comments, prior to the February 21 public
meeting to be held by the Historic Preservation Commission where the author, James
Jacobsen, will present.
MCVM/jh
Attachment
cc: Barry Lindahl, Corporation Counsel
Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA
MEMORANDUM
February 12, 2002
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager
Laura Carstens, Planning Services Manager
Architectural/Historic Survey/Evaluation Phase II Survey Report
This memo transmits the Architectural/Historic Survey/Evaluation Phase II Survey
Report. The City of Dubuque received an $18,753 Certified Local Government (CLG)
grant from the State Historical Society of Iowa to conduct an intensive survey of the
Garfield, Rhomberg, and Lincoln Street area.
The survey report was prepared by James Jacobsen of History Pays!, the consultant for
Phases I and II of the City's architectural/historical survey/evaluation project. As a
Certified Local Government (CLG) with the State Historical Society of Iowa, the City is
required to conduct these types of surveys.
The Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) will hold a public meeting on the final
report on February 21,2002, at which time Mr. Jacobsen will present the survey and
answer questions about the report.
This report is submitted for the City Council's review and comments. Council
comments received at the February 18, 2002 meeting will be forwarded to the HPC at
their February 21st public meeting.
Attachments
cc: Historic Preservation Commission
Eagle Point, 1946 Aerial View
DUBUQUE THE KEY CITY
The Architectural And Historical Resources
of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey
Report:
Molly Myers Naumann, Ottumwa
James E. Jacobsen, History Pays!
Des Moines
January 15,2002
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Cathedral of Elms, Rhomberg Street, c.1960 photograph
(courtesy Dubuque County Historical Society)
Credits and Acknowledgements:
This project has been funded with the assistance ora matching grant-ia-aid from the State Historical Society of Iowa,
Community Programs Bureau, through the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under provisions of the
Natiorml ltistoric Freserva'don Act of 1966; the opimons expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Department of the
Interior.
This project received Federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations o£the U.S. Department of the Interior
strictly prohibit unlawful discrimantion in Federally Assisted Programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or
handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against ia any program, activity, or facility operated by
a recipient of federal assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opporttmity Program, U.S. Department o£the Interior,
National Park Service, 1849 C Sl~eet NW, D.C. 20240
Cover Photo Credit:
State Historical Society of Iowa, Photogaphic Collection, Register & Tribune aerial photo dated August 7,
1946, photo #9207. The "Cathedral of [Elm] Trees" is plainly visible rmming along the centerline of northeast
half of the point.
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CiTY-The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I1 Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
INTRODUCTION:
This is Phase II of an intensive architectural and historical survey of the entire City of Dubuque.
Phase I was a two-part project: the first being the identification and development of historic contexts
and property types for the city; while the second was conducting an intensive level survey and
evaJuation of properties located in the Washington/Jackson/Elm Street area north of the central
business district. Phase I was completed in 2000.
Survey Area Map (north to top of map, dashed line denotes survey area)
The current survey was conducted in a geographic area northeast of the original plat of the
City of Dubuque. It contains two distinct areas: the Rhomberg/Eagle Point neighborhood which
consists primarily of three streets (Garfield, Rhomberg and Lincoln) running NE/SW from Kniest to Eagle
Point; and, the Linwood district, which consists of streets located on the hillside between 22"d Street
and Linwood Cemetery, from Queen to Jefferson Middle School. Originally Lake Peosta separated the
neighborhood from the Mississippi River to the south except at the far northeast end. The survey area is
primarily residential in nature, but it also contains examples of commercial, industrial, educational and
religious propedies.
Overall, the Phase II survey area can best be described as a working class neighborhood with
corner stores and neighborhood schools and churches. In 1921 Dubuque changed many street
names, and others were changed prior to that. The folJowing changes were made in the Phase [I
survey area:
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Ori.qinal Name
Present Name
Lake Garfield
High Rhomberg
Division Lincoln
Eagle Point 22nd
Sanford 24th
General Descriptive Observations, Phase 11 Survey Area
The Phase II survey area incorporated Nra different neighborhoods in the northeast part of
Dubuque: the Rhomberg/Eagle Point area; and, the Linwood area: While these two are similar, the
reason for their development was different, and it was somewhat difficult to evaluate them
simultaneously. However, both are primarily working class/middle class residential neighborhoods, with
small to medium sized housing. Brick is an important building material, but there appears to be an
equal number of frame houses, and concrete block emerges as a popular building material in the
early 20th century. The areas include corner stores, and neighborhood schools and churches. The
primary period of development is the late 19th/early 20th century. The architecture is primarily
vernacular, with a few architect designed, high style houses and buildings included.
Rhomberg, viewed west towards Windsor
The survey area is narrow and elongated and there is no vantage point from which its entirety
can be observed. The west end or southernmost comer, is substantially lower in elevation than is the
rest of the point (see photo above).
Historically the east-west flow of travel has dominated Eagle Point. None of the north-running
roads located east of the Couler Valley went anywhere apart from serving access to a few farms.
Roosevelt and Shiras Avenue only recently gained connections. Despite this fact, Shiras Avenue is
recommended for survey and evaluation of a number of very early houses and outbuildings.
HISTORIC CONTEXTS
Five historic contexts were identified and developed during Phase h
Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858
The Key City, 1859-1893
Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910
An Era of Stability, 1910-1955
The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
4
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CiTY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Properties relating to each of these contexts are found within the current survey.
Frontier City on the Mississippi River: 1833-1858:
Following the opening of the area for settlement in 1833, and while the original portion of
Dubuque was being settled, several enterprising men looked farther north along the Mississippi River
and purchased land in an area known as Eagle Point. in 1835 a county road was laid out, beginning
at Eagle Point and running to the Territorial Road, and thence to a county road. Somewhat later the
supervisor's commission ordered that W.G. Stewart and Chester Sage (Supervisors of Roads) "work"
said road, thereby facilitating travel from Eagle Point to Dubuque.
Eagle Point area map, c.1870 (Dubuque County Historical Society)
Note Ham holdings and the single Eagle Point road, described below.
This road appears to have connected Eagle Point with Coder Avenue (now Central). There has been
a great deal of discussion concerning which of the present streets (Garfield, Ehomberg, Lincoln, or
High Bluff) was the original road. Although the exact route of this road has not been determined, from
this map it appears that the 1835 route followed what is now known as Garfield.
On June 17, 1837 the following notice appeared in Iowa News (p3, c3), "serving Dubuque,
Upper Mississippi Lead Mines, and Wisconsin Territory":
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Sale of Lots
In the town of
EAGLE POINT
This town which is laid off by the proprietors, is delightfully situated on the west
bank of the Mississippi River, about one mile north of the __ line of the town of
Dubuque, and immediately opposite Mississippi City, at which place commences the
great Railroad which is to form an entire line of communications between the Mississippi
River and Lake Michigan. The commercial advantages of this town as well as its
proximity to the rich mineral and agricultural country back of it, need not be
enumerated to those acquainted with the situation. Its central position and
commanding location will at once be observed by a slight reference to the map of the
Territory. The steamboat landing is inferior to none from St. Louis to St. Peters. No town
in the far west can boast of a more healthy location -springs of the best and purest of
water are found in abundance gushing out from the cliff at the rear of the town. The
sale will take place on the ground on the 15th day of July next.
TERMS - 10% down, the terms or payment of the balance will be liberal and
made known on the day of the sale.
Thomas McCraney
Mathias Ham
F.K. O'Ferrall
John Foley
Eagle Point, June 17, 1837
Ham's A'ddition (Dubuque County Historical Society)
No documentation has been located concerning the success, or failure, of the sale of lots on
July 15, ] 837. At that point lead mining operations were in place north of Dubuque, in the Couler
Valley, and possibly in the Eagle Point area as well. These were shaft mines rather than the surface
6
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
digs found to the south (Wilkie,, pp 143-4)C Eagle Point was one of several small settlements in the area
that eventually were included in the boundaries of the city of Dubuque when it was incorporated
under authority of the Iowa Territorial Legislature in January 1840.
Mathias Ham (one of the original proprietors of the town of Eagle Point), had arrived in the
area in1833 and over the next few years purchased 25,000 acres along the Mississippi River. included
in those acres were Mineral Lots 304 and 305. These lots extended from Eagle Point proper southwest
toward downtown Dubuque. Around 1839 Ham built a small cottage of native limestone on his land.
In1854 he platted much of Mineral Lots 304 and 305 as Ham's Addition to the City of Dubuque. This
addition contained over 600 lots and extended from the Mississippi River southwest (from Tenth to First
Street). The major NE/SW streets were Main, High, Division, and Bluff (now Garfield, Rhomberg, Lincoln,
and High Bluff). Ham's cottage was located on lot 537 at the corner of what was then 5th and Division,
now Shiras and Lincoln. Two large lots, 207 and 208, indicate a plan for a public square bordered by
Sixth and Seventh streets, Main and High. During the Civil War Camp Franklin was apparently located
on these lots. T
In 1857 Ham enlarged his stone cottage into a fine two-and-one-half story Italianate style
residence, complete with octagonal belvedere. The stone used in construction was not native, but
had been shipped from Nauvoo, Illinois/Sommer, pp 62-64). The Ham residence (National Register of
Historic Places) is located on a hillside overlooking the plain toward the river. It must have presented
an elegant appearance in the 185Os.
HAM HOUSE FROM SOMMER p 64
The Dubuque Dailey Times noted (5-9-1859, p 3, c 2)
One of the pleasantest of the drives leading out from town is that which goes
to Eagle Point. One in going there passes through a magnificent collection of natural
beauties - not the least of which surround the palatial residence of Mathias Ham, Esq.
Green ridged banks, massive, rocky uplands, groves just bursting into a wilderness of
leaf and blossom, the imposing bluffs, the wide reaching river losing itself in the blue
distance, the long stretch of greensward swelling, hollowed, flattened like some green
sea, all unite in making the scene one full of beauty and grandeur.
Other events indicate that there was a strong interest in this area of the city. Some of the
earliest expansion out of the downtown area was to the northeast. In 1851 the city purchased ten
acres east of Coder Valley for Linwood Cemetery, and it is believed that a ferry connecting Eagle
Point with the state of Wisconsin was established that same year (any ferry from the point had to go
well downstream in order to find a dry landing point on the "mainland"). During the period 1854-57
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Dubuque's population grew from 6,634 to almost 16,000. Construction figures for that period indicate
that over 1,600 new buildings (including residences) were built in the city, but there is no breakdown
by neighborhood or ward. Although the 1858-59 City Directory does not list any businesses Jn the
survey area itself, it does list several just west along Couler between 19th and Eagle Point (now Twenty-
Second Street) indicating that development was creeping nodh. These businesses included wagon
makers, boarding houses, breweries, groceries, and the Jackson Hotel. While there were undoubtedly
a number of houses and buildings constructed in the neighborhood by1858, only the Mathias Ham
residence has been documented. Others would have been small vernacular houses/buildings, many
of wood frame construction. It is possible that one building at 2226 Rhomberg may date to this period,
but no proof has been located. It appears that construction was taking place at both the east and
west ends of the Rhomberg neighborhood, with a vast, unsettled area in the middle.
By the close of the first historic context, "Frontier City on the Mississippi: 1833-1858," this
northeast parc of town was established.
Alfred Waud lithograph, Eagle Point Near Dubuque, 1872
Note scattered buildings and train.
The Key City: 1859-1893:
Dubuque began to recover from the Panic of 1857-58 by the mid-1860's. Local newspapers
proudly noted new construction, not only commercial buildings and churches, but residences as well.
During 1863 Woodworfh and Jaeger built a frame brewery on the shore of Lake Peosfa, along what is
now known as Garfield. This business is listed in the 1865 city directory as being located in Eagle Point,
evidently a generic name for the area east of Couler. Other businesses in the neighborhood included
a basket maker, John Lannoive, and a grocery run by Peter Vogenthaler. In September 1867 the
Telegraph Herald made mention that George Ade was having a structure built at the corner of Lake
(Garfield) and Johnson, and two frame tenements costing $1,000 were being built on Lake for George
and Leonard Bohier. During 1869 residential construction continued in the survey area, with eight
houses along Lake (including a two story brick for C. Stafford near the 5th Ward School), six houses on
High (Rhomberg), a one and one-half story brick for George Gehrig on Division (Lincoln), three houses
on Eagle Point (Twenty-second Street), and one on Windsor. The city directory of that year listed two
businesses in the survey area: John Behrens was operating a brickyard at the corner of Division near
Lake (Lincoln near Garfield), and, John Schneider had a meat market at the northeast corner of
Division (Lincoln) and Windsor.
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
A c.mid-1870s view toward Dubuque from Eagle Point Park bluffs
The west end of the survey area (around Kniest) is shown on the 1872 birds eye view of
Dubuque by Augustus Koch. The area is sparsely settled with the land from Kniest west approximately
two blocks, and from Lake north to Eagle Point Road, almost totally empty. To the east, between
Kniest and Johnson, is a large three story building surrounded by trees. This WQS the original Audubon
School. High and Division streets are not cut through to Kniest, ending at Johnson. There is a cluster of
buildings/houses along LQke between Kniest and Johnson/across from the railroad shops), and other
along High from Johnson east to the intersection with Windsor. It is interesting to note that the area
along Coder, Washington, and Jackson is almost totally built-up.
The decade of the 1870's appears to have been a period of substantial growth and
development at both the east and west ends of the Rhomberg neighborhood, and the Linwood
neighborhood along Windsor. Each year the city directories listed more and more commercial
ventures in this area, and the newspapers noted housing construction as well. A major reason for this
development was the construction of the Chicago, Dubuque and Minnesota (later the Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Pad) railroad shops just southeast of the intersection of Lake and Johnson. Their
tracks ran parallel to Lake from the shops to Eagle Point. These shops provided employment for over
100 people. Convenient, affordable housing for the railroad workers necessitated the construction of
single family dwellings, boarding houses, and fiats in the Rhomberg neighborhood. For example, J.K.
Graves had a two story brick double tenement (with outhouses) constructed on Lake near Reid in1872,
9
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, '1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
several other brick residences were built along Lake, High and Division, and a number of small frame
houses along each of the main streets, but much of the construction was found along Lake. Brick
commercial buildings began appearing on corner lots, and a pair of greenhouses was constructed on
Division near First.
1872 Bird's Eye View
(John ReDs, Cities of the Mississippi, Columbia. Missouri. University of Missouri Press, 1994)
Eagle Point BoaNvorks and Limeworks, Rock Quarry (left rear), c.1890
(courtesy Dubuque County Historical Society, Photo #1381)
The Eagle Point Marine Works was established by Johnson and Gaylord in 1870 at the river end
of the neighborhood. These marine ways were called the "best and most perfect of any on the upper
river," and provided work for 50-100 men depending on the season (Dubuque Daily Times, June 15,
1871) Other commercial enterprises at Eagle Point included the Diamond Jo Boatyard and the
I0
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhoraberg-Eagle Point:
Dubuque Wooden Ware Co. These businesses led to the construction of more housing at the east
end of the neighborhood. August Roeber opened a brickyard at the comer of High and 5th
(Rhomberg and Stanton) in the early 1870s to meet the demand for building brick. Like many other
businessmen he built his residence, a two story brick house with side gable entry, near his workplace in
1878. The neighborhood was starting to fill in the middle from each end.
Diamond Jo Boatyard and Marine Ways, c.1903
(courtesy Dubuque County Historical Society
and Area Research Center, University of Wisconsin, LaCrosse)
By the late-1870s the Rhomberg neighborhood between Kniest and Eagle Point boasted a
variety of businesses, some clustered at the intersection of Rhomberg (High) and Kniest, and others
found on street corners along Rhomberg, Lincoln (Division), and Garfield (Lake). These businesses
provided a range of goods and service from bakers to coopers to meat markets and wagonmakers.
The ample number of saloons was outmatched only by the number of grocers.
Detail, Andreas Atlas, 1875
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
The map of the City of Dubuque that appeared in the A.T. Andreas Illustrated Historical Atlas of
the State of iowa 1875 (see above) shows a well developed street pattern in the survey area with few
changes from today except for street name changes and the tact that Division and High streets do
not extend to Kniest. The Chicago, Dubuque and Minnesota tracks are shown running parallel to Lake
Street along the shore of Lake Peosta, and the roundhouse is located just southeast of the tracks near
Lake and Johnson streets. Mathias Ham's Addition is easily recognizable with its long narrow blocks
and the slight dogleg to the northeast. Linwood Cemetery is shown with a number of individually
planned sections.
The growth of the Rhomberg and Linwood areas is illustrated by the creation of the Sacred
Heart parish in 1879 by a division of the St. Mary's parish. A brick church was built near the corner of
Eagle Point and Windsor. A parochial school was built in 1881, a rectory was constructed in 1882, and
a residence for the Sisters followed in 1883. Sacred Heart's congregation was primarily German in
origin, with a smattering of Luxembourgers as well. By 1884 the church was too small and a much
larger church (seating 1,200) was built immediately to the east. This building was designed by
Dubuque architect Fridolin Heer in the Romanesque Revival style. It is of red brick construction with
limestone trim. Measuring 63' x 160' the church features two asymmetrical towers 1135' and 200')
flanking the front entrances. When the new church was completed the old church was converted
into a school building. Marquette Hall was built on the northwest corner of the property in 1915 to
accommodate a growing school enrollment. The original small church and the Sister's residence were
demolished in the 1980s to provide parking, but the rectory, Marquette Hall, and the 1888 church
stand as testament to the strength of the German community and the expansion of the neighborhood
east of Coder.
The Sacred Heart complex is located at the intersection of Eagle Point and Windsor, the
dividing point between the Rhomberg and Linwood districts. Development along Windsor was
consistent with that along Lake and High. As the main route to Linwood Cemetery, Windsor was the
site of a florist and greenhouses, and neighborhood stores as well as small cottages and prosperous
two stow brick residences.
Detail, 1889 Perspective Map of the City of Dubuque, Iowa
(shows the area west of Windsor)
In the 1880s Lake was cut through between Washington and Couler, and both Division and
High streets were cut through to the west linking to Elm Street thereby connecting the neighborhood
with the rest of "north Dubuque." In 1887 the streetcar line was extended to Eagle Point via High
(Rhomberg), and by 1892 the streetcar ran to Linwood Cemetery via Windsor. The availability of this
new form of transportation encouraged more residential development near both routes. The 1889
birds eye view of Dubuque shows heavy development from Lake to Eagle Point, from Kniest to just east
12
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
of Windsor. It paints a very different picture from the sparsely populated 1872 view. From this point on
it appears that develapment was constant in both the Rhomberg and Linwood districts. The
newspapers were full of construction notes for frame and brick dwellings, both small cottages and
larger two story residences, along almost all of the streets in the survey area. August Roeber added a
"mammoth" new stationaw brick kiln to his brickyard between Garfield and Lincoln, Charles
Neumeister, had a two story building constructed to house flats on the second floor with his meat
market below, near the comer of 6~h (Shiras) and Rhomberg, Charles Kruse had a store and flats built at
Queen and Sanford (24th), and a "double store and flats" was built by Peter Scharle at Lake (Garfield)
and Johnson. City directories from the mid-1880s list a number of new businesses in the area such as a
brass foundry on Lake, carpet weavers, cigar manufacturers, and a skating rink. Ten years later the
brass foundw has become Smedley Manufacturing at the northwest corner of Garfield and Kniest, a
drug store, boarding houses, a hotel, and milliners have been added, and for the first time, saloons
outnumber grocers. Roeber's brickyard and the one owned by Dietrich Bros. (Lincoln between Fengler
and Ann), the lime works owned by George Fengler, the boat works at Eagle Point, and the Dubuque
Woodenware are all flourishing enterprises.
Detail, 1892 Dubuque Plat
The 1892 city plat shows the streetcar lines running on both Windsor and Rhomberg, the
Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul roundhouse and shops, Linwood Cemetery, Sacred Hart Church and
School, Audubon Public School, the 3rd Presbyterian Church and Parsonage at Garfield and Stafford,
Marshall School, Rhomberg Park (bordered by Rhomberg, Garfield, 7th and 8~h), the lime kilns at Eagle
Point, and the Eagle Point boat landing and ferry.
13
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Streetcar routes, 1920s
Two lines diverge from Couler/Central, via 22nd Street to the cemetery,
following Windsor and via 20th Street out Rhomberg to the point and Eagle Point Park.
Fitful Growth and Maturation: 1893-1910
Residential development continued, with dwellings being built throughout the Rhomberg and
Linwood districts. Most of these residences from the la tel 880s-1910 were relatively small, one or one
and one-half story houses, many with a front gable entry. Although brick was an important building
material, there were an equal number of frame dwellings. Houses are sited near the front of the lots,
allowing a large backyard for gardens. For the most pad, there is a single dwelling per lot, but in some
instances houses were grouped in pairs on the lots producing an almost solid line of facades. In rare
occasions there are large houses that occupy bvo or more lots.
Eagle Point Bridge, photo by P. H. Wagner, c.1902, view northeast
(courtesy Dubuque County Historical Society)
In 1902 the Eagle Point Bridge linking Iowa and Wisconsin was opened with much fanfare.
Although there was an 1887 wagon bridge three miles south of Eagle Point which linked Dubuque to
East Dubuque, Illinois, it was said that the Wisconsin farmers found it inconvenient and time-consuming
to make the longer trip necessary to use it. The opening of the vehicle bridge at Eagle point opened
a trade area of approximately 40,000 people on the Wisconsin side. Cost of this four span steel bridge,
more than half a mile in total length, was $110,000 plus $25,000 spent by the City of Dubuque to build
the approach at the west end. Itwas designed by architects E.C. and R.M. Shankland of Chicago.
The main podion of the bridge was 85' above the river bottom, allowing more than sufficient room for
flood waters to flow beneath it (Dubuque Enterprise, 27 Apdi 1902, p 1 ).
14
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-'1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Travelers approached the Eagle Point bridge along Rhomberg Avenue, leading to a curving
road by the lime works, that was cut into the side of the bluff and served as the approach to the Iowa
end of the bridge. The drive along Rhomberg took them through the "Cathedral of Elms" which had
been planted by J.A. Rhomberg. For decades the Rhomberg Elms Ifrom the 1600 block to Lincoln)
were the envy of the rest of Dubuque and were cited as an example of good public landscaping.
This developing neighborhood became large enough by 1905 that the fire department built a
new engine house at the corner of High and Reed (Rhomberg and Marshall). The two-story brick
building of Hose Company #6 housed a single engine with living quarters above. Marshall Elementary
School was located on the half block across the street southwest of the engine house. In 1906 the
original Audubon School building was replaced by a modern two and one-half story plus basement
building. Enrollment at Audubon was much higher than at Marshall, probably due to the fact that the
neighborhood around Marshall was still sparsely built-up. Construction starts were noted in the
Telegraph Herald. In 1905 these included a carpenter shop near Windsor and Eagle Point, a grocery
and residence on Rhomberg, and a saw mill at Eagle Point as well as seven residences and one
remodeling in the Rhomberg neighborhood. The following year contractor Chris Voelker built eight
houses on Lincoln with the average cost being $2300-2900. These appear to be part of the group of
Voelker houses in the 1200 block of Lincoln between Fengler and Ann streets. In 1910 Voelker built
another group of houses in the neighborhood, these located in the 1300 block of Rhomberg.
Industry in the Rhomberg/Linwood districts was located primarily along Garfield and at the east
end along the Mississippi River. An exception to this was Morrison Brothers. Manufacturing located
along the railroad tracks between 24th and 25th streets. Morrison Brothers began as a small
manufacturer of boilers and expanded into a large facility producing steel tanks, brass fittings, etc. In
1909 along Garfield the Smedley Steam Pump Co. and Key City Paper Box Factory were located near
the intersection of Kniest, with the Eagle Valley Works (brass casket fittings) and the Garfield Hotel in
the next block east. The railroad yards were across the street, so there was no residential or
commercial development along that side of Garfield until the 900 block. The river end of the
neighborhood boasted the Dubuque Woodenware and Lumber Co., Fengler's Lime Works, and the
Eagle Point Boat Yard.
Eagle Point Lime Works, George Fengler, proprietor (established 1890)
Icourtesy Dubuque County Historical Society)
While each of these employed a number of workers, the largest employer in the area
remained the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad. It has long been said in Dubuque that the
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CiTY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Rhomberg/Eagle Point neighborhood grew up to provide housing for railroad workers. A check of the
1910 city directow listings for Garfield, Rhomberg and Lincoln shows that a large number of the
residents were indeed employed by the railroad. Of the 114 residents listed on Garfield, 39 (34%) were
Chicago, Milwaukee & St Paul employees. 100 of the 250 listed on Rhomberg (40%), and 57 of 189 on
Lincoln (32%) worked for the railroad. An average of 36% of the neighborhood residents had direct
connections to the railroad. With figures like this it is easy to understand that the Rhomberg/Linwood
districts are primarily working class neighborhoods.
The Rhomberg/Eagle Point area was first included on the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps in 1909.
These maps show a neighborhood of small to medium-sized houses, most being one or one and one-
half stories, with a mixture of frame and brick dwellings. There is a pattern of houses located near the
front of the lot with large back yards that is consistent throughout the neighborhood. The heaviest
concentration of houses/buildings is found along Rhomberg, in the block from Kniest fo Johnson. The
area in the center of the neighborhood, especially along Lincoln and Garfield has a number of empty
lots. The part of the Linwood district from Eagle Point (22nd) to Sanford (24th) along Queen and Windsor
is also shown. This area is more fully developed.
Traffic through the neighborhood along Rhomberg became even heavier when the city
purchased 85 acres in 1908 to create Eagle Point Park. Within a few years/1912) the streetcar line was
extended up the hill and into the park where a turn-about was built to allow the cars to return to the
city. With such ease of transportation, Eagle Point Park soon became a favorite spot for leisure
activities.
An Era of Stability: 1910-1955:
Although the period of major settlement for the city of Dubuque as a whole was complete,
both the Rhomberg/Eagle Point and Linwood districts continued to experience new construction
during this period. In the Rhomberg area much of this was precipitated by the development of Eagle
Point Park and an increase in auto transportation. Both of these drew traffic farther east in the
neighborhood, encouraging construction of new houses.
An indication that the neighborhood was growing was the division of the Sacred Heart parish
by the organization of the Holy Trinity parish in 1910. The new Holy Trinity Church was built on a totally
empty city block of Rhomberg between Hamilton and Whittier (1700 block). Dubuque architect
Martin Heer designed the building in the Romanesque Revival style. Like Sacred Heart it was of red
brick construction with limestone trim. At the same time a red brick school/priest's house was built
behind the church. The Franciscan brothers of St. Louis were in charge of the parish. A large brick
school building was erected in 1929, and a sister's house was in place by 1936. Today this complex fills
the entire city block. Like Sacred Heart, much of the Holy Trinity parish was of German descent. The
size of the school building speaks to the large Roman Catholic population of this neighborhood.
Local newspapers noted in 1912 that there was a shortage of "suitable cottages" and a need
for new house construction. Between 1912 and 1914 many new houses were built in the north end
(including the Linwood and Rhomberg areas) and to the west. An extension of the West Locust
streetcar line encouraged the westward development. At a nickel a ride, workers could live most
anywhere in the city and easily commute to their]obs. New houses were built along and near these
cariines throughout the survey area. As noted earlier, Chris Voelker was responsible for a number of
houses along both Lincoln and Rhomberg. Houses were built individually or as part of a group. On
Garfield there were three concrete block bungalows built in the 1100 block, and between 1918 and
1921, a whole block of houses was built on Marquette Place. Many of the vacant lots in the middle of
the Rhomberg area acquired houses during this period.
Windsor was "made over" in 1916, improving accessibility to Linwood Cemetery. In 1918
Dubuque followed the trend across the country with the construction of a $150,000 tuberculosis
hospital, "Sunnycrest," on the bluff overlooking Eagle Point. Today this complex serves as the county
I6
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, iowa, 1837-1955
Phase Il Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
care facility. Another large public building was constructed on the bluff to the southwest in 1924. The
city's growth to the north was reflected in the construction of Jefferson Junior High School at the top of
the bluff above both Linwood and Rhomberg. This Tudor Revival building was a model for modern
schools of the period. The new (1924) waterworks buildings at the far end of Rhomberg were a
simplified version of this same style, with the key design dements being stone-capped brick buttresses.
The new waterworks and improved pumping equipment made possible the extension of miles of new
mains throughout the city.
In the [ate 1920's the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul moved their shops from Dubuque, leaving
600 people unemployed. As noted earlier, many of these workers lived in the Rhomberg/Eagle Point
neighborhood. Although this remained a working class neighborhood, new housing construction from
this point on would not be based on the needs of railroad employees. A 1935 map showing new
housing starts between 1924 and 1934 showed a number in the Linwood area, and some scattered
through the Rhomberg neighborhood, including a dozen built along Garfield.
One impetus in increased development was the construction of a new and expanded water
works on Eagle Point beginning in 1921. A three-year distribution system expansion increased the
milage of river mains by 27 percent. The impetus for the project was the reduction of fire insurance
rates (Report of the City of Dubuque, 1924).
New Waterworks Plant, 1924
(Report of the City of Dubuque, 1924)
In 1936 the first Comprehensive Plan for the city of Dubuque was released. It made a number
of recommendations including several which impacted the Rhomberg/EagJe Point and Linwood
areas: establishing main thoroughfares through the city, including Rhomberg; encouraging the
deveJopment of neighborhood shopping areas (already in place on many street corners); the
widening of Garfield to provide a second major access to the EagJe Point area; and, the
development of Ham's Island for industrial use. The "Rhomberg Elms" were again mentioned as a fine
example of public landscaping and other neighborhoods were encouraged to consider such
plantings. Several different studies were done in Dubuque during the 1930's. The result of one
demographic study showed that 55.5% of the Dubuquers were Roman Catholic. At this time there
were twelve Catholic churches in Dubuque and ten parochial elementary schools. Two of the
churches and two of the parochial schools were Jocated in the Rhomberg/Eagle Point and Linwood
areas.
Depression Era projects provided jobs for Dubuque as a whole, and had a direct impact on the
Rhomberg neighborhood. As part of the nine-foot channel project on the Upper Mississippi River the
Zebulon Pike Lock and Dam No. 11 was built between 1934 and 1937. This dam was Jocated just
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITYHThe Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
upstream from the Eagle Point Bridge. Land access to this project was directly through the Rhomberg
area. About 900 people were employed at the peak of construction, making this one of the largest (if
not the largest) public works projects in Dubuque. (O'Bfien, pp 166-7) Construction in Eagle Point Park
during this period included the pavilion and shelters. Again, access to this construction project was
gained through the Rhomberg neighborhood. Eagle Point Park had developed into a very popular
spot for gatherings of all kinds. The availability of streetcar service to the park had a great deal to do
with this prior to the popularity of automobiles. Near the end of the Depression a new Marshall
Elementary School was built on the site of the original building. This was a simple Art Deco design
executed in light tan brick with stone details. Obviously, the Rhomberg neighborhood was showing
continued growth or a new school would not have been constructed. More of the vacant lots were
being filled with small to medium size houses. Several of these along Lincoln were brick English
cottages with stone trim around arched front doors and distinctive chimneys.
Following World War II Dubuque experienced a housing boom. In addition to dwellings being
built to house returning veterans, much of the boom was due to the new John Deere plant north of
town. Major floods in the early 1950s played a significant role in the Garfield part of the Rhomberg
neighborhood. Sand from the area was used to fill sandbags for the flood levees, creating several
very [ow spots along the south side of the street. Following the floods of the '50s the city decided to
incorporate the area south of Garfield and the railroad tracks into the proposed industrial park. What
had been the bed of Lake Peosta was filled and the area was opened for development. Several
houses from the Ham's Island part of the industrial park were moved to Garfield, and other new
houses, most of ranch style design, were built along the south side of the street. These houses
represent the "new" construction in the Rhomberg/Eagle Point survey area.
The major change in the neighborhood included in this Phase il survey has been the closing of
the Eagle Point Bridge, and fhe re-routing of highway traffic out of the area. Rhomberg continues to
be a busy sfreef, bur it carries much less traffic fhan in past decades. New industrial developmenf to
the soufh can be accessed via Hawfhorne Sfreet af fhe fiver end, and by Fengler in the middle of fhe
neighborhood. The mosf common way of entering both fhe Linwood and Rhomberg areas continues
fo be north on Central and easf on eifher 20th or 22nd sfreets, the same way development occurred a
century and one-half ago.
The Architecture of Dubuque: 1833-1955
No where in Dubuque is vernacular design more prominent than in the Rhomberg/Eagle Point
and Linwood areas. Lawrence Sommer was very aware of the community's vernacular heritage and
wrote of these houses,
They are, to a large extent, the anonymous architecture of the working classes and
were not noted by the newspapers when built or tom down. They are not fully
understood by architects and little appreciated by historians. Nevertheless, they are
the most representative type of Dubuque architecture. (pp 75-76)
As noted earlier, the Phase II survey area is primarily a working class neighborhood with corner
stores and neighborhood schools and churches. The houses were built primarily as single-family
dwelJings, although there is an occasional duplex or apartment house (flats) intermingled with the
individual units. Most of the houses are one or one and one-half story cottages with a smattering of
h,vo story residences. The houses are placed near the front lot line, with large open areas to the rear,
probably for gardens or the many out-buildings which are no longer in place. Ordinarily there is a
single house per lot, but sometimes there are two. This is especially true in the case of developers or
builders who constructed a series of houses at one time. Rarely in this neighborhood are there large
houses that occupy more than one lot.
The earliest documented house in this neighborhood is that of Mathias Ham. It is known that
the original stone cottage was constructed in 1839, with the major remodeling into an Ital ianate style
15
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
house with octagonal tower taking place in 1857. However there may well be other early houses in
this neighborhood which have not been documented. The 900-1000 blocks of High Bluff contain at
least Nvo houses that appear to be very early. These are located on the north side of the street and
are partially built into the hillside. Both are two stories with side gable entry and share characteristics
with the early French houses found along the Mississippi River from southern Missouri southward. No
information has been located on these houses or their original owners. The 2200 block of Rhomberg
contains two houses which may date to the 1850s but are probably somewhat later. The house at
2226 Rhomberg is the best example. If is a two-story front gable house that is built into the hillside. The
lower level is of limestone while the second floor and fagade are of clapboard. A single entrance is
centered on the facade. This could well have been a commercial building with housing above.
2226 RHOMBERG
A two-story brick house at 1103 Garfield is now covered with stucco scored to look like stone.
Located on a corner lot this house sets back from the street, it features an asymmetrical side gable
entry and has a two-story wing to the rear. The present owner says that this house dates to 1835.
While this date may be somewhat early, it is possible that this residence pre-dates the Civil War.
Another two-story house that appears to be of the same period is found on the corner of Farley and
High Bluff. This is constructed of large stone blocks, possibly quarried nearby, with a Iow-pitched hip
roof. Like many in the area it is built into the side of the hill.
Brick is one of the key elements of Dubuque's architecture. While almost all towns along the
Mississippi have large numbers of brick residences and commercial buildings, Dubuque is unique in
both the quantity and quality of its brick structures. The Phase II survey area is a mixture of brick and
frame construction. Many of the houses recorded during this survey project are of brick construction,
primarily because brick houses usually are less altered than their frame equivalents. These houses are
representative of vernacular design in Dubuque.
The majority of the bdck houses in the neighborhood are examples of gable front design. These
vary from one, to one and one-half, to two stories in height. The primary design element is that each
has the entry on the gable end. Some feature a central entry, but most have the door off-set to one
side indicating a side hall floor plan. The defining characteristic that divides these houses into
separate groups is the treatment of the top of the windows.
In most of Iowa's Mississippi River towns it is possible to date the construction of a brick house or
building by the treatment of the top of the window. Prior to the Civil War most brick structures
featured windows with a simple lintel, either timber or stone, across the top. From c.1865 on most
windows were segmental arched. This has not proven to be true in the Phase II survey area, given that
lintel typess were used in Dubuque later than in many communities. The flat lintel treatment appears
to be contemporary with the arched fenestration, and in the survey area these appear to date
between 1870 and 1900.
19
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
The most basic treatment is a simple brick segmental arch as seen on the house at 1521
Rhomberg.
A variation on this is a
1521 Rhomberg
mental brick arch with stone corner blocks
}ne (1609 Rhomberg).
1609 Rhomberg
Another variation is the simple cast (or stone) arch with smooth finish (2208 Rhomberg).
2208 Rhomberg
2O
DU BUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, iowa, '1837-1955
Phase II IIistorical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
And finally, the cast arch has an incised design and may have corner blocks and key stone {1624
Rhomberg).
1624 Rhomberg
The lintels above the windows have the same ~ype of variations. The plain stone lintel has no
design and matches the stone sill such as this house at 1315 Rhomberg.
1315 Rhomberg
A step beyond this is the plain stone lintel with "dog ears" (2011 Rhomberg).
2011 Rhomberg
A more elaborate treatment has incised designs as well as "dog ears" (1620 Rhomberg).
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CiTY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
1620 Rhomberg
The second type of brick house found in the neighborhood is the side gable design. If features
the entw on the side, rofher than end, of the house. These may be a single stow cottage or a fine two-
stow residence. A symmetrical fagade is the norm, but some houses have on off-set entw. The same
variety of window treofment is seen in the side gable houses.
An example of the single story cottage with off-set entw is found at 623 Lincoln.
623 Lincoln
The residence at 2018 Garfield is a good two-stow example with symmetrical five bay fac~ade. In
addition, it has a tine entrance with transom and side-lights.
2018 Garfield
Frame examples of the gable end and side gable designs are found throughout the survey
area, but most have been altered, usually by the application of replacement siding.
22
DU BUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-EagIe Point:
2151 Farley
The property at 2151 Farley (c.1898) represents a duplex version of the side gable vernacular plan. The
Phase I and Phase II survey areas share a common Dubuque vernacular range of residential building
types, although the west end of Phase II most closely resembles the housing stock that defines all of
the Phase I area. Generally speaking, the Phase II area has a larger propodion of gable front houses
and cottages and many of these are shorter plans, less than a full two stories high. Side gable plans
are more plentiful in the Phase I area. Brick residences are equally well represented in both areas.
Two-story rear inset corner porches are found on most Phase I area houses but these are less common
in the Phase [I area. A Phase II area example is shown below.
1302 Lincoln
In addition to the purely vernacular houses, there are houses with a touch of "high style" in the
survey area. A good example of a house with Italianate elements is found at 713 Lincoln. It features
the decorative hoodmolds with matching sills, a polygonal side bay with brackets, a full veranda
across the fagade and rear side porch with brackets and turned millwork, and a canopied side entry
with brackets and pendents, The brick residence rests on a water table of dressed stone. The cross
gable roof has a denticulated cornice and cornice returns. This is one of the few houses in fhe
neighborhood that is located on a larger lot.
23
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectur~ Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
713 Lincoln
The Second Empire style that was so popular for houses in the "downtown" area of Dubuque is
seen in the Rhomberg neighborhood at 1005 Lincoln. This is now the Bethany Home, but it was built as
the residence of Christian Loetscher. The original portion of the house was an elegant two stow brick
with Mansard roof. As the Bethany Home has grown, pains have been taken to replicate the original
design. Although this house was probably architect designed, no architect has been identified.
1005 Lincoln
During the early years of the twentieth century a number of small craftsman houses and
bungalows were built on vacant lots in the neighborhood. These were affordable dwellings that
followed the idea that every workingman should own his own home. Several developers in Dubuque
were constructing houses for this market, but the one who can be directly associated with the survey
area is Chris Voelker. He not only built for the workingman, but often suggested building a double
house, or duplex, that would provide income to pay off the owner's mortgage. Voeiker built individual
houses, but he also built groups of houses for resale. There are two sets of Voelker houses in the
Rhomberg neighborhood: one in the 1200 block of Lincoln; and the other in the 1300 block of
Rhomberg. These are all two-stow residences with front gable entry and full porches across the
fagade. Some are of frame construction, and others were built using the popular new building
material, rusticated concrete block. Concrete block was advertised as the "building material of the
future." It looked like stone, it lasted like stone, it was fireproof like stone, but it was cheaper than
stone. Chris Voelker was a strong proponent of the material as he owned the Peer Amid Concrete Co.
that made the blocks locally.
Other builders were also using concrete blocks in residential construction. Three concrete
block bungalows were built on Garfield, and a series of small concrete block bungalows were built on
Marquette Place between 1918-1921.
24
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
1113 GARFIELD
Another popular house type early in the century was the "foursquare." These were usually two
stories, almost square in shape, with a hip or pyramidal roof. Again, these were scattered through the
neighborhood, being built on the vacant lots. Most were of wood frame construction, and most had a
broad porch across the fagade. The type is relatively uncommon in Dubuque. The example shown
below is quite [ate, 1929, and is elaborated with a brick veneer arched porch and paired windows.
1616 Lincoln
This cubic building type could be made more elaborate by the addition of "high style" details and
shallow side wings. A good example of this is found at 2542 Stafford. The Neo-classical porch
elements as well as the larger scale, give the house a sense of importance.
2542 STAFFORD
25
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, P&omberg-Eagle Point:
The bungalow was probably the most popular style in the first quarter of the 20th century
although it is relatively uncommon in Dubuque. Some were architect designed but most were built by
local contractors from pattern books or catalog designs. The most stylish and elegant of the
bungalows in the survey area is a brick example with tile roof at 2001 Rhomberg.
2001 RHOMBERG
The English cottage is a variation on the Tudor Revival style that is most often found in
moderately priced neighborhoods. These were usually of brick construction with stone trim around
arched entrances and on the large exterior chimneys. A number of these were built, primarily along
Rhomberg and Lincoln, both before and after World War II. A good example is found at 901 Lincoln.
901 LINCOLN
965 Prescott {1945}
26
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CiTY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase li Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
A rare example of Art Moderne is found at 2003 Rhomberg. This stylized brick house from 1948
looks Yew out of place in this neighborhood of dwellings from eadier decades.
2003 RHOMBERG
In the middle of the single family homes in the Rhomberg/Eagle Point neighborhood are
examples of Art Deco design. One is a ~vo-story brick apartment building that was constructed in
1938. The other is the Marshall Elementary School that was built about the same time. It is unusual to
find Nvo examples of this relatively rare style in a residential neighborhood.
2001 Shiras
1490 Rhomberg
27
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
New housing in the neighborhood following Wodd War II consisted primarily of ranch houses
and a few split-levels. Several of these feature limestone veneer using blocks of different sizes and
shapes. For the most part these do not fall within the period of significance.
The commercial buildings located in the Phase II survey area are primarily two-story brick
structures, described by Longsfreth as two-part commercial blocks. In almost all instances these are
free standing buildings located on street corners. Most have the flat roof sloping gently to the rear
that is seen in business districts, but two or three, such as the building at 2311 Windsor have a gable
roof. The gable roof is more common to residential design or very early (pre-1860) commercial
buildings. These date to the late 19th century and the owner or builder must simply have preferred the
gable roof. The building at 908 Rhomberg is more representative of those found in the survey area
with a flat roof, corbelled bdck cornice and centered identification pediment with the date "1894."
Both of these commercial buildings have a recessed central entrance flanked by large glass display
windows. These windows have a panel below and transom area above. Like the brick houses in the
neighborhood, these buildings retain a high degree of integrity. The C. Rettenmaier Store (1100
Lincoln) features a cast iron storefront, a corner turret, and an angled corner entryway, features more
typically found in the Phase I survey area.
908 Rhomberg (left), 2311 Windsor (right)
The two religious complexes in the survey area, Sacred Heart and Holy Trinity, are fine examples
of Romanesque Revival churches with architect designed school buildings. They are comparable to
other neighborhood parish churches in Dubuque which have been judged to be National Register
eligible and it is remarkable that the architectural merit of these Dubuque churches outpaces the best
church examples which most other towns erected. Both are consequently recommended as being
National Register eligible.
Holy Tdnity (left) and Sacred Heart (right) Churches
DUBUQUE--THE KEY C|TY-The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Residential Details, Phase II Survey Area:
Wooden lintel, stone foundation window
Wooden lintels are rare survivors from the earliest surviving buildings. Solid plain curved stone
lintels predate 1891. Curved lintels with straight "springstone" ends date from 1870 through 1900. Flat
stone lintels date from the 1880s through the turn of the centuw. Flat lintels with a centered pediment
and side brackets date to the mJd-1880s. A triangular pediment arch with end brackets dates from
the early 1890s.
Stone voussoir basement arch
Brick arches also changed over time. Side wall semi-elliptical consist of two or more rows of
arched rowlock bricks and these are plainly executed. The same arches were built over the entire
range of brick load-bearing construction. Semi-circular arches with keystone and springstone block
inseds date from the mid-1870s. A brick arch which mimics the rounded stone arch, with a flat base
and a projecting brick cap, dates from 1870. A flat brick jack arch with rubbed bricks dates from the
late 1890s. A highly decorated flat brick arch with projecting brick tracew work dates from 1900.
29
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, '1837-'1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Stone lintel line, storefronf
Two examples of the use of a solid stone lintel line set atop a cast iron storefront were found in
the Phase I survey area. Two others were found in the Phase II area (2311 Windsor)**
Original double doors, transom and carved stone lintel and porch detailing
Paired corner brackets and finial with sunburst ornament
30
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
2531 Windsor
The ad glass transom at 2531 Windsor not only survives but it retains its original street address
number (6031. It nicely represents the historical confusion wrought by the re-numbering and renaming
of streets.
2090 Emerson
Stone retaining walls made up of massive limestone blocks are found along the elevated
streets and aJleys and in the east end of the survey area. These are ascribed to Depression-era
construction by the Works Progress Administration/Civilian Conservation Corps.
31
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, '1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
Master Dubuque Phase II (Rhomber.q/Eaale Point) Historical Properties List:
These properties were intensively researched and documented during this project.
Address: Site Number: Evaluation:
East 22nd Street:
400 (31-03451
500 {31-00769
504 (31-00770
514 {31-03452
518 (31-03453
530-32 (31-00772
635 (Sacred Heart Church)
(31-00779)
711 (31-00775)
715 (31-00776)
724 (31-00777)
National Register eligible
East 24th:
616 (31-03454)
621 (31-03455)
Althauser:
Jefferson Middle School (31-00621)
1104 (31-03456)
National Register eligible
Edison:
864 (31-03457)
Farley:
2151 [31-03458)
Garfield Street:
511 (Seminary, demolished) (31-01469)
(barn at back of propert~
515
521
527
529-31-33
601-03
929-31
1001
1003
1111
1113
1114
1211
1805
1823
1891-93
2020
2081
2083/85
2]48/62
31-03459
31-0346C
31-03461
31-0346~
31-00471
31-0047E
81-03463
31-03464
31-034 65
31-03466
31-03467
31-03468
31-03470
31-03469
31-00481
31-03471
31-00482
31-03472
31-03473
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
32
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
High Bluff:
943-45 {31-03474
959 {31-03476
981 (31-01590
1127 (31-01592
1196 (31-03477
1292 (31-03616
Johnson:
1907 (31-03478
1911 (31-01820
Kniest:
Kniest and Rhomberg
2007
2011
2013
2014
2015
2017
1020
2023
2100
2101
2102
2103
2104
2105
2106
2108
2109
2110-12
2114-16
2117
2120
2124-26
2128
Lincoln:
520
526-28
532-34
622
623
701
702
706
707
713
715
716
808
809
812
Distdct(31-03479
'31-03480
31-03481
31-03482
31-03483
31-03484
31-03485
31-03486
31-03487
31-03488
31-03489
31-03490
31-03491
31-03492
31-03493
31-03494
31-03495
31-03496
31-03497
31-03498
31-03499
31-0350C
31-03501
31-03502
31-01894
31-0189E
31-03503
31-0190C
31-01901
31-01902
31-01903
31-01905
31-03504
31-01906
31-03505
31-01907
31-01909
31-01910
31-03506
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
33
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historic. al and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
813 (31-01011
814 (31-01912
817 (31-01913
824 (31-01915
901 (31-03507
907 (31-03508
916 (31-03509
922 {31-0191~
1100 (31-01921
1005 (Bethany House) (31-01918
1005 (Bethany House) (31-03623
(Craftsman rear building)
1014 (31-01920)
1106 (31-01922}
District cottage grouping
31-03620)
1111
1113
1117
1121
Voelker House disfdcf
1201
1203
1205
1207
1209
1211
1213
1217
1219
1221
1223
1225
1227
1229
1230
1301
1302
1307
1309
1401
1615
1616
1619
1621
1925
2025
2183
2593
2605
31-01923)
31-03621)
31-01925)
31-01926)
31-03565}
31-03566)
31-03567)
31-03568)
31-03569)
31-03570)
31-03571)
31-03572}
31-03573)
31-03574)
31-03510)
31-03575)
31-03576)
31-03577)
31-03511}
31-01928)
31-03512)
31-03619)
31-01931)
31-03513)
31-01936)
31-01933}
31-03514)
31-03515)
31-01935)
31-03618)
31-03516}
31-03517}
31-03518)
31-03617)
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
Marquette Place:
2518
2550
2616
(31-03519)
(31-03520)
(31-02264)
34
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Po'mt:
Marshall:
2054 (31-03521 )
913 (31-02281 )
Morris Place:
812
Pleasant:
860
(31-03531)
{31-03522)
Prescott:
1905 (31-03523)
1965 (31-03542)
1975 {31-03524)
Providence:
Treaf as district group 31-03475
704 {31-02373)
706 (31-02374)
710 (31-02375)
712 (31-02376)
Queen:
2200 (Sacred Head school)
31-02377
2421
2426
2428
2432
2435
2516
2520
2522-24
2538
2634
2649
31-03525
31-02383
31-02384
31-02385
31-0238E
31-0352E
31-02387
31-02388
31-0239C
31-03527
31-03528
Rhomberg:
Kniest-Rhomberg Distdct
(31-03479
431 (31-02402
500 (31-03529
501 (31-03530
502 (31-02404
503 (31-03532
504 (31-03533
505 (31-03534
506 (31-03535
507 (31-03536
508 (31-03537
509 (31-03538
510-12 (31-03539
National Register eligible
35
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
511 - 13 (31-0354C
514 (31-03541
515 (31-02407
516-18 {31-02406
517 (31-03543
519 (31-03544
520-22 (31-03545
521 (31-03546
523 (31-03547
524 (31-03548
525 (31-03549
526
528 (31-03550)
527 (31-03551 )
529-33 (31-03552)
530 (31-03553}
532-34 (31-02411 )
611 (31-02414)
613 131-02415}
This grouping documented as a district
31-03624
625
627
629
628
710
714
715
808
810
814
822
824
828-30
908
910
1027
1219
1229
1233
RhombergDisHct
1300
1302
1304
1306
1308
1310
1311
1313
1315
1320
31-03554
31-0355~
31-0355E
31-02418
31-03557
31-02419
31-0242C
31-02421
31-02422
31~)2423
31-02424
31-03558
31-02426
31-02428
'31-03559
'31-03560)
31-03561 )
31-02435}
31-03562)
31-O2436)
31-03563)
31-03564)
31-03578)
31-03579}
31-03580)
31-03581 }
31-03582)
31-03583)
31-03584}
1490 (Marshall Elem. School
(31-02437)
]500 (Engine House #6)
(31-02438)
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
36
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CiTYHThe Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase H Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
1521
1600-02
1608
1609
1620
1624
1902
1928
2001
2003
2007
2010
2011
2014
2028
2200
2208
2226
Holy T~nity Complex
2443 (Holy T~nity Ch.)
3183/Holy T~nity Sch. I)
--- (Holy THnity
sister's house)
31-03585
31-03586
31-03587
31-02440
31-02441
31-02442
31-02444
31-02445
31-02446
31-03588
31-03589
31-03590
31-03591
31-03592
31-03593
31-03594
31-03595
31-03596
31-03475
31-02443
31-03183
water plant (Rhomberg
& Hawthorne) (3103597)
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
Ries:
723 (31-03599)
Shiras:
2090 (31-03601)
2001Shiras (31-03633)
2108 (31-03600}
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
Stafford:
2307 {31-02565
2401 (31-03602
2411 (31-03603
2542 (31-02567
Thomas Place:
812 {31-036O4
National Register eligible
Waldorf:
2115 (31-03605
2307 (31-03606
2311 (31-03607
Windsor:
2101 (31-02855
2124
2126 (31-02856
2200 (31-03608
2206 (31-03609
2215 {Sacred Heart Rectory)
37
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase II Historical and Architectural Survey Report, Rhomberg-Eagle Point:
2311
2401
2407-09
2414
2417
2423
2428
2435
2503
2509
2510
2521
2525
2531
2537
2542
2608
31-02857
31-03607
31-03610
31-02861
31-02863
31-02864
31-03611
31-03612
31-02866
31-02867
31-03613
31-03614
31-02868
31-02869
31-02870
31-02872
31-03615
31-02874
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
National Register eligible
Survey Maps:
The Phase II area survey maps follow. A master survey map depicts the project survey area. A
second map shows the foundaries for eleven sub-maps. Each of those maps identify surveyed
buildings (blackened perimeters). Intensive-level Iowa Site Inventory survey forms were prepared for
each of these properties or districts (refer to list above). National Register of Historic Places eligibility
determinations were not mapped.
38
General Phase II Area Survey Map
,/
~,...'"'%'.%.¢...*"" Study Boundary Area
0 250 500 1,000 ~,500 2,000
Feet
General Phase H Area Survey Map
With Sub-map Area Boundaries
Study Boundaw Area
0 250 500 1,000 1,500 2,000
Feet
Sub-map #1
Area Study Boundary
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of National/State/City Significance
12001 Survey Ra§ngs of Significance
Feet
0 50 100
200
Sub-map #2
Area Study Boundary
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of National/Siate/,Oiiy Significance
0 50 100
200
Sub-map #3
Study Boundary
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of NationaVState/City Significance
1 2001 Survey Ratings of Significance
Fee[
0 50 100 200 300
Sub-map #4
/
/
Study Boundary
Area
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of National/Stata/City Significance
~ 2001 Survey Ratings of Significance
0 50 100
Feet
200 300
400
Sub-map #5
LEGEND
Study Boundary 1979 Survey Ratings of National/State/City Significance Feet
Area 0 50 100 200 300 400
Sub-map #6
LEGEND
Study Boundary ~ 1979 Survey RaUngs of National/State/City Significance
Area
0 50 100
Feet
200 300 400
Sub-map #7
LEGEND
Study Boundary 1979 Survey Ratings of National/State/City Significance
0 50 100
Feet
200
300
Sub-map #8
Study BoundaB/
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratinge of National/State/City Significance
2001 Survey Ratings of Significance
Feet
0 50 100 200
Sub-map #9
Study Boundary
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of National]State/City Significance
~ 2001 Survey Ratings of Significance
Feet
0 50 100 200
Sub-map #10
/?
Study Boundary
Area
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of National/State/City Significance
~ 2001 Survey Ratings of Significance
Feet
0 50 100 200 300
Sub-map #11
Study Boundary
Area
LEGEND
1979 Survey Ratings of National/State/City Significance
~ 2001 Survey Ratings of Significance
Feet
0 50 100 200
300
Survey Area Overview, view southwest across the Couler Valley from the north end of Marquette Place
Photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000
DUBUQUE THE KEY CITY
The Architectural And Historical Resources of
Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey
Report:
James E. Jacobsen
History Pays!
Des Moines, Iowa
January 15, 2002
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architect~xal And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Five Comers turret, J. J. Grode Building,
(photo by Jim Jacobsen, September 2001
Credits and Acknowledgements:
This project has been funded with the assistance o£a matclMng g~ant-in-aid from the State Historical Society o£Iowa, Community
Programs Bureau, through the Depamnent of the Interior, National Park Service, under provisions of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966; the opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of thc Department o£the Interior.
This project received Federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations of the U.S. Department o£the Interior strictly
prohibit unlawful discrim/nation in Federally Assisted Programs on the basis o£race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any
person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal
assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U.S. Deparmaent of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C
SWeet NW, D.C. 20240
Cover Photo Credits:
Upper photo, Dubuque, 1858 by W. J. Gilbert (Dubuque: Frontier River Cit~, p. 156)
Lower photo, "Dubuque Forward," designed by Miss Isbelle Seipple, winner of the first pr/ze poster entry, senior
division, "Made In Dubuque" poster contest, Dubuque Business, May 1930, p. 6.
2
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
INTRODUCTION:
This is Phase I of an intensive architectural and tdstorical survey of the entire City of Dubuque. Phase I was a two-part
project: the first being the identification and development of historic contexts and property types for the city; while the second was
conducting an intensive level survey and evaluation of properties located in the Washington/JacksoWElm Street area north of the
central business district. Phase I was completed in 2000. Phase II covered the Rhomberg/Eagle Point neighborhood, which is
/mmediately to the east of the Phase I survey area.
'I~ne Phase I survey area comprises a 31-block primarily residential that occupies the floor of the Couler Valley. Bhifflines
rise some 150-200 feet along the east and west sides of the valley. To the west, the bhiffline is broken up by the presence of two
major drainages, these being marked by Kaufrnaan Avenue, at the west end of East 22"a Street, and Diagonal Street, which centers
between the west ends of East 26th and East 25t~ streets. The survey area is primarily residential in nature, but it also contains
examples of commercial, industrial, educational, and rel/gious properties.
Survey Area Neighborhood Name:
The general area name is the Couler Valley, although this is a much larger p~ymsical feature. The valley continues
well north of the survey area terminus. Historian Lyon states that the area north of 20 Street was known as "Frogtown"
because of its poor drainage. The Victor Gruen report labeled the survey area the "north end." Others occasionally use
this term in reference to the Eagle Point/Rhomberg area. The Gruen North End encompasses six smaller neighborhoods;
22na Street, Broadway, Comiskey, Holy Ghost, 30th Street and Sacred Heart. Only 22nd Street and Comiskey lie within the
Phase I survey area. Absent a compelling area name, the Phase I survey area will remain unnamed in this report.
Plat:
The basic plat of the area takes the form of elongated blocks having a north/south orientation. Each block is
bisected in that same cVrrection by an alleyway. Lot widths vary with the platting but lot depths measure 100 to 100 feet
for the most part. The four blocks south of East 20t~ Street and west of Jackson Street were part of the original town plat
and are square-cut, measuring 220 feet east/west and 256 feet north south. Each block is bisected by a 20 foot-wide
alleyway and includes ten rectangular lots (i00-foot depth, 51.2-foot width).
The East Dubuque Plat extended the original plat east from Jackson Street and north to East 20th Street. The plat
used the same street widths (64-foot widths) and block/lot dimensions as the original plat. Edwin and J. L. Lang~vorthy
developed the East Dubuque Plat and filed it on August 4, 1853.
L. H. Langworthy's Addition comprises the survey area between East 20th Street and East 24th Street. North of
East 22nd Street this plat consists of four double-long blocks which stretch unbroken between East 22na and East 24ta
streets. Just one block, that between Jackson and Washington streets, has an alleyway. South of East 22na Street, the plat
consists of eight blocks. The blocks between Central and White streets are half-width and alleys bisect only the central
four blocks. Elm and Washington streets narrow to just 40 feet north of East 22na Street but the other streets retain the
standard 64-foot width.
Between East 24th and East 25t~ streets, the blocks located west of Jackson Street represent an amalgam of small
and conflicting plats. A number of lots front northward onto East 25th Street in this area, an exception to the general mle
of a strict east/west lot orientation. East of Jackson Street is the L. S. Langworthy's Boulevard Plat (filed May 31, 1873),
now known as Comiskey Field. The plat, between Jackson and Wasl~mgton, provided 46 25-foot wide parcels, the only
plat in the survey area to do so. East of Wasl~mgton, the next block was divided into 24 lots (50x100 feet).
Between East 24th and East 25t~ streets, the survey area comprises the Davis Farm Addition (plat filed August 5,
1853) to the west of Jackson Street, and Edward Langworthy's Addition (plat filed October i, 1856), east of Jackson
Street. Elongated double-long blocks link these two cross streets and each block is turned to the west at its midpoint to
accommodate the constrictive lay of the valley floor. The Davis Farm blocks are narrower without alleys and lots nm 180
feet between cross streets. Lots in both additions are broader than are those below East 24th Street. Lot widths are fairly
irregular however.
3
DUBUQUE~THE KEY CITY--Tke Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubngze, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architecturai Survey Report:
Historical Contexts:
Five Dubuque historic contexts were identified and developed during Phase I:
Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-I858
The Key City, 1859-1893
Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-i910
An Era of Stability, 1910-1955
The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
Frontier CiW on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
The earliest settlement end development within the survey area dates to the early 1830s when brothers Lucius and
Edward Lengworthy made their earliest substantial lead strikes along what is now Kauffmarm Avenue in Langworthy
Hollow. Mining, settlement and shipping developed along en east/west axis to Eagle Point, following what became
Rhomberg Avenue. The town of Eagle Point was platted in 1849 and the first area developments were filed in 1848 (L.
H. Langworthy's) and 1853 (Davis Farm). Linkage southward and the evolution of a north/south arterial along Couler
Avenue (now Central) therefore came somewhat as en after thought to the area.
From the earliest time a host of suburban attractions end destination points were located along Couler Avenue.
Most notable were the many beer gat'dens. The Western Brewery had its gardens at Julien and Delhi, the Glab gardens
adjoined that brewery on Couler, end the shooting park had its gardens as did Stewart-Union Park. One of the more
notable gardens was Tivoli Gardens, located north of Kauffi-aenn end west of Couler, end they adjoined the Schmid
brewery at the streetcar barn location. Lucius Hart Lengworthy had his frame mansion in an oak grove immediately north
of the gardens. His house dated to the early 1830s. The Tivoli Gardens were in operation by the early 1850s built and
operated by John Schaffner. He was succeeded by R/chard Cox (1860-63), Joseph Zugenbuehler (1863-76) end John
Krayer (1876-closure). The gardens were lmown as Centennial Gardens as of 1884. Sehaffner built a Greek Revival style
residence (shown below) that survived into the 1930s. The gardens were increasingly reduced as housing developments
infilled the area south of23~ Street and the house languished behind "a large double decked billboard." Once these were
finally removed locals confused it with the Langworthy house, the city's first frame residence, which stood on a nearby
rise of ground to the southwest, beyond Frences Street.
John Schaffner Residence, Tivoli Gardens, non-extant ( 185 i) (Telegraph-Herald, c. 1930s)~
Numerous industrial plants were distributed along Couler Avenue. A. Keiser built a two-story stone vinegar
factory near George Zumhof's stone ice house(built 1856) in 1858. The ice house was north of Iowa Brewery, which
stood at the upper end of Coulcr. T. Sm/th built the "casticated" complex in 1857. Kuntz Friedman and Company built a
cartage factory near the National Garden on Couler that same year. Numerous brick and stone business blocks and
residences went up that year along White and Couler and the Herald reported "This [Couler] avenue has received a liberal
share of the buildings erected this season." One other addition was that of five tenements "at the head of the avenue on
The 1884 Sanborn map shows this house, just south of the Schraid Brewery, set ~vell back from Couler Avenue.
4
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltecarral And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
the prairie." John Heim established a pottery and brickyard at 32na and Couler in 1867. The plant employed 60-75 hands
annually and operated into the 1930s. Bricks from that yard built Washington Junior High, Sacred Heard and Holy Ghost
Catholic churches. A review of commercial and industrial listings in the 1858-59 city directory underscores the early
dominance of Couler Avenue and the west end of Eagle Point Avenue. Listings included the Jackson Hotel (Couler,
between Eagle Point and 19t~), a match factory, and two groceries (Herald, March 8, 1857; Lyon, p. 196; 1858-59
Dubuque City Directory).
Just one properOj was dated to this contextual period. The Sckraid Brothers Brewery and Beer Hall (2327 Cenl~al Avenue)
.;dates to i855. Other properties potentially pre-date 1858 but documentation is Iacking.
The Key City, 1859-1893
The survey area was predominately settled by Germans in the post-Civil War years. Swiss and Luxembourg
emigrants also intermixed with the Germans. Historian Randolph Lyons states that Germans first concentrated along
White, Washington streets and Central (then Coulter) Avenue, to the west of Iowa Street, between 5th-6a~ streets and 14t~
Street to the north up until the i860s. Thereafter German settlement spread west of Central Avenue and expanded north
and northeast up to 24t~ Street (Lyons, pp. 76, 92, 175).
A major impediment to settling in the survey area was the "Grotteloch" a marshy swamp that was fed from
springs along Diagonal Street. The drainage accumulated in the area north of24t~ Street and west of Jacksun Street.
White Street terminated at 24th Street for this reason. As of 1873 there was a bridge on Eagle Point Road that was termed
the "Couler Bridge." It possibly drained this marsh. The empty blocks evident in the birds eye view below document the
effect of this wet area. The term "Frogtown" was locally coined in reference to the boggy conditions of the Grotteloch
(ibid., p. 186).
Detail, Birds Eye Vie~v of the City of Dubuque Iowa, 1872, Augustus Koch Engraver
View is to northwest, Contemporary street names added.
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Couler Avenue was the original "Plank Road" north and its importance fi.om the start as a northern highway
(linking to the Sageville Road to the north) is reflected in that early short-term hard surface medium. The mile-lofig
planked roadway was built in 1852 and was purchased by the city in 1854. Even though the valley did not generally infill
until after the Civil War Couler Avenue was the focal point of early and prestigious house building. Part of this building
activity represented a northward extension of the first bluff front or top house building c. 1847. Early houses included
those of Timothy Davis and James M. Marsh, both built "up Couler Avenue in the direction of Eagle Point." As of 1860
it was reported
There are some of the finest and most promising residences and gardens in our city to be found on the
Couler Ave. just above Smith's Brewery. Among these are Mr. Blocklinger's Peter Kiene's, Judge
King's and others all located on a natural terrace about halfway between the bottom of the Couler and the
top of the bluff.
Likely these are in the Broadway area. The first two named were raising grapes (Herald, September i9, 1860; 1880
county history, p. 525; Childs, pp. 122-23).
By 1865 Couler Avenue was the location of the Dubuque and T. Schmidt breweries, Conrad Lang's furniture
factory (Couler and 19t~), the Union House Hotel and three groceries (Nicholas Palen, Peter Specht and John Fosselman).
T~vo years later a piano factory, a vinegar works, and a crockery plant supplemented these. By 1868 there were two
boarding houses (both at 19t~ and Couler), two boots and shoes makers, a third brewery, a soapworks, a brickyard (Anton
Heeb), a candleworks, a confectionery, six cooperages, two beer gardens, five grocers, two meat markets, nine saloons
added to the directory listings. This mix and density of intermixed commercial and industrial businesses would persist
and increase through the 1870s and thereafter.
A postwar flurry of new construction along Couler Avenue took place in 1868. Most notable, the two story
Shutzen Hans for the Dubuque Schutzen Geselsehaft was built beyond the street railroad terminus. Four other substantial
buildings were finished along the avenue, between 18t~ and 19th streets that year (Herald, December 13, 1868).
Sustained large-scale construction was reported in the area each year between 1872 and 1876. The Herald noted
at year's end 1872 "The march of building improvements advanced to the northern precinct of the city, around the
machine shops and round house of the river railroad company. That portion of the city makes a heavy figure in our
showing." William Springborn built a greenhouse complex on Couler between 26th and 27th streets in 1873 and Franz
Ludescher's fine new grocery/saloon, built in 1876 opposite his old place on Julien Avenue, was rated "an adornment to
the street." The first driving park, located ''up the Couler" was opened in August 1874. White Street, between 17t~ and
Eagle Point Road, was the site of at least five new buildings in 1871, 1873. The Cabinet Maker Association built their
new factory at Washington and I8th in 1871, a three story building valued at $2,000 (Herald, November 24, 1872;
November 9, 1873; National Democrat, June 29, 1876; Oldt, p. 175).
The 1880 county history links the arrival of the illinois Central Raikoad in 1855 with stimulating German
settlement in Dubuque:
The Germans began to come in and take upland for farms, gardens, ete. Manufacturing interests now
regarded as valuable. Couler Avenue was built up by the German element that toiled in the workshops
and saved their profits to be invested and lost in the financial crash impending... (1880 county history, p.
530).
The 1872 depiction shown above clearly indicates that initial development first infilled an elongated corridor
def'med by the bluffs west of Couler, Washington Street to the east, and 24t~ Street to the north. Central (Couler) Avenue
fi.om the start was a mixed-use arterial and/ncluded commercial, industrial and residential land uses. There are no
churches or schools apparent as yet. The fire stat/on with belfry is at 18t~ and Central and the frame German
Congregational Church is immediately ~vest of the firehouse on the side of the bluff. There is a large property with a
grove of trees located on the northwest corner of East 22nd and Jackson streets. A major drainage parallels Elm Street to
the south. Just visible at the lower (southeast) corner is the Milwaukee Ralkoad roundhouse and shops. These yards
employed many in the area. Brick buildings predominated in this early constmctiun phase and even today, the southwest
6
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltect~ral And Historical Resources o~ Dnbuq~e, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
quadrant of the survey area is predominantly of brick, while frame buildings are most numerous, particularly in the
northern half of the survey area.
The congested character of the 1872 image shows that a great deal of building had predated that date. A number
of streets in the survey area were renamed over time:
Original Name
Coulter Avenue
Eagle Point Road
Lake
Sanford Street
Present Name
Central Avenue
East 22nd Street
Garfield
East 24th Street
The principal German cultural institutions were located to the south of the survey area and the Shooting Park was
north of the city, out CentmI Avenue. A series of large German-owned breweries located along the west side of Central
Avenue. Later in the 19t~ century the survey area experienced an intensification of its German identity, most notably with
the construction of the Saengerbund Auditorium in i896. This massive frame hall mirrored the then-popular "corn
palaces" with its ornamentation. This $6,000 temporary exhibit hall housed the "German Day" events of October 16,
1902, described as "the grandest spectacle ever witnessed in Dubuque." The regional event featured a 13~block long
parade. The hail was demolished soon after this event, the operating cost exceeding the resources of the Saengerbund
organization. The hall stood at the end of the brick paving on Couler Avenue, the intersect/on of Eagle Point and Couler
avenues (Dubuque Enterprise, September 28, October 12, 19, 1902; June 11, 1904; John Pate).
Saengerbund Auditorium, Southeast Comer Kauffman and Central avenues
Peter s Evangehcal Lutheran Church, East 21 and Elm streets, view southeast
(burned by arsonist, fall 2000, photo by Mary Loney, December 2000)
7
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
St. Peter's Evangelical Lutheran Church, view southeast (Dubuque County Historical Society)
Protestant German church congregations were formed as railroad expansion and nearby industrial growth fostered
neighborhood growth in the Couler Valley and in nearby Rhomberg to the northeast in the 1880s and 1890s. Catholic
par/shes predominated in nearby Rhomberg where St. Mary's Parish produced two offspring parishes, Sacred Heart
(1879) and Holy Ghost (1896). In the Couler Valley St. John's Lutheran Church located its St. Peter's mission church at
20t~ and Elm streets in 1885. That congregation was holding its services in English by 1909 and was independent of its
mother church as of 1911. The church relocated to Grandview Avenue in 1958 and its new church at 3200 Asbury Road
in 1962. The Immanuel Congregational Church used the bluff side flame church at 18th Street for 20 years before
building a new edifice atthe southwest comer of l 8th and Jackson streets in 1887. St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church
relocated its frame building to the northwest comer of East 20th and Jackson streets in 1878. A new building followed in
1890 and a school wing in 1925 (Lyon, pp. 218, 390-91,396-97).
German Congregational Church (non-extant)
Viewed northwest from 18th Street and Cantml Avenue, tltis church was
prominently placed above and west of the Central Avenue fire house (Wilkie, p. 325)
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Other Protestant German churches clustered mediately southwest of the survey area around Jackson Park.
These, as of 1884, included the German Presbyterian Church at Iowa and 17th streets. The imposing Gothic style German
Theological School was atop the bluffacross the street to the north from this church. The German Methodist church
fronted on Clay (now Central Avenue) Street between 17' and 18t~ Streets. Zion Church was built at Jackson and 17th
streets in 1873. St. Mary's Catholic Church and school were just three blocks south, at 15th and White Streets. St.
Patrick's Catholic Church fronted north onto Jackson Park at Main Iowa and I5' streets. Finally, St. Matthew's Lutheran
Church (1780 White), fn:st known as St. Matthew German Evangelical Church, was established belatedly in 1907, and had
its own building three years later. This apparent dominance of protestant German congregations in the survey area did not
translate into parallel dominance in the population. The German community hi Dubuque was amazingly homogeneous
and church membership does not appear to have divided it (1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps; Lyon, pp. 395-96; Herald,
November 9, i873; interview Bill Meisner, September I2, 2001).
The 1884 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps indicate that the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Raikoad tracks ran
south~vest above East 18th Street and turned south and followed Pine Street, accomplishing this mm just beyond the
southeast comer of the survey area. Numerous industrial buildings clustered just south of the survey area along East 18t~
Street. These included Schepple's Flour Mill west of Pine Street and the Dubuque Furniture & Burial Case Company,
which straddled Washington Street.
Central Avenue was always a key commercial arterial in addition to its residential role. Central was the primary
streetcar line 1/nk to the shooting park, horse track, and other north Dubuque a2ractions. The tracks doubled back on
Jackson at East 32nd Street, rejoining the Central line along 24th Street. The Linwood Cemetery streetcar dogleg departed
Central along East 22nd Street. The Rhomberg line similarly left Central at East 20t~ Street. The streetcar barns were
located on the southwest corner of East 24th Street and Central from the inception of the streetcar service (Wilkie, p. 331).
Nicholas Glab's No2hern Brewery, southwest corner Central Avenue and Kanffman, early 1880s
(Center for Dubuque History, Nagle Collection)
As of 1881 Central Avenue north of East 18th Street was far from densely developed. Many lots remained vacant
and scattered frame buildings with protective frre breaks remained the rule. The west side of Central was particularly
undeveloped and dwellings predominated north of East 19~h Street. Brick buildings and brick blocks were the exception.
Double dwellings were present, particularly along White and Jackson streets but they were not common. Anton Heeb's
Dubuque Brewery (later Glab's, shown above) was operating on Central Avenue. Two blocks north, on the west side of
Central, Schrnid Brothers & Company Iowa Brewery operated south of the streetcar barn. The two-story beer hall
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltect~ral And Historical Resonrces of D~bnc~e, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
survives at 2327 Central. Dubuque Weiss Beer Company and l~e ~.sia.n Bottling Works used the same site till the
stone factory burned in 1945. The streets east of central and north 0f E~'22na Street were only partly developed with
scattered small houses, q~ae future ComJskey Park was a baseball park (Lyon, p. 402).
1895 Central Avenue, 1895
(Wilkie, p. 297, courtesy of Mrs. Marguerite Trudell Lucey)
North Dubuque grew tremendously during 1887 in response to the completion of the MississiPPi River highway
bridge, the addition of two additional railroads, and the extension of the streetcar service to Eagle Point. The Times
predicted the city's most prosperous year yet and added "In the upper portion of the city a grand transportation scene has
taken place inside ora year, and no less than 100 new residences are contemplated. As soon as the weather permits lively
building will be inaugurated. A notable improvement In the upper end of the city will be the openIng of Lake street fi.om
Couler avenue to Washington street. A row of tenement houses, it is expected, will be erected upon the new street." By
1884 Couler Avenue had its own hotel, the Union House (1956 Couler, non-extant) (Times, February 27, 1887).
Morrison Brothers, first building, view southwest (Courtesy Loras College)
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architecttrral And Historical Resources of Dtrbuqne, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
The cutting through of east/west connector streets, between Couler and Elm, and north of 20t~ Street,
accomplished prior to 1900, made possible numerous new brick comer groceries and saloons. Nothing is known about
how this work was accomplished. Pre-existing buildings were moved or demolished and properties such as St. Paul's
church suddenly became attractive comer locations. White Street, really an alleyway, was extended north of 246 Street
sometime after 1891 and quickly developed with many small industrial shops, notable cooperages, contractor's yards and
the like.
The 1891 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps documented seven years of growth in the survey area. Some rather
remarkable transformations were apparent in the southwest corner of the survey area. Central Avenue and White and
Washington streets were considerably more built up in just seven years. There were many more buildings and brick was
virtually predominant, reflecting a virtual complete makeover. Of particular note was the cutting through of several cross
streets. East 20t~ Street, then called Lake Street, was cut through between Central and Washington and St. Paul's new
church building was suddenly on a corner lot! East 21~t Street, then called Division was also cut through as far west as
Jackson Street. The Kauffimn Street brewery remained in operation and the map still called it Heeb's although Heeb was
by then ten years in iris grave. The Iowa Brewery and the Dubuque Street Railway Company Car House remained in
operation as well. The west side of Central was still only partly built up. The residential development north of East 22na
Street was denser but apparent vacant lots are likely large garden plots. Intensive lot usage is implied by complex patterns
of outbuildings, commonly arranged in a line along one side boundary line. Couler Avenue School stood just east of the
intersection of Central Avenue and Diagonal Street. Irnn~ediately south of the school was William Springborn's
Greenhouse. A new industrial presence was Mordson Brothers Boiler Factory, which occupied the north end of/ts now
extensive yards. The baseball grounds remained at the Com/skey park site, but grandstands now filled the southwest
corner of the block (1894 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps).
Comiskey baseball park, pre-World War I, view to southwest (Telegraph Herald photograph)
Note gabled houses to west
The vast majority of the surveyed historical properties in the Phase I survey date to this very lengthy contextual
period. The earliest firmly dated property is 2082 Jackson Street (1863). A small number of properties date to the 1870s.
These are 2003 Washington (pre-1872), 2015 Washington (pre-1872), 2027 and 2033-35 Washington (pre-1872), 1846-48
Jackson (1878), 2058-62 White Street (1875) and 2272 Prince Street (1870). Some 43 properties date to the 1880s. A
notable example is 1900-02 White Street, the Gabriel Baumgartner Grocery and Union Hail (1885). T~venty-five
properties are dated as pre-i891 and many of these are of much earlier date, some pre-dating the 1870s. Notable among
these are the Fred Ruh Grocery, 2002 White (1890), St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 2005 Jackson (1890), 2180 Central
Avenue (1891), and the Peter Klein building, 2222 Central Avenue (I 89 I). More than half of these properties are found
in the East 22nd and Washington Street district.
Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910:
The massive streetcar system improvements of 1904 transformed the system and service in the Couler Valley.
The road beds were completely rebuilt using sawn oak ties and heavier continuous raiI joint steel rails were laid. The
work progressed from north to south and the parallel lines on Couler and Jackson allowed for uninterrupted service as
each was successively torn up and relaid. The Sageville Road, beyond the city limits, received a 40-foot-wide
macadamizing and curbs courtesy of the streetcar company. A new line was extended to Nutwood Park, along that road.
Most important, the track system was rearranged with new parallel lines and switches to eliminate delays where cars
formerly stopped to allow other cars to clear the line before proceeding on. The fi:equency and speed of service was
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources o~ Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
greatly improved. Couler Avenue also gained an entirely new car barn with a brick, stone and terra cotta facade
(Enterprise, June 1 i, 1904).
Dominant gable "sawtooth" roof pattern in Phase I survey area
(photo by Jacobsen, 2000)
Improved car service to the area hastened house construction in the northern reaches of the survey area and further
north. The Enterprise reported in the early spring of 1905 that one taking the cars on Jackson Street and around the loop
to Couler Avenue, "one can count now ten houses in course of constmctiun." Elm Street was gaining two and a carpenter
observed "that work is in progress now on not less than thirty new houses north of Thirteenth street." Many of these
houses were being built by large-scale builders such as Chris Voelker Realty (Enterprise, April 29, 1905).
Just 14 surveyed properties date to the later 1890s, all being generally dated to post-1891-1902 (the Sanborn map
range). A notable property is 2600 Central Avenue (1898), a comer commercial building. Twelve properties are solidly
dated to 1900, indicating a large amount of new constmctiun at the mm-of-the century. Most notable is the A. C. Pancratz
Grocery, 607 East 22nd Street. Another comer store built that year is 521 East 22rd Street. The Joseph Ziereis Meat Store,
2600 Jackson Street, dates to 1903, as does the Union Electric Street Car Company build/ng, 2359 Central Avenue. Its ·
construction followed the notable streetcar worker's strike of that year. One other property, a duplex at 2411-17 White
Street, dates to 1902-09. Three surveyed properties date to the final years of this context. Two of these are notable; the
Dr. Frank Meyers house and office, 2006 Jackson Street (1909) and the J. J. Grode building at 397 East 20t~ Street (also
1909).
Comiskey Park crowd, 1914
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
An Era of Stability, 1910-1955:
Comiskey Park, at 24t~ and Jackson, played a central role in Dubuque's love affair with professional baseball.
From 1895 until 1927 (or 1914), the field served as the home field for the city's team, affiliated with the Eastern Iowa
League (1895), as an independent (1895-99), the Western Association (1899-1901) and the Triple-I League (1901-14),
and then the Mississippi Valley League (1922-32). The team was particularly successful in 1895 and 1923. Baseball
moved to Petrakis Field on 4t~ Streetin 1927. Charles Albert Comiskey (1859-1931) who played with the Dubuque
Rabbits from 1879-82 became the namesake for the field on June 20, 1929. Previously the block was called "Olinger
Park" and was pr/vately owned by the Olingar family. The city purchased the park and dedicated it to the noted player.
A plaque is being placed on the site of the field by teachers and students of Audubon Elementary School (Telegraph
Herald, Janua~ 22, 1996; Discovering The History In Our Own Backyard; Lyon, pp. 28-29).
John Vachun's Photos of the Couler Vallev:
Photographer John Vachon visited several Iowa cities in 1940 and he was particularly fond of Dubuque, where he took over
500 photographs that year. Reflective of the times, Vachon was interested in documenting the straggles of the unemployed and the
many victims of the Great Depression. The lower Couler Valley was Vachon's favored venue to taking these photographs.
Presumably the area was so deteriorated that its housing was most symbolic of what the photographer was seeking out. It is also lrue
that this area could be easily photographed from the bluffs to the northeast and Vachon could combine his interest in natural
photographs with his social comment. Vachon also took photographs in the downtown area, in the "Hoovervilles," and along the
bluffs in the southwest part of the older town. He also took contrasting photographs of the wealthy blufftop residents, combining the
great houses and Duesenbergs in the same image.
John Vachon, Economic Securities Administration Photographer, 1940 (Library of Congress photo)
Photo from Marquette Place, view northwest, 1940, (Library of Congress photo)
This is a winter view. Note the number of larger outbuildings present, also the fenced yards east of Elm Stteet.
Old Fulton School (?) visible at Ief~-hand background.
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arehlteet~ra~ And Historical Resources of D~rbuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Photo from Marquette Place, due west, Elm Street (double track)/n foreground
(Library of Congress photo)
Photo fi-om Marquette Place, view southwest, Morrison Plant visible right hand background across Elm Street
(Library of Congress photo)
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I tIistorical and Architectural Survey Report:
The rich above and the bottoms below, view northwest from Pinard Street toward 2435 Queen.
Note arbors, chicken house, and outbuildings in the foreground. The six houses fronting west on Pinard
are an unusual example of repeated side-by-side house plans in Dubuque.
View presumably from the west side of the valley, looking northwest(possibly 2037 Jackson in foreground, 2044 White in
background) Note the intricate porch bahistrade, also the apparent lack o£ grass.
(Library of Congress photo)
15
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The A~cbltect~ral Aml Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Unidentified intersection, likely Couler Valley, view northwest. Note lack of paving, curbing or grass.
(Library of Congress photo)
DUBUQUE
Blighted areas, 1936 Dubuque Comprehensive Plan
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Azcbltect~ral And Historical Resources of D~rbuq~e, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
While Vachon nicely documented the hous/ng in the Couler Valley, the real "slums" of the city were not located there as the
1936 map (see above) indicates. The eastward portion of the downtown proper was so labeled due to/ts kigh densities.
Post-1910 construction, both residential and othervAse, was limited to infilling for the most part. Five surveyed
properties date to 1910. Three of these are gable front houses. Contractor Ulrich Willy built his house and construction
yard at 2545 Jackson (his workshop also survives). Daniel W. Sullivan built a very early bungalow at 2319 Washington
Street. An interesting industrial plant was the Lorenz Family Wash Services, 1856-66 Jackson Street, was built in 1913.
It represented the northward expansion of the commercial/industrial downtown to the south. House builder Chris Voelker
was building strings of his gable front houses throughout the survey area. While his frame houses have bean resided, a
string of concrete block houses and a corner storefront at 2401-i5 Jackson and 2404 Jackson Street, date to 1910-16. The
three-story Hoefflin Motor Car Company building, 1944 Central Avenue, built in 1914, was demolished during the course
of this survey project. An unusual two-story Craftsman style garage, 2421 White Street, was built in 1915. Another
Craftsman style example, the F. C. Henkels House, 2539 Jackson Street, was built in 1917. Finally, the extensive shops of
Morrison Brothers Manufacturing Company, 834 East 24th Street, were erected in 1918.
Nine surveyed properties post-date 1920. Numerous duplexes and apartments dominate th/s group and these were
documented because they were of brick or concrete construction and therefore were unaltered. This list includes 2517
White Street, a late duplex (1915-25), the Fulton Arms Apartments, 2535 Cantral Avanue (1920), a duplex at 2513-i5
White Street (i919-25), and the Stone Ridge Apartments, 2555-65 Central Avanue (I923). Two concrete bungalows were
2429 White Street (1924) and 2485 White Street (1924). Chris Voelker built three concrete block houses/duplexes at
2578-2588 Central Avanue (1915-25). The Classical Revival style First Evangelical United Brethren Church, 2501
Jackson, dates'to 1928. Finally, the Moderne style Fulton School, 2540 Cantral Avenue, dates to 1938.
The Architecture of Dubuque~ 1833-1955:
The following vernacular descriptive summary and typology is repeated in the multiple property documant.
Excerpts, as they relate directly to this survey effort, are included in this report.
Vernacular Cottage/House/Commercial Types:
Vernacular architecture is defined in this typology as "nonacademic architecture." 2riffs range of recognized
house types was most strongly influenced in its design by the realities of regional climates, the availabihty of (or the
processing of) building materials, and by ethnic or other cultural/traditional values. Certain house types emerged to
dominate regional and even national architecture and examples of these commonly accepted types are found in most
communities. These local applications of type are commonly reinterpreted by those who buik them. As a class or type,
these house/cottage forms Iargely address the working class spectrum of residences although this is not exclusively the
case.
Most of the nationally accepted vernacular types defined below have little application to Dubuque's urban
vernacular architectnre. Dubuque vernacular types are therefore appended to this section. The architectural context
speaks broadly to the long-term dominance of this vernacular architecture and its significance in light of that dordinance.
Dubuque's vernacular architecture represents an intermixing of Southern Upland 03avid Anderson terms it Midland
American Backwoods Culture") and Continental European, principally German, Swiss and Luxembourgian building
traditions. The Southern Upland is first dominant in fairly pure forms (log houses in particular) but then found expression
in the more permanant early brick houses and business blocks, representing a localized interpretation of urban commercial
design and the various national architectural styles (Anderson, p. 13).
Little is known about Irish influances on vernacular architecture in Dubuque and very little has survived. Further
study is strongly recommended, minimally with regard to linking non-religious Irish cultural organizations with surviving
properties. German influence on the local vernacular also lacks any formal investigation and the Phase I survey is perhaps
the first formal study of the German vernacular.
Dubuque's vernacular properaes can be divided into two classes, residantial and commercial/industrial. The latter
is expressed in the forms of corner commercial storefronts and combination residantial/workshop/storefront properties.
The residantiai properties can be divided into two groups, the earlier examples which pre-date 1870 and those which post-
i7
DUBUQUE~THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
date that year. The cutoff is arbitrary but the survey results him at distinctively different vernacular characteristics. One
difference is in scale with earlier buildings being a single story high. There is evidence that these were intended to be
increased by adding a floor and by elongation.
The following general characteristics descr/be almost all of the surviving vmmacular buildings in the Phase I
survey area:
· raised limestone foundations, probably the best material to ward off subsurface moisture, elevated due to flash
flooding, present even on the earliest concrete block houses, dominant through World War I. Very rare is
complete stone construction, found only in earlier years.
· front gable absolutely predominant, due in large measure to the narrow building lots in Dubuque
· use of a rear corner recessed and elongated side porch, normally south-fronting, paired on double houses, as
high as the building. Double-decker full-width rear porches also very common.
· use of broad clapboard on earlier examples, narrower clapboard in pre-World War I examples.
· transom above entryway, especially common between 1890s and World War I.
· predominance of side-hail ground plan, with right-hand entryway strongly favored over the left-hand side.
· double-wall brick construction, dates to 1870s-80s, apparently a hollow-wall building technique for insulation
purposes, indicated by lack of rowlock courses in exterior brickwork.
· the use of rounded upper window sash-either upper sash have been uniformly replaced or a rounded blank
infilled the space between the sash and lintel.
· elongated mrrow plans
· the avoidance of the hip roof form in resident/al plans
· a decided preference for two story plans in lieu of single story or story and a half high plans
· the absence of front porches of any size or shape on gable front plans
· steeply pitched gable roofs, usually without front or side dormers
· preference for decorative finials above porch entryways
· preference for double houses with centered pair of entryways, entryways never on exterior walls
· preference for centered cross gables and single or paired attic hghts in all gable end walls.
These character/st/cs incorporate those developed by Lawrence Sommer. He listed a nearly universal preference
for brick, rectangular plans, symmetrical/classical proportions (of Greek Rev/val derivation, focusing principally on gable
treatments and dentils along eaves lines), dominance of single and story and a half plans, entrances on gable ends or sides,
rear additions or L-shaped cores, a preference for gable roofs, plain chimneys, two story corner recessed porches. He
proposed the same window lintel/arch evolution as is defined below. Sommer remained stylistically focused even when
he looked for vernacular attributes, but he did determine that "perhaps more important than different styles in establishing
the city's character, were the unifying elements of similar scale, mass, color and materials found on hundreds of local
buildings. Sommer also saw matehal, technological and physical influences, which favored the persistence of the local
vernacular
...the nature of available materials, construction technology, economies and the size of most city lots
produced constraints that resulted in similarity of building scale. This was particularly tree in so far as
height was concerned. A four or five story structure was about as high as could be effectively served
using only stairways (Sommer, pp. 75, 80).
Gable Front (pre-i850-1930+):
Also termed the "Open Gable," or "Gambrel Front." The two defining characteristics are a front gable roof (as
opposed to a side gable) and a gable end house entrance. The type ranges fi'om one room and a side hall in width to two
rooms and a central hail (three to five bays). Generally the overall plan is a rectangle with its shorter dimension fronted to
the street.
The housing literature is silent w/th regard to this commonplace type and even Schweitzer and Davis fail to
identify to acknowledge it. The diminutive size and early date of these cottages (c.1890-1920) hints that this very small
cottage form was already well established in the public's tastes when the bungalow form appeared.
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources o~ Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Dubuque gable fronts can be divided on the basis of their height and their breadth of plan. Single story and story-
and-a-half plans are few and far between in Dubuque. The Phase I survey identified just four o£the former and six of the
latter. Most of these examples postdate 1900.
2304 Jackson Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above typifies the single story gable front cottage type in Dubuque. Wooden lintels are
combined with brick walls. Originally the cottage had a side entrance, the present entry ~ving is o£Iater date. The plan is
extremely narrow. At least some single story brick cottages were bdilt with the intention of adding a second floor. One
example o£this incremental plan is found at 2310 Jackson Street, where the brick color difference on the side wall clearly
marks the addition.
One-story front gable cottage, 2552 Jackson Street (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This is the frame version of the single story gable front cottage form. The core plan is rectangular with a centered
south gabled wing. Note the transom above the entry.
2461 Central Avenue (1890) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arcl~tectura! And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
An example of the story and a half gable front cottage is shown above. A broader plan (24x46) note the rare use
of stone lintels on a side wall and the rear side porches. This is a rectangular core plan with a centered south ~vali dormer.
An earlier although altered example is found at 2272 Prince Street.
2082 White Street (1863) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above is the earliest known Phase I survey area example of a two-story gable front house
plan (23x33). Built entirely of stone, the designer employed flat stone lintels. Note the transom over the entry and the
symmethcal arrangement of thee openings on each level of the fagade, along with a centered round-arched attic light.
Virtually every gable front vernacular property employs a side hall plan (refer to side hall type below), usually with the
enhance on the right-hand side of the faqade.
2401 Queen Street Q880) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This second example of the same type illustrates another early stone lintel form and h/nts that the original upper
sash had rounded tops. Note the absence of any front porch, the elaborate surviving ch/mneys and the rear recessed
porches.
20
DUBUQUE--THB KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
?base ! I-Iistorical and Architectural Survey Report:
2510 Washington Street (1900) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This frame version of the two story gable front house type has a very narrow elongated plan (16x30). The
transom remains. Fewer window operdngs are distributed over the narrow fagade and there is no vertical alignment. The
gable front is ornamented with wood shingles and is often pedimented. Clapboard is narrow with comer boards. A three-
sided bay substitutes for the centered south-facing wing and the rear comer porches remain in use.
2525 Jackson (c.1910) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This example of the type illustrates the commonplace elimination of one upper level faqade window above the
stairway. The fenestration is otherwise symraetrical and true to the vernacular tradition. The porch and rear side wing
postdate the original construction.
329
Street (1880) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arehltect~ral And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
~ais property exemplifies the broadest version of the two ~:gable front house type (24x35). The porch is a
concrete block replacement c. 1915. The upper level center door is likely an alt~ation.
2226 Jackson Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example illustrates the largest scale achieved by the two story gable front in Dubuque. The chmensions
of this duplex are of the scale that is commonly associated with German vernacular building, broad and deep. This fagade
has likely been updated with window replacement but it is of early origins and the porch is authentic in its scale and detail.
Side Hall Plan (c. 1830-1880):
This subtype provides a category for side gable and hip roof houses/cottages that are not front gables. The plan is
usually two rooms deep and a single room wide and has a side hall. These cottages are mostly a single story or story and
a half in height. In Dubuque the two story side gable house plan also almost always uses a side hall plan and the vast
majority of these occur in a double house arrangement. The double house could be built incremantally and one excellent
example ora half-double house that failed to gain its mate is found at 308 East 22~a Street. Two-story house examples are
not normally included under this vernacular category but Dubuque's vemacular types require a section for side gable
house plans.
2307 White Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example of a single story side gable cottage form (hall and parlor room arrangement) was origthally
constructed as a cooper's shop. The use of brick window arches indicates a very early building date.
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DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
2052 JaCkson Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This is another early side gable plan example of a story and a half cottage plan. Also a halI-parlor floor plan
arrangement, the porch is a later addition.
2509 Broadway Street (photo Sommer, p. 80)
1212 Elm Street shown above has 2/2 lights and semi-elliptical rounded window arches (Sommer, p. 78).
Street (photo, Sommer, p. 80)
504 22nd Street represents a more traditional plan orientation to the street fi.ont. This example is strongly
influenced by the Italianate Style in its window treatment and the classical porch is of much later date (Sommer,
p. 80).
23
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arcbltect~ral And Historical Resources o~ Dubuqne, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report
2255-57 Central Avenue (1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This double house frame example of the side gable house type offers a rare instance where the original clapboard
remains visible. Frame double houses are far less common than are their brick counterparts. The porch is a larger version
of what was originally designed for the house. The plan measures the standard 32x30. Of i7 measured double houses, I 1
measured 32 feet in width, with a 28-30 foot depth.
233943 Wastfington Street (1880) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example shows the more commonplace brick double house (32x30) with the best example of the
or/ginal porch profile and scale. Note the "wrap around" stone lintels which incorporate the arch and the rectangular
spring stones. Note also the in-wail end chimneys, the raised stone foundation and the paired entryways with transoms.
2523 Central Avenue (1892-1909) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
24
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arehltect~ral And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
German vernacular surveys in Ohio have linked that culture with large squarish builchng plans. The example
shown above depicts a very immense double house plan with a centered cross gable.
2058-62 White Street (1875) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The Wtfite Street property shown above is the best approximation of the fi:me tenmuent that was commonly
being built in the city after the Civ/1 War. This tri-plex plan (51x32) has been resided and the porch canopies replaced but
it is a rare surviving frame example of a common Dubuque type.
1212 Elm Street (photo Sommer, p. 78)
The "courtyard house" is a special vernacular side gabled house type in Dubuque. Two examples survive today
and it is probable that other examples, particularly of frame construction, have been lost. This unusual vernacular featare
appears to have distinct European roots. The other example is found at 1989-1915 Central Street.
2082 Jackson Street, 1863
25
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltectaral And HistoEcal Resonrces of D~buqne, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
I-House (c. 1850-1890):
This two-story type is de£med as a side gabled house although it does occur as a story and a half. Associated
particularly with the states of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, the plan is two rooms and a central hall across and a single room
in depth, so it is basically two rooms over two rooms. The type can range fi:om three to five bays, substituting a side front
entry for the central one in the shorter versions.
2108 Jackson Street (c. 1900?) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above is unusual in that it has a single centered entryway anda full array of five openings on each
level of the fagade. These denote the pure I-House fagade. The building is of early date given the flat stone lintels. It was
apparently deepened in plan following its initial construction.
T-Plan (c. 1860-1920):
This type is defined by it's "T" footprint rather than its roof elevations. The roof ridges of its parts can
be uneven. The "T" is sometimes symmetrical with a wrap around porch on the three exposed sides of the stem
of the "T" infill the plan, or it is asymmetrical with a L-shaped porch along the front and one side of the
projecting wing. The plan can orient with its projecting wing being set either towards or parallel to the street.
2531 Washington Street (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above offers a rare instance of this type in the Phase I survey area. The side entrance on the
"upright" or front portion identifies this as being other than a side gable plan.
26
DUBUQUE~THE KEY CITY--The Archltectnral And Historical Resonrces of Dnbuqne, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Glossary of Historical and Contemporary Photographs:
East side Central Avenue viewed southeast from I Street, c.189I
Note the comer gaslight, the double streetcar tracks and the lack of paving
(Center for Dubuque History, Olinger-Mulgrew Collection)
Present-day view (photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Fifth storefi'ont hght from comer with bold parapet line survives
27
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
East
Street, c.1891.
(Center for Dubuque History, Olinger-Mulgrew Collection)
Present day view (photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Sixth building from right and side-gabled store in left rear survive.
28
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources o~ Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
Unidentified Catholic Parade, c.late 1880s, view northwest f
(Center for Dubuque History, Photo ~4119)
and White Streets
Same view today, photo by Jim Jacobsen, taken March 7, 2000
29
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltect~ral And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
c.1884-85 overv/ew looking east fi.om Serrfinary Hill (Shelby Street), St. Paul's Church is in c~nter of image
(Center for Dubuque History, Photo #8878)
Present day view, photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000
(Fence to left changes the camera angle southward)
30
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
c. 1884-85 view from present day Heeb Street, northeast across Kauffman (foreground) and Central Avenue
Both of the double houses along Kauffman survive, this view cannot be replicated due to trees and houses now in the
foreground (Center For Dubuque History)
c. 1884-85 stereoscopic view looking east across Central Avenue from Heeb Street (Seminary Hill)
The contemporary view is too obstructed by brash, however o£the buildings in the foreground do not survive.
(C enter for Dubuque History, Photo # 1501 )
31
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arch~techrral And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
c. 1884-85 stereoscopic view looking east across Central Avenue from Heeb Street (Sero/nary HilI)
(Center for Dubuque History, Photo #1500, all buildings in foreground do not survive)
Anton Heeb Brickyard,
view west, ¢. 1870s (courtesy Loras College)
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Arclfitectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
c. 1884-85 stereoscopic view looking northeast across Central Avenue from Heeb Street (Seminary Hill)
Eagle Point visible in background, Dubuque Brewery in lef~ foreground
(Center for Dubuque History, Photo #1499)
Present day view of Photo #1499 shown above, photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000
33
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectaxal And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
General Descriptive Observations, Phase I Survey Area:
The Couler Valley residences are primarily of frame construction and foundations are most commonly of local
limestone. Brick construction accounts for perhaps 10-15 percent of the total. It is surprising that there is so little ali-
stone construction. Just one example was found.
The range of vernacular types found in the survey area is described in Section F and the eligibility
recommendations appear in Section H of th/s report. What is particularly stfildng about the residences in the survey area
is thek density, shallo~v setbacks and the occasional off-square siting or massing of some buildings. A few quaint
examples survive.
2531, 2535 Washington Street (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above is an extreme one, but it illustrates the "cheek and jowl" placement of some houses.
2540 and 2538 Jackson Street (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
In this example, the north side wall of 2538 Jackson is actually in line w/th the south side wail of 2540 Jackson
(left). The entry to the rear wing of 2540 is gained by the sidewalk, which runs across the front yard of 2538.
34
DUBUQUE--THE K/flY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources o~ Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
2562 Wastdngton, view northeast, property includes both frontages center and lef~ in "U" plan
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
One distinctive streetscape feature along Washington Street, between 15t~ and 19t~ streets, is a series of circular
landscaped traffic diverters. These were built in 1975 to prevent truck traffic from using that street (Lyon, p. 474).
Phase I Methodology:
The present survey and multiple property development project represents a renewed municipal effort on the part
of the City of Dubuque to update its historic building inventory and to organize that inventory within the context of a
multiple property documentation form. The multiple propcn'ty document format puts the architectural heritage of
Dubuque into more codified order and the document for the first time attempts to identify the salient historical contexts
which best describe and explain the city's historical development.
The staff of the Dubuque Community Development Department developed a five-phase historical survey plan to
complete the city's historical/architectural inventory and the first two phases of this plan were accepted for completion by
the City Council in 1999. Phase I, the survey of the lower portion of the Couler Valley, funded with a Certified Local
Government grant, was awarded to historic preservation consultant Jim Jacobsen (d/b/a History Pays!); Phase 13[, the
survey of the Rhomberg or North Dubuque residential district, was funded using Housing and Urban Development Funds,
and the contract was awarded to consultants Jim Jacobsen and Molly Myers Naumann. This second phase will begin
work once the multiple property document is sufficiently well developed. Additional refinement of the multiple property
document is envisioned for the second contract.
The Phase I survey effort had the stated goal of documenting only those properties or districts which appeared to
merit National Register of Historic Places eligibility recommendations. Completed individual historical inventory forms
and photographs documented individually eligible propcn~ties or district groupings.
Bruce Kriviskey's (see below) 1978 mapped survey findings necessarily guided the present survey. Kriviskey
prepared no site forms and did no historical research for the Phase I survey area but he did prepare key-coded survey maps
which identified a range of siguificance levels, all of which were architecturally based. Planning staffprepared a baseline
survey map that was derived from the Geographic Information System. This map depicted individual building outlines as
well as street names and building addresses. Kriviskey's findings were copied onto this base map and the resulting map
guided the present survey.
The consultant made a preliminary visit to Dubuque in early January 2000. The Phase I survey area and the city
in general was generally inspected and the consultant otherwise focused on identifying useful historical sources and
becoming familiar with the several research facilities. The actual field survey work was completed during a second v/sit
in early March. The consultant walked each north/south main street in methodical order, evaluating each property and
taking photographs as he proceeded. Each photograph was entered in a photographic log and each documented address
35
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltect~ral And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
was entered on a copy of the first page of the state historic inventory form. Key descriptive notes were taken, particularly
of those features which might be missed in evaluating just the photograph. Any historical information was also recorded
(building dates or names on pediments, historical advertising on side walls, information gleaned from conversations with
Phase I Survey area
(darkened properties were intensively surveyed and grayed areas denote identified historic districts
Several patterns became quickly apparent. First and most important, Kriviskey was forced even in 1978 to focus
his attention on any building that was not hidden beneath replacement siding, that is to say brick or concrete block
buildings. Second, the passage of 20 years had worsened the situation and many buildings wl'fich Kriviskey favored were
either lost or had been sided. Third, most of the buildings were collectively of historical interest but very few warranted
individual National Register consideration. District clusters consisted of sizable fragments, mostly being focused on
commercial nodes which occurred at street comers or in the southern third of the survey area. There were a number of
impressive commercial blocks however.
36
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Archltect~ral And Histori~a~ Resources of Dubnq~e, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
The field approach be default turned to updating Kriviskey's good efforts rather than sticking to searching for
eligible properties. The latter course would have produced but a handful of inventory forms and no justice would have
been done to the nei~hborhood's still impressive vernacular properties. Kriviskey had an excellent eye for significance
and the findings of th/s survey very much mirror his recommendations. Still the documented properties focus unduly on
brick commercial and residential properties and many anomalies, particularly concrete block houses, are over emphasized
perhaps. Rare examples of stylized home designs, particularly Queen Anne and Craftsman, are also strongly represented.
The many hundreds of vemacular residences which were not documented are still collectively of historical merit.
Given the city's topography, only the Phase I and Phase II residential areas offer examples of Dubuque's vernacular
houses in a flat land setting. Similar houses are found throughout the city above the bluffs, but these are scattered and
intermixed with houses fi:om later periods. The best chance for vernacular districts is found on these flat valley floors.
Replacement siding has transformed these into look-alike boxes devoid of any detailing or un/queness. To document one
was to document ail. What remains impressive is the density, juxtaposition, and occasionally the orientation of these
houses. Surviving examples of once typical detailing, house orientation, and orig/nal appearance were documented, but
much has been lost or obscured. Virtually every fi:me house still retaining its original clapboard exterior was
documented. Exceptions were due to the loss of integrity due to porch removal, window reduction, or other alterations.
Following the completion of the field survey work attention was focused on documenting the survey area in
general and the key individual properties. Project resources hardly allowed for preparing over a hundred survey forms, let
alone documenting each and every building exhaustively. Resources were consequently targeted to individually eligible
or district clusters.
Historical research £ncst focused upon identifying a means of accurately dating the surveyed properties. Clearly
many of the Phase I survey area properties are of a later date than might be generally assumed. This is to say buildhig
dates after the 1880s w/th construction continuing up through the First World War. If anything can knowingly be said
about the evolution and derivation of vernacular house designs then accurate building dates are the starting point. The
earlier vernacular survivors can be sorted out through this dating process. Early h/storical photographs offered some hope
and a number of these were found, mostly taken from Seminary Hill to the west. Unfortunately most of the Couler
Avenue/Central Avenue buildings shown in the foreground of these images have been lost. The images compress the
depth and it is detective's work to figure out which house is on which street and which house still survives. The 1872
Birds Eye view is the earliest depiction of the survey area. The same problem of matching buildings is encountered and
the question of accuracy is a major one. The drawing is useful in that it shows the extent of development in the survey
area as of that date. City Assessor cards were made available by courthouse staff and these provide estimated building
dates for each property. These are more accurate for the later buildings but the dates at least offer minimal (no later than)
building dates. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are ideal for dating buildings within ten-year age ranges but the earliest map
is dated 1884 and the subsequent map 1891, reflective ora high rate of city growth. The next map however, is dated i909
and is too late to be of use in dating vernacular properties. City directories survive from the late 1850s but street address
guides appear only by 1907.
A number of buildings, both commercial and residential are referenced in the broad array of secondary Dubuque
historical sources. These references describe and confirm the heavily German ethnic background of the survey area.
37
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I ~-~istorical and Architectural Survey Report:
Master Listing of Documented Properties, Phase I Dubuque Survey:
Each district or cluster is assigned a site number as is each property. Evaluations are based on visual examination of
photos (second roll of film yet undeveloped so had no evaluations yet for roughly one-fourth of the propm'ties. District
properties appear in first colunm while individual properties appear in the second column.
260 I 237 [ Further research recommended
349 238 National Register Eligible
397 (J. J. Grode Jr.) 239
i(~ ii:~!,i~ (see 300-400s under Washington-E. 20t~ district below)
(see E. 22nd-Wash. Dist.
Below)
521 242 National Register Eligible
607 (A. C. Pancratz) 243 National Register Eligible
834 (Mordson Bros.) I 244 I National Register Eligible
9-1I 1245 I Further research recommended
1805 (Fire Station) 246 National Register Eli_g/ble
1800's Central Avenue 247 National Register Eligible
1812 248
1824 249
1826/28 250
1838 251
1842 252
1850 253
1856 254
1876 255
1800's Central Avenue 256 National Register Eligible
District Proper ,ty: Individual Property Site Number: Evaluation:
1879 257
1889-95 258
1913-15 259
1919 260
1959 261
1965 262
1944 263 Demolished
2095 264 Further research recommended
2130-34 265 National Register Eligible
2129 266
2133 267
2180 268 National Register Ehgible
2222 269 National Register Eligible
2243 270 Further research recommended
2255-57 271 Fumher research recommended
2327 272 National Register Eligible
2306 273 National Register Eligible
2310-12 274 Further research recommended
2400 275 National Register Eligible
23?? (Key Line) 276 Yes, historical Significance
2461 277 Further research recommended
2499 278 National Register Eligible
2540 (Fulton School) 279 National Register l~li~hle
38
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dnlmque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
2535 (old Fulton 280 National Reg/ster Ehgible
School)
2555-65 (Stone 281 Farther research recommended
Ridge Apts)
Concrete Block Houses, 282 Further research recommended
2500's Central
2578 283
2582 284
2586 285
2590 286
2600 287 Further research recommended
1845 288
1855 289
2055 290
1815 291 National Register Eligible
1856-66 292 Further research recommended
184648 293
1800s-1900s Jackson 294 National Register Eligible
1885 428 Individually eligible, best small
~ commercial property in survey area
1889 295
1903 296
1905 297
1913-I7 298
1920 299
1930-32 300
1946 301
1949 302
2005 (St. Paul's) 303 Further research recommended
2006 304 National Register Eligible
2024-26 305
2044 306 Further research recommended
District Property: Individual Property Site Number: Evaluation:
2045 307
2052 308
2070-72 309 Further research recommended
2282 409 National Reg/ster Eligible
2100s Jackson 310 Further research recommended
2102 311
2108 312
2109 313
2111-13 314
2113 316
2123 317
2131 318
2135-37 319
2139 321
2214 323
2226 324
2255-57 325
2265-67 326
2266 315
2304 327
2310 328
2350-52 332
Concrete Block Houses, 333 Fmther research recommended
39
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY==The Architectara! And HistoEca! Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
2400's Jackson-White
2401 334
2409-11 335
2413 336
2415 337
2404 White (list twice) 338
2421 (garage) 339
250I (1st Evang. Ch.) 340 Further research recommended
2525 341
2539 342
2545 343 National Register Eligible
2561 344 National Register Eligible
2568 345 National Reg/ster Eligible
2600 346 National Register Eligible
2601 347 National Register Elig/ble
2268 348
2272 349
2401 350 National Register Eligible
2412 351
1866 352
1896 354
1938 355
2000s Washington 356 Further research recommended
2003 357
2005 358
2015 359
2027 360
2033-35 361
2043 362
2049 363
2051 364
District Proper ,ty: Individual Property Site Number: Evaluation:
2057 366
2061-65 369
2010 368 Further research recommended
2061-65 369 Duplicate site sheet, also in district
2076-78 370 Further research recommended
Washington and East 371
22nd streets
East 22na Street)
215-17 374
3017 375
305 i 376
306 377
308 378
310 379
311 380
312-14 381
317-19 382
321-23 238 National Register Eligible
400 239 National Register Eligible
2162 387
2172 388
2201-03 389
40
DUBUQUE--THE KEY CITY--The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Phase I Historical and Architectural Survey Report:
2209 391
2219 1392
2222 393
2226 394
2227 395
2234-36 396 Furtherresearchrecommended
2238 397
2241 398
2319 426
2329 427
2339-43 320
2349-51 322 Futtherresearchrecommended
2510 399
BrickGrouping, 1900s 400 NafionalRegisterEhgible
1902 401
1908 402
1922 403
1938 404
2002 (Fred Ruh, 405 Further research recommended
1890)
2018 406
12050 407
2058-62 408
2227 410
2244 4ii NafionalRegister Eligible
2281 412
2301-05 353
2307 413
2326-30 414
2345 415
2411-17 417
2421 (garage only) 422
2429 418
District Proper.ty: Individual Property Site Number: Evaluation:
2485 , 419
2513-15 420
2517 421
The summary Phase I survey area map appears at the head of this section. The sheer size o£the area precludes the
inclusion of addresses or site numbers but the properties list can be generally correlated with the surveyed properties.
Blackened properties were individually documented and shaded areas denote district-level documentation.
41
DUBOQUE--THE KEY CITY
The Architectural And Historical Resources ~of
Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Post Phase I-II Version
JAMES E. JACOBSEN, HISTORY PAYS!
January 15, 2002
No city of the Union of equal population has in our opinion more
reason to be proud of its position, character and reputation, than
Dubuque, in developing all the elements of progress,, placed by nature
at its disposal. From its geographical position, nearly midway
between Saint Louis and Saint Paul, it bids fair to justify its claims to
be the "Metropolis of Iowa."
Willard Glazwa, Down The Great River, p. 243, 1889
Credits and Acknowledgements:
This project has been fimded with the assistance of a matck/ng grant-in-aid from the State Historical Society of Iowa, Community
Programs Bureau, through the Department of the Interior, National Park Service, under provisions of the National Historic
Preservation Act of 1966; the opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Departrnunt of the Interior.
This project received Federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations of the U.S: Department of the Interior strictly
prokibit unlawfifl disciira/mtion hi Federally Assisted Programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any
person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a recipient of federal
assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opporturdty Program, U.S. Deparanent of the Interior, National Park Service, 1849 C Street
NW, D.C. 20240
Cover Photo Credits:
Upper photo, Dubuque, 1858 by W. J. Gilbert (Dubuque: Frontier River City, p. 156)
Lower photo, "Dubuque Forward," Miss Isbelle Seipple, first prize poster entry, senior div/sion, Made In Dubuque poster
contest, Dubuque Business, May 1930, p. 6.
NPS Form 10-900-b
(Oct. t 990)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB No. 10024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Multiple Property Documentation Form
This form is for use in documenting multiple property groups relating to one or several historic contects. See instructions in How to Complete the Muli~ple Property
Documentation Form (National Register Bulletin 16B). Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the requested information. For
additional space, use continuation sheets (Form 10-900-a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete ail items.
New Subrrdssion ~XAmended Subm/ssion
A. Name of Multiple Property Listing
The Architectural And Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
B. Associated I-Iistorical Contexts
(Name each associated kistoric context, identif3dng theme, geographical area, and chronological period for each.)
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi Pdver, 1833-1858:
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-i893:
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910:
Context g4, An Era of Stabihty, 1910-1955:
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955:
C. Form Prepared By
Name/Title James E. Jacobsen
Organization History Pays!
Street & Number 4411 Ingersoll Avenue
City or Town Des Moines State Iowa
Date Jannarg 15, 2002
Telephone (515) 274-3625
Zip Code 50312
D. Certification
As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, I hareby ccn'tify that this
documentation form meets the National Register documentation standards and sets forth requirements for the hsting of related
properties consistent with the National Register criteria. This submission meets the procedural and professional reqinr~ments
set forth in 36 CFR Part 60 and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic
Preservation (~ See continuation sheet for additional comments).
Signature and title of certifying official
Date
State or Federal agency and bureau
I hereby certify that this multiple property documentation form has been approved by the National Register as a basis for
evaluating related properties for listing in the National Register.
Signature of the Keeper Date of Action
Expanded Survey of Davenport Historic Neighborhoods Iowa
Name of Multiple Property Listing State
Table of Contents for Written Narrative
Provide the following ir~ormation on continuation sheets. Cite the letter and the title before each section of the narrative. Assign page
numbers according to the instmcfiom for continuation sheets in How to Complete the Multiple Property Documentation Form
(National Register Bulletin 16B). Fill in page numbers for each in the space below.
Page Numbers
E. Statement of Historic Contexts
E-1
F. Associated Property Types
F-179
G. Geographical Data G-319
Summary of Identification and Evaluation Methods
H-321
I. Major Bibliographical References
1-328
Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Regfi stor of Historic Places to nomthate properties for
listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a behest in accordance with
the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et seq.).
Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 18.1 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions,
gathehng and maintaining dam, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct conmaents regarding tl~s burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Chief,
Adrrfinislrative Services Division, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Wasl~ngton, DC 20013-7127; and the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork
Reductions Projects (I024-0018), Washington, DC 20503.
Table of Contents:
Introduction: I
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Context #3, Dubuque's Golden Age, 1893-1910:
Context #4, An Era of Stability, 1911-1955:
Postscript, Dubuque's Recent History, 1956-2000:
Contact #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
Associated Property Types:
Registration Requirements:
Geographical Area:
9
31
7O
97
127
136
170
259
303
Bibliography: 311
PS Form
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,z, Iowa
County and State
Introduction:
To us Dubuque means...the hills and r/ver that we long for when we go away, for the
sunset light in the valley, the morning mists on the hills, the queer streets that go up
among them, the glory of the crest, with its wide view east and west, the lovely light ,on
the river shining away to southward, blue Sinsinawa, and the opal of the distant hills, the
'castled crags' and battlements of the bluffs,---this is Dubuque.
Ed/th N. Lane, "The Beauty of Dubuque, Ente;Trise, November 26, 1904
By any standard Dubuque is and has always been a distinctively different place by Iowa standards. On one hand
the city served as the port of entry for Iowa settlement and was the state's first city. On the other hand Dubuque has
always been geographically separated from the state and has made her fortune from a tri-state market area. If Iowa is
protestant, Republican, and less than friendly with organized labor, Dubuque has assumed the opposite extremes by being
predominately Catholic, Democrat and strongly pro-labor.
The city has been strongly self-reliant from the start, eschewing the out-of-state investors who dominated the
development of the other Iowa cities. During the Civil War the city dared to lead in the political opposition to the
national war policy and its attending repression of thought and action.
This conservative bastion has opened up in recent years. The invention of color photography brought fall tour/sm
to Northeast Iowa, the que~n of fall leaf colors. Belated road improvements finally conquered the topographical
obstacles to integration. Mississippi River bridges, early and later, revived regional markets, and opened doors to the city
(or as some allege, allow passersby to pass on by). Today like most cities the future hopes for continued growth are as
rooted in suburban industral parks and arterial road systems as they are in the historic city.
Dubuque, unlike most Iowa cities, never reached the vaunted 100,000-population figure (it was predicted to
achieve that number by 1940), and large-scale growth sputtered out by World War I. The city never gained the acres and
acres of bungalows and Tudor cottages, Lustron houses and the like. Its building inventory largely pre-dates 1920 and
consequently the architectural legacy of Dubuque is unmatched elsewhere in Iowa, both in quality and scale.
Dubuque is a strkingly different place because of its many differing heritages, l?redom/nant among these is an
Irish-German and strongly Catholic population which left its architectural mark in beautiful and massive churches and
v~-nacular 19t~ century housing. Exploring the streets and alleyways of Dubuque's history teaches the visitor to
appreciate the wealth of architectural surprises which mirror the heritage of Iowa's "Key City."
Historical H/story:
It is a daunting task to attempt to synthesize not only the findings of previous Dubuque historical surveys but also
the historical and architectural contexts of the city. Dubuque has rightflzlly intrigued Iowa historians since the beginning
of a state historiography and suffice it to say that the available secondary literature, which treats Dubuque, is extensive
and fairly contextually exhaustive.
PS Form 10-900 a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approva/ No. 1024 0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 2
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State
The avallab]hty of generations of talented and mqulslttve scholars at Dubuque s many lnst~tutlo s of higher
learning has necessarily added to this historical legacy. Numerous religious histories, covering the range from parish to
diocese, supplement the reading list.
It wasn't alWays this way. Historian James A. Edwards penned a promotional booklet for a planned book to be
entitled Dubuque and Dubuque County. Edwards complained in the 1930s that Dubuque
...has never received that attention from historical ~witers which is demanded from its own importance
and by its influences upon the growth and development not only of this part of the State, but throughout
the Central West and Northwest
Obviously strenuous efforts have largely remedied this historical deficit (Edwards, unpaginated).
Ail of these historical compatriots, both past and present, have contributed to whatever quality this report can
claim to possess. Absent their efforts, tiffs writer would have labored ~vith considerably less guidance and certainly less
knowledge.
Geography:
Much of the Mississippi River channel which borders Iowa is of very recent origin. The ancient river course
diverted from the present one below Clinton, Iowa, and followed what is termed the Princeton Channel, flowing southeast
beyond present day Hennepin, Illinois, and then generally following the Illinois River southwest. This course developed
as an ice margin drainage of Pre-lllinoian glaciers. Twice, Illinoian glaciers flowing southwest from the Lake Michigan
area pushed the Mississippi's course westward into southeast Iowa. The ice closed offthe channel and backed up river
flow until an interim altemative course was created. Between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago, the present river course
eroded its bed by as much as i00 feet. Between 25,000 and 21,000 years ago glacial flo~vs from the northeast
permanently closed offthe Princeton Channel, and forced the Mississippi into its present Port Byron Gorge channel. The
Quad Cities are located along this most recent river course, at a point where the river makes a pronounced westward mm.
Up until 9,500 years ago the river channel was periodically flooded with catastrophic late Wisconsin glacial outwashes.
Fine-grained sediments formed the Savanna Terraces which line the lower ranges of the watershed. Dubuque is
positioned on one of these terraces. Since 9,500 channel changes have more gradual with reduced lateral channel
movement and the formation of deltas. The Couler Valley, in the northwest part of the original city is an earlier channel
for the Little Maquoketa River which no~v empties due east into the Mississippi (Bettis, pp. 12-15).
The Mississippi forms a reversed S shaped charmel at Dubuque. The eastern bank is firmly defined by 200-foot
high limestone bluffs. The river valley w/dens below Eagle Point Park and the west bank of the river was and remains
less well defined. There is a broad and extensive network of islands and sloughs. There are no rapids in this stretch of
the river and consequently no potential for hydropower. Note also that the lock and dam system construction site is just
above the city and not at or below it. This meant that the city site had as much river depth as could be obtained although
getting landed on frrrn shore was a challenge. The Savanna Terrace upon which the primary city developed lies 50-70
feet above the mean water level of the river (late 19~ century city boosters would double this figure so as to quiet fears of
flooding and pestilence). The terrace measured a half-mile in width w/th a length of two miles. Sheer-faced bluffs, rising
some 200 feet, encircle the city site. It is said that like Rome, Dubuque had its seven hills and each hill sported a steeple
or a college. Galena and Trenton limestone comprise the bluffs with Niagara limestone being present in the north end of
PS Form
IRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Dark Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 3
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Comxty and State .......
the city. Several steep and narrow ravines radiated out from the terrace. On the north end, broader and flatter reaches of
the terrace radiated out to the northeast and northwest, offering a distinct advantage for growth in that area (Horton, The
Urbanization Process..., p. 2)
For a 15-mile radius beyond the bluff line lay rugged unglaciated country. The closest prairie lay several miles
west. Good timber supply was to be had from atop the bluffs or from the river islands but the city site itself was adorned
with a scattering of willows and other softwoods. Any future tree canopy would have to be planned and planted (ibid.).
Building stone was readily available, as was clay for ma!ring bricks. A high-grade lead ore was also to be found
buried just at the bedrock surface. The terrace soil was gravelly and sandy and was easily drained a distinct health
advantage although one that was balanced out by the proximity of backwater sloughs along the river frontage. While
main river flooding was restricted, flash flooding down the several ravines ~vas a real threat to life and property (ibid., pp.
2-4).
It is the Galena Limestone which figures so prominently in the foundations of most of Dubuque's buildings. This
stone was used in preference to brick and continued in its popularity right through the pre-World War I years. The stone
is described as being almost pure dolomite with from three to eight percent silicon, and carbonate of lime and
magnesium. In its natural state it is a light gray in color but iron oxidation transforms it into a light buff upon prolonged
exposure (The Industries of Dubuque, p. 15).
Historian Raymond Lyon dared to challenge the idea of the seven hills of Dubuque. He explained that in
actuality the bluff lines which surround the city are ridgelines or crest lines which have been eroded into a series of
valleys (Lyon, p. 173).
Places and Names:
Dubuque, given the complexity of its history and physical setting, has accumulated an impressive array of place,
landmark and neighborhood names. The following list of place names is derived from various sources:
Air Hill
Beach's Hill
Cavanaugh Hill
Flatiron Park
Flats
Frogtown
Heidelberg of
America
Kelly's Bluff
Key City
Langworthy Hollow
Near Julien (now University) Avenue (Tribune, December 21, 1871)
South of Bluff and Dodge streets (Wilkie, p. 504).
Southern Avenue was extended over it in 1861, "one of the best improvements of that year"
(Oldt, p. 140).
Jones and Main (Wilke, p. 328).
An area defined by 14th-16th streets, Sycamore Street and the Railroad (Lyon, p. 159).
The swampy boggy arba lying east of Couler Avenue and north of 19th Street
A citywide nickname which alludes to the hills and stone bluffs of Dubuque (Lyon, p. 330).
Above 2na Street CWilkie, p. 143).
A citywide nickname coined by the Miner's Journal in 1854, became particularly popular in
the late 1880s, the most enduring of Dubuque's several names (Lyon, p. 330).
Appears to reference the southern portion of the Couler Valley along Kaufmarm Avenue
and East 22~a streets with specific reference to the area lying west of Central Avenue (Wilke, p.
132).
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 4
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Lorimer Hollow
Madden Hollow
Madison Hill
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The cut through which 8t~ Street ascends the bluffs from downtown, source of rampaging
flash floods and key farm to market road as early as 1841 (Oldt, pp.70-72).
Near South Bluff (Express-Herald, March 18, 1857)
opposite Jackson Square (Wilke, p. 207)
DISTRICTS AND NEIGHBORHOODS, CITY OF DUBUQUE
~v~. CARMEL DISTRICT
BRYANT DISTRICT
M~. Loretta Neighborhood
Cleveland Neighborhood
Grandvlew Neighborhood
Curtis Neighborhood
Country Club Area
Southern Avenue Ama
WARTBURG DISTRICT
Fremont Neighborhood
Sunse~ Ridget~Teighborhood
Coates Street Neighborhood
HILL DISTRICT
West Eighth S~reet Neighborhood
Wes~ Seventh Street Neighborhood
Fenelon Neighborhood
Langwor thy neighborhood
Mercy Hospital Neighborhood
Wes~ Eleventh Street Neighborhood
West Fifth S~ree~ Neighborhood
Angella and Curnell Neighborhoods
Luras Neighborhood
Finley Hospital Neighborhood
Henderson Neighborhood
KAUFMANN AVENUE DISTRICT
PARK HILL DISTRICT
Fulton Street Neighborhood
Gay Street Neighborhood
Muscatine Neighborhood
KANE STREET DISTRICT
Oakcres~ Neighborhood
Shady Lane Neighborhood
Scenic View Neighborhood
LINWOOD DISTRICT
Windsor Neighborhood
Burden Neighborhood
Jeffersun Neighborhood
RHOMBERG DISTRICT
Lower Rhomberg Neighborhood
North Rhomberg Neighborhood
E~gle Point Neighborhood
UNIVERSITY DISTRICT
Decurah Neighborhood
Surmyview Neighborhood
Green Street Neighborhood
Devon Neighborhood
Delhi Neighborhood
St. Joseph Neighborhood
FLORA PARK DISTRICT
Hillcrest Neighborhood
Lenox Neighborhood
Falk Neighborhood
WESTERN SUBDIVISIONS
WEST LOCUST DISTRICT
Jackson School Neighborhood
CLARKE DRIVE DISTRICT
Mad/son Park Neighborhood
Clarke Drive Neighborhood
Monterest Neighborhood
NORTH END DISTRICT
Twenty-Second Street Neighborhood
Broadway Neighborhood
Comiskey Neighborhood
Holy Ghost Neighborhood
Thlr~ieth S~reet Neighborhood
Sacred Hear~ Church Neighborhood
DOWNTOWN DISTRICT
Jackson Park Neighborhood
St. Raphael Neighborhood
Washington Stree~ Neighborhood
INDUSTRIAL DISTRICT
The Fiats
Dubuque Neighborhood list, I962, Victor Gruen Report (p. 28)
PS Form 10-900-a
IRev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No, 1024-Q018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of ?roperty
Dubuque CoantV, Iowa
Coanty and State .......
Dubuque Neighborhood Map, Victor Gruen Report (p. 28)
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 6
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Coantv, Iowa
Cotmty and State
Monkeytown
Park Hill
Pikes Peak Range
Plank Road
Prospect Hill
Rome of America
Summer Hill
State of Dubuque
Summer Hill
West Point
West's Bluff
Whiskey Hill
Zollicoffer Lake
Martin Shaffner opened a pioneer-era inn in West Dubuque (Delhi and O'Hagan streets)
And his purchase of a monkey from passing settlers made his inn a destination point for miles
Around. Lyon attributes the name to a mining community in the west part of the city (Lyon, p.
141; Telegraph-Herald, August 13, 1933).
Unidentified, scene of house building 1889
A lead and zinc mining hilly area located south and southwest of the city. The name was coined
during the California gold rush of the late 1840s (Lyon, pp. 313, 351-52).
Along the bluffs, Smith & Company Brewery built along same in 1856 (Express-Herald, Nov.
21, 1856)
Mentioned in the Tribune, December 21, 1871, not located.
A city nickname which alludes to the claimed seven hills of Dubuque (Lyon, p. 330).
Unidentified, scene of house building 1889
A city nickname which alludes to Dubuque's independence in politics during the 19th century
and state and federal prohibition early in the 20th centuny(Lyon, p. 359; Wilkie, p. 221).
J. H. Hill builds a frame house (Tribune, December 21, 1871)
Captain West builds a 100-step stairway (Tribune, December 21, 1871 )
M. Matt/sun builds a brick dwelling (Tribune, December 21, 1871)
J. H. Hill builds a frame house there in 1871 (Tribune, December 21, 1871)
Unidentified source of ice for city as of 1886 (Lake Peosta?)
Numerous key streets were renamed over time and those wh/ch traversed the several gorges in the western bluffs
identified their respective cuts. Julien Avenue became University Street while the Lorimer Hollow Road became Julien
Avenue, Couler Avenue became Central Avenue, West Eagle Point Road became Kaufmann Street, West 14t~ Street
became Loras, West 17t~ became Locust, Mineral Street became West Locust (Lyon, pp. 430-3 I.
Key regional roads were wholly or partly renamed as the city expanded. The Cascade Road became Fremont,
Centre Street became Asbury Road, and the Military Road became Rockdale Road (ibid.).
Why Is Dubuque at Dubuque?
Iowa historian Loren Horton concluded that Dubuque was established because of its nearby lead deposits and for
no other reason. There were good reasons to avoid the future city site. It was a "cul de sac" in Horton's opinion, being
hemmed in physically to the west, isolated from what normally would be a supportive agricultural market and supply
source. It was equally isolated from points east by its initial lifeline, the Mississippi, given the long-term lack ora bridge
of any sort and the difficulties which the location presented to bridge building. It wasn't until 1887 that the frrst wagon
bridge was opened and it provided at best an indirect route to Illinois via Wisconsin. 3Yaere was no waterpower source
and the advantages of river commerce were hindered by the difficulty of accessing deep-water navigation. There was no '
federal interest in canal construction, arsenal establishment or national roads which might otherwise have spawned town-
building interests. It was finally the ready wealth offered by the lead, a wealth that apparently ~vas more democratic in its
distribution than were the later gold and silver stampedes, that explained why the city started and why it grew to achieve
the scale that it did (ibid., p. 4).
If one surveys alternative city founding sites along the Iowa side of the Mississippi River in the vicinity of
Dubuque, a better location is not to be found. Invariably other nearby towns occupy similar raised, elongated and narrow
PS Form 10-900-~
(Rev. 8
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 7
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Prope~:y
Dubuque Countv~ Iowa
County and State .......
terraces. Dubuque's alternative site might have been the mouth of Catfish Creek but the earliest settlers/nstinctively
knew where to mine and where to live. Mississippi River city sites commonly occupied the mouths of rivers so as to take
advantage of inland markets and power generation. Rock Island, Illinois, is another example of a city that chose not to
build at the mouth of the Rock River, preferring a main channel frontage which did provide both the power and a readily
bridged transportation corridor.
There were surely secondary explanations for Dubuque's establishment. As the story will indicate, Dubuque ~vas
the initial front door to Iowa settlement, and it was that state's in:st city. It served as a "forwarding and commissioning"
support base for both points west and points northwest, up the Mississippi River. Early on the city was the base for
religious and ethnic settlement for the Catholic Church's Irish and German adh~rcmts. The groundwork for future far-
flung dioceses was laid from Dubuque, forming one parish at a time.
Dubuque's success was perhaps umvitting. Initially it was hoped that Dubuque would become a territorial
administrative center and the northern boundary for the Iowa Territory was by no means fixed. As late as 1844 Edward
Langworthy, attending the state constitutional convention in Iowa City, attempted to set the boundary at the 45th Parallel,
deeply inside what became Minnesota. Dubuque would have been the "hub" ora larger state rather than a large city in
the distant comer of a smaller state. One superlative advantage gained by its location was primary access to the log rafts
which came in escalating numbers down fiver. Dubuque had first choice and the best shipping costs for these logs and
consequently the city's lumbar trade survived that of cities down river (Lyon, p. 56).
Dubuque as capital city und~ the proposed 1844 state constitution (Denny, p. 2).
From the start, Dubuquers believed so fervently in their collective future that even fundamental questions about
the legality of their land titles failed to dull their town building efforts. The very lead legacy which brought the first
miner/settlers to the area resulted in a land ownership squabble that took 21 years and the U.S. Supreme Court to finally
quiet. The same self-advocacy defeated Galena in its intention to become the western railroad hub along the Mississippi.
PS Form I0-900 a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sorvice
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 8
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Instead Dubuque had the only railroad that ran inland west of the Mississippi River above St. Louis) during the Civil War
years. This was clearly a significant advantage for its industrial and retail growth and development during the lengthy
10-year hiatus in westward railroad expansion which followed the economic panic of 185%58 (ibid., p. 6; Anderson, p.
26).
Clearly Dubuque paid a heavy price to imposing its growth upon its selected site. The July 1934 Housin~ Report
observed that the city had faced "unusual topographical difficulties" wh/ch presented a severe handicap in laying out a
street system. This reality exacted great initial costs and higher maintenance costs for streets, utilities and buildings as a
result (July 1934 Housing Report, pp. 28-29).
When Was Dubuque Established?
The city celebrated its centennial in 1933, using the 1833 date which opened the area to white settlement. In
deference to tradition, that beginning date is used in tiffs report as well. The Old Settlers Association, founded in 1865
used very stringent residency criteria for its membership. Initially one had to be both male and in the county prior to
1847. The actual city establishment came well after 1833, with successive incorporations ta!dng place in 1837 and 1841.
Dubuquers relished their early birthright and pushed it as early as they could to make a distinction amongst other Iowa
communities.
PS Form 10 900-a
(Rev.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page.
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, i83%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
Dubuque, 1848 Lithograph by John Caspar Wild (Wilkie, p. 150, original State Historical Society of Iowa)
There is a general historical consensus that Dubuque's first historical era drew to a close with the national
financial panic of 1857-58. That collapse brought dramatic closure to truly explosive city growth from 1852 through
1857 which increased city population from 4,012 to 15,957. The same point in time marks the emergence of an urban
self-consciousness that replaced frontier make-do with architects, city ordinances and more concerted planning and
development. The Civil War years wh/ch followed produced more internal strife than major building but wartime
contracts served as the principal source of wealth for the next phase of city building, so that most difficult period is
coupled to a later time.
Historian Loren Horton studied Dubuque as a case study in city growth and planning in his 1972 work titled "The
Urbanization Process In Early Iowa: Town Plarming And Growth In Dubuque, 1833-1861." His painstaking investigation
of these early years has done much to make some sense of what happened and most important for this study, why the city
took the physical form that it did.
PS Form ~0 900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]0
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Lead Mining And Early Tales:
The Mississippi River was the super-highway equivalent in a time when extensive cross-country trekking and
Shipping was difficult to impossible to accomplish. European penetration into and control of the Upper Mississippi
Valley necessarily was predicated on using the river as a transportation and communication corridor. The first regional
tourists, the Frenchmen Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Joliet, included the future site of Dubuque in their i673
down river itinerary. Regional flags changed from France to Spain in 1763, and back to France in 1800. American cash
on the Napoleonic barrel head in the form of the Louisiana Purchase switched theoretical flags to the United States in
1803 although only infrequent military parties could legally raise the colors there until 1833 (Sommer, pp. 4-5).
Beginning in 1783 Quebec-bom Frenchman Julien Dubuque (1762-1810) negotiated with the Fox Indians to gain
access to the Catfish Creek area ("Mines of Spain") lead deposits. He died in 1810 and his Indian compatriots robbed out
every physical trace of his mining and smelting operations, and took up the mining themselves. They made no land
transfer to Dubuque but in 1796 Spain granted him an impressive 164,000 acres of land that roughly centered on the
Dubuque location. In 1804 Dubuque paid off'his St. Louis supplier, Auguste Choutean with a land transfer of 63,815
acres. Included in that deal was what became Dubuque. This issue of land ownersh/p would later hinder Dubuque's
early gro~vth (Herren, pp. 4-6).
The Indian lead smelting operation was inefficient, with a high percentage of the ore being burned off in open
fire smelting. James L. Langworthy negotiated rights to survey the mining area and arranged to smelt the ore on the
Illinois side, with Indian miners supplying the raw ore. By June 1830 Langworthy and brother Lucius H., were squatting
on the Iowa side of the fiver. Federal soldiers entered the area in response to a Sioux-Fox tribal conflict and evicted the
miners. Furore president Col. Zachary Taylor commanded this force and future Confederate president Lt. Jefferson Davis
sent soldiers from Fort Crawford. Recent archeological testing in the Union Park area produced artifacts which were
associated with this military operation. On June 17, I830 the miners at "Dubuque Mines" penned an extra-legal codicil
that provided for allocating mining rights to 200-yard square claims. The eviction postdated this document. The miners
returned in mid-1832 and were quickly evicted. The Black Hawk Treaty of September 21, 1832 term/nated Indian land
claims to the easternmost 50 miles of Iowa Territory and the miners, to the number of 200 men, again returned to the
Iowa side. In January 1833 the military again evicted them. The new area was legally opened for resettlement on June 1,
1833 and the evictees and others poured back across the river. The U.S. Congress even legitimized the 1830 miner's
articles and the mineral lots served as the first land survey (ibid., pp. 7-8).
Lead production peaked by 1840. Cupola (or reverberator) and Scotch hearth furnaces allowed for ma 80%
recovery rote from the ore and slag from previous mining efforts was eagerly reprocessed along with new diggings. The
1834 construction of aYorkshire Scotch Hearth furnace, using a process that involved the injection of air into the furnace,
directly facilitated lead production. These furnaces employed an overshot water wheeI to pump the air. Catfish Creek
was the site of the second such furnace. The Iowa mining was a part of a tri-state operation and many Iowa miners came
from Wisconsin and Illinois and were veteran lead miners. Total Iowa production figures are unavailable over the course
of the industry's development but by 1848, the other two states turned out 55,000,000 pounds of lead each year. Lead
pigs were a major component of river shipping downstream to St. Louis (ibid., pp. 25-27; interview Tacie Campbell).
Historian William Wil!de observed that North Dubuque, particularly along the Bee Branch (now 32nd Street and
south along Couler Avenue), was the post-1833 focus of lead mining activities. Shaft mining replaced surface digs and
the improved furnaces increased output efficiencies (Wilkie, pp. 143-144).
PS Form 10 9CO-a
(Rev. $-$6)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The lead industry was significant because it brought about Dubuque's site selection and establishment and it laid
the groundwork for the financial independence that Dubuque capitalists enjoyed in subsequent years. Funds from lead
mining built up the city and capitalized future industrial development. The industry determined that the initial local
population was almost exclusively male in its composition. The lead f'txation diverted attention from other endeavors
such as town foundation. Wilkie suggests that the initial mining fervor resulted from a false assumption that agriculture
wasn't feasible in so northerly a location. Mining faded as farming succeeded and supplanted it (ibid.).
More optimistic historical sources credit the lead industry with aiding Dubuque in weathering the Financial Panic
of 1837 and this point deserves farther investigation. The following claim is offered by Dubuque Its Manufacturing And
Commercial Facilities (1886, p. 13):
The financial revulsion of i837 did not materially affect Dubuque. Its main resources were lead,
produced steadily by the industry of hundreds of miners and the working of half a dozen smelting
furnaces. This product commanded a ready cash sale in the markets of St. Louis and New Orleans. In ail
American mining dislricts paper money ~vas received slowly and cautiously as a circulating medium, and
accordingly the depreciated bank note currency of the Eastern States was despised, and gold and silver
were the principal forms of money, and continued so for twenty years afterward...
Regional Dominance and Self Image:
We are the most important point on the upper Mississippi, a point which has given our
city the sobriquet 'Key City.' As the key she commands the whole of northwestern Iowa
and southern Minnesota.
Express & Herald, January 1, 1858
Dubuque has always been the halfway point relative to the Mississippi River. It is m/dway between St. Louis and
the Twin Cities and it was the midpoint of the Black Hawk Purchase, a 350-mile long narrow sliver of land that stretched
from Green Bay, Wisconsin, to Keolmk. This north-south midway mark would late be augmented by an east-west
measure, relevant to the railroad era, that of being halfway between Chicago and Sioux City. Dubuque expected
selection as the Wisconsin territorial capital but lost out to little Belmont, Wisconsin. There was even an 1834 effort to
rename the city "Washington." When Iowa Territory was separated off in 1838, it included all land between the
Mississippi and Missouri rivers and between Canada and Missouri and Dubuque continued to aspire towards being the
central hub of a much larger (that is to say reaching northward) area than was finally assigned to the new territory and
state. Dubuque from its inception had regional aspirations and these to a great extent were focused to the northwest and
northeast, rather than to what would become present day Iowa (Oldt, p. 48).
Politically the city residents sought both direct representation and the status of being a center of government as
the various and fleeting territorial designations (Michigan, Wisconsin, and then Iowa territories within a five-year period)
came and went (Wilkie, p. 146).
Dubuque's role as a forwarding and commissioning base for the settlement of the Upper Mississippi River valley
is less well appreciated. This role was certainly shared with all of the other larger emerging downstream river cities such
as Quincy and Galena, Illinois, and St. Louis. Banking and transportation interests made possible the delivery of heavy
PS Form
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
equipment for new flour mills, construction material for developing new towns, and foodstuffs for the residents. The
earliest steamboats conducted informal mail delivcn'y systems and these persisted into the 1850s despite Postal
Department efforts to suppress them. Dubuque was the northernmost substantial river city for many years and its lead
revenues capitalized various local and regional ventures, one of which was the broad scale acquisition of upriver
timberlands.
The nataral market area for Dubuque lay across the Mississippi in northwestern Illinois and southwestern
Wisconsin. Market access would be long hampered by the lack of Mississippi River bridges but farm produce and stock
could better reach Dubuque from these adjoir~mg areas than it could from closer in Iowa counties. Retail services,
newspaper circulation, and political-cultural dominance similarly cross state lines. Dubuque's principal rival in securing
the trade area east of the river was Galena and the battle was an intense one, but one that was won before the outbreak of
the Civil War. Galena attempted to deprive Dubuque ofrailroad access, seeking to serve as the Mississippi River's
railroad hub in lieu of its competitor. Galena steamboat owners similarly monopolized river traffic to the detriment of
Dubuque. Dubuque's regional ascendancy was best symbolized by its securing the federal land office in 1838, an early
victory that went down hard in Galena. This office functioned until 1857 when it was consolidated with the Des Moines
land office. Another symbolic victory for Dubuque was the securing in 1852 of the federal distributing post office, which
"tended to excite the spirit of rivalry between the two places." In tiffs instance, Dubuque prevailed because it enjoyed
river-shipping advantages at all stages of navigatlon (Wilkie, p, 157; Childs, p. 116).~
On the Iowa side 8~ Street which ran through Lorimer Hollow emerged as early as 1841 as the route "over which
a considerable portion of the business of the town with the country is done." Eighth Street was straightened and
measures were taken to divert flashfloods which "for the past two years has been ruining the property at the south end of
Locust Sheet" (Iowa News, May 29, 1841).
It wasn't until late summer (August 6) in 1860 that sufficient area grain production was sufficient to cause
Dubuque millers to form the Dubuque Grain Exchange and to call for the establishment of a grain-specific open market.
The market was set up in the first ward. Yet another indication of the city's belated emergence as a grain-trading center
was the construction that same fall of a grain elevator by the Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad (Oldt, pp. 133, 136).
That same fall seasonal meatpacking also emerged as an important city industry in response to an increasing area
hog production. The Herald observed that meatpacking was a business "previously neglected and not capitalized." The
animals indeed had been shipped downstream live and meat was imported for local consumption. It would take the
coming of the war before year-around meat'packing became a reality. By the winter of 1861-62 seven firms consumed
8,300 hogs. Five thousand head were shipped out on the hoof (ibid., p. 124, 141, Herald, October 26, 1860).
Dubuque was also regionally dominant as a spring point for religious-based settlement. The Catholic Church
played a critical role in the establishment of towns and parishes. The Dubuque diocese actively recruited foreign-bom
immigrants and much of the setQement of Minnesota and northeast Iowa was the direct result of the concerted effort by
Dubuque priests and bishops to insure the provision of a protective church network for its adherents on the frontier.
Galena also possessed a federal Marine Hospital This federal program to aid the needs ofinland and ocean-going mariners, existed
~om 1798 to 1870 and was fimded through a tax on masters of coastal vessels, and was usually collected by customs officers.
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. ~3 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 13
The Arch/tecmral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
One substantial milestone in the city's development came in 1846 when area farming finally developed beyond a
subsistence production level and products became available for external market (1880 History, p. 525).
The Battle For Regional Dominance With Galena, Illinois:
Galena, jealous of her rival, compelled Dubuque to struggle for existence and the
complete supremacy of the latter over the former to day can be traced almost directly to
the efforts employed to preserve its [Dubuque's] vitality.
1880 County History, p. 523
Galena transportation interests had a stranglehold on Dubuque exports until 1854. Up to that point all passenger
traffic down river had to Galena and Dubuque was relegated to the status of a local marketplace. Dubuque interests
began to invest heavily in steamboats during the late 1840s and early 1850s. Galena too placed her hopes on river traffic
and her dominance of it. When the railroad reached Galena and was then extended westward to the shore opposite
Dubuque, Galena was unable to react to the transformation which the rails brought to the region and Dubuque quickly
superceded Galena. Dubuque had embraced the railroad and its potential from the beginning. Galena interests actually
prohibited the passage of the raikoad through that city and the result was the bypassing of Galena by the railroad! This
redireetion played into the hands of the Dubuque interests. Dubuque Senator George W. Jones successfully convinced
Senator Stephen Douglas to amend the 1850 railroad land grant bill to extend the right-of-way 15 miles further west.
Jones had much to gain from the extension personally given that he owned the terminal site at what would become
Dunleith and then East Dubuque. His in-laws also operated the ferry service at that point. Iowa had failed up to that
point to pass a similar land grant bill and it was therefore ail the more critical that Dubuque realized at least proximity to
a railroad link. 1853-54 proclaimed victory over the Galena interests and from that point on Dubuque enjoyed a
diversified transportation network of river and rail (Johnson, An Armv For Induslrialization~ pp. 58-65, cited hereinafter
as Johnson; Oldt, p. 243).
River Traffic Dominates:
The river as noted was both a transportation artery and an obstacle to overland east/west traffic. Steamboating
actually developed first on the Upper Mississippi (above St. Louis) and a regional system developed and matured within
the river valley. The cities of Galena, Quincy, Dubuque, Davenport/Rock Island, and others prospered in banking and
financing, manufacturing and shipping. Regionally this network provided the jumping off point for the extension of
settlement, a~Ticulture and finally city building into Northern Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Galena dominated Dubuque in its ownership of steamboat interests. Its packet company (the Minnesota Packet
Company, later the Galena, Dunleith, and Minnesota Packet Company, note the absence of Dubuque tn that htle) also
controlled the Dubuque ferries and Dubuque shipping was greatly impeded even after the arrival of the railroad on the
Illinois shore. It wasn't until 1854 that the first Dubuque-owned and operated steamboat was in service. Dubuque's river
shipping was hampered by the lack of a good wharf/harbor. Steamboat lancVmg counts at Dubuque for 1851 was an
impressive 351, a figure that rose to 1,000 landings by 1857 0Yilkle, p. 234).
ISteamboats we don't pretend to count; they come and go.
Iowa News, December 9, i837
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 14
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 183%1955
Name of]?roperty
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
This increasingly frenzied steamboat activity reflected city growth and federal river harbor improvements made
during this interim. The federal government appropriated $14,000 to dredge the Barney Cut, a steamboat channel to link
the inner and outer sloughs with the main river channel. The money was appropriated in 1843 and construction must
have immediately followed by the U.S. Army Corps of Topographical Engineers. The Corps also completed a harbor
survey in 1853-56, which Horton says led to improved docking facilities. He adds that the work later facilitated
construction of the first railroad bridge (Horton, pp. 28-29).
The "contemplated canal" which appears on the city plat (see below) was being "contemplated" as early as 1836.
The required length was but a third of a mile. If the rive current could have been diverted into the inner slough the slack
water areas would have been drained and the health of the area much improved. By 1838, two canals were suggested to
move the river's channel. Nothing was done. The Dubuque Harbor Company and the Dubuque Harbor Improvement
Company incorporated in the middle 1850s ~vith the purpose of filling in the wetlands eastward to extend the riverfront to
the river. Sixth and Third street were slowly extended eastward and by early April 1858 a bridge and levee system inter-
linked the several islands (ibid., pp. 31-32).
There were two federal pre-Civil War river improvements made at Dubuque. In 1844 Joshua Barney did some
dredging to enable first class river steamers to serve the city and apparently built the frrst Mississippi dredge, titled the
Devasseur. The Mexican War halted any fiver work 1846-47 and dredging resumed only in 1853. The federal funding
included funds to improve the Illinois R/ver as part of Iarger l~linois plans to build a canal between Chicago and that river
at LaSalle. Dubuquers would benefit by any navigable shortcut across Illinois, a reduction of a 607-mile trip to just 188
miles. The 1853 dredging went beyond simply opening a cut to the main channel. In anticipation of a raikoad-ferry link,
the cut linked Dubuque and Dunleith. The 1853 dredge boat was named in honor of Senator George W. Jones who was
instrumental in funding the work (Tweet, 1984, pp. 50-53, 149).
The advantage of river transportation brought with it the disadvantage of having to cross the river to access the
resources and markets on the east side of the Mississippi. Regular river ferry services dated from 1838 between Dubuque
proper and Dunleith, and between Eagle Point and Kimbel's Park, Wisconsin from 1851. Everyth/ng that crossed the
river effectively paid a transshipment toll or tax in the form of the ferry fee, save for the three months that the iced over
river could bear foot and wheeled traffic. Even after the arrival of the railroad in 1855 from Galena, ferries carried all
goods, imported and exported, for Dubuque's entrepreneurs. Road travel never effectively substituted for river shipment
and the city consequently continued to rely upon the river and its north/south trade orientation (Wilkie, p. 234).
Newly elected mayor Jessee Farley made the key river access improvement in 1852. He decided to forsake
efforts to bring the fiver to Dubuque but rather to take the city to the river. Efforts to dredge and otherwise use the "old
channel" presumably Lake Peosta, were dropped and a series of street extensions on raised causeways began the long-
term process of slough filling which produced the present day riverfront (Johnson, p. 65).
Railroad mania struck Dubuque as it did everywhere, begirming in the late 1830s. The Illinois Central reached
Dnnleith (East Dubuque) in 1855 and that village was quickly platted as a result. There was no likelthood of a Dubuque
bridge for the railroad but the Dubuque and Pacific Railroad, a Dubuque-owned railroad, was under construction by
1855, even before Iowa granted it land grant status in 1856. The first locomotive was delivered via river ferry to the new
line by September 1856 and regular operations began the following May. By April i858 the city had seven incorporated
railroads on paper but just one with actual rails laid. By April 1861 I00 miles of track reached a terminus at Cedar Falls.
PS Form
(Rev. 8-86]
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 15
The Architectural and Histor/cal Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
This first inland railroad tapped into a just-developing intehor market area for Dubuque but its true economic
significance would be realized after the war, by which time, raikoad networks finally challenged the transportation
supremacy of the river steamboat (Wilkie, pp. 235-26, Johnson, p. 72).
The Railroad Arrives and Fosters Growth:
Railroad fever struck Dubuque as early as 1847 with the first organized railroad meeting which called for a state
charter for railroads. The survey for the Illinois Central was completed 1850-51, with grading done the next year.
ChoI~ra impeded progress during 1854. Appropriately, Galena residents used a pile driver to block the track ~vhen the
first train traversed the fmished line on February 6, 1855. Dubuque formally celebrated the iron horse's arrival on July
17, 1855 (1880 county history, p. 626).
The arrival of the Illinois Central Railroad opposite Dubuque in 1855, elevated the city from a local marketplace,
which it was through 1854, to secondary entrep6rt status (skipping the intermediate category of central marketplace) after
1855, talcing away that same role from Galena. It was clearly the railroad's arrival that made this possible and it was the
long-term Mississippi River terminus of the rails, 1855-68, that enabled the city to hold on to its newly gained regional
market role. Historian Timothy Mahoney states "Davenport, Dubuque, and, to a lesser extent, Quincy thrived for a
somewhat longer period, encouraging local merchants, ~vho interpreted their new found prosperity as an indicator of
greater regional hegemony, to bypass Chicago and to establish direct contacts with New York, Philadelphia, and Boston."
Dubuque experienced greater stability in contrast to the other major river cities. Mahoney determined "Dubuque...
remained a local marketplace until the mid-1850s and then briefly performed a secondary entrep6rt role between i858
and 1860 in the development of the upper Mississippi River before settling into the role of a central marketplace."
Mahoney fails to explain the cause for his claim that the city lost trading status after 1860. He elsewhere dates the period
of serving as central marketplace to 1864-1868 (Mahoney, pp. 318-441).
7he railroad challenged the river as the medium of transportation for immigrants and historian Helen Wulkow
detcm'nined that "with the coming of the railroad there ~vas a great influx of immigration to settle the farms of the
Dubuque area." This hinterland development, particularly in aghculturaI products, would be most important to the city
CvVulkow, p. 21).
The 1880 county history echoed this claim, stating that even the mere approach of the railroad westward from
Galena:
Gave a new impetus to business and stimulated enterprise. Real estate once more ascended the plane of
value. Lots in the suburbs were sold at so much per front foot, and property in the business portion of the
city could scarcely be obtained at any price. The Germans began to come in and take upland for farms,
gardens, etc.. Manufacturing interests were regarded as valuable. Couler avenue was built up by the
German element who toiled in the workshops and saved their profits to be invested and lost in the
financial crash impending. Farm products were in great demand, and, as one of their residents of
Dubuque said in a recent occasion to the writer, the country folks were intoxicated w/th joy when they
found the price of hog-meat had risen to $3.50 per hundred. These were the prosperous days of a golden
age for Dubuque. The best times of record, or within the memory of the proverbial oldest inhabitants,
occurred between 1853 and 1858 (1880 county history, p. 530).
PS Form 1{~900 a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]6
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Cotmty and State
The railroad's extension beyond Galena to the Mississippi River's east bank, opposite Dubuque, mastern~mded
by Senator George Wasl'fington Jones, was central to the demise of competitor Galena. For a time the city was the
northernmost river city w/th rail access, a double advantage although river towns like LaCrosse also had Milwaukee rail
links within a few years. The Illinois Central rail link was an indirect one to Chicago, the line ran east and then south to
middle Illinois before shipments reached the junction with the company's Chicago line, and then ran the same distance
back north to Lake Michigan.
The arrival of the illinois Central sparked railroad fever on the Iowa side and Dubuquers financed the Dubuque
and Sioux City Railroad, which would reach as far west as Cedar Rapids by the early years of the Civil War. That
company incorporated on May 19, 1853 and the line was complete to Dyersville by May i 1, 1857. Jessup was reached in
1860 but financial woes plagued the company. It reorganized August 21, 1860. At the start of the Civil War the
company had 80 m/les of track, four engines and 71 cars. Dubuque interests were greatly fi-ustrated with the painfully
slow westward extension of the line (1880 county history, p. 632).
DeWerthern, H., Dubuque And Vicinity, Iowa, 1858.
PS ~orm 10-90(~8
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 17
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County a~d State .......
This Dubuque raikoad initiative, the logical if interrupted westward continuation of the vital Illinois Central line,
was the truly significant portion of the larger initial railroad network. It tapped into and fostered the accelerated
development of Northern Iowa agriculture and it extended Dubuque's market control and dominance into the Iowa
hinterland. The line literally provided the city with things to ship further east, apart from goods which were produced in
the city itself. Historian David Anderson states that this line was the only raikoad running west of the Mississippi north
of St. Louis as of the Civil War but this is not the case, half a dozen lines penetrated westward from Harmibal, Clinton,
Davenport, Burlington, and Winona. The Dubuque and Sioux City was the northernmost Iowa line and enjoyed a longer
line of operation as well as a unique wartime extension to Cedar Falls. The regional impact of the line, particularly
during the war years is worthy of targeted historical investigation (Anderson, p. 26).
Original Plat and Outlots, Dubuque (Horton)
PS Form 10-900-e
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]$
The Architectural and Historical Resources o~Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Properly
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Early Stage Roads:
The map presented below locates a number of important regional factors. The various lead mine site are
individually marked w/th crosshatches and the key furnaces and mills located and named. Dubuque's first Iowa railroad,
the Sioux City and Dubuque departs the city from its south ~nd and follows the Catfish Creek drainage, malting thereby a
substantial diversion to the south and southeast in so doing.
~ne earliest interior stagecoach routes were established as of November 1836 when the first weekly mail service
linked Dubuque and Fort Des Moines. The various stage routes exiting Dubuque as of 1854 included routes to Council
Bl~uffs, Fort Dodge, Keokuk, St. Paul, Decorah and Gamovillo. The Council Bluffs route followed the "military road" to
the southwest, located on the map above as bypassing Table Mound and Factoryville. The Fort Dodge stage, running via
Independence likely took the Delhi Road, which paralleled the railroad west. The Keokuk stage route, via Davenport,
branched southeast off of the military road above Factoryville. The Decorah and St. Paul stages probably took the
Sageville Plank Road, branching to Durango, while the Garnovillo route took a more easterly branch from that same
point, towards Specht's Ferry on the Mississippi (Oldt, p. 50; Commercial Report... 1854-55, p. 10).
Municipal Growth, 1833-1858:
Initial Town Building:
Loren Horton concluded that there was no interest in town building apart from lead mining from 1833 through
1837. The settlement continued under its 1830 title "DuBuque Mines." The stuff of town building was available. The
first down river log raft arrived in November 1833 and the first steamboat docldng took place that same fall. Galena
Engineer George W. Harrison prepared a town survey that same time at the instigation of private citizens but this was
simply proposing a reality on paper only. On July 24, 1836, the U.S. Congress authorized funds to survey six Iowa
communities including Dubuque. The federal act reserved public squares and recognized preemption rights by
landholders. The initiaI 1837 platting effort failed and new commissioners hired surveyor Garret Vliet to finally survey
the town. This period was marked with public unrest and confusion about property rights. Finally preemptions were
correlated with the survey lots, the plat was certified by the comm/ssioners on November 1, 1838 and belatedly filed in
the Dubuque Land Office on February 4, 1840. Public land sales began November 5, 1838.2 The Wisconsin Territorial
Legislature accomplished Town incorporation in Apr/1 1837 but Horton suggests that the lengthy delay in platting the
land showed a lack of concern for formalizing a community (ibid., pp. 8-15).
The downtown of 1840 stretched alung Main Street between 1st and 3~d streets. There was just one brick building
(Jesse Farley's).
If the business houses, with their gable ends shadowing the pavement, were the reverse of ornamental
architecturally speaking, the private residences possessed little in that regard to add to the spice of variety
to the surroundings. They were confined as a rule to the limits of Bluff, Iowa and cross streets, in
number scarcely exceeding three hundred, built oflog or frame, and ~vith a plentiful lack of the comforts
to be found in those which line these thoroughfares today.
2 Prospective settlers might have found few attractive lots available. Just 60 of 220 lots were available once pre-emption claims were
filed in September 1840 (Oidt, p. 69).
PS Form 10 900 a
(Rev, 8-S$)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval
The Architectural and Historical Resources o£Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Original Town Plat, 1838
(street names enhanced for better orientation, south is toward the top of the map) (ftorton)
OMB Approval No. 10£4-Q018
PS Form 10-900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Cark Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 20
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque CounW, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
But a few buildings stood north of 5th Street as of 1836. The town then comprised three churches, 50 stores and
shops, 55 dwellings, a single warehouse and four principal and seven cross streets (1st to 7th, Locust to Clay
streets). By the spring of 1838 thare were two stone buildings, the only bank located west of the Mississippi
River, 30 stores, three hotels, a lyceum, two academies, a reading room, printing office, coffee house, several
billiard rooms, and "several elegant mansions." Three brick houses ~vere erected 1837-38 and were "finished in
the most elaborate style of the times. Leroy Jackson's residence (extant 1880) at Iowa and 17t~ streets, was said
to be the first brick house in the county. James Langworthy's house (Iowa and 12~ streets, non extant 1880) and
Edward Langworthy (White and 14t~, extant 1880) were the other two. Samuel D. Dixon's two-story frame
house, built in 1839 was "regarded as an innovation upon the established custom (extant 1880) (1880 History, pp.
518-22; Oldt, pp. 51-52, 55, 59-60).
The plat was a curious one if only because of its avoidance of contact with the river. Its northwest corner was a
full half-mile distant. A narrow triangular parcel barely touched its eastern point on the riverbank. No railroad
reservation was provided nor was any bridge anticipated. The off-compass alignment appears to have been forced by the
Couler Valley streets. The entire streetscape nicely aligns with that valley. Unlike many plats the Dubuque streets did
not parallel the riverbank, likely because there simply wasn't a disccrnable bank! The plat breaks only once from/ts
overall pattern. South from First Street the streets do appear to have followed the river. Dodge Street angles northwest
prior to crossing Bluff before heading in a straight line southwest. Seven streets do the same, obediently climbing up the
western bluffs in a straight line. Somehow, each today successfully reaches the bluff tops (West 17th, West 11th, West 5~,
West 3~a, Dodge, University and Loras). Fourteenth (Loras Avenue) and 17th streets and Dodge Street ran as planned.
The others were overly optimistic. Ganerally the platters ignored topography and only Bluff Street made
accommodations to its namesake. Just one public area, later termed Washington Park, was provided for. No river
frontage was reserved (ibid., pp. 15-16).
Horton found that the spacing and dimensions for the standard block was actually based on a pre-existing pattern
of major buildings on Main Street between Second and Third streets. A row of buildings measured 64 feet in length and
buildings opposite them were 64 feet distant. The basic downtown lot was therefore set at this width and street were
made that wide. The resulting block, containing eight lots, four on each side, bisected by a southeast/northwest running
alley, and measured 256 feet on their frontages. Alleys varied in widths and each block was slightly off square given this
slightly narrower width. Odd lots and parcels possibly dealt with pre-existing buildings. Surely many buildings were
moved to adjust to tl'fis new reality and many doubtless fronted on street lines or into the streets as well.
The finite amount of level land left its legacy in Dubuque. The standard parcel width is just 25 feet, a
development scale that failed in most other communities. Houses are set cheek to jowl and the city's architecture was
forced to adapt to this reality. This lack of land forced a more intensive usage of the area that was available. Double
houses were numerous although admittedly apartment houses were not commonplace.
Quieting The Land Ownership Problem Allowing For Serious Town Building:
Recall that it was possible that every Dubuque titleholder was at risk of being dispossessed by the Chouteau
heirs. Those interests finally forced a legal test case with one Patrick Maloney, recipient of a federal patent in 1847. The
suit was filed in 1851. The Chouteau heirs lost in district court but appealed to the Supreme Court in early 1852. That
court finally ruled on February 25, 1854, that the Julien Dubuque claim had no legal basis. Some 11,000 Iowa residents
breathed a collective sigh of relief and went back to work building towns and farms (ibid., pp. 18-19).
PS ~orm 10 90C~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Servico
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 21
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~, Iowa
County and State .......
Dubuque's initial growth outpaced that of any other Iowa city and Dubuque was the state's largest city until
1875. Between 1850 and 1860 the population of Julien Township (principally Dubuque) increased 460 percent (Wilkie,
p. 185).
Perlmps one motivation for formalizing a town was the competition offered by an army of nearby small
settlements. ~ese were Eagle Point, Mount Pleasant, Couler Village, East Dubuque (not to be confused with present-
day East Dubuque, illinois, the former Dunleith which pre-dated Dubuque's establishment), Prospect Park, South Park
Hill, Julien, Langworthy Hollow and Park Hill. At least some of these were actually incorporated, but most were simply
concerted subdivision developments which had been pushed by Dubuque's leading developers. Dubuque reincorporated
under the authority of the Iowa Territorial legislature on January 17, 1840. The act set initial city boundaries which
absorbed all of the above named settlements. Caleb H. Booth was elected the city's first mayor, along with six aldermen,
in March 1841 (ibid., pp. 20-21; Dubuque Manufacturin~ and Commercial Facilities, p. 11).
Eagle Point was the location of a separate lead mining operation.3 Eagle Point was also a Mississippi River ferry
crossing to Sinsinawa, Wisconsin (Dunleith had the other ferry operation). The first city additions headed towards that
place, running to the northeast. The fiat broad Couler Valley to the northwest provided a second direction for city
extension. A third growth area was atop the bluffs between Fourteenth (Loras) and Dodge streets. Horton singles out a
small number of key developers; the four Langworthy brothers, Thomas McCraney, John King, Mathias Ham, Frederic S.
Jesup and Frederick E. Bissell, as providing the capital and Ieadership in these extensions (Horton, pp. 19-21, 27).
The "town" population was about 1,000 persons as of 1836. This tripled to 3,108 persons by 1840 but growth
was static for the next 12 years. The 1850 population registered just 4,071 residents, and the 1852 estimate was actually
lower, with a count of 4,012 persons. No plats were filed until 1848 (ibid., pp. 22-25).
Several city architectural "habits" had surprisingly early beginnings. Stately houses on the bluff first appeared in
184647 when blufftop lots "began to attract notice" and commanded "fancy prices as compared with the havens of
household comfort under the hill." General George Jones was apparently the first actual builder, starting "a princely
resident" in the spring of 1847 near Julien Avenue. The Langworthy brothers followed suit, building on the 3ra Street
extension "at the terminus of the highway." The 1880 county history noted "and fi:om these beginnings the multitude of
private houses which crown the summ/ts of the hills have since been gradually added." Residents on the highlands paid
for the privilege however. When wells went dry during a June 1863 drought water haulers charged $.25-.35 per barrel
delivered atop the bluffs, while the going rate below was $.15-.20 (1880 history, p. 525; Oldt, p. 148).
The north~vard march of the recognized business district began during the summer of 1846 ~vhen Lucius H. and
Edward Langworthy raised up a brick block on Main between 5t~ and 6th streets. "The Iocation may have been regarded
as distant from the center of trade at the time, but their judgement has been approved for many years" (ibid.).
The original city boundary encompassed 164 acres. In 1847 the city limits were extended to the northeast and in
1853 7,000 acres were azmexed (Childs, pp. 109-10).
Eagle Point was laid out as a town in 1837, estabI/shed by Mathias Ham, Tt~omas McCraney, F. K. O'Ferrai, John Foley.
PS Form I0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sorvice
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 22
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~, Iowa
County and State .......
The First and Only "Boom':4
Growth during 1849 was described as "fiat, stale and unprofitable." Gold fever drained some 500 men away
from the city and
"w/th them once more departed the prosperity which had for several years previous coquetted in
Dubuque...mining, while not entirely abandoned, was engaged in at intervals and but carelessly
prosecuted, and this interest did not revive to any appreciable extent until 1855. Emigration almost
entirely ceased. ~ne area of cultivation was measurable reduced, some of the farmers abandoning their
fields, already in crops for the uncertain prospects held out in the gold diggings. Property in the city
became unsalable, and residents wore an aspect of gloom and disappointment, for the times were hard
and money scarce and little remained to encourage the hope for wh/ch had theretofore been indulged, that
the probationary period of the city's existence had passed (1880 History, p. 527).
That year the downtown contained 22 stores, five blacksmith shops, three cooperage's, three carriage/wagon makers, two
gunsmiths, two flour mills, and two liveries. There were seven master builders, two stonemasons, six plasterers and four
painters ~vorldng in the city (Childs, pp. 88-89).
The boom began in 1852. Forty additions were platted in Dubuque between 1848 and 1857. Just three of these
pre-dated 1852. Thirty-seven plats were filed between 1852 and 1857. The city population increased by 50 percent
between 1852 and 1854 (6,634 residents) and it doubled between 1854 and 1856 (12,284 persons). The year 1857 pushed
the total to 15,957. The Panic of 1857-58 put an end to all this and the 1860 population total was down by 4,000 (13,000
total). The original city boundary of 1841 contained one square mile. The boundaries were extended in 1852 and again
in 1854 in apparent anticipation of what was to come (Horton, pp. 21-25; Dubuque Manufacturing and Commercial
Facilities..., p. 12).
City Market, c.1880s, view southwest (Our Spirited Years, p. 40)
Note unpaved street and intrusion of teams over streetcar trackage on Central (then Clay) Avenue
4 No city worthy of the name wanted to have a "boom." After the Panic of I857-58 a "boom" meant uncontrolled and fleeting
damaging over expansion. City builders instead boasted of sustained and solid grow[h and chided competitors who were booming.
Most Dubuque tfistorians are willing to term the 1850's veritable boom years and the resulting deflation prior to the war underscores
the use of the term.
PS Form 10-900 a
lRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 23
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Construct/on during 1853 surpassed that of the previous three years. The city gained two brick schools, a steam
sawmill, sash factory, t~vo breweries, the German Odd Fellows hail, and a brick warehouse, along with other
improvements (CbJlds, p. 92).
During 1854 the city gained the Key City House and German Bank Building, other additions, and "residences,
too, began to appear at points which but a short time previous had been vacant spaces on the city map" (1880 History, p.
530).
The year 1855 was "a year of unprecedented prosperity." The city had a population of 13,000 and it was claimed
that that figure would have been 2,000 greater "if dwellings could have been obtained the past season. The city
brickyards, three in number, produced 8,000,000 brick that year. The large amount of building inflated lumber prices and
seasoned lumber was scarce. There were 12 hotels (sLx first class, six second class) and 48 boarding houses. The hotels
served an est/mated annual patronage of 85,045 persons (Commercial Report--1854 & 1855, pp. 7, 9, 14).
Year Total Construction New Residential Construction Notes:
Total Value Total Non- Number New S/F Total Value New Multi-family
Residential Houses Houses
I836 55
1837 3 brick houses
1838
1839
1840 Several new buildings underway in May
1840, lumber abundant and cheap
184I
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849 80+ brick buildings 'h'nany of them large and
costly" (Oldt, p. 85)
1850 50 new buildings (Childs, p. 92)
I851
1852 100 new buildthgs (Childs, p. 108)
t853
1854 333 total new buildings
1855 201 471 total new buildings, a total of 2,600
I dwellings by year's end
1856 $I,167,145 502 new buildings
1857 $ 558,500 378 new buildings
1858
By 1856 new construction forced the relocation of many older buildings and their movements frequently blocked
the streets. City growth was so rapid during the year that Dubuque was favorably compared with Chicago's growth rate
of 1854, a $2 million growth figure. Dubuque's growth outpaced Chicago when compared to population. The first
downtown paving project, Main Street, between 8t~ and 14t~ streets, using crushed blue limestone, and was completed in
1856. An i853 fire prompted the authorization of fire fighting companies on July I7, 1854. Three volunteer companies
formed between 1854 and 1857. A disastrous fire in June 1859 destroyed a four-store block, a theater, the Post Office
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NatiOnal Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 24
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Reso~ces of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
and the Odd Fellows Hall, but it wasn't until 1869 that a downtown fire district, mandating stone or brick construction,
was established (Horton, 35-36; Weekly Express and Herald, November 27, 1856).
Linwood Cemetery, consisting of ten bluff top acres located east of Couler Creek, was purchased by the city in
1851 and the first municipal cemetery, Jackson Park, was (poorly) cleared of its burials only in 1856 CHorton, pp. 37-38).
The year 1857 was an important one for public improvements. The city started work on the new City Hall, three
market houses, and three schoolhouses and chartered a horse railroad. The first water company simply hauled river water
to private purchasers. The gas company, formed in 1853, was operating by 1856 (ibid., p. 40).
Construction materials shortages delayed the completion ora number of large 1856 building projects, these being
the jail, Congregation and First Presbyterian churches and 16 warehouses. These rose to the/r foundation watertable lines
and stopped. Delay was also the result ora late starting date that year. Brick was the critical factor and most of two
months construction time (June and July) was lost. Several new brickyards were organized in response and existing yards
expanded their macltinery (Weekly Express and Herald, March 8, 1857).
The city population remained dom/nated by unmarried males into the mid-1850s and males just barely
outnumbered females, a lingering reflection of its original settlement pattern. The city was compact and focused on the
orig/nal river terrace location and ninety percent of the city population lived south of 17th Street as of 1856 (Wilkie, p.
185).
The U.S. Congress made the city a Port-of-Entry in 1858 and this qualified Dubuque for its own customs house.
Marine hospitals also were established to meet the health needs of inland sailors and Dubuque appears to have gained one
of these as well (Horton, p. 40).
The chart presented below summarizes annual construction activity in the years 1837-1858. Most annual
progress reports are neither statistically based nor complete. The topographical setting of even a much-smaller city made
the task of enumerating building starts a daunting one and there was no municipal overseer. The Weekly Express and
Herald noted at the end of 1856 that it required "a labor of weeks" to amass the building list. It continued "We do not
pretend that we have obtained every building erected in the city...we think that considering the peculiar topographical
situation of our city, we have made a pretty clean sweep" (Weekly Express and Herald, November 27, 1856).
Banking and Capital In Dubuque:
Local wealth was from the start reflected in numerous banks. The Miner's Bank of Dubuque, chartered under
authority of the Territory of Wisconsin, was the first. The early banks were private ones, established in what was
basically a hostile environment for state banks in Iowa. These banks performed a broad range of services including
currency exchange, real estate, the issuance of bank notes ("stumptail currency") and the provision of specie. These
banks made regional commercial trade possible. Banks purchased municipal bonds for developments and collectively
banks attempted to make some rhyme or reason of the value and exchange of an endless variety of municipal, financial,
and public currencies. Little is lmown about the impact of these financial institutions upon city growth and development.
It is notable that but few of the banks in the following list survived after 1860. Their demise likely marks the passing of
the first generation of Dubuque's fmanciaI leaders. Almost from the start the city's banks clustered within a downtown
financial district along Main Street.
PS Form 10-900 a
[Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State .......
Bank ~ Period of Service Officers Legacy
The Miners' Bank of Dubuque 1837-42, 1844-45 Ezekiel Lockwood, Thomas Martin Crashed by the St. Louis 'q~rokers" and locally
opposed by Edw. Lang~vor thy, lost char~er 1845
Jesup & Stimson/Jesup & 1849-1857 T.S. or William Jesup, Edw. Sthnson
CoJDubuque Savings Bank
Finley, Burton & Co. 1849-1856 John W. Finley, G. W. Burton, T. F. Hay
M. Mobley 1851-56 Reorganized and closed 1858
Cook, Sargent&Co. 1851 E. Geo. Coolq S. S. Sargent, W. J. Barney Cook, Sargent, Barney & Co. 1853
J. L. Langwor~hy & Brothers 1851-61 +
Markell, Darrow & Co. 1853-58
Herron Brothers 1854-57
H. W. Markell 1855-63
F. D. Hennin$ & Co. t856
Taylor, Richards & Burden 1856458
Redman & Keim 1857-58 Succeeds T. S. Jesup & Co. 1857
Redman, Lovell & Co. 1858 Succeeds Redrnan & Keim
W. J. Barney & Co. 1858 Stares as a land agency 1852
City of Dubuque Branch of the State Reorganized as National State Bank November
Bank of Iowa 1865, merging with First National Bank
Gelpcke, Wfaslow & Co. 1858-61 Suceeded by Theo. Gelpcke & Co., fails May 6,
1861
The Great Financial Panic of 1857-58:
The best study of the impact and cause of the 1857-58 panic upon Dubuque is found in Russell Lee Johnson's
Civil War study of Dubuque (An Army For Industrialization: The Civil War and The Formation of Urban-Industrial
Society in A Northern Cit~, 1996). The national financial collapse is attributed to over-speculation particularly in
raikoad construction and real estate and the particular trigger was the fa/lure of the Ohio Life Insurance Trust Company
in August 1857. Both held true in Dubuque but the city's real problem was that it was living beyond its means. Imports
exceeded exports by $7,000,000 by 1855 and the milroad's arrival only skewed those numbers higher. The city's overall
economy rested "on inflated real estate values, imbalanced trade, and a mountain of public and personal debt." The
damage was so extensive that the city's economy was only just beginning to recover at the beg/nning of the Civil War
(Johnson, pp. 72-74)
Eastern interests demanded payment and firms with trade extended on credit, failed. In Iowa crop failures in
1858 made things worse. Rural customers couldn't pay their bills to merchants. Four Dubuque retailers folded shop in
May 1857. That September local capital rushed to back up Mordecai Mobley's bank. Just a week later the Hen'on
brothers bank unaided, collapsed. That December Mobley's bank went ~mder despite substantial loans and support. This
finally crimped local optimism. During 1857 the city suffered 37 business failures, 26 more in 1858, 21 in 1859 and
seven in i860. Johnson notes "For the years 1857-1859, Dubuque with less than one-tenth of Iowa's businesses and
about one-thirteenth of the state's population, accounted for anywhere from one-third to more than half of Iowa's
liabilities" (ibid., pp. 79-84)
Land speculations and "the weakness of a pre-dominantly commercial economy" were the root causes of the
crash in Dubuque. It was suggested that capitalists had harmed city growth by sinking money into unproductive property,
s Hill top lots which could be "reached after fatigu/ng marches" were going for $30 per frontage foot while bottom lots went for $250-
500. Property was bemg beldatratesthatordinurily~vouldhavedefiedtheamhit~onofanybntcap~talxsts (1880History,p. 531).
PS Form 10
IRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 26
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
thereby making it unavailable for productive investment, and at the same time forcing emigrants to go elsewhere to settle
due to the resulting inflated land values in and around the city. Johnson suggests that the city assessor (Kniest)
deliberately deflated assessments, to the delight of working class Germans and the exasperation of Republicans who
challenged him in the 1862 election charging that he was holding back city development (ibid., pp. 85-6).
On the commercial front, the city had put ali of its eggs in its commercial basket, relying upon that sector alone to
carry the city forward. The panic experience taught all that manufacturing and not commerce, would generate true
wealth. Local newspapers however also stressed mining and agriculture as offering the roads to wealth. The city was
exporting its raw products, lead, timber and wheat without adding value to them, and in mm it imported finished
(expensive) goods. Imports included fizmimre, which was not produced locally in sufficient quantity to meet demand
(ibid., pp. 88-89, 94-95).
Last week business was lively in our city. Streets were filled with farmers and a great
quantity of produce was changed for wares. We Dubuquers cannot complain too much
at hard times when travelers who have seen the cities along the fiver assure us that in
comparison with Dubuque are dead. They say Davenport is especially hard hit and
business poor. If Dubuque did not walk w/th 7 league boots, it's good to know that it
went forward and not backward. Proof of it are the many impressive buikYmgs erected in
al parts of the city, among which are several to note with pleasure, built by our German
fellow citizens as of Messrs. Duttle and Stunk, and of Strobel and Rath, buildings
notable for size and solidity
er National Democrat, July 26, 1858
The long-term legacy of the panic was the delay in the completion of a number of building projects, particularly
churches and the departure of at least one major architect, John Rague. The real estate pyramid collapsed and the city's
total valuation followed, declining from $13,100,000 to below $9,000,000 by 1859. A great deal of city and county
property was sold for taxes between 1858 and 1860. Rents plummeted by half for residences and more for stores in 1859.
The city ceased its issuance of municipal script and turned to bonds to make ends meet. Immigration had ceased, one of
the first signs of trouble, in 1857 and was only resuming by 1859. Even with the city "a shadow of its former self'
however, foundations were being laid for the new Custom House and the Dubuque and Cedar Rapids Raikoad was
formed (1880 History, p. 531; Oldt, pp. 125-26, 144).
Between 1850 and 1860 the city made little progress towards industrialization. The size of shops increased as
did the total number of workers (1850, 43 shops, 173 hands; 1860 50 shops, 328 hands6). During the ten-year period
capitalization increased, particularly in wood products and skins/leather (ibid.).
The confidence of Dubuquers was shaken by the sudden end to exponential growth, as was the social cohesion of
the city. Johnson concluded:
As straggled with the consequence of commercial capitalist development, rapid population growth,
and then economic depression, many felt that certain basic values, such as honesty, thrift, and hard work,
6 Many small shops failed to quatify for inclusion in the census Johson notes. The population schedules 1/st 1,173 skilled workers
while the industrial schedule accounts for just 328 of these.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 27
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
were being abandoned for corruption, luxury, and idleness. This led, in turn, to a broader sense of social
crisis...Dubuquers inteu20reted the Panic of i857 both as a punishment for abandoning republican values
and as a catharsis which could lead people back to the right way. At the same time, however, political
disagreements over the road back to prosperity intensified and increasingly divided the city along ethnic
and class lines (ibid., p. 96).
Ethnicity and Settlement:
Dubuque's foreign-bom population, principally Irish and German, comprised 42 percent of the city's population
as of 1860. Statewide, 28.3 percent of Iowans were foreign born as of that census year. The Irish were the largest ethnic
group in Dubuque until the late 1840s. As early as 1839, an unsuccessful effort was made to form a militia regiment
composed of Irish, German, French and Dutch 6migr6s (Wilk/e, p. 185, Calk/ns, p. 43).
The original mining population was predominantly male and appears to have been of Northm-n or/gin although
Calkin states that two-thirds of the 51 miners at Dubuque as of 1830 were Irish. Agriculturists settled in the area
begirming in 1838 when the separate Iowa Territory was established. Cholera epidemics doubtless slowed settlement but
sources are contradictory about the time sequence of these epidemics. Horton states that 1848-1857 witnessed incessant
waves of the disease and specifies 1852 as the worst year. Another source says two successive epidemics struck in 1839
and 1840. Both Germans and Irish immigrated to America in record numbers beginning in the late 1840s and Dubuque's
growth boom nicely coincided with these movements. The Catholic Church is credited by some sources with actively
recruiting German and Irish Catholics to the state to build up the church. This important point deserves close consider-
ation because the rapid population growth is likely attributable to this role of the church (Horton, p. 38; Dubuque
Manufacturin~ and Commercial Facilities..., p. 11; Calk/ns, p. 43).
Others were equally willing to promote the city. "Letterette" wrote a letter to the Chicago Journal in 1857, one
that would have warmed the heart of any Chamber of Commerce secretary. During three months of 1867, the writer
claimed that 8,000 emigrants had been ferried across the river to Dubuque aboard the ferry-steamer Peosta. The writer
continued:
The Key City is a marvel. Its elegant and tasteful residences, its substantial stores, its spacious streets,
its air of something more than comfort and little less than luxury, indicate an eastern town on its
hundredth birthday; wl'file its improvements begun, its growing avenues, its nervous, restless action, its
spirit of dashing and fearless enterprise, betoken the far-west city...
Amid this unredeemed wilderness--what a word for such a place!--splendid homes, such as we see on
the banks of the Hudson and Potomac, are sprinkled everywhere niched in some narrow intcuwal, perched
upon some bold brow, nestled in some islet grove amid th/s 'sea' of land, or set upon the lookout summit
of a bluff (Daily Times, December 24, 1857, copied from Chicago Journal "several weeks ago")
The Irish-born comprised the city's largest ethnic group as early as 1835 and maintained that distinction until the
mid-1850s. They accounted for roughly a quarter of the city's population in the 1850 and 1860 census counts. They
enjoyed fairly immediate political power and elected F. K. O-Fen'ali mayor for successive three terms, 184446. Other
prominent Irishmen were Patrick Qulgley, who served in the Wisconsin territorial legislature, and Judge Charles Cookery.
From the beginning the Irish gravitated to the south end of the city (termed "Dublin") and the Germans to the north end.
Lyon locates Dublin as south of 3~a Street. It is probable that the Germans were dominant in terms of their wealth,
PS Form ~0-90C~a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
business acumen, and politics although it wasn't until 1864 that a German resident was first elected mayor. Housing for
the two groups was as different as night and day if some sources can be believed. The Irish were content, it was said, to
reside in frame shacks in the former mining village areas, while German homes were of more substantial brick
construction. Separate Catholic churches and parishes were established early on. By 1856 there were three German-
language newspapers. Each group had its own shopping areas (Horton, pp. 41-42; Lyon, pp. 141,294; Auge).
The Irish struggled with Bishop Loras and their church over the issue of church support for the establishment of a
separate parish, rather than a mere mission church and a clamoring for Irish priests, rather than French or German ones.
They refused to pay their pew rents and twice caused the Bishop to flee the city to find tranquility elsewhere in the hopes
that the locals could sort things out. The battle was no minor one and Loras at one time threatened a severe interdiction
of St. Patrick's parishioners. It was the Irish perception that Loras had used church resources to build new German parish
churches. Loras had no animosity for his Irish congregates as is evidenced by his efforts to recruit Irish Catholics to the
new diocese (Carey, pp. 32-33).
Irish ethnic organizations included the Shamrock Society (pre-1848), St. Raphael's Temperance Society (pre-
1848), and the Royal Order of Hiberians (peaked in popularity 1840s-50s). As was the case with most groups, the Irish
themselves distinguished stmrply between "lace curtain" and "sb2.nty" Irish (Wilkie, p. 285; Lyon, p. 141).
H din and !
3O
2O
10
0
50 .~
d~,, 1860
(Chart by Jim Jacobsen, data from Auge)
The Germans, in historian John Hawgood's words, "followed the frontier at a distance." They preferred
developed land and were more clannish. The first large wave of German out-migration took place fin 1854 (Hawgood, pp.
22-39).
The rapid growth of the German-born population of Dubuque is apparent in the 1850-1860 census counts.
Germans accounted for 17.8 percent of the city population in 1850 and 32.4 percent just ten years later. There of course
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 29
The Architectural and Histotical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State
was no defined "German" nationality during these years and these figures represent German-speaking peoples, including
Swiss, Luxembourgers and Alsatians. The Germans built three successive Germania Halls beginning in the 1850s, all of
which were located in the northern end of the downtown proper (between 2na and 3~d streets on M~m Street, the northeast
comer of 12th and Clay streets, and the southeast comer of Iowa and 9t~ streets) (ibid.).
As the chart shown above indicates, both ethnic groups reduced their proportions of landless households during
the ten years 1850-60. Germans in particular developed a large land-owning middle class but both groups increased this
class.
Swiss and Luxembourger rr/morifies as noted tended to get lost in the larger "German" population. The Swiss
CJrfietli-Verein, with 51 charter members, was formed in 1886. There was also the Amerikanischer Schweizer Club, a
pro-assimilation group (ibid., p. 300).
Scots were present early on in Dubuque and had their Bums Club in place by I859. Their St. Andrew's Society
offered assistance to the poor. Like the Irish, temperance was a dividing issue within their ranks, and the St. Andrew's
group split over the matter in 1855 (Lyon, p. 36).
The largest population of African Americans in what was to become Iowa, 72 in number, lived in Dubuque as of
1840. Much is made of the legal tolerance of slavery in the city at this time and the exact breakdown of free and slave is
undetermined. Dubuque had 15 Jewish families in residence by this same time. Their numbers increased only during the
1880s and 1890s. A predominately Jewish neighborhood ("Jerusalem") developed on the flats along 14th and 17th streets
although it is unclear when this occurred. Alex Levi, a French Jew, had the honor of being the first naturalized citizen in
Iowa. He/mm/grated to the area in 1837 (Lyon, p. 141; McGee, p. 51).
The Role of the Catholic Church in Dubuque History:
The Catholic Church was present at Dubuque's inception, the first mass being said in the summer of 1833. The
first church, St. RaphaeI's was begun in the summer of 1835. The Diocese of Dubuque was established on July 28, 1837
with just three churches. It covered a huge territory that included the settled areas of Eastern Iowa and Minnesota. Rev.
Pierre Jean Mathias Loras (1791-1858), the tn:st bishop, arr!ved in Dubuque on April 2i, 1839. He found a town
population of 2,500 half of whom were of the Catholic faith. Loras and a small number of French priests would
transform the diocese within just a few years by means ofthelr impressive efforts and commitments. They were offto a
rough start however because none of them spoke German (and they weren't German)! The situation was so bad that
some Catholics chose to attend Protestant services which were said in part German (mass was read in Latin and Latin is
Latin) (interview, Mike Gibson, Oldt, pp. 871-72).
A measure of Loras' accomplishment was the jump in diocesan population, said to be 54,000 as of 1858. Loras
oversaw 48 priests, 60 churches, 40 church stations. The new parishioners were German and Irish and both groups had
experienced mass emigration from their homelands during the late 1840s. The population had settled the county, the city,
and more broadly beyond those points. St. Paul Diocese was formed in 1850 (Oldt, p. 873).
Perhaps Loras and his minions redirected newly arcived imm/grants to Dubuque but it is certain that he actively
recruited religious orders to Dubuque and Dubuque County and these made possible the remarkable and in some
instances nationally significant religious, educational and health institutions which would distinguish the Diocese. One
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-88)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 30
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
of the most notable, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was transformed from a small insignificant group
of Irish nuns to the nation's largest order. They came to Dubuque in 1843. The Trappist Monks, Brothers of the
Christian Institute and the Sisters of Visitatiun were the earliest orders to respond to Bishop Loras' recruiting efforts.
The first parochial school was established in 1843 at St. Joseph's Pritr/e, a point ten miles southwest of the city. Loras
was apparently attempting to establish a separate rural Catholic community at that point. The New Melleray Abbey
(formed 1849) ~vas just two miles away. It wasn't until 1858 that the school was moved to Dubuque. This was later
known as St. Joseph's College, and is now Clarke College (Oldt, pp. 873-74).
Ambitious planning sometimes outdistanced financial realities. The new "uptown" cathedral languished for five
years (1847-52) but never rose above its foundations. A replacement cathedral was begun in 1857 and finished in 1863.
The German Catholics started St. Mary's Church at 8t~ and White streets in 1851 and built the present-day replacement in
1864-67. The Sacred Heart and Holy Ghost congregations were formed from St. Mary's in 1879 and i895 respectively
(Oldt, p. 876, Wilkie, p. 178).
From the beginning, Dubuque's churches were substantially binlt and reflected h/gh style (Greek Revival and
Gothic) influences in their designs. In contrast to residential and commercial construction, many of these buildings were
built in cut stone. Several of these smaller churches never finished planned steeples (Oldt, p. 876).
Emerging Industrial and Commercial Base:
Save for lead mining and processing, most early Dubuque industries served a predominantly local market. The
city developed a broad array of mostly smaller-scale industries and some of these were harbingers of larger things to
come. Breweries, wagon and carriage manufacturing, saw and flour/grist mills, and seasonal meatpacking were examples
(Wilkie, p. 261).
The 1850 federal census listed 46 industrial fmaqs in the city, only one of which employed more than ten persons.
The enumerator noted that it was impossible to determine the products of each firm because of their frequent relocations
(Seventh Census...Products of Industry, MT1156, #37, National Archives, 1972).
Substantial breweries were established early, all by German immigrants. Mathias Tsctf~rgi and Anton Heeb
started their firms in 1844-46. Anton Gehrig purchased the Tschirgi brewery and sold it to Heeb in I847. Tschirgi
started a second brewery on Julien Avenue and he sold this facility to Kurtz & Welder. Tslftrgi then established yet
another brewery w/th Jacob Schwind, called the Western Brewery. The City Brewery (later called Key City Brewery)
dated from 1852. Titus Schmid started a brewery for home consumption on Couler Avenue and it became the Iowa
Brewery. By i869 there were nine breweries in Dubuque but this number dropped to four by 1877 (Lyon, pp. 48-49).
PS Form 10
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 31
Wae Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Countv, Iowa
County and State
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
We feel as the representative of the metropohs of the state a pride in our beautifuI city, situated as it is in one of the
most lovely and picturesque spots in the universe. 2~ne position of the city of Dubuque has been time and again
presented in these columns as well as its geographical advantages, occupying as it does a prominent position in the
valley of the Mississippi. Its arteries connect it with every nook and comer of the globe. By water its commerce, via
the Wisconsin rivers, can reach the marts upon the great ocean, while its railway connections join it with ail points
where railroads reach. Our city has every advantage of communication for purchase and supply, and, it is hoped,
before another year rolls over here she will have still greater commercial facihties than she now enjoys...Dubuque
has passed its infantile condition, and is now ready to aid others to crawl toward the goal of wealth and
prosperity...Dubuque possesses peculiar advantages over many cities in the state, especially those inland. The
Mississippi river is an unexcelled thoroughfares of trade 'a commercial artery pushing forward from the almost
extreme northern boundary of our broad nation to the gulf outlet' Hence the clamor by businessmen for the
improvement of the river.
The Herald, January I, 1880
The Civil War Divides the City:
· he best and most comprehensive study of the impact of the Civil War on Dubuque is Russell Lee Johnson's
two-volume study of Dubuque (An Army For Industrialization: The Civ/1 War and The Formation of Urban-Industr/al
Society in A Northern City, 1996). A broad array of other excellent stud/es have focused uniformly on the theme of
domestic opposition to the war effort and particularly upon the leacYmg role played by Herald ed/tor Dermis Mahoney.7
Johnson's study is the only comprehensive exploration of all of the wartime sub-themes and is therefore of great value
and is highly recommended. His study used Dubuque to support his basic thesis that the war transformed Dubuque (and
other industrial cities) and produced a society that fit more naturally with the postwar industrial society that followed.
The Civil War years set the stage for Dubuque's eventual industrial dominance. As of 1870 it was the 93~
largest industrial city in the country measured in gross product. Wittfm 20 years it had advanced to 70t~ place. The war
years witnessed the replacement ora patrician class leadership with an entrepreneurial class. This process ofreplacement
was largely completed during the course of the war as patricians died or retired. The latter tended to be Republican in/ts
political leanings. A fimdamental distinction between the two groups was the preference for real property holdings on the
part of patricians, and for personal property by the entrepreneurs. Curiously of 30 Dubuquers possessing $100,000 in
assets as of 1870, not one had seen military serviee during the war! (Johnson, pp. 166, 234-39).
Dubuque was singled out by the national press for its perceived opposition to the war. It had good company
regionally, particularly in Milwaukee and Chicago, but Dubuque somehow emerged as the national example. Within
Iowa war opposition was strongest in Keokuk, Burlington and the southeastern count/es but alleged opposition was said
to be throughout southern Iowa (ibid., p. 168).
7 See for example Hubert H. Wubben, The Dubuque HeraM In The Fight For The Northwest, M.A. Thesis, State University of Iowa,
Iowa City, 1958, Martin Edward McGrane, Dubuque, editorial battleground 1860-62, M.S. Thesis, Iowa State University, Ames,
1972, and Helen Wulkow, Dubuque In The Civil War Period, M.A. Thesis, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, 1941..
PS Form
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department,of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 32
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa~ 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Choose Your Side Or Hunt Your Hole!:
...we seem to be between two tires as it is now getting dangerous to
belong to either party or even to remain neutral...
Farmer George Smith, Henderson, Kentucky, July 1862
Today is hard to appreciate the all-or-nothing loyalty n:dndset of the Civil War years. Increasingly there was no
middle ground where one could fred sanctuary. Throughout the country, but particularly where regular or irregular
military oparations were underway, everyone was forced to affiliate with one extreme camp or the other. As a result the
more complex spectrum of political and religious thinking was cmelly skewed into diametrically opposed opposition
coalitions. In the North one was either for the war or in league with traitors (Jacobsen, Caught In ~l'he Middle; The Civil
War Years on the Lower Ohio River" 1998).
Dubuque was dominated by a business elite as of 1860 and that class almost exclusively made up the ranks of the
two military companies. The working class was predominantly imm/grant in composition. The Irish provided most of
the unskilled labor. The working class of Dubuque was also notable for its lack of accumulated property. The Irish
resided in the southernmost First Ward, the Germans in the northernmost Third and Fifth wards. Ethnic friction divided
the working class. Immigration was a fundamental issue to the new Republican Party, given their Whig and Know-
Nothing anti-em/grant origins. The Democratic Party in contrast linked its interests with the imm/grant masses (Johnson,
pp. 124-32).
Dubuque was politically Democratic from its earliest mining days and with few exceptions its mayors were
members of that party. Johnson credits the straggle with the federal government over rrfining fights, the presence of
prom/nent Southern-born leaders in the city, a general pro-slavery stance regardless of birthplace and the large immigrant
population as strengthening Iowa's "Gibraltar of Democracy." Even then Democrats squabbled internally, essentially
between n~mers' and immigrants' interests, and it took the loss of four successive mayor races through 1854 to bring
them together under the general leadership of Dennis Mahoney (ibid., pp. 133-35).
Mahoney and compatriot Joseph Dorr, came out of the panic experience w/th a strong anti-banking, anti-moneyed
aristocracy and anti-eastern mindset. The latter in particular envisioned a Northeastern conspiracy to prevent the
inevitable ascendancy of the western states and the opposition in Dubuque naturally were collaborators in support of that
conspiracy. Railroad capitalization became the hot local issue, particularly when ownership of the Dubuque and Sioux
City line passed to mostly eastern hands in an 1860 reorganization. Echoing Jacksonian Democracy, Mahoney and Dorr
linked their interests with the working class and the people. This emphasis on what Johnson terms the "non-propertied"
effectively drove wealthier Democrats either into opposition to Mahoney or out of the party. The anti-immigration
"wedge" issue intensified w/th the brief presence of Observer in the city. The Irish and Catholic Church control were
repeatedly alleged (ibid., pp. 136-143).
Local Republicans elected their first candidate slate in 1857, then reappeared merged into a businessman-
dominated reform party after the fmancial deluge. The municipal bailout of the debt-ridden Central Island Improvement
Company set the stage for Democratic charges that if the people were to take the debt, why didn't they take the property
as well? As of i860, Johnson determined that business class occupations accounted for 73 percent of the Republican
leadership and 57 of the Democrats. In terms of property ownership, the Republican leadership ranks were top-heavy and
bottom-light, with an average difference of $5,000 favoring the Republicans. Finally hail of the Republican leaders were
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 33
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
eastern-bom and just over a thrrd were immigrants while half of Democratic leaders were Irish or German born and just
38 percent were native-bom. Southern-bom leaders divided equally between the two parties in terms of percentage, but
favored the Democrats two to one (ibid. pp. 144-58).
...Republicans can be thought to have rallied the successful, aspiring,
and hopeful entrepreneurs, as well as those old settlers who adapted
easily to the entrepreneurial view of economic competition.
Republicans also attracted the support of those people most inclined to
want to enforce some standard of behavior on the unruly mob of
immigrants and workers. Democrats, on the other hand, drew their
support from artisans and workers~whose ideology was rooted in the
republican concept of independence--immigrants, old settlers
uncomfortable with the entrepreneurial spirit, and men to whom the free
market had not been kind.
Russell Lee Johnson (p. 159)
Mahoney himself personified the Democratic ranks, his losses to the panic being self-reported at $40,000. In the
1859 election Mahoney's party successfully seized city government, only to see the Republican/Reformers return
victorious in both 1860 and 1861. The national Republican ticket was also bolstered, with 46 percent of the tally for
Lincoln, contrasting with a 38 percent turnout for John Fremont in 1856. Johnson observed that it took the Civil War
experience to return the city to its historic Democratic allegiance (ibid., pp. 160-161).
The coming of the war shattered the Democratic Party ranks and ~he more propertied (those actually owning
more property than either Republicans or the residual Democrats) "War Democrats" aligned with the Republicans in a
"Union Party" coalition. Despite these defections, no Republican would be elected in the city between 1861 and 1867
and in the 1865 vote, taken even as the South was being eviscerated, Republicans prevailed in just five of 55 ward-level
election contests (ibid., pp. 178-191).
Republican pro-war thinking interpreted the issue as one the "restoration of the health of American society" in
Johnson's words. They saw the Southern struggle as one led by anti-democratic tyrants and autocrats. Indeed many War
Democrats early on favored the strongest possible war effort hoping to free the Southern people from their controlling
leadersh/p and thereby quickly encVmg the war w/th the least cost to life and property. Republican and War Democrat
support for emancipation, slowly and reluctantly developed over the course of the war, was explained as being beneficial
to white free labor (slavery put the two races on equal footing, a free labor situation would quickly make evident the
superiority of white labor), rather than an issue of fundamental human rights or racial equality. Many equated the
Abolitionist with the Democrat, both being ranked as tyrants and anti-Unionists (ibid., pp. 195-200).
Th/s discussion is intended to set the stage for Dennis Mahoney's much discussed opposition to the war. Johnson
notes that Mahoney was hardly the best person to take up the editorial pen against the war. While somewhat careful with
his statements through 1862, he became inereasingly strident and careless and he was less constructive and self-absorbed
after his release from federal prison. Mahoney's long-term legacy was his public support which was represented by his
1867 election as county sheriff(ibid., pp. 163, 190).
PS Porto 10-900~a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 34
OMB Approval No, I024~0012
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Countv. Iowa
County and State .......
Initially Mahoney opposed secession as well as the Republican management of the war effort. He early
supported a military draft th/nking that it would either equalize the burden of the war (i. e., a rich man's war, poor man's
fight) or it would expose the reluctance of the elite to perform military duty for all to see. His war opposition was largely
rooted in his strict Construction of the constitution and he saw the Republicans as using the war to federalize the country
at the expense of the states with a resulting military despotism (such a conspiracy theory was nicely anti-Western from
his perspective, Mahoney feared that the West would have to pay more than their share of the war's resulting debt and
that postwar tariffs would remain high to pay for the war). His opposition to the war was founded on a belief that the
South could not be militarily subdued in a short war, nor could they quickly prevail over the North. Still he offered his
serv/ces the state to raise and lead an all-Irish regiment, an offer that was not accepted. Mahoney's war opposition
resulted in his arrest by U.S. Marshall Herbert Hoxie the morning of Augnst 14, 1862. He was imprisoned in Old Capital
Prison in Washington for nine weeks. Released without trial on November 11, he returned home to Dubuque but lost his
paper to War Democrat Patrick Robb. Mahoney was one of a number of citizens who suffered detainment by the
government during the war. This number included several Congressmen (ibid., pp. 189, 202; 1880 county history, p.
533).
The Civil War and Dubuque's Economy:
Many in Dubuque were convinced that the allegations of disloyalty deprived the city of "favors" from either the
state or federal government. The most potentially substantial charge was that the transcontinental railroad was routed
southward where it bypassed Dubuque. Other charges centered on the withdrawal of capital or the Eastern refusal to
credit orders fi.om Dubuque merchants (ibid., p. 201).
Telegraphic linkage arrived c.1848 well before the railroad did and accessed the city at 7th Street. It came in the
form of two competing companies and each struggled to sign up subscribers. The city gained a new submarine
telegraphic cable from Dunlieth in early September 1861. In November 1863 poles were being erected to extend the
wires to Cedar Falls. By this time Dubuque boasted that they were receiving telegraphic news several hours ahead of
Chicago. Cairo, Illinois was the telegraphic starting point of war news and war correspondents' reports followed the
Illinois Central northward across Illinois (1880 county history, p. 527; Oldt, pp. 83, 140, 150).
Real loss came with the closure of the lower Mississippi market and shipping rome. Railroads now had no
competition and straggled to pick up the traffic once divided between rail and river and freight rates went up. Frequently
during the war a shortage of cars caused exports to pile up. The worst of these lasted three months during late 1863 and
five to eight tons of freight accumulated. Another such car shortage occurred in January-February 1865 and it was
estimated that a million bushels of gr~fm were stalled on the Dubuque and Sioux City line. Dubuque merchants traveled
to Chicago in 1864 to protest the shipping situation. The military monopoly on shipping also relegated non-essential
loads to the sicFmg. The shipping backup shut down operations on the Dubuque and Sioux City but even then revenue
jumped $136,000 between 1863 and 1864. The legacy of the loss of the river was the replacement of north/south grain
shipping by eastJwest shipping, a "habit" that would not be changed until after World War II with the maturation of trade
on the ~fme-foot Mississippi River channel (Anfinson, Chapter 2, p. 6; Wulkow, pp. 12-14).
Dubuque paid a massive financial penalty for its lack of a Mississippi River railroad bridge. Everytlfmg bound
east on the rails had to be ferried over the river with the attending unloading, barge loadJmg, and unloading/reloading on
the Illinois shore. This and the train delays were termed the "Great Freight Blockade." The Illinois Central displaced
those who made a living of delivering and crossing the goods by form'mg its own transfer company. Oldt noted "the city
PS Fo~m 10-90C~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 35
OMB Approval No, I024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~, Iowa
County and State .......
had paid large sums as unjust freight and transfer charges" throughout the war and th/s recot~ition of injury prompted
postwar demands for a railroad bridge (Johnson, pp. 206-07; Oldt, p. 158).
Wartime construction in the North during the Civil War resumed at any scale only by 1863. Dubuque reports
record levee work in August 1862, the construction of a floating planing mil1, the Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad
passenger depot, and a railroad round house built in 1863. Hotels were busy and expanded and remodeled. By 1863
there were no vacant houses in the city. One loss, purportedly a punishment to a disloyal city, was the removal of the
mail distribution center in 1863 (Oldt, pp. 144-147).
Inflation arrived with the war, particularly by 1862, driven by printing press currency issuances and private
competition with military expenditures for the same goods and labor. Banks stored the greenbacks and issued their own
script, further feeding the inflation frenzy during 18623-64. As a result the 1860 dollar was equal to the 1864 value of
$1.89. Wages actually lost value in response to inflation. Food prices in Dubuque were slow to escalate but did so by
early 1863 and peaked in January 1865. Any energy or interest in relief for the poor during the war was exhausted by
efforts to provide relief to soldiers and their families. Inflation was a boon to local stock companies, adding capital value
to their operations. Specie (coin money) had nearly disappeared from circulation by early 1862, hoarded away due to its
greater value over greenbacks. Packages of postal stamps largely substituted for coin, along with merchant's tokens and
script (Johnson, pp. 208-214; Oldt, pp. 143-46).
Striking workers during the war were publicly supported and ice cutters and carpenters were successful in their
1863 strike actions. Other successful strikers were tailors, shoemakers, cabinetmakers and wagon makers. ~ne
newspapers supported these successes but denied their support, and victory, to others including typesetters. Successful
strike actions benefited from the labor shortage that came ~vith the war (ibid., pp. 215-17).
Several business sectors directly or indirectly benefited from the war. Shipping demands overwhelmed the
Dubuque & Sioux City. In general wartime railroads expended little in infi:astructure or roiling stock and the massive
resulting profits made possible the resumption of westward construction. The grain trade emerged from the war as a key
sector in the city's economy and Dubuque was said to be only secondary to Milwaukee and Chicago as a grain shipping
point (ibid., pp. 218-19).
Fork packing was one industry, later of major importance to the city, that had its real start as a result of the war.
Previously the industry was str/ctly seasonal and largely local but some proportion of scale and permanent operations
were in place by 1861-62. By the winter of 1862-63 there were i 1 local packing fn-ms in business. This number was cut
by more than half to six by the next winter but the total slaughter actually increased. The number estimated to kave been
shipped live from the city was double the number killed, some 25,800 head. Still the city's packing industry lagged
behind the other state packing centers, located in southeastern Iowa. William Ryan, a friend of Ulysses Grant, relocated
from Galena to Dubuque in the early war years and is said to have received large government packing contracts as a
result of his high connections (Oldt, pp. 147, 151).
War contracts promoted the development of the city's industrial base. Oldt reported that cannon were cast in the
city in 1861 but offers no particulars as to the fu-m or contracting entity. Luflin Smith possessed a quantity of gunpowder
and might have been manufacturing it when Col. William Allison was instructed in late August 1861 to seize it "in the
name of the State of Iowa--and detail a squad to hold the same." A month later, the powder, stored at Newton and
Dubuque, was released back to its owner. The Revenue Collector at Dubuque originally impounded the powder due to
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number. E Page 36
OMB Approval No, 1024 0018
I~ne Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
rumors that it was to be shipped south to disloyal hands. The owner protested that it was mostly blasting powder but
there was i00 barrels of gunpowder. Allison hired a secret service man to watch both warehouse and the fen-y prior to
being ordered to drop the matter. Julius Graves produced lead shot briefly (June 1862) in the shot tower and then in a
lead mine shaft although he had no direct army contracts. He also sold war bonds through his bank and supplied the
recruits at Camp Franklin. Tailor Mark W. Smith produced army uniforms and one of his contracts called for 660
employees. In 1864 George Beaubine had a contract for harness and Thomas Connolly had one to make wagons. New
lead lode discoveries and soaring prices produced a veritable boom in lead riming during the war. Buying and selling
horses was another profitable venture. All three of these businesses enjoyed postwar growth. Other firms located to the
city during the war and added to the developing industrial base. One example, a tobacco factory relocated to the city
from Ohio but stayed just two years before removing to Ch/cago for better market and shipping advantages (ibid., pp.
222-229,237; Wulkow, pp. 19-20; Allison to Baker, August 27, 186I, Baker to Allison, August 2i, September 22, 1861,
Record Group 101, State Archives).
Johnson determined that between 1860 and 1870 Dubuque tripled its number of industrial workers, tripled the
amount of its industriaIl:apitalizatlon, increased its payroll wages five times, and the result was a fourfold increase in
gross product. Larger mechanized factories now accounted for 45 percent of the workforce. Non-mechanized artisans
shops grew in number but employed fewer workers than they had in 1860. Engineers increased from 30 in 1860 to 81 in
1870 (Johnson, pp. 165,229-30).
Johnson notes that crime increased in the city through and after the war and that this was one of its direct
legacies. Of 595 volunteers found in the 1860 census, Johnson detcrrffmed that 65 received medical discharges for
sickness or injury, 41 were wounded and left the service early, 62 died in service and in sum one of five soldiers came
home with a disability or had died. Working class soldiers were more likely to die in service. Comparing the i860 and
1870 occupations in Dubuque, Johnson found that the shift from commercial to industrial activity was reflected in the
downward mobility of "high non-manual" to "Iow non-manual" roles, while the working class experienced an upward
mobility, from low manual to artisan level occupations. Johnson uses Steven Ross's more descriptive term
"particularists" meaning that these men were performing and repeating a single production process in 1870, while in 1860
the true artisan would have completely produced and had control over the production of an item such as a wagon.
Between 1860 and 1870 nearly every industry added more labor to its production process. Johnson also found that while
ail workers in 1870 tended to own more property than did their 1860 counterparts (more likely personal than real
property) veterans were better able to accumulate such property than were non-veterans. One theory was that enlistment
bounties and substitute fees provided a savings nest egg that workers could never have accumulated. At the same time he
found no upward movement on the part of veterans and their occupations. The veterans were more likely to stay in
Dubuque. Johnson concluded that the veteran was "better able to cope with life and work in [an] increasingly urban-
industrial Dubuque" (ibid., pp. 700-01,717, 723-26, 733-35, 774).
Politics; Pre-war and Wartime Elections:
The 1860 election in Dubuque reflected the divisive nature of the national ticket. The Democratic Party split
with a northern candidate, Stephen Douglas ("the Giant Killer") and southern candidate John C. Breckinridge.
Constitutional Uniohist party candidate John Bell further split the traditional Democratic vote. Abraham Lincoln headed
the Republican slate. Evening torch light processions were the favored political expression of the time and Dubuque was
replete with the shows of strength for each candidate. Douglas visited Dubuque on October 17, I860, drawing an
estimated 15-20,000 listeners in the public square. His procession avoided passing beneath a Lincoln banner suspended
PS Form ~O-900-a
(Rev. 8 86]
United States Department of the Interior
National ['ark Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 37
The Arch/tectaral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State .......
over Main Street. Five hundred torches promoted his coming visit, the vanguard being the "Young Giants" boys club.
Termed "the Secessionists in Dubuque" by the Herald, supporters of Breckinridge, led by the city's posl~aster, fired off
five cannon for their man at a June 7, 1860 gathering. A post-election Lincoln Ball at Turner's Hall indicated, according
to the Herald, that "the late antagonism of political parties has become merged with a pleasanter feeling, the idea of
Union seemed to be a prominent one~we'I1 bet on the Union, its all safe here in Dubuque" (Herald, June 7, 11, October
2, 3, 17, November 21, 1860).
Douglas had carried the city (49 percent in the city, 58 percent on the full county vote) over Lincoln (46 percent
city, 39 percent county) with Bell and Breckinridge both relegated to 119 votes (two percent). Four years later, Lincoln
was rebuffed (42 percent city, 34 percent county) and peace candidate George McClellan won by a landslide (57 percent
city, 65 percent in the county) (Wilke, p. 231).
To Arms! The Dubuque Area Military Mobilization:
Departure of the 1st Iowa Infantry Regiment companies from Dubuque, April 22, 1861
(sketch by Alexander Simplot, Harper's Weekly, reproduced in "Our Early Years," p. 73).
Dubuque provided a proportionate number of volunteers including an impressive number of military companies.
Sufficient recruits prevented the military draf[ from operating in the city throughout the war. Heeding Russell Johnson's
findings, it is probable that the pre-war rosters of the two prewar infantry companies suffered a certain winnowing by the
time they went offto the front. Ali had to be recruited up to full strength from their pre-war rosters of 30-odd men each.
Four of six pre-war militia companies saw formal federal military service.*
Dubuque s accomplishment of meeting its quota is all the more impressive when viewed in a regional context. Northeast Iowa lagged
bet/nd the rest of the state in recruitment. Adjutant General Baker complained to Col. Allison "I regret that Northern Iowa is so slo~v
in raising troops...Better late than never." (Baker to Allison, August 28, 186I, Record Group 101, State Archives).
PS Form lO SOO-a
(Rew 8-86]
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 38
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-I955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~, Io~va
County and State .......
Company Tifle
Governor's Greys
Jackson Guards
Washington Guards
City Guards
Original Captain
F. Gottschaulk
R. G. Herrun
M. M. Hayden
Reg/mental Designation
1't Iowa Infantry
same
Company G, 3~a Iowa Infantry
3,a Independent Battery
The federal defeat at First Manassas/Bull Run, Virginia, on July 21,1861, signaled a long war and Iowa
feverishly mined to recruiting three-year volunteers. Dubuque was designated a rendezvous point for new Iowa infantry
regiments and a military camp was established along the riverbank south of Eagle Point. Governor's aid Col. Addison H.
Sanders of Davenport was ordered to the city on August 9 to select and establish the camp. He was given only until
August 15 to have it ready! Two rows often (60x20) frame barracks flanked a 40-foot wide street. Officers' quarters
were nearby along a timberline near Lake Peosta. Most of the barracks were ready by late August 1861. The camp was
enlarged in September 1862 by the construction of additional or perhaps replacement barracks. Allison recommended in
early August 1862 that perhaps wood shingle roofs should be used this time (apparently in lieu of plank roofs) "as they
may be needed for other regiments [later on]." By the time the camp was dismantled in late 1863, and in January 1864, it
contained 50-60 shanties, a hospital, commissary building, and stables in addition to the original buildings (McFarlane,
Forbish, Herald, January 4, February 22, November 14, 1860; Adjt. Gen. N. B. Baker to Sanders, August 9, 14, 1861;
same to Hon. Wm. Vandever, August 10, 1861, Ali/son to Baker, August 3, 11, 1862, Record Group 101, State
Archives).9
The camp was used as a rendezvous point for the assembling regiments. Individual completed companies
reported and the larger unit was formed. Some training was carded on and sham battles were fought on the heights of
Eagle Point. The following units were organized at Camp Union/Franklin during the war:
3~d Independent Battery Light Artillery--September 24, 1861--Capt. Hayden (Dubuque's fifth company)
9th Regiment Infantry-September 24, 1861
12ta Regiment Infantry-November 25, 1861, completely filled in just six days by October 26, depart by rail due
to iced-in steamers, November 28, 1861 (this was the last use as Camp Union)
21st Regiment Infantry-932 men by August 26, 1862, 3,600 men in camp as of September 9, regiment departed
September 15, 1862
27t~ Regiment Infantry-October 3, 1862, formed from excess men from 2 l't departs mid-October 1862
32=d Regiment Infantry-October 6, 1862, formed from excess men from 21Stdeparts November 16, 1862
38t~ Regiment Infantry-December 4, 1862, departs same month by rail for Cairo, Illinois.
42nd Regiment Infantry-departed after Christmas, failed to fill its ranks and men were transferred to 43~a
Regiment Infantry (also never organized) and the 7t~ Iowa Cavalry.
Governor Kirkwood removed the rendezvous point designation and the buildings were auctioned off as noted above
(Banle, pp. 1-17).
9 An unsuccessful search was made at both the State Archives/n Des Moines and the National Archives in Washington to secure a map
and plan for the camp. The campsite might possess significant archeologicaI potential if the specific site can be determined.
Preliminary indications are that the camp site has been completely destroyed in the process of filling the sloughs south of Eagle Point.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 39
OMB Approval No. 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Two 90-day service companies from Dubuque comprised part of the 1st Infantry Regiment and were badly
bloodied at the battle of Wilson's Creek in August 1861. Company A, 3d Iowa Infantry was the fLrst three-year unit from
the city. Hayden's battery, noted above, was partially raised in the city. Two companies of the 12thlnfantry Regiment
and one of the 16t~Infantry Regiment were wholly credited to Dubuque. Dubuquers comprised most of four companies
of the 21st Infantry Regiment, Company F of the 37~h (Graybeards) Infantry Regiment, two companies of the 44t~ Infantry
Regiment, and Company A of the 46t~ Infantry Regiment (100-day service). Over 300 recnfits went to the 12t~ U.S.
Infantry (regular army). A total of 2,600 men saw service from the city and county (1880 County History, pp. 414-15).
For whatever reasons, Dubuque was the preferred beat for military recruiters and as of the fall of 1862 a dozen or
more competed for men. A year earlier, the same was the case and former county prosecuting attorney William M
Crozier warned State Adjutant General Nathan/el Baker that the state and the county were losing credit for recruits
secured in Dubuque. Crozier noted that a Fort Dodge company had passed through the city en route to joining a
Pennsylvania regiment, a Captain Schaeffer had raised two companies for Missouri service under Major General John C.
Fremont, and a 64-man sapper & miner (engineer) company had departed to that same department from the city. Crozier
warned
Besides all our Northern river towns have or have had recruiting offices for the General Government
and for Wisconsin and Illinois regiments.
If our men are thus permitted to leave in organized bodies for the service of other states, it w/II be no
wonder if we have to resort to drafting (Croz/er to Baker, September 20, 1861, Record Group 101,
Adjutant General, General Correspondence, 1861, Box 2, State Archives).l°
Despite its reputation for hostility to the war effort, there is every indication that the camp was a popular point of
visitation. Special regional trains and omnibus lines accessed it regularly. On October 20, 1862, Governor Kir~vood
visited the city and reviewed the 12t~ Regiment. The public responded with calls for blankets during the fall of 1862.
The city hosted the state fair in September 1862 and the soldiers provided a full dress parade as part of that event. There
was mortality at the camp with at least eight deaths, several to typhoid fever, and measles was the base cause. One death
resulted from a soldier's melee on October 14, 1862. Two companies of the 27t~ Regiment, from Waukon and
Guttenburg, rioted and one death and two others injured. Liquor was finally banned in the camp and residents
complained of thievery around the camp. Dubuque was also deemed a haven for military recruiters, as is reflected in the
oversupply of recruits which flooded the nearby camp in the fall of 1862. At its height 15 recruiters had their offices in
operation as of August (Baule, p. I5).
The Home Front, Soldiers Relief:
The extent of divisiveness in Dubuque is measured by the fact that in 1863, the two contending camps held their
own Fourth of July celebrations.
Poverty as already noted was worsened by inflation during the war. Relief of the poor prior to the Civil War was
limited at best to '"the worthy poor" those who were on hard times through no fault of their own. Public relief was
w Crozier signed as 1st Lieutenant of the Dubuque Battery, apparently Hayden's 3'a Iowa Battery. Northern Iowa recruiters were
hindered by the refusaI of Dubuque-Sioux City raikoad to honor the state's travel passes north of Farley or the stage company to do the
same norfft of Cedar Falls (Crozier to Baker, December 10, 1861, Ibid., Box 4).
PS Form 10 900-a
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 40
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
generally limited to the physically and mentally handicapped. Denial, particularly in Dubuque, worked as well. There
simply weren't and couldn't be any poor in the city given its opportunities. Seasonal poverty, particularly during the
winter, afflicted day laborers. Female heads of households were prone to hard times given limited employment
opportunities. 2]ae Panic of 1857-58 worsened the situation particularly for working class families. Private relief during
these years came predominantly from the business class. Public assistance was offered through the County Poor House
and "House of Refuge" (a reform school for juvenile delinquents). Assistance vanished entirely in 1859-60 (Johnson, pp.
619-33).n
With the departure of so many men to military service the situation worsened. A local businessmen's relief
organization ("Volunteer Fund Board") was formed as early as late April 1861 to support the families of the city's t~vo
90-day companies. The group pledged its support for the first three-year unit (Company A, 3~a Regiment Infantry) but it
folded in January 1862 after ming out of funds and expending just one third of its $6,000 in pledges. The war had
outlasted the short-term enthusiasm of the members (ibid., pp. 634-39).
Patriotic women of the city first formed the Ladies Volunteer Labor Society and uniformed and completely
outfitted the first two companies. Like their male counterparts, membership came largely from business class ladies. In '
late 1861 the group became the Dubuque Ladies Aid Society, comrmtted to providing the needs of men in the service.
This group took on the role of the defunct men's group when it folded. Some women entered the workfome as retail
clerks and the like in response to the labor shortage. The county Board of Supervisors on several occasions took no
action on providing relief apart from qualifying soldiers' lam/lies to be considered by the Superintendent of the Poor (243
families were aided in 1863, 116 of which were soldiers' families). The county's provision of $50 enlistment bounties
were also seen as sources for family support. Their reluctance to help was fuel to Republican charges of Democratic
disloyalty. Other Iowa urban centers had done considerably more it was pointed out. The board also turned down a
funding request for a Soldiers Home in the city in late 1863. The home would have been the equivalent of a "USO" of
later times. The proposal was deemed to be a private charity and could not be publicly funded. It was finally established
with the unanimous support ora politically divided City Council. In January 1864 the Board acted to limit assistance to
the families of those soldiers who were actually credited against Dubuque County's enlistment quota (ibid., pp. 640-56,
664).
Completely lost in all of this was any consideration of other families in poverty. By 1864 a new approach to
soldier's relief was being adopted, championed by the United States Sanitary Commission, a pseudo-early version of the
Red Cross. This approach stressed directly aiding soldiers and not their families. Soldiers ~vere thereby returned to their
familial role of breadwirmers and families would indirectly be assisted through them. Johnson notes that while the
earliest volunteers were primarily younger, unattached males, volunteers by early 1864 were older and more commonly
with familial responsibilities. In March 1864 a state law levied a county tax for the relief of soldiers families. This
represented the first state attention to families rather than their soldiers. The Ladies Aid Society turned its attention to
soldiers' relief, affiliating with the national USSC. The hallmark event of this effort took the form of the "Northern Iowa
Sanitary Fair" wl'fich was held in the City Hall, Tumer's Hall and the surrounding area June 21-29,1864.~2 All the
n See also Russell Jolmson's "A Debt Justly Due": The Relief of Civil Wm' Soldiers and Their FamiI/es in Dubuque," Annals of Iowa,
Vol 55, No. 3 (Summer I996) pp. 207-38.
t2 In the City Hall the lower floor featured booths with a 25'-wide central passageway, the second floor a library and floral
departments, packing and appraisal room, and the third floor childrens' amusements. The Turners Hall offered relkeshments on its two
floors. An adjoining building the est of City Hall contained hardware and agricultural departments as xvelI as household/mplements
(The Northem Iowa Sanitary Fair... 1864).
PS Form 10-9OO-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Dark Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 41
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of ?ropetty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
counties of no,beast Iowa participated and a very impressive $84,000 was raised. The Ladies Aid Society did continue
some rrfn'fmaal family relief efforts throughout the war. A Christian Commission Auxiliary, dedicated to cFtrect sold/ers
assistance, formed in November 1864 (ibid., pp. 665-77).
The Wood Processing Industry Has Its First Beginning:
Dubuque was well placed compared to other down river Iowa cities because floating logs could be more cheaply
rafted to it. Local steam sawmills were in operation in the city as early as 1837-38 (1880 county history, p. 385).
The lumber industry reached its most extensive level by 1861 when seven to eight firms were in operation and
largely capitalized. By 1867 fifteen firms were in place. They landed 25,000,000 board feet of lumber via the river, most
of which was shipped west on the railroad. Beginffmg in 1867 the Herald presented an armual end-of-year report on the
growing lumber industry paralleled the general progress reports. Its purpose "called the attention of all northern Iowa to
the immense business of Dubuque in lumber...the largest lumber market on the Mississippi river above St. Louis." The
1867 lumber industry had total sales of 40,000,000 feet of lumber with sawn lumber, lath, shingles and pickets being the
mainstay of those sales in descenrrmg order of magnitude (Oldt, pp. 139, 162-63; Herald, December 29, 1869).
The Dubuque Cabinet Makers Association:
This furniture-making German cooperative of artisans was established in 1867 with $18,000 capitalization and I3
members. An 1870 Herald account described the new venture:
[It] is a very successful attempt at co-operative labor...Its board of officers consists of a president,
secretary, director, and foreman, and they are elected every year. By its articles of agreement no one can
become a member unless he can work--speculators not admitted. All questions coming before this
association are determined by the two-thirds majority. Ail its members must hold $500 in stock; no more
and no less. It is growing gradually stronger and is extending its sphere of usefulness; and is, as we
understand, a body entirely harmonious in action. It was frrst organ/zed with 13 members. Its sales for
this last year will aggregate $60,000 (Herald, December 23, 1870).
It remained in operation as late as I924. In 1902 it celebrated its 25th anniversary. The organization had a three-story
factory at Jackson and l0th streets and a storefront where its products were marketed. The factory burned January 1 I,
1870 with a loss of $15,000. It was soon replaced in 1871 with a three-story brick factory at 18th and Wastfmgton (Hamiin
and Wagner contractors, cost $2,000) and in July i872, the association leased the new adjacent four-story Arthur
McCannbuilding for use as a furniture warehouse. The company reorganized August 15, 1877. In 1894 it purchased the
former Universalist Church builcYmg at 10th and Main streets. That property was in mm sold to the Dubuque Electric
Company in 1924 (Lyon, p. 108; Tribune, December 20, 1871; Herald, July 25, 1872).
The Dubuque Cabinet Makers Association has put up, near the foot of 9th st[reet]., a four story frame
builcrmg 32x60, which they have filled with machinery of every kind necessary to the carryang on of their
trade. This work was commenced on the 15th of June, and is an illustration of remarkable enterprise. The
association is now composed of fourteen men, while twelve others work for them as employees of the
association. The cost of the buildings, machinery, etc. is estimated at about $15,000.
Herald, September 5, 1867
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 42
OMB Approval No, 1024~0018
The Architectmal and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
By i874 the association employed 75 hands and 12 caners in cottage industry. Their annual products totaled
$80,000 and wages were $32,260. In late 1881 they erected a new factory at White and l0th (or 16th?) Street for $12,000.
The White Street factory is extant and currently houses Rhomberg Furriers (ibid., January I, 1874, December 4, 1881).
Annual company profits indicate a loss of $9,823.86 during 1871 and 1885 y/elded a profit of just $46.04!
Company officers were D. L. Wullweber, Georg Schiller, Henrh. Wunderlich, John Stuber, Chas. W. Wullweber, H.
Tischer, Richard Herrimann and cFtrectors included Gottlieb Schneider, C. Jacobi, John Foerst, Bernard Baumhover,
Richard Herrmann, and John Jehring. Factory foremen were Joachim Kurz (1867-71), Georg SchQler (1871-1874),
Christ Jacobi (i874-1891) and Gottlieb Schneider (1871-86) (Uebersicht ueber die Gruendung und den Verlanf des
Gesch~iftes der Dubuque Cabinetmakers' Association 25 Jahrestag, 15 Juni... 1867-1892, pp. 6-7).
This cooperative association, given its long-term success and/ts German ethnic linkages, is certainly historically
significant and any surviving industrial or commercial properties should be investigated for their ability to interpret the
history of this organization. The White Street factory (i000 White) is recommended as being historically significant
under Criterion A given its long-term link with this unique association. That building was occupied by the Dubuque
Tanning and Rope Company in 191 I. Richard Herrman (1849-1941) joined the association in 1871. He purchased the
association factory and storefront and sold both in 1908, so the organization must have ceased operations prior to that
time. He then operated a furniture store at 544 M~m Street (Herrman & Sons) (Lyon, p. 200).
Industry Drives Municipal Growth:
[Dubuque] ~as originally a mining town, built upon the mineral wealth taken from its
hills. Later it had the river traffic which made it a shipping and distributing center for ail
sorts of products and commodities. The lumber business, brought by the fiver facilities,
for a long while waxed strong and made the Dubuque the leading city of Iowa. Still later
the brewing industry carried on, even after the earlier ones had begun to wane...
William Smith (Dubuque Business, February 1930, p. 4)
The Herald lamented in late 1870 "while a manufacturing metropolis we do not rank as high as our advantages of
position should place us, and while we make comparatively moderate showing of products consid~ed in the light of
business prom~se which we now have with our new and competing raikoad lines hastening to completion, still we have
no reason to feel seriously hurt to review our present manufacturing resources..." The 1870 federal census had found
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 43
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque~ Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State .......
219 qualifying manufacturing frans (products valued over $500) yet the Herald listing enumerated just 121. The Second
and Third Wards were the most industrial/zed with 68 firms and 485 positions. Total jobs were 790. Eleven firms
employed more than 20 hands (the largest four were A. A. Cooper, ~vagons, 62 hands; C. Herrncourt, furniture, 40 hands
Carr & Austin and Co., sash and doors, 30 hands, and Rouse & Dean, machinists, 46 hands). Breweries, ale producers,
and distilleries numbered nine and employed 91 workers. Wagon and vehicle makers numbered 11 and employed 137
workers (Herald, December 23, 1870).
As late as 1873, the Daily Times could still enumerate the city's principal industrial employers in a fairly short
listing. Thirty-one named firms and unspecified cooperage's accounted for 1,095 jobs. Just six firms employed over 50
men and just two exceeded 100 positions. Clearly the wagon makers (Cooper and Connelly) and the lumber yards (Iowa
Lumber, Dubuque Lumber) were poised to expand exponentially as rail connections delivered a regional-national market
to the city (Daily Times, January 1, I874).
By 1880 the city had 346 industrial establishments with a total capitalization of $3,446,866. Total employment
was 3,003 87 percent of these workers being males aged 16 or older. Total wages paid were $1,339,730. The industrial
clusters in order of size was as follows, in descending order:
Sector No. Firms Capitalization Hands Materials Product
Value Value
Other 45 $959,080 391 $ 535,565 $ 813,396
Carriages, wagons 9 $532,900 283 $ 324,250 $ 627,000
Sawed lumber 4 $295,000 160 $ 212,200 $ 345,000
Liquors, Malt 6 $265,000 63 $ 110,132 $ 211,125
Men's Clothing 18 $241,150 260 $ 254,875 $ 403,000
Slaughtering, Meats 5 $183,000 133 $1,237,400 $1,370,000
Foundries, Machine Shops 4 $157,500 109 $ 86,960 $ 181,320
Sash, doors, blinds 3 $114,000 86 $ 191,000 $ 284,000
Printing, Publistfing 8 $111,800 91 $ 38,300 $ 137,475
The miscellaneous category, of undetermined composition claimed the most ~vorkers. It and men's clothing accounted
for 86 percent of the 292 female industrial jobs in the city. Product value didn't necessarily correlate with capitalization.
Slaughtered meats, with five finus, accounted for 22 percent of the total industrial value of product. It also had the
closest profit margin, with the cost of its materials equal to 90 percent of its product value (1880 Census, Report of Social
Statistics Of Cities, pp.732-33).
Total manufacturing output during 1881 was $9,071,000 and that of jobbing sales $13,385,900. Lead mine
production was a mere $36,000 with just three operating smelters. Dubuque was termed "the Banner City of the State in
Manufacturing, Jobbing and General Trade" by the Dubuque Trade Journal. The Journal compiled what it claimed was
a 90% accurate first time survey of the city's outputs. Total j ohs in manufacturing were 3,729 hands and the total steam
horsepower of the plants was 2,222. Jobbers and manufacturers had a total of 200 salesmen in the field (Dubuque Trade
Journal, February 20, 1882).
PS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 44
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Value of Manufacturing Products, Six Largest Sectors
Sector 1881 Product Value
Pork Products $2,170,000
Machinery, boilers, etc. $1,472,000
Lumber, lath and shingles $ 550,000
Sundry Manufacturers (60 minor
Establishments) $ 457,000
Oat Meal, Flour, mill feet $ 390,000
Wagons $ 325,000
Value of Jobbing Products, Six Largest Sectors
Sector 1881 Product Value
Groceries $3,000,000
Hardware $2,000,000
Grain and commission produce $1,806,400
Dry Goods and notions $1,250,000
Lumber, lath and shingles $1,062,000
Boots and Shoes $ 800,000
No city was industrially self-sufficient of course and every hopeful metropolis was constantly on the watch for
new industrial niches that could be locally filled. An 1882 listing included a woolen trdlI, cotton mill, malleable iron
works, brass ~vorks, glucose factory, syrup factory, match factory, paper mill, tannery, wl'fite lead factory, pottery, fruit
canning plant, nail factory, glass factory, locomotive works, distillery, agricultural implements maker, rolling mill, iron
pipe maker, hardwood stock works, rope and twine works, glue factory, stamped ware factory, and electric lights factory.
That same year there ~vas local call for producing pressed bsSck. Indeed the same lack was true of the entire Northwest
and the "temtories" as well. Consequently the more expensive pressed brick had to be imported at higher cost.
All that could be made in Dubuque would find a ready market in Iowa Minnesota, Nebraska, and Dakota.
The saving on freight alone from Philadelphia and St. Louis, the principal sources of the present supply,
would almost pay the first cost of manufacturing. As a shipping point there is no better place in the
northwest than Dubuque.
It was suggested that there were ample local clay supplies (Dubuque Trade Journal, February 20, August 21, 1882).
Boat building at Dubuque dates from 1870 and Dubuque firms led the way in the evolution of river steamers from
wood to iron construction. ~[he Clyde, built at Dubuque, was the first iron-hulled craft built on the Mississippi River.
Iowa Iron Works was established in 1851 but only turned to building boats at this time (in 1895 it relocated to the
southern side of the Ice Harbor). The Dubuque Marine Ways was built at Eagle Point in 1871 and was soon rated as the
best facility on the Mississippi River and the largest one north of St. Louis. A marine way consisted of a broad level
beach inclined towards the river. A series of parallel tracks supported wheeled dollies which could collectively lift a
craft out of the river for repairs ashore. Diamond Jo Reynolds also had a boatyard at Eagle Point and produced boats for
37 years. Tire Iowa Iron Works began producing small navy craft for the federal government in 1891. It was nearly
bankrupted by the failure of the engine on the Ericcson Torpedo Boat #2 (a failure in design, not construction) but
Senator William Allison forced the navy to pay its bills. Reorganized in 1904 as the Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works,
PS Parm 10 900~a
(Rev, 8-88}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 45
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources o£Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
the company survived and it was the leading city boat bolder. It bu/lt military vessels during both World Wars and
finally built pleasure craft. When it closed in May 1972 it was the second oldest such firm in the country (Lyon, pp. 42-
44).
It was long claimed that "laborers can live more cheaply in Dubuque than elsewhere." The city was also
"situated so as to receive the overflow of products from the great Northwest" specifically timber. As of 1887 the largest
lumber product was wood sl:fmgle production. Three firms collectively turned out shingle products annually valued at
$745,000 (Industries of Dubuque, 1887, pp. 17-18).
By the end of 1889 there were 205 manufacturing plants employing 6,992 hands and mustered an impressive
10,890 horsepower rating in its industrial power plants. The 96 jobbing houses employed 1,967. Traveling men from the
city numbered 313.The 1892 Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory enumerated over 200 manufacturing firms, 150
jobbing firms (300 salesmen, over 3,000 employees) and gave the following total (1891) figures for the several sectors of
the city's economy (Oldt, p. 192; 1892 Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory, p. 455):
Manufacturing $19,036,200
Jobbing Trade $25,696,500
Retail Business $16,069,500
Lead & Zinc Ores $ 962,400
Miscellaneous $12,857,659
The Lumber Industry in Dubuque:
Dubuque had the advantages of location (literally the state's headwater location for receiving log rafts from the
Upper Mississippi River system, it cost $6,000 to deliver amft to St. Louis in the 1870s), financial backers (who, it is
said, actually purchased timber assets upstream,~ and funded mill and yard construction) and a labor source (Baffoe,
Goerdt, p. 5).
While much is said about the city's massive timber processing industry, it is worth noting that Dubuque was in
fact a relatively small player. By the early 1890s there were two-dozen milling centers along the Mississippi River
between Minneapolis and Hannibal, Mo. Three of these consumed over hail of the timber produced in the region.
Minneapolis processed 491 million board feet of lumber, Winona 119.5 million feet, and Clinton, Iowa 101.7 million
feet. Dubuque and the other 20 centers, accounted collectively for the remaining 452.4 million feet. By 1897 mills in
Minnesota out-produced all mills down river from them (Anfinson, Chapter 5, pp. 3, 13).
Although dwarfed in overall scale of operation, Dubuque claimed in the 1880s that its Standard Lumber Mill was
a close rival to the W. J. Young Mill in Clinton as the world's largest single mill (Goerdt, p. 3 citing Time- Journal
September 18, 1921).
~3 Ron Goerdt presents this most interesting claim and cites the Herald-Journal of August 24, 1930 as a source. Dubuque interests
owned extensive timberlands and operated their own large lamber camps. This is an important cia/m, one that would explain
Dubuque's role in the industry and it is wozth historical investigation.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-80)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 46
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dabuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The timber to feed these mills, was delivered in massive log rafts. As of 1860 these contained an average
300,000-500,000 feet of timber. Ten years later the average was two mill/on feet and by 1890 that figure ~vas up to 3.5
million. The record raft, shipped in 1895, contained 7.5 million feet. A raft of 1.5 million feet of timber could be
consumed in the construction of 125 houses, and this amount of timber covered three to four acres of river surface. Even
as raft sizes gre~v however, timber shipping declined as the white pine forests were decimated. The opening of add/tional
timber ranges north o,f the St. Croix River in the 1880s staved offthe inevitable exhaustion of these resources. The
marked decline in timber shipping took place between 1890 and 1906, when the totals plummeted from 719,000,000
board feet in 1890, to 465,000,000 in 1900, and just 193,000,000 in I906. The rafting season lasted from early May
through mid-November and the rafters had to deal with log p/rates. The p/rates hid behind islands and would break the
perimeter ring and secret away logs. The final raft ran in 1912. Some companies rafted sawn lumber to reduce shipping
costs (ibid., p. i2; Goerdt, p. 5).
By late century timber shipping alone dominated the fiver traffic and it is a curiosity that significant river channel
improvements were belatedly being made by the federal government even as this trade slipped away. At its peak in 1890
there were 100 raft boats and as many sawmills in operation. By 1900 the mill count was down to 80, and by 1903 there
were just 36 sawm/lls running between St. Louis and Minneapolis (ibid., p. 13).
Ron Goerdt dates the emergence of Dubuque as a hub for lumber processing to 1865 although the first substantial
mill, Knapp, Stout & Company dated from 1852. It wasn't until 1867 that the Times declared Dubuque "finally a lumber
center." By this time a dozen firms processed 30,000,000 feet of lumber from the river. Beginning in the late 1860s
newspapers carried annual progress profiles of the emerging industry (Times, August 15, 1867).
Nothing but railroads and export duties restrained the Dubuque lumberyards from an
export trade of greater magnitude... Times-Herald, January 31, 1910
The industry domprised two subsets, the lumber mills and the planing mills. The latter produced doors, frames,
sash and molding and continued to grow after 1890 even as the mills lost momentum. By 1889 value of product in the
planing mills reached $3,500,000 and it wasn't until 1923 that production value peaked at $23,000,000. The planing
mills survived into recent years in large-scale operations and several firms continue in operation today, representative of a
lengthy and economically vital industry (ibid., p. 10).
The following key lumber/planing firms established the city's reputation in th/s industrial sector. Nothing
remains from the sa~vmilI firms but numerous buildings represent the planing and milling firms:
Standard Lumber-founded 1856 as Ingram, Kennedy & Day, 7~ and Jackson, claimed to have the largest mill on
the Mississippi River, burned out in 1911 the last survivor of its trade in the city, the Shot Tower survives as an artifact of
the great fires, the tower serving as a watchtower for fires.
Peter J. Seippel, Dodge & Locust, established 1897, incorporated 1904, specialized in hardwood floors, rafted cut
and dried planks, planing mill only.
Spahn & Rose, jobbing only, no mill, operated 16 branch yards at its highpoint
Dubuque Woodenware & Lumber Company, head of Railroad Avenue, Eagle Point, founded 1867, also claimed
to be largest mill on the river, burned out in 1869, 1902, turned to jobbing and retail only
Knapp & Stout, 8t~ and Washington, owned 100,000 acres of timberland in Wisconsin, operated three large mills
PS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 47
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
with 1,000 employees, as of 1869 claimed to be '~probably one of the heaviest manufacturers and dealers
in lumber on the Mississippi River (Daily Times, January 1, 1869).
Weston Burch & Co., founded 1869, Washington, between 10t~ & 11th, four large Wisconsin m/lis, 450
employees (Times, February 17, 1869).
Can', Ryder & Adams, claims to be largest manufacturer of doors, sash, m/llwgrk, and blinds in the world.
Capital and Banking:
Bank Period of Officers Legacy
Service
J. L. Langworthy & Brothers 1851-61 +
Babbage & Co. 1861-64
Fl. W. Markell & Co. 1855-68 Closed January 6, 1868
Theo Gelpcke & Co. 1858-61 Falls May 6, 1861
City of Dubuque Branch of the 1858 F.N. Goodrich, L. D. Randall Opposed by Mahoney and the tIerald,
State Bank of Iowa Reorganized as National State Bank
November 1865, merging with First
National Bank 1866
First National Bank 1864-present Franklin Hinds, H. M. Kingrmm, R.E. Dubuque's first national bauk, merged
Graves, W. H. Clark at, er 1866 with National State, 1865, and Peoples
consolidation Savings 1875, nearly closed August 16,
1893, for 95 years on northwest comer
Main and 5th (1867 to 1962)
German Savings [State] Bank 1864-present J.H. Thedinga, Wm. Fuchs 323 Main Street, renamed "German Bank"
1873, builds new Main St. building 1901,
renamed German Savings Bank 1904,
opens Couler Ave. branch 1905.
Merchants National Bank (branch) 1865-73 F.W.H. Sheffield, R. A. Babbage Falls September 26, 1873
Babbage & Co. 1861 92 Main S~reet
People's Savings Bank 1866-75 Jolm Thompson, J. K. Graves Merges with First National
Dubuque Savings Institution 1868-71 Charles Crocker, W. Woodward
Comameralal National Bank 1871-c. 1888 R.E. Graves, H. L. Stout 92 Main Street, closes March 20, 1888,
insolvent
Dubuque County [State] Bank 1875-c. 1891 W.G. Steward, A. Lumback, E. A. Lull
Second National Bank 1876-c. 1922 W.L. Bradley, W. P. Large 605 Main Street
Building & Loan Asso. c. 1877-I 900 Liquidated Novc~mber 1900
Iowa Trust & Savkngs 1884-1932 Geo. L. Torbert, F. D. Stout, J.E. To 7th & Main 1895
Allison
German Trust & Savings 1887-1932 John Bel, D. Rhomberg Northwest corner Clay/Central and 13th,
later part of Union Trust & Savings Bank
Dubuque ClearingHouse 1891-c.1927 P.J. Lee, E. W. Duncan Eight banks organize April '6, '89' (Oldt,
Association p. 203).
The May 6, 1861 failure of the Gelpcke & Company bank echoed similar failures in 1857-58 and reflected the
uncertainties of the early war era. William Allison dispersed an angry crowd, fresh from gathering at Theo. Gelpcke's
residence (extant?) and fueled by rumors that the banker had fled town with the bank's specie. The final payout was just
20 cents on the dollar (Oldt, p. 138).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-861
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024 O018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~. Iowa
County and State .......
One of the principal causes of the prosperity of Our manufactming is the accomodation
that our enterprising men are constantly receiving from our banking houses. Without
banks no factories can exist, and our banking houses command a high standing at home
and abroad. They also aid in every commercial interest.
States (Dubuque City D/rectory for 1873-74, p. 10
A large number of banks served the city during the years 1858-1893, but just four functioned through the second
half of the 1870s. There were six major banks during the late 1880s and early 1890s. A near loss was the First National,
wh/ch briefly closed in mid-August 1893 when withdrawals overwhelmed its ability to make payments. Depositors
agreed to accept certificates of deposits and the bank reopened at month's end (Oldt, pp. 195-96).
The Financial Panic of 1873:
The panic of 1873, cannot, in the light of its effects, be properly so designated. It was
rather a change of time. The rapid rate in which the American people had lived and
transacted business, could not hold out. Black Friday came as a warning of the
punishment that followed quickly in its wake, and the fight times which came with the
close of 1873 were simply in the nature of an admonition that happier days were in store.
1880 county history, pp. 529-30
Merchant's National Bank closed its doors on September 26, 1873 in response to a run that was triggered by
reported bank runs in Ch/cago. Chicago banks had stopped currency transfers to outside banks. The First National Bank
immediately restricted the size of checks it would pay out. Merchant's collapsed when it was discovered that bank
cashier Richard A. Babbage kad embezzled up to $350,000. Babbage thereby became one of the city's more notable
scoundrels (Lyons, p. 23; 1880 county history, p. 622-24).
Despite these financial losses, the city emerged relatively unscathed from the national financial downturn. The
Herald observed:
Considering the general fmanciaI depression that has prevailed all through the northwest the greater
portion of the year, the only wonder is that Dubuque could enlarge so much, and her doing so, is proof
positive that she is in a measure independent of outside capital and relies upon her own resources
(Herald, November 22, 1874).
...we are moving on the goal of metropolitan greatness, i.e. pre-dominance in wealth,
enterprise and industry, in all the branches of trade and commerce, in all of the relations
of business, church and state, in short all that goes to makeup the greatness in its private
and public interests, and surely, in these particulars non can gainsay the fact that
Dubuque has fairly earned her reputation as the metropolitan city of Iowa.
Herald, October 31, 1875
Similar claims were made again in 1878 when the Herald noted "owing to the general stagnation of business
throughout the country, the supposed scarcity of money and the consequent timidity of capitalists, the outlook at the
PS ?erin 10-900-~
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024~0015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
beginrFmg of 1878 was anything but flattering for builcFmg or improvements during the year..." The year's substantial
new buildings were "not built by fictitious or borrowed capital, but are all paid for, and that with the money of the/r own
owners" (Herald, January 3, 1879).
Increasingly, after 1880, it was charged that Dubuque's growth was being hindered by the reluctance of locals to
invest locally. The Herald reported signs that
"the great bulk of money invested this season in this manner has been by men of who have no practical
lmowledge of the business they take an interest in, but put their money in it with a very commendable
view to help their city while they do good for themselves. Many of them have heretofore placed the/r
money in other ways which may have been profitable to them, but helped Dubuque very little, if any at
all. A change has taken place in this regard, and its good effects will soon be shown in the advancement
of the general welfare of our city (Herald, January 1, 1881).
The HeraM and Trade Journal chided local capitalists in 1882 for their failure to invest locally in other Dubuque
industries. "[Dubuque] as a fmancial center is reported stronger in proportion to size than any other point in the union. It
is an evidence of resources, and of the very profitable nature of the legitimate business which has been and is falling to us
as a heritage. Wh/le Dubuque capitalists are enterprising, wide awake, and working for the good of their own city, they
have not been liberal in investing elsewhere. Now that the opportunities for the use of the surplus capital are becoming
so numerous at home it is hoped that less will be sent abroad" (Herald, December 4, 1880).
Wholesaling and Commercial Development:
The year i869 was rated one of"unusual dullness in trade and of general business apprehension. During the ten
years last past there has not been a season more unpromising to the merchant, mechanic and farmer..." (Herald,
December 16, 1869).
The1880 dry goods trade was double that of 1879. A regional wholesaling trade was fast developing. "Out
jobbing merchants are reaching out along the arteries of our commerce... [and] every facility can be offered to country
merchants desiring to purchase goods at wholesale, as every branch of business is here represented." (Herald, January 1,
1880).
Total retail sales during 1881 were $9,542,153 or 29 percent of the total industrial, jobbing, retailing and n~ming
output for that year. It is a later premise (c.1903) that the city's retail was principally a local market and one that failed to
expand and capture a broader regional market. The composition of the following list appears to describe a very local
market based retailing trade, although this was still quite early in the city's development (Dubuque Trade Journal,
February 20, 1882).
By 1887 it was claimed that Dubuque's business comprised fully a twelfth of the state's total business. That
figure showed "the supremacy of Dubuque in commerce and manufacture, as far as Iowa is concerned, and her important
position in the northwest." The wholesale and jobbing business exceeded that of any other Iowa city. This feat was
attributed to th~ growth of two new milroads as well as to the completion of the first wagon bridge across the river
(Herald, November 24, 1887; Times, February 27, 1887).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 50
OMB Approval No. I02~0018
~ne Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, i837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Value of Retail Trade, Largest Sectors
Sector 1881 Product Value
Groceries and provisions
Dry goods and notions
Miscellaneous
Retail liquors, beer, ale
Teamsters
Butchers meats
Clothing
$1,381,123
$1,159,398
$ 682,124
$ 449,761
$ 449,125
$ 389,867
$ 378,975
Hotels, restaurants, bdg. Houses $ 372,432
Hucksters and marketeers $ 359,000
Wood and coal $ 348,720
Dubuque claimed as of that same year to possess a wholesale and jobbing trade nearly twice that of any other
Iowa city. It was said:
In the Jobbing Trade Dubuque holds her own ag~Ymst all odds, and it is an acknowledged fact that even
the Chicago wholesale houses do not deign to send their representatives, except in few cases, to grounds
held by the jobbers of Dubuque, while she has always held the fields in contention ~vith Chicago, St.
Louis and St. Paul houses.
This was due to the jobbers' ability to purchase in quantities equal to their big city competitors and because Dubuque was
closer to the consunfmg markets than was Chicago or the eastern cities. In dry goods alone the city had two wholesalers
and 20 retailers and "quite a number of our houses are direct importers." One unnamed dry goods wholesaler was said to
be "the most extensive ha the whole Valley of the Mississippi" shipping its goods "all over the Northwest, besides
through the adjoihimg States east of the Mississippi." Total annual sales in dry goods alone were $3,000,000 Clndustries
of Dubuque, 1887, pp. 16-17).
River Traffic Declines in the face of Railroad Dominance and Growth:
·lae Mississippi River sh/pping trade waned in the face of railroad competition. As railroad access points along
the river developed, the river packets increasingly mined to providing service between several of those points in lieu of
making longer river runs. ~ae Civil War with its long-term elimination of access to the Lower Mississippi River,
redefined the national shipping network. What was a north/south traffic reoriented to an east/west rail route and this re-
imprinted shipping "habit" survived as long as trains dominated shipping over tracks. After the war, the developing
regional agricultare out-produced available shipping resources, further strengtherfmg raiI-sh/pping preferences. Railroads
could simply carry more. Another factor was the early dominance of Chicago over St. Louis as a gram-shipping center.
The former led in adapting steam power to grain elevators and this advance enabled Chicago elevators to both ship by the
carload in bulk and to sort grain accorcFmg to grade. As early as 1857, Chicago possessed greater grain storage capacity
than its southern rival. Chicago was a link in the developing Great Lakes east/west-shipping route. The river's
inadequacies helped the railroads. Uncertain water levels coincided with the harvest and sh/pping season (Anfinson,
Chapter. 2, pp. 6-9).
PS Form 10-900-a
IRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Timber rafting increasingly don~mated the river shipping as packets and other freighting declined. The massive
log rafts left their legacy in the form of the current navigational channel. Even today the ghosts of the great lumber rafts
define the broad sweeps of the curves in the nine-foot deep Mississippi River navigation channel and they largely
determined bridge placement and channel clearances between bridge piers. Passenger traffic waxed and waned. The
Diamond Jo Company, headquartered in Dubuque, attests to the resiliency of the river packet in the face of railroad
competition.
The "groundwork" for the fiver improvements of the next century was laid beginning in 1866. The first zSver
channel maps were prepared by the Army Corps of Engineers between 1866-69. The first dredging/snag boats were
authorized in 1867. By 1876 the thousands of dangerous snags (sunken trees) were eliminated and many sandbars
flattened. The first closing dam experiments were made in 1873, closing off redundant channels to focus the main
channel flow. The Corps completed a comprehensive Mississippi River basin survey in 1879 and then radically altered
the river channel over the next 25 years. Two very basic down fiver improvements elirffmated historic obstacles to fiver
shipping. The 1877 completion of a canal around the Des Moines Rapids and the blasting ora river channel through the
Rock Island Rapids in 1886 set the stage for broader navigational improvements (An£mson, Chapter 2, p. 36, Chapter 4,
pp. 4, 26).
The elimination of upstream forest cover and these initial tamperings with the natural river coincided with
several record flood years. The record flood level at Dubuque, 21.7 feet, was set on June 23, 1880. The second highest
water level followed by eight years, 21.4 feet on May 12, 1888 (Dubuque Business, October 1929, p. 28).
Ice Harbor Plan, 1884
Note that steamboat traffic is served not from harbor but from wharfboats.
The Diamond Jo Wharfboat is second from the left (Report of the Chief Engineer, 1886).
PS Form
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 52
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State ......
Dubuque required assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to solve a number of river transportation
problems. There was the problem of direct fiver access as well as the need for protection for vessels which over wintered
at Dubuque. There was also the problem of newly forming bars which threatened to completely isolate the city from river
traffic. The New Barney Cut of 1858-59 had diverted water flow through Lake Peosta and had over time caused a bar
formation to block almost the entirety of the city's riverfront, forcing ferries and other craft to either back out or make a
difficult sharp turn to pass below the foot of the bar to reach the city. The Corps of Engineers sent C. W. Dunham to
study the situation in 1876 and $41,000 was appropriated between 1876 and 1881 to dredge out the bar and to dam up the
various previous cuts which had formed the bar. Most of the dredging work was completed in 1884 (Chief Engineer,
1876, pp. 695-98, 1885, p. 262).
The other problems were solved by transforming the old Waples Cut into an "ice harbor." Originally planned in
1880, the harbor would measure 502,000 square feet with a low-water depth of six feet. A sluiceway through the Tl~rrd
Street causeway would prevent the accumulation of stagnant water in the harbor. Congress appropriated $20,000 in
August 1882 to start the project and B. E. Linehan of Dubuque was awarded the dredging contract. The project turned
out to be more ora federal-local parmersh/p when the City Council acted aggressively to buy up the land around the
harbor and to strictly control the use of the harbor. The dredging costs were lower than anticipated and with additional
funding the Corps produced a larger harbor with 164,000 additional square feet as well as a broad landing embankment
along the Th/rd Street side of the harbor. The work was complete by 1886. During the first winter of 1883-84 the harbor
sheltered 10 steamboats, two wharf boats, two dredge boats, 33 barges and flats and 200,000 feet of lumber (ibid., 1885,
p. 1572; 1886, pp. 1691-93).
Arriving steamboats had to pay a $10 docking fee to use the city's wharf. In late April 1876 steamboats were
refusing to pay the fee and even the Diamond Jo boats refused. City Wharfmaster Warring threatened to seize the boats
but was met with a show of resistance and desisted. The city lost even more ground when the Harbor Improvement
Company offered/ts 3d Street Wharf for free lancrmgs. That same year a new steam ferryboat, the Key City, was put into
service at Dubuque. Built by Johnson & Kal'tike, it measured 100x25, was powered by two vertical steam engines and
double screw propellers and had a carrying capacity of 18 wagons. The ferry was briefly used that summer to run freight
to Galena when the Illinois Central line was washed out. Omnibuses filled the same function west of Dubuque (National
Democrat, January 20, April 27, July 13, 1876).
By 1880 the city was exporting the region's grain surplus. The Herald noted '2XTearly all of the grain purchased
in Dubuque seeks a market on the lower Mississippi, and a large quantity is shipped directly to Liverpool...Dubuque is
one of the most extensive depots on the river between St. Louis and St. Paul, for river freight, its shipments and receipts
being greatly in excess of any other point on the river between the points just named." Each winter the railroads
increased their shipping rates in the absence of river competition. The Herald compltdmed "much has been written upon
water commerce, displaying its advantages and disadvantages, and so long as an antagonism exists between rail and water
commtmication low prices will prevail on the river. All lines are well patrorftzed by our businessmen" (Herald, Janum~
1, 1880).
Flash Floods Down The Ravines:
Owing to the humidity of the climate and a topographical specially favorable to drainage,
the death rate is remarkably low, only 14.3 per i000 of population.
The Industries of Dubuque, 1887, p. 20
PS ?orm
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 53
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Io~va. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count'v, Iowa
County and State .......
The above reference likely applied to drainage vis a vis the main town and the river. Dubuque from its earliest
years suffered recurring and fi'equently catastrophic flash floods down its several principal ravines and uptfill-running
streets to the west. The worst flood, on July 4, 1876, destroyed the village of Rockdale, located south of Dubuque near
the mouth of Catftsh Creek, killing 39 residents. Th/s was the worst flash flooding since 1851. In Dubuque 17t~ Street
was gullied and gouged "to such an extent that all former damage there seems not worth mentioning in comparison"
observed one resident. One chasm measured 100x40. Streetcar tracks on Clay and 17t~ were buried by three feet of flood
debris. There was one fatality in the city, a drowned infant. Other cascades damaged Mineral Street, Kauffman Street,
and Dodge Street "as usual got scoured and tom by the storm." The city suffered $15,000 in damages to a July 2, 1889
storm (1880 County History, pp. 475, 488; OIdt, p. 192).
Massive storm sewers, particular the Bee Branch sewer along Kauffman Avenue, were built and enlarged to
remedy this problem. Any blockage of these large drains results in flooded streets, particularly in the lower Couler
Valley.
Generally speaking, the destructive freshets occurred when more than three inches of precipitation were received
w/thin a 24-hour time period. This amount was exceeded on the following dates (Twentieth Annual Yearbook of
A~riculture, 1918, p. 763):
September 18-I9, 1874
September 8-9, 1875 (5.4 inches)
July 4-5, 1876 (4.55 inches)
September 5, 1876
July 6-7, 1879
June 3-4, 1880
September 25, 1880
July 10, 1881
September 26, 1881 (4.01 inches)
August 23-24, 1885
May 9-10, 1890
June 2-3, 1890
June 16, i892
July 26, 1896 (4.82 inches)
Dubuque as a Key Railroad Hub, Belated Mississippi River Railroad Bridge Construction:
Dubuquers called constantly for a railroad bridge, but serious demands and any real hopes came after 1865.
Some recognized that gaining the bridge would actually harm the city's regional trade position as through-trains
effectively bypassed the city. This was in accordance w/th Dubuque" historic penchant for slowing down the traveler,
even today traffic lights ornament the city's "interstate" approaches. It was suggested that major cities like Chicago,
Pittsburgh, and Baltimore ali prevented trains from simply passing across the city. The bridge and tracks should be
designed to only indirectly connect to lines stretching west. Nothing was done and the completion of the raikoad bridge
marked the downgrading of the city from "secondary entrep6rt" to a "central marketplace" (Johnson, pp. 232-33,
Mahoney, p. 327).TM
The interests of Dubuque and Northern Iowa suffered for many years in consequence of
the lack of transportation facilities between Dunleith and Dubuque
1880 county history, p. 637
14 Oldt noted without further details that steam raikoads were taking trade away fi.om the city as early as February 1861 (Oldt, p. 137).
PS Form
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 54
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The Dubuque-Dunleith Railroad Bridge:
An independent bridge company was formed in 1867, headed by company president William B. Allison. The
local press advocated a combination rail/vehicular bridge but couldn't prevail. Stockwas sold in Dubuque, Bostun and
New York. The Keystone Bridge Company of Philadelphia was awarded the contract. The bridge was finished
December 15, 1868, two weeks ahead o£ schedule (i880 county history, pp. 637-39, incredibly one of the shorter spans of
this original bridge still survives, having served until recently as a county vehicular bridge).
It is unclear as to when other raiI lines were able to lease access to this bridge. At first, the Illinois Central
enjoyed a clear advantage with the other lines making their crossing at Clinton or points above Dubuque.
Railroad bridge viewed towards Illinois, 1873 (Bennett, p. 26)
Note the low elevation of the Dubuque end of the crossing point.
Laying Rails Further West:
Midwestem trail terminal points were fLxed throughout the war and immediate postwar years. The Dubuque &
Sioux City line actually contracted bridging and grading of 44 add/tionaI miles of track from Cedar Fails to Iowa Falls
although mils didn't reach the latter point until after the war. The Iowa Falls & Sioux City Railroad was organized in
1867 to further extend the line but it was soon after leased by the Illinois Central Railroad and the line was completed to
Sioux City on July 7, 1869 with 326 miles of trackage. It wasn't long before the unified ICRR was charged with rate
discrimination against the city (ibid., p. 626).
The Chicago, Clinton, Dubuque & Minnesota, so constituted in 1873, replaced a number of north-south rail lines
which sought to link Minnesota and Clinton, to the south. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy with a more direct
east/west link to Chicago, approached Clinton fi:om Prophetstown, Illinois. The CCD&M established its shops in north
Dubuque and provided 100 jobs (ibid.).
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page. 55
Ot~4B Approval lVo,
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Other lines sought to add other southerly routes. The Dubuque, Cedar Fails and Minnesota Railroad was a Cedar
Falls firm but was Dubuque-funded. It graded a line to Waverly in early 1858 but didn't resume construction until 1863-
64 when Waverly was fmally reached. It was subsequently leased to the Dubuque & Sioux City and then leased to the
ICRR. The Dubuque & Muscatine Railroad was a relative latecomer, being incorporated in early 1880 in Clinton (ibid.).
Collectively the city's railroads aided substantially to the local employment rolls and to the annual calculations of
city improvements. It was primarily the railroads, followed by industry, which filled the vast river frontage and
transformed slough and open water into level land for industrial and railroad use. While the city was later chastised for
giving up its riverfront to these uses, there would have been no riverfront absent the relentless dumping of barrow. The
process was incremental, raised trestle was first infilled and bermed and then the interveffmg areas built up.
The Great City On The River:
The Herald predicted that "some city between St. Paul and St. Louis, on the Mississippi river, is destined to be a
large town." Each major city in the Midwest states was situated on a river "and hence their prosperity." The Herald
asked "Why not Dubuque for Iowa?" Dubuque had the river location and as of 1885 was "rapidly drawing to herself a
railroad system unsurpassed by few cities in the northwest..." The Dubuque and Northwestern, then under construction,
was financed by a special tax levy in 1883. The line was complete to Durango and being graded toward Farley.
Eventually it would link up with the Minnesota and Northwestern, 160 miles to the northwest. A similar initiative in
1870 had put in place the north/south Dubuque and Minnesota route (the "River Road") that was now the Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad (as of May 1880). The line linked Clinton and Lacrosse with branches to Cascade,
Waukon and Preston. The Milwaukee system linked Dubuque with St. Paul and many Iowa cities to the west and
southwest. The company's machine shops were built at Dubuque with "one of the largest round houses in the state." The
Illinois Central Raikoad gave Dubuque alone an unbroken line access to New Orleans, a singular Iowa advantage. Two
trains left the city to that seaport each day. The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy was building a new route along the east
bank of the Mississippi River from Oregon, illinois to St. Paul. Dubuque was to become the line's "main point" and the
company had purchased four riverfront acres for improvements. This link would connect Dubuque and St. Louis. The
Chicago and Northwestern had just reached Galena and was to come on to Dubuque. The Dubuque and Dakota,
"peculiarly a Dubuque entmprise" linked Bremer and Franklin counties and would serve as a key feeder line to the new
Dubuque and Northwestern (Herald, December 20, 1885).
Extensive as ~vill be our railroad facilities they are only a part of the ample facilities offered for heavy
shipping. The Mississippi roils by the city, and must forever be a highway, not only for transportation
itself, but also by its free tolls and low rates must always check all combinations among raikoads to force
high prices. In this regard alone it is invaluable, for it forever acts as a check upon all transportation
routes
Herald, December 20, 1885
I must not forget her railroad interests, for they have become of more importance to our Western cities
than even our mighty rivers.
Dr. Samuel Wood, Chicago Journal of Commerce, (reprinted in the Daily Times, July 13, 1877)
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
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Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and H/storical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State .......
A Mississippi River Vehicular/Pedestrian Bridge, At Last[:
The river at this point is bridged by Arch/tect J. Frost, who finished the j ob night before
last. McShaw of Anamosa was first to try the strength of the new bridge, yesterday, and
he was speedily followed by others.
Herald, December 19, 1860
River ice eliminated the obstacle normally presented by the river. The other eight months of the year only the
ferry service or the railroad transfer service were options for crossing man, beast or freight to or from Illinois. Rough ice
meant that even this natural bridge was not available. Such was the case late 1880 when wagon traffic couldn't make the
crossing. The National Democrat editor wondered why the railroad bridge couldn't be temporarily floored for
emergency use. He wished that the long-awaited pontoon bridge, "better than none," was in place and wondered why
Minneapolis could claim three bridges (National Democrat, November 25, 1880).
The Illinois "gateway" to Dubuque, twin bridges (undated photo, Dubuque County Historical Society)
Dubuquers had hoped fruitlessly for a combined use bridge when the railroad bridge was designed and built.
They now considered adding side passageways on the bridge but the city refused to accept liability for any acc/dents.
Another altc~rnative was the construction of special railway carriages which would have been used to cross wagons across
the bridge. Combination bridges were uncommon but Davenport had one courtesy of the federal government and Rock
Island Arsenal. Pontoon bridges were increasingly favored by Upper Mississippi River communities as of the middle
1870s. The Secretary of War had veto power over design and construction over navigable streams and these bridges
further reqtitred the passage of federal enabling legislation. The Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad led the way with the
construction of a double floating draw span raikoad bridge at Prairie du Chien in late 1873. The necessary legislation
curiously followed on June 6, 1874, authorizing another bridge to be built by the same company at Clinton. On March 2,
1875 Dubuque secured the passage of legislative approval for a vehicular pontoon bridge. Dubuque's act specified that
government approval bad to precede construction. This was the problem. The bridge had to be a mile above or below the
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 57
The Architectural m~d Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
railroad bridge. This placed it above Eagle Point. Dubuquers wanted 3rd Street. Efforts to raise funds failed
(Laws...Construction of Bridges, pp. 104-05, 112-13; Lyon, pp. 355-56).
The ice story of 1880, referenced above, indicates that no progress had been made by that time, and that pontoon
hopes still were being considered. ~ae winter of i885-86 pushed the issue to the fore when thin ice stopped ferries but
blocked crossing on the ice. Losses to the city were estimated at $75,000 and merchants demanded a permanent bridge.
East Dubuque was opposed to any bridge outside of/ts boundary and the government approved theft: proposal for a
permanent bridge site 225 feet south of the railroad crossing. The bridge company board approved the concept ora high
wagon bridge just below the existing bridge on August 9, 1886. Construction started in the spring of 1887, with four
completed spans by mid-July. The bridge opened with great fanfare on November 25, 1887 (Lyon, pp. 355-56; Oldt, pp.
189, 191).
Fitful Streetcar Service:
~qe Dubuque Street Railway Company was organized in October 1867 and established a three-mile long line that
connected the Jones Street ferry, Main Street, 13t~ to Clay, i8t~ to Couler and the fairgrounds. Service opened May 23,
1868 with five horse-drawn cars. The service was less than impressive and the company was purchased in 1872 by a new
consortium. The ten-cent fair was cut in half. In 1877 a separate company, the "Hill Street and West Dubuque Steam
Railway Company" was formed to tackle the bluffs. Photographer Samuel Root documented first day of service north
from 8th and Main streets on July 12, 1877. The route ran along Hill and 3ra streets to Alpine and Julien (now University)
streets, via Broad (now Mt. Pleasant) Street. Two years later the route was extended to the Western Brewery at Julien
and Delhi streets, for a total distance of two miles. The company car barn was located at that same point. The company
shut down in 1884 and pulled up its tracks. A third transit company, the Key City Electric Street Railway Company,
sought to duplicate the hilltop service of the Hill Street company but it had an even shorter existence, less than one year
between 1888 and 1889. It instead unsuccessfully competed with the Dubuque Street Railway Company, offering a
duplicate north/south service (Lyon, pp. 202-03; WPA History, pp. 62-63; Willde, pp. 328, 330; 1880 County History, pp.
640, 642; Oldt, p. 191).
The main purpose of the car line was pro~Ading north-south travel within the downtown, and to the distant
fairgrounds. No consideration was made of even providing access to the base of the bluffs, let alone to the blufftops.
There was considerable public demand for this in 1876. Car service during this era was generally poor but progress was
realized with the 1872 line purctmse by J. K. Graves and J. Rhomberg. Historian Oldt notes "it became useful and
ornamental to the city instead of being a nuisance and a disgrace as it formerly was." An Eagle Point line extension was
finished in 1887. It is possible that the success of the 4t~ and 11m Street private elevator companies, during the late 1880s,
reduced the need for car service to the highlands (Oldt, pp. 173, 178, 189).
By 1889 the company was called the Dubuque Electric Railway, Light and Power Company, but commonly was
termed the "Allen & Sweeney Line." In April 1890 cars first reached Stewart, later known as Union Park (ibid., pp. 192-
93).
Municipal Growth, 1859-1893:
Construct/on in Dubuque began to substantially recover by 1863-64. Buikfmg improvements still outpaced new
building starts. The Herald noted "People have not been so anxious to launch out into new enterprises of building"
despite the fact that "every available house in town is taken...and the demand exceeds the supply." The city was
benefiting from its wartime role, particularly in hotel accommodations with the rebuilding of the Peosta House heading
United States Department of the Interior
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The ArckitectaraI and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
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County and State .......
the city improvement list. Rail transportation improvements resulted in a new roundhouse. A soap and candle factory
was also gained (Herald, January 1, 1864).
By the fall o£ 1867 new construction was underway throughout the city "and in every variety of style and
expense" and the newspaper writer found it "impossible to be systematic in our birds eye review of the matter." Most
notable were the new planing mills raised up by the Dubuque Lumber Company and by Carr and Austin. q~he Herald's
armual report was tilled w/th humor noting that there were 60 families in the city with the names of Sm/th, Smyth or
Schmidt and 17 famihes bore the name Myers. Henry KrolI, town sexton "during the past healthy season, has rested from
his labors digging graves for others, and dug a fine cellar or basement for himself, just beyond the fair grounds, where he
has erected his own monument in the shape of a large bz/ck dwelling." No area was improving faster than Sem'mary Hill.
There was some nfmimal growth in West Dubuque '%vith notlYmg being allowed to go to wreck." Older buildings were
giving away to new ones or to makeovers. The Surveyor General's office on MWm went down and another property "of
some antiquity" was remodeled. Five substantial residences (J. A. Rhomberg, Jacob Christrnan, Henry Louray, W. J.
Knight and Sol Turck) were being built (Herald, September 5, 1867).
The city was booming by 1868 and the Herald's enumerators struggled to document the growth. Over 60 miles
of streets were canvassed and many owner/builders could not be tracked down to secure building details. Frequently only
the lady of the house was on hand and "though she would very probably have been able to tell the number of cows,
chickens and children, was rarely able to tell the dimensions of the house she lived in or its cost." The same source
proudly observed
Progress has been the watchword of Dubuque during the past season. Unexampled activity is public
improvements has been manifested. From the mouth of Catfish to Eagle Point, and from the Levee to
West Dubuque, the sound of the saw, the hammer and the plane has resounded from every block.
Standing on the bluff and overlooking the city, the roofs of new dwellings dot the scene like islands in an
archipelago. No section of the city is going into dilapidation, or is even at a standstill; everywhere are
indications of activity, thrift and enterprise...(Herald, December 13, 1868)?
The Daily Times was equally exuberant, estimating a population growth of more than two thousand residents within the
past year. The Illinois Central alone would bring 'some hundreds" of new jobs within a year. "More and better builcrmgs
have been erected than has ever been in any one year previous--some of them of a character that would do credit to more
pretentious cities (Daily Times, January 1, 1869).
The year 1869 was a poor one financially ("one of unusual dullness in trade, and of general apprehension"
observed the Herald, the least promising in ten years) but despite this slowdown "there have been improvements
surpassing those of any single previous year in our history." Improvements that year included Ryan's new packing house,
the gas works, the Methodist and Second Presb~erian churches, the Oglesby Block and 30 buildings valued at more than
$5,000 each. The Daily Times echoed the lack of growth during 1869, when it contrasted the city's situation two years
later. It noted
The writer had used exactly the same text a year earlier to describe city growth! (Herald, September 5, I867)
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 59
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Coantv, Iowa
County and State .......
They are surprised to see this [progress], and well they may bee--But two years ago stores without
number stood on Main street w/th cards hanging in the windows on which were inscribed the fatal words
'to Let,' business of every description was raveled out at the heel, many of the most enterprising and
stirring merchants and commJssionmen had deserted a city which they predicted would soon have grass
growing in its most public thoroughfares, immigration closed, real estate went down, and building was
stopped. In short, Dubuque presented all the outward tokens of being a city from which the light of
imporovement and enterprise had forever departed...
The Times credited the securing ora second railroad, the Chicago, Dubuque & Minnesota Railroad, with "giving renewed
vitality and vigor to the constitution of a city almost drugged to death by the spirit of reckless speculation and short-
sighted, unremunerative investments." During 1870 the "fire demon" ran riot but new construction replaced and
exceeded the losses. The construction of two new railroads boosted "an enterprising spirit among our citizens, not
excelled, if equaled, at any former period" (Herald, December 16, 1869; December 18, 1870; Daily Times, June 15, 1871;
Oldt, p. 165).
Improvements in 1871 led the F[erald to declare "not another city in the state can equal us" as construction values
exceeded $1.1 million. Improvements in 1872 fell just below those of the previous year, a hint of troubled times to come.
Many builcFmg plans were cancelled in the face of brick shortages despite increased production plans on the part of the
city' s eight brickyards (a total of 6,100,000 bricks burned). The railroads had tied up much of the early supply and
consequently "Guttenberg was made to pay tribute of many brick" to fill Dubuque's builcFmg needs. The building season
was cut short by "the tightening up of the money market during the later summer and fall months" (Herald, December 17,
1871; November 24, 1872; Times, November 23, 1872).
It would be pleasant to describe [in more detail] the picture that nature and art spread out before the eye
from several elevated points in Dubuque. The great river, spanned by a magnificent railroad bridge; the
bluffs on both sides, crowned with spring's richest verdue; the vast expanse of water seen above and
below the city at one glance of the eye; the hills crowned with beautiful villas; and all these forming a
grand framework for the rapidly rising and expanding commercial and manufacturing city of
Dubuque...The hills, valleys, ravines and rolling glands in the more western part of the city fo. rnish
admirable sites for residences, gardens and choice retreats, unsurpassed by any western city I have yet
visited...
Dr. Samuel Wood, Chicago Journal of Commerce, (reprinted in the Daily Times,
July 13, 1877)
1'ne first stirrings of laborers' organizing were heard in 1872. The Herald published the following account of a
new union, formed in mid-1872:
Working Men's Association In Dubuque A few evenings ago the j ourneymen-cabinet makers of
Dubuque armed themselves into a workingmen's association of ttfn'ty-five members; elected officers and
hold another meeting on Friday night next. Their object is to connect themselves with the workingmen's
associaton in the east for the general benefit of the craft in this city. Next we shall expect to hear the
eight-hour question discussed, and the pulling up of old and driving down new stakes in working hours
(Herald, June 26, 1872).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 60
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Proper~y
DuBuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Dubuque, 1875 (Andreas Atlas, p. 111)
One reason for this flurry of labor organizing was due to the influx of laborers to Dubuque. The city
directory of 1873-74 observed '~rhe number of mechanics has very largely increased within two years" as a result
of lumber and manufacturing gl'owth as well the gain of two railroad shops (Chicago, Dubuque & Minnesota and
Chicago Clinton & Dubuque railroads, which more than mitigated the loss of the Illinois Central Railroad). New
construction in the previous two years included a water works and ten miles of mains (which reduced fire
PS Form 10-90C~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Intorior
National Park Servico
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page d]
OMB Approval No. 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~, Iowa
County and State .......
insurance rotes), the extension of the street railway to six total miles, new churches and schools and "the greatest
substantial evidence of the growth of Dubuque since 1865, is the erection, in 1872, of the great number of large
buildings on Main and other streets for commercial and other purposes. These are about fifty in number and
include the largest carriage and wagon manufactory the second largest in the United States (Dubuque City
Directory for 1873-74, pp. 10-11).
Laboring men and mechanics were building most of the city's new homes by 1873 and these were located in the
outskirts of Dubuque. The Herald offered its end-of-year tally under the heading "How Dubuque Stands on her Pins in
Hard Times." Reflective ofthdse hard times or despite them,/ts progress report showed "a greater proportion of money
paid out by the poorer classes of the community to secure homes, and the number of dwelling houses erected is large than
in any previous year." Total construction value was down once again from the previous year and from 1871 (Times,
January 1, 1874; Herald, November 9, 1873).
While the city faired better with the economic downturn of 1873-74, new constraction did dinfmish. The Herald
admitted that mechanics and builders had turned to "job and piece work, rather than the erection of new buildings." Still,
"a number of costly houses have been put up. That will compare favorably with those built in previous years." Growth
continued northward, the same source noted "As usual the greatest activity in building circles has been manifested in the
vicinity of Couler Avenue and Eagle point."
The majority of these are owned by laboring men and mechanics, a favorable symptom, for this class are
the real bone and sinew of the city, and when they build themselves houses it shows that they have faith
and intend to stay...
Beginning in 1873, filling operations in conjunction with the railroads began to make substantial progress. In 1874
200,000 yards of fill were hauled from barrow sites six miles above the city (Herald, November 22, 1874).
During 1875 it was the Fifth Ward where growth was particularly evident. "Throughout the length and breadth
of our principal thoroughfares extensive improvements have been made.., and indications now point to greater results for
1876 than have every been recorded in the annals of our city's history. The zenith of her glory has not yet been reached,
but she is steadily going forward to that high estate and will get there in the 'near-bye and bye' at the rate she is now
progressing" (Herald, October 31, 1875).
Dubuque had rallied by 1876 in time to weather yet another national economic downturn. Record floods of that
year devastated many parts of the city. The Herald lauded "the Key City of the west" for its steady growth and the
efforts of its citizens to "adorn and improve" the city. Once again the paper challenged no "city in Iowa or the west, of its
population, can show a better record, during 'these times that try men's souls' and their pockets" (Herald, December 2,
1876).
The building season opened in mid-January. The National Democrat reported "New buildings are to be expected in great
numbers this spring...the architects Heer & N/ischer have their hands full of plans and drawings. Building designs for Blumenauer,
Couley, Peaslee, Peabody and others we had occasion to see are real fmc slructures...do the architects great honor." The year total of
$500,000 was "a surprising and successful one considering the bad times." The Building and Loan had $20,000 "out at work" (Der
National Democrat, January 13, 20, October 26, November 9, December 7, 1876).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 62
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The new building count was down during 1877 but the Herald assured its readers that "the buildings erected this
season, although not as numerous as in former years, are of a costly and permanent class, and add greatly to the beautiful
architectural reputation Dubuque has at home and abroad." Total improvements exceeded a million dollars, proof that
the city remained "determined to keep her place as the metropolis of Iowa." The city gamed a new opera house, two
churches, three hotels and tkree factories. There was also the palatial Main Street residence of Alex Young "intended to
eclipse, in point of magnificence, any dwelling heretofore erected in the city" (Herald, December i4, 1877).
The next year the Times suggested that "many will no doubt be agreeably surprised at the excellent showing"
made hi 1878. A "stringent" money market was the cause. The year witnessed '~not many business blocks" being built
"the most of the money being expended on dwelling houses and improvements on houses built in former years." The
Herald acknowledged "hard times" for the year but otherwise painted the year's growth in a more positive light with
"hundreds of new cozy homes erected ali over the city... [along with] new palatial dwellings and stores, factories and
warehouses." Business had been average and the bad times weathered because "in a word, Dubuque owns itself and it is
paid for too" (Times, December I 1, 1878; Herald, January 3, 1879).
Growth continued through 1880 w/th notable improvements inclucVmg St. Joseph's Academy on Seminary Hill,
the Sisters of St. Francis orphan's asylum on James Street, and the Home for the Friendless. Local money was now being
invested in local firms and their expansions and virtually every manufacturing firm in the city "has felt the need of greater
facilities for the work and more room." Despite high construction total valuations, the actual counts for new buildings
was low with "improvements" outweiglimg new building. Der National Democrat observed "Building goes on here this
fail so well that all the master carpenters have their hands full. There are no masons to be had at all and carpenters are
scarce. Pay then is up substantially which is a good sign." Materials costs were also on the rise. Brick in Dubuque sold
for $3.90-4.00 per thousand count in 1879, but cost $7.00 a year later (Herald, January 1, 1881; Der National Democrat,
October 21, i880; AABN Summary, No. 220, March 13, 1880, p. 112).
Compiling the annual improvements was by 1880 a tremendous challenge and the Herald's editor wished for "an
ordinance compelling builders to apply for building permits" to save his efforts. The same source observed "The past
year has been one of extreme prosperity to Dubuque. But few failures have occurred, and those of so slight a character
that the commercial centers felt them as a flea bite." By this time it was claimed that the city "contains more beautiful
churches than any other city in the state." The record growth of 1880 continued into the next year and it was claimed that
the city's growth outpaced that of the entire state. Railroad division point consolidation to the city brought new workers
to Dubuque and "augmented our population considerably" with north end residential growth around the Chicago,
Milwaukee and St. Paul shops. During 1882 the unprecedented growth continued and Dubuque was "never in a more
prosperous condition" with the erection of a record number of new buildings. Even as the end-of-year report went to
press, the Herald noted "at least fifty residences are now in course of construction" which were not counted. The paper
copied the Dubuque Trade Journal's boast that "this city is reported stronger in proportion to size than any other point in
the union." The 1883 progress report noted "an increase of population and the existence of general prosperity" (Herald,
January 1, 1880; December 4, 1881; December 4, 1881; December 19, 1883).
The year 1882 witnessed a record-breaking number of new buildings. At least 50 new residences, then still under
construction, were left out of the annual count. Fully 17 local manufanmring firms expanded their facilities. The city
population was said to have grown by 6,000 in just two years (Herald, December 31, 1882).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page t53
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Properly
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
During 1884 60 brick houses were built with a total value of $81,060, for an average cost of $1,351. There were
66 new frame houses, valued at $56,890, an average cost of just $862. Thirty new business blocks were completed,
worth $71,875 while other new construction was valued at $16,718. Repairs totaled $50,000 for an annual new
construction total of $i,276,543 (Institute of American Builders, Vol. V, No. 1, February 1885, p. 13).
By 1886, Dubuque editors were first complaining that other Iowa cities were inflating their armual
construction figures. The Herald derided its two chief competitors noting that local counts avoided "the
exaggeration employed by many cities on their building statistics, particularly Des Moines and Sioux City" which
had become "proverbial." An honest summary of a "rather dull" year was "not cooked up for effect." Again in
1889 that year's report closed with the boast that "Dubuque has no need to grumble and although she does not
toot her own horn as much as Sioux City and Des Moines she is getting to the front all the same" (Herald,
January 1, 1887; December 23, 1888; December 29, 1889).
Year Total Construction New Residential Construction Notes:
Total Value Total Non- Number New S/F Total Value New Multi-fam/ly
Residential Houses Houses
1859
1860
I86I
I862
I863 5 8 1 double 2,719 total dwellings in thc city, Incomplete,
new ~ngine house, roundhouse, brewery,
factory, custom house stopped, sealed, more
repairs than new building
1864 4 9 2 Incomplete, Peosta House rebuilt, brevity,
Dub & SC RR roundhouse, one store
1865
1866
1867 54 8 Herald says about 100 new buildings worth
at least $800, 10 valued over $10,000, Oldt
says I21 new buildings
1868 $647,300 I9 81 5 Timestallies2OSnewbuildings, Notov~
(Times, new 200 improvements, 100 over $1,000 in
buildings, value, Incomplete, business blocks on Main
$52,300 streets) and small houses on Somhem Avenue, Oldt
says both 135 and 150 new buildings
1869 15 97 8 Methodist, 2n~ Presbytmian churches, Oldt
says 176 new buildings
1870 11 66 2.5 A total of 3,619 dwellings in city, Times
reports 16i new buildings, Augustus and
Farley mansions
1871 $969,362 24 95 2 Ryan rnmmion, National Demokrat building,
Levi Block, Times reports 159 buildings new
or remodeled, 15 new buildings on Main
Street alone, $16,184 streets, $535,000 by
railroad, watur works and 8 m/les of mains
1872 $ 835,25t 24 84 7 139 new buildings, 4 mansions, $13,200 for
sidewalks
1873 $ 721,906 21 95 17
1874 14 bldgs., lime 36 (I 5 brick) 6 60 total new buildings, driving park opened,
kiln, saw m/ll, 2 two new schools, $23,000 in street work,
schools, church En~ne House 4m and Locust
PS Form lO-SO0-a
(Rev. 8-85)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Servico
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 64
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Countv, Iowa
County and State .......
1875 $672,055 63 (28 brick) 6 181 new dwellings and other buildings
28 new excluding the 28 new business blocks,
business blocks $I3,000 for streets, $14,000 for schools
1876 $ 529,913 23 78 I 7
I877 $1,000,917 56 (24 brick) 6 21 other new buildings
total, over
$700,000 in
buildings,
repairs
1878 125 $488,370
1879 $943,100 28 47 2 Democrat says $19,66i public
improvements, $500,000 total
1880 $803,374 38 6 77 new buildings worth $728,832, Democrat
says $624,000 private and $336,000 in
improvements overall
1881 $1,065,295 39 71 2 Chic. Mil. & St. Paul depot/shops
1882 $L268,950 155 8
1883 $ 304,900 24 155 6 Iowa Coffin Co. factory
1884 $ 903,600 25 126 I8
1885 $ 600,000
1886 $955,000 18 103 3 Minn.& NW RR roundhouse, f~eight house,
Academy of Visitation school, incomplete
1887 "hundreds of new 350 total new buildings, Cooper mansion,
dwellings" German Congregational Clmrch, Staples &
Vibber Diamond Block, Bishop's Block, 111.
Central Station, 11th St. Elevator
1888 $1,678,700 23 87 9 75 architect-designed buildings costing
$1,500-2,000, Wallis Block, ICRR Depot,
$60,000 street work, Sacred Heart Church,
11~ Street Elevator
I889 $1,485,850 27 I02 I5 Summit Cong. Church, Key City Elec.,
Julian House, Grand Opera, Murray,
Marigold, Salot and Powers blocks, U.S.
Electric, W. Locust and Cooper schools
1890 $4,076,700 123/600 $2,884,200 permits total, $1,192,500
estimated unreported new residences, other
1891 $2,078,700 1892 City Directory total figttre for
in~rovements
1892 $1,586,581 174 (at least 128 9 Total expenditures estimated in excess of
total private, frame) $2,000,000 due to an estimated $150,000
$298,618 not mported.
public
1893 No data found.
This sustained growth during the early 1880s was in contrast to the known pattern in other cities. The 1884 new
construction levels continued the boom. Total improvements during 1885 (over $600,000) were "less than the previous
year, owing to the general business depression..." Construction costs in 1886 were one third cheaper and the result was
an explosion in cheaper middle class housing. The Herald interpreted the phenomenon as "a splendid indication of...a
steady increase o£a permanent population, a thriftiness of the people who thus build homes for themselves." Arch/tects
reported that it was a great year to build and they "never knew building to be so cheap." A three-story double-brick was
raised up for $3,000 when normally it would cost up to $5,000 (Dubuque: Its Manufacturing and Commercial Facilities,
1886; Herald, January 1, 1887).
By 1887 the city required the filing of building permits for new construction bnt the ordinance was so ignored
that the city engineer estimated 350 new buildings lacldng the mandatory permits. The city was being "substantially built
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name o£Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
up" but it wasn't a boom. "Dubuque has not claimed to itself one of the 'building booms' which is here to-day and gone
tomorrow. But it has ever claimed and maintained by indisputable proof that it has such a steady, prosperous growth as
places it in 'the front rank of substantial American cities" (Herald, November 24, 1887)
A real estate boom developed during the spring of 1887, said to have been the greatest since 1857. Speculative
downtown investing reflected the rapid growth of that area. The Herald observed "money has been ready and eyes have
been sharp in searching out bargains." The Commercial National Bank purchased the comer of Sixth and Main streets
and as a result "liberated considerable capital which was holding in the hands of other part/es for the purpose of buying
it, and the holders have not been adverse to placing it elsewhere." Transactions were not being made with the usual one-
third payment but were sold for cash (Herald, March 13, 1887).
The non-boom ~vas gone by 1888 which was described as "a rather dull one." This was interpreted as evidence
that the city "while not inflicted with an inflated boom fever, has progressed steadily and conservatively in the right
direction." The best thing that could be said about 1889's progress was that "Dubuque is not dead." The Herald added
$200,000 in new construction to the perrrdt total flied with the city (Herald, December 23, 1888; December 29, 1889).
The 1890 construction figures exceeded those of the previous year by 275%. Th/s gain was unmatched by any
Iowa city and was proof that the city "has entered upon an era of material prosperity that means for her a step far in
advance of any other city in the Hawkeye State." Building perm/ts accounted for just 20% of all new work and the 123
house starts fell far short of the estimated 600 house starts. The 1891 total was thought to be double that of 1891although
the year total was determined by multiplying the house count by the average house cost indicated by the actual permits.
At any rate the Herald predicted "The boom has just started and it is not a wild prediction to state that the future has in
store for Dubuque tan fold greater prosperity than the past has produced." Real estate prices were reported as being very
firm and experiencing a sharp increase during the spring of 1890 (Herald, March 27, April 13, 1890; January 18, 1891).
The city had five directories printed during the 1880s and "so rapid...and extensive have been recent changes"
that a new directory was needed by 1890. During 1889 the city gained a new Hotel Julien, Grand Opera House and two
new electric railway and light companies. The new growth was expressed in the extension and widening ora number of
streets, and the creation of new ones. Confusion resulted from conflicting street names. Optimistically the new directory
estimated the city population to be 41,631. This figure was just 26% offthe mark, given the 1890 federal census
headcount of 30,311 ! The Herald berated the "Bad work of the [ 1890] census" and estimated "this city will not be set
down for more than two-thirds or three fourths of the population to which it is entitled" (Hardie & Scharle's Dubuque
Directory 1890-91, introduction; Herald, June 19, 1890).
Record new construction continued through 1892, thought to be in excess of the $2,000,000 figure. The numbers
were bolstered by the new Irving School, county courthouse and the Odd Fellows Hall. Most remarkable was the sudden
predominance of frame residences with 88 percent of identified construction materials being of frame construction. This
shif~ might have been linked to "an unfortunate trouble between the boss carpenters and boss bricklayers" during the
summer. The "troubles" had force the abandonment of plans to erect "some bulldfugs." The new Dubuque Pressed Brick
works "terminated the trouble." Another mark of progress was the hying of the f~rst paving brick on Main Street during
the summer and fall of 1891 (Herald, December 25, 1892).
The 1892 Iowa State Gazetteer and Bus/ness Directory enumerated nine banks, three colleges, two opera houses,
two hospitals, "the finest hotels to be found in Iowa," over 200 manufacturing firms, 150 jobbing firms (300 salesmen,
PS Form 10-90C~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 66
OMB Approval NO. 1024 {2018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State .......
over 3,000 employees), 55 miles of paved roads, 29 miles of electric street railway. "Its improvements are of the most
metropolitan character" 1892 Iowa State Gazetteer and Business Directory, p. 455).
Ethnicity and Dubuque:
The Iowa 1885 census indicates that 39 percent of the city, or 7,433 persons, were foreign-bom. Perhaps more
important, of the 18,897 native-bom residents, 6,448 reported a foreign-bom father, and 7,921 had a foreign-bom mother.
The foreign-bom represented the following home countries, in decreasing order by count (Census of Iowa, 1885, pp. 107,
211):
Countr~ Number Percentage Percentage
Foreign-born City Population
German 4,143 55.7 15.7
Ireland 1,696 22.8 5.3
England 519 6.9 1.9
Scotland 117 i .5 N/A
France 87 1.1 N/A
Bohemia 86 1.1 N/A
Scandinavia 42 0.56 N/A
Other 516 6.9 N/A
The Irish imrmgration peaked in Iowa c.1880, ten years before German arrivals. Irish m/gration across the United
States was slower and more complex, while Germans tended to pre-select and travel to a location where other relatives
were already residing. As of 1870 Irish-born Iowans predominated in 21 counties. The Gem:tans were the state's largest
foreign-bom ethnic group. They continued to reach places like Dubuque although the majority were farmers and not
urban dwellers. Waves of German emigration occurred in i873, 1882, and between 1907-14. Historian John Hawgood
divides German-American h/story into three eras; the transplantation of German culture, 1819-1855; the hyphenated
period, 1855-1919; and the separate German American, post 1919 (Calkin, pp. 153, 169; Hawgood, p. 39).
Historical investigations of Dubuque's two predominant ethnic groups, the Irish and the Germans, have focused
primarily upon initial settlement or institutional studies. Plentiful German sources, particularly newspapers, rcnnain
obscure because of the difficulty of translation. One area particularly deserving of attention is the differentiation of the
German Catholic and Protestant subgroups in Dubuque. By 1880 Dubuque Germans were distributed amongst two
Catholic, a Lutheran, a German Presbyterian and three or four smaller Protestant congregations. Another claim, related
to this religious distinction as well as to the Irish-German relationship, is that it ~vas German Catholics who established
the parochial education system in Dubuque (Faust, p. 46I; Peters, p. 87).
The German community was served by a large number of local and regional newspapers. The Iowa Staats
Zeitung (1856-?) and the Northwest Demokrat (c. 1857-73) and the Volks Tribune (1857-61) were the first, the former
evolved into a pro-Republican paper. The National Demokrat (1856-1880's) was established to challenge it, given the
reality that most Dubuque Germans were pro-Democrat. The last-named was the only local Genmn paper and the oldest
German language organ in northeast Iowa. Its editor, Fred A. Oniffke, oversaw its operation for over 23 years. There
were also Catholic (Luxembourger Gazette) and Presbyterian (Der Iowa Presbyterian) German newspapers. The last-
named relocated to Dubuque in 1870 (1880 County History, pp. 599-601).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 67
The Arch/tectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
German language and culture was supported by the early archbishops in the belief that language was a key tool in
retaining church allegiance and membership. Mass was uniformly offered in German and German was taught in the
parish schools. Numerous German social and cultural organizations date to this time period. The German Mechanics
Benevolent Association was formed in 1866. The Socialer Tumervarein, combining cultural and athletic values,
organized in 1863 and located at their Germania hall at 9t~ and Iowa streets (the building later housed the Ames
Company). The Turnverein experienced an infusion of younger members during the mid-1880s and by 1890 was able to
built a new hail. The Svengebund formed in 1879. Catholic organizations included the St. Alphonses Society (1867), a
young men's' group. The Schuetzen Gesellschaft, formed in 1855 and incorporated in 1865, was a particularly
successful organization, serving as a German male country club. The/r fn:st shooting range was at 30th and Jackson
streets. The railroad took over the range in 1887 and a 23-acre park was purchased on the Sageville Road. The group
reincorporated in 1890 as the Dubuque Shooting Society. Still operating, the city council acted in 1978 to reroute a new
highway around the historic club grounds (Willging, pp. 10-22; Lyon, pp. 36, 125-27).
German musical groups flourished. The Dubuque Saengerbund (incorporated 1873) was formed in 1878, a
merging of the Heiretia Saengerbund and the Dubuque Saengerbund. It briefly carried on the work of the pre-Civil War
Dubuque Saengerbund. Two particularly noteworthy events mark the success of this organization. In 1874 the
Northwestern Saengerbund of America held its annual meeting in Dubuque and in 1896 that same regional organization
once again met in the city. The latter hosting, while successful to the participating groups, left the local organ/zation
saddled with a huge debt principally in the form of a temporary hall, erected at Couler and Kauffman. Another German
band was the Katzenjammers, formed in I890 (Catholic Daily Tribune, July 1, 1936; Lyon, p. 235).
The German Theological Presbyterian Seminary, founded c.1855, purchased the former Episcopal Seminary at
the head of Iowa Street in 1872. The emergence ora number of German banks is recounted in the banking section of this
and other contexts, as is the history of the notable Dubuque Cabinet Makers Association, a successful collective business
venture (1880 County History, pp. 579-89).
On the Irish side of Dubuque the Fenian movement (the Irish Republican Brotherhood, 1857-68) was strongly
supported. Ostensibly an anti-Anglo, pro-Irish independence effort, in North America it took the form of a number of
unsuccessful efforts to liberate Canada from British rule. In Dubuque the Scousfield Circle of Fenlans led by
Commander John O'Neill hosted four annual balls between 1867 and 1870. The Fenian Brotherhood formed only in
1868, just as the movement peaked (Calkin, p. 65).
The city's First Ward, called "Dublin," in the south end of the city. As of 1860 the Irish-bom comprised 13.9
percent or 1,800 of the city's total population of 13,045. There were 535 Irish families. Occupations included day
laborers (305), building trades (63), mirFmg (56), merchants (13), manufacturing (8), female servants (196), and justices
(2). Property owners included 151 persons or 10.8 percent. Personal property was owned by 199 individuals or 7.4
percent (Calkins, p. 63).
German-Irish ethnic friction continued unabated into the post-war years. Two fatal inter-ethnic altercations
marred the city's early history. Irishmen intcurapted a German party at the Western Brewery Hall on December 31, 1857
and in the insuing melee, the Irish suffered two dead and as many injured. An 1862 fatal incident at the Civil War
rendezvous camp was also due to ethnic rivalry. In one venue at least, that of baseball, the Irish triumphed resoundingly
in 1887, beating the best the Germans could put forth with a score of 22-6. German-Irish tensions were lessened
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMBApprovalNo. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~y
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
somewhat as a result of the Archbishop's temperance campaigns (Undated Telegraph-Herald article "Dubuque BasebalI
Began in i855," post-1954; Lyon, pp. 175-76).
The city's African American population, as measured in the chart presented below, was always marginal in size.
The pre-Civil War population virtually disappeared between 1852 and 1854, but was re-established within two years.
Oldt notes that St. Louis drove out several hundred free Blacks in and these reached the city on April 20, 1861. Some at
least disembarked and settled in the city. The local population increased substantially during the final two years of the
war and maintained a static population level for the next 15 years. Strangely, the 1885 state census found just eight
African-Americans in Dubuque. The seventh anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation was celebrated at Globe
Hall on January 3, I870. There was some degree of broader commtmity support and interest given that "quite a large
number of our white citizens were present and contributed to the success of the entertainment." Whatever long-term
population was in the city, it was devastated by 1885, at which time just six male and two female Blacks were
enumerated in the state census (Oldt, pp. 148, 263; Times, January 4, 1870; Census of Iowa, 1885, p. 26).
African-Americans In Dubuque, t840-1880
The Catholic Church In Dubuque:
Bishop Loras d/ed February 19, 1858 after 20 years of relentless work in Dubuque and he was succeeded by Rev.
Clement Smyth (1810-1865), of Irish birth. The i860 Dubuque religious headcount was reported as 1,400 Protestants
and 6,200 Catholics, figures apparently based upon actual church attendance. Smyth's diocese contained 50 churches, 53
priests, and 50,000 parishioners. The diocese still contained Davenport, Iowa and some points west, and Smyth was able
to produce considerable church growth in the face of both the post-1857-58 financial setback and the Civil War. By 1863
he oversaw over 80 churches, 85 priests and nearly 100,000 parishioners. Smyth served as bishop for just seven years
and was replaced in 1866 by Rev. John Hennessey, another Irish-born priest (ibid., 880-88, Herald, February 7, 1860).
The late 1870s witnessed a period of institutional growth. A boy's training school had been opened in 1865 at
Bluff and 3~a streets. St. Raphael's Cathedral had gained a tower and spire in 1876 and a new St. Patrick's Church was
started in 1877 and finished the next year. St. Joseph's Mercy Hospital opened in 1879 as did St. Mary's Orphans Home
and St. Francis Convent (Oldt, pp. 890-91).
PS Form 10-900-a
IRev. 8-86)
Unitod States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 69
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The ArckitecmraI and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Countv, Iowa
County and State .......
Another surge of institutional growth occurred in the 1880s. The Cathedral was remodeled and dedicated in
1886. The city boasted a dozen Catholic educational institutions. Each parish and the Cathedral had their own schools.
The list included St. Joseph's College (now Loras College), Mount St. Joseph's Academy (for lady boarders, now Clarke
College), Academy of the Visitation (for day scholars), St. Vincent's Presentation Convent, St. Mary's Academy, St.
Francis' Convent School and St. Malachi's School (ibid., p. 891-92).
The 1891 diocesan inv~mtory tallied 319 churches, 203 priests, 107 schools, and 615 sisters. This growth was in
spite of the d/visiun of the diocese in 1881, with the creation of the Davenport Diocese. Bishop Hmmessy is credited
with being "probably the foremost advocate of parochial schools in the country." Six additional orders of nuns were
brought to Dubuque and eight institutions were established under his tenure. He served as bishop for 34 years, advancing
to Archbishop when the Diocese was established in December 1892. The Archdiocese emenmpassed Iowa, Nebraska and
Wyoming (ibid., pp. 892-93).
Church growth continued unabated through the 1890s. The Sisters of St. Francis purchased the J. P. Farley house
(Bluffand 6th streets) and established the St. Francis' Industrial School and Home For Young Ladies. ~he Sisters of
Charity motherhouse was nearly done. The Couler Avenue church and St. Joseph Church in West Dubuque were begun
in 1895. Two insane asylums, St. Joseph and Mercy Hospital were also started, the former being three miles from the
city. During 1898 St. Joseph's College, five female seminaries and the St. Anthony's Church (dedicated 1900) were all
under construction (ibid., pp.893, 896-97).
Archbishop Hennessy died in 1900 and was succeeded by Archbishop John J. Keane (ibid., pp. 897-98).
Hennessy's historical legacy, while generally accepted, has been directly challenged by at least one most unl/kely
Dubuque historian, Sister Mary Jane Coogan. She starts with Hmmessy's death, at which time his personal (underscore
the word personal), exceeded a million dollars. The Archbishop was in a position to acquire wealth without any church
supervision. The church and the public were astounded to learn both of the wealth and of Heunesy's assumption that the
estate was not church property. Heunessey (and Archbishop Ryan) burned his personal papers prior to his death. The
Archbishop is honored in history as a promoter of parochial education and a friend of the several Irish religious orders
which he brought to Dubuque. Sister Coogan challenges both claims, noting that Hmmesy battled with the various orders
of sisters, dispossesed them of assignments and properties as his will. His educational legacy was founded in his claims
of adding schools during his tenure as archbishop, but Coogan challenges his diocesan count of churches, schools and
orders at the time of his assignmetn as bishop. There were 79 churches, 51 free schools, 18 sister-run schools. Hmmessy
claimed that the Blessed Virgin Mary order was "dying" at the time of his arrival, but Coogan offers a roster of 102
sisters and nine novitiates as of the late 1860s. Hennessy claimed 15,000 Catholics in his diocese at the time of his
arrival but period sources document 110,000 adherents in the diocese. Archbishop John Hennessy's legacy is a mixed
one and it calls for further historical investigation. Just one building, a hall at Loras College, honors his name. For
Dubuque, his importance resides in part in his many developments in the downtown area. The Bishop's Block, with a
name that honors the rank of its owner-builder, is said to have been destined as a ne~v cathedral site in Hennessy's vision.
Numerous other commercial and multi-family resideatial properties were developed by H~messy. The archbishop was
also significant for his support of the Irish element of his church, reflective of Hennessy's Irish birth (Coogan, pp. 1-43).
Catholic benevolent societies played an important role in assisting members through difficult times. These
included the Dubuque Catholic Benevolent Society (founded January 1, 1872), the St. Alphonses Society, the Plus
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page. 70
The A~chitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Benevolent Association (formed February 5, 1855, merged in the 1890s w/th the Alphonses Society to form the Pius
Society) and the Mercy Hospital Aid Society (fotmded 1879 to support the orphan asylum and to complete Mercy
Hospital) (Lyon, p. 36).
Context//3, Dubuque's Golden Age, 1893-1910:
Industrial Dubuque, (Dubuque, Iowa, Dubuque Commercial Club, 1911)
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. $-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ?!
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, I837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
That Dubuque has maintained the proud position she has held for the last half century as the Key
City, is due in the greatest measure to the progressive spirit and energy of those who are in the
management of her successful business institutions. While some of the names are almost
household words in Iowa, as for instance Tredway, Meklhop, Hancock, McDonald, Piekenbrock,
Peaslee, Rhomberg, and others, and have been identified with different lines of trade for years,
those that founded the bnsiness have passed away or retired and the management of their
enterprises is in thb hands of younger men. How well those pioneers in the trade binlded [sic] is
shown in the substantial foundation they la/d for the/r successors and it is on this foundation that
the great enterprises of the present are being reared. In many instances those in charge of the
business ~vere reared in it and how well they profited by the tutelage they had, and their practical
experience is well shown in the prosperity of the city.
Enterprise, Janua~ 24, 1903
Fighting For Second Place in State Population:
Tae population chart shown below traces the gradual, then abrupt erosion of Dubuque's former first in the state
population status. Its second place rank was success~lly challenged by Sioux City but the financial downturn of 1893-94
eliminated that western rival for some 15 years. Back in her silver medal slot, Dubuque watched with antic/pation as the
state did its 1905 census enumeration. When the 1895 state census was taken, Dubuque saw to it '~rat the census was
worked as hard [as] it was possible to do it. While the lists were not actually padded, it has been stated that that the
names of transients were taken, and others were counted who were not real bona fide residents of Dubuque." The
inflated 1895 count gave Dubuque a few more residents than 40,000. As a result of the more accurate 1900 count
Dubuque "paid the penalty in the reflection [of] the seeming decrease in population." Des Moines sin-dlarly "caught the
fever" and produced an 1895 headcount of 75,000. The 1900 federal count cut that figure to just over 61,000! The
collapse of Sioux City's "boom" "there wasn't so much interest in the subsequent census" although "now the rivalry, or
rather apprehension, is with Davenport, which is making claims to being the second city in the state..." (Enterprise,
December 13, 1904).
The 1899-1900 city d/rectory had calculated that by multiplying directory entries by 2.5, the city had 45,280, a
gain of 4.710 since 1895. Dubuquer's were greatly disappointed by the 1900 federal census figures and long-anticipated
gains were completely absent from the 36,297 total. The count was accepted as accurate but the low numbers were
explained as being due to the fact that 1900 "was exceptionally dull in the building trade lines, and that industries were
generally rather quiet..." The 1905 state headcount approached and ever ready to be disappointed, Major Berg informed
his Sioux City counterpart that his city had reached 45,000 residents. The Enterprise prayed for at least 40,000 and a
more honest effort on the part of all contenders to produce a more accurate state headcount. Once the disappointing
counts were made available, the Enterprise was at least relieved to learn that Sioux City was still "several thousand
beh/nd this city." Sioux City and Davenport had the advantage because their city limits extended "several miles beyond
the actual residence district." Ever opfimistc however, a population of 50,000 Dubuquers was predicted within just ten
years a~vay (1899-1900 City Directory, introduction; Enterprise, July 15, 1905).
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 72
OMB Approval No. '/024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The summary chart presented below depicts the city's explosive population growth through 1890, and then the
pimful leveling offthat followed. Also clearly shown is the exaggerated interim state census head counts which began in
1865.t6
~ Loss o{ Primacy in Iowa
The Five Most Populous Cities, 1860-1920
(Reproduced from Wilkie, p. 333)
(Chart prepared by Jim Jacobsen)
(Note how the state census figures of 1885, 1895 exceed the federal headcounts)
The 1899-1900 city d/rectory had calculated that by multiplying directory entries by 2~5, the city had 45,280, a
gain of 4.710 since 1895. Dubuquers were greatly disappointed by the 1900 federal census figures and long-anticipated
gains were completely absent from the 36,297 total. The count was accepted as accurate but the low numbers were
explained as being due to the fact that 1900 "was exceptionally dull in the building trade lines, and that industries were
t6 Only the federal census labels appear. The bar for each of these appears immediately above and to the right of the respective date.
State census years are unlabeled, but occur between each federal census.
PS Form 10-900-e
(Rev. 8
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 73
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
generally rather quiet..." The 1905 state headcount approached and ever ready to be disappointed, Major Berg informed
his Sioux City counterpart that his city had reached 45,000 residents. The Enterprise prayed for at least 40,000 and a
more honest effort on the part of all contenders to produce a more accurate state headcount. Once the disappointing
counts were made available, the Enterprise was at least relieved to learn that Sioux City was still "several thousand
beh/nd this city." Sioux City and Davenport had the advantage because their city limits extended "several miles beyond
the actual residence district." Ever optimistic however, a population of 50,000 Dubuquers was predicted within just ten
years away (1899-1900 City Directory, introduction; Enterprise, July 15, 1905).
Political Strangers In A Strange Land:
It was the ironic fate of Dubuque that its national political representatives (read Republican) persisted despite the
city and county Democratic election majorities. Iowa Senator William Loyd Allison (1829-1908) represented the Third
Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1863 through 1871, and then served six Senatorial
terms up to his death. His seniority and dominance on fiscal matters made him nationally significant when appropriations
were involved and he played a critical role in national party matters. Allison even received opposition from local
Republicans. Scottish-born David B. Henderson (i840-1906) was a disabled Civil War veteran who had the distinction
of being the frrst Speaker of the House to be elected from a district located west of the Mississippi River. He served r{me
consecutive terms in the U.S. House of Representatives (1883-1903). He was first elected Speaker in 1899, and again in
1901. Allison-Henderson Park was established to honor both men in 1940 (Wilkie, p. 221, Lyon, p. 11,197-98).
Symbolic of Dubuque's sense that it was being ignored by Des Moines and state interests was completion of the
Soldiers and Sailors monument on the statehouse grounds in 1894. Taere was room allocated for just four of Iowa's five
Civil War major generals and it was Dubuque's man, Francis Jay Herron, the state's youngest major general. Dubuque
was outraged by the omission and blamed it on a lingering prejudice that the city had not sufficiently supported the
northern war effort.
Reflective of the city's sense of powerlessness was the passage of a state law that req~zred fire escapes and
sprinkler systems in the downtown buildings. The two demonstrated "the advisability of the business men of
communities like Dubuque paying more attention in politics and pending measures, not locally but in the state." The
Enterprise called for a committee "to guard against legislation of this k/nd...and to save expenses by exercising a
scrutiny over the acts of the city council." The issue also illustrated the conservative nature of the downtown interests.
The fire escape law covered buildings of three stories or more. A range of arguments were offered beyond the sheer cost.
Beautiful facades would be compromised and newer fireproof buildings didn't need them. Already, there were
"builcFmgs the upper stories of which are not used at all, and others in which the upper stories are used only for storage
purposes" (Enterprise, August 29, 1903).
Unfaltering Financial Institutions; Weathering the Panic of 1893-94:
The number of city banks increased to eight by 1909. This new era of bardcLng was best symbolized by the relocating of Iowa
Trust and Savings Bank to the new Banking and Insurance Building in 1895. Banks were, in the post-i900 years building their own
monumental structures. As of 1903 the seven city banks had a combined capitalization of $1,025,000 end a total surphis/deposit figure
of $5,892,137. These two values were in direct proportion for the largest banks. Iowa Trust and Savings commanded 29 percent of
capitalization and surpins/desposits, with First National in secoud place with 19 percent of each of these. The German Trust and
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
SectiOn number E Page 74
The Arch/tectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Savings was in third place with 14.6 percent of capital and 13 percent of surphis deposits. Collectively these three hanks accounted fur
60 percent of the city's surplus/deposits and barfldng capital (Enterprise, January 24, 1903, p. 7).
Bank Period of Service Officers Legacy
First National Bank 1864-present D.N. Cooley, C. H. Eighrnen Nearly closes August 16, 1893, for 95 years on
northwest comer Main and 5t~ (1867 to 1962)
German Bank/German Savings [St~te] 1864-present A. Kammann, A. A. Cooper 342 Main Street, builds new Main St. building
Bank 19014)2 (see below), renamed German Savings
Bank 1904, opens Couler Ave. branch 1905.
Second National Bank 1876-c.1922 Geo. B. Burch, W. P. Large 605 Main Street
Building & Loan Asso. c.1877-1900 Liquidated November 1900
Iowa Trust & Savings 1884-1932 Geo. L. Torbert, F. D. Stout, J. E. Allison To 7th & Main 1895
Dubuque Nat/omi Bank 1888-1922 B.B. Richards, D. D. Myers
German Trust & Savings 1887-1932 John Bell, Nicholas Glab Northwest comer Clay/Central and 13t~, later
par~ of Union Trust & Savings Bank
Citizens State Bank c.lg98-1922 P.J. Lee, E. B. Piekenbrock N.W. comer Main and 8th
German American Savings Bank 1901-32 N.J. Shrup A brauch of the Ge~xnan Savings Bank, renamed
Pioneer Savings Bank & Trust Co. 19I 8.
We glance over the storm-swept country about us, where for nearly two years the terrific financial tempest has raged,
and eveiywhare are visible wrecked business institutions of all kinds, and we point to our banks that have weathered
the gale and under a steady hell are scudding before the wind, and our business institutions, against whose record
not one failure is recorded, as evidences of the fmancial stability of Dubuque and the resources of our citizens. But
the greatest evidence that the Key City is so firmly founded, that ill winds may blow from what direction they will
and she will prosper, are our building and public improvements. These evidence the confidence of Dubuque's
capitalists and businessmen in their city and their behef, which is paramount, in her natural resources and her
stability. These have kept the messes in continuous employment, not only keeping down the cry here for
employment which has rung out in almost every city in the country, but many from other cities have come here
seeking employment and have found it. The laboring classes have been furnished with means whereby the merchants
have not only weathered the storm but have had a prosperous year, and in ttds alone we fred the explanation of the
singular escape of our banks and business houses from the financial storn~
Herald, January 1, 1895
In other cities the gas, electric, water plants and sim/lar concerns are owned, almost without exception in this state,
and it is the role in other states by outside capital. In the same way in many of the cities that make pretensions of
commercial and manufacturing consequence, the institutions that give them title to the claim are financed by outside
capital. In the fact that Dubuque institutions are owned exclusively by home capital, that everything there is of
manufacturing and commercial importance here is home enterprise and capital, this city is a notable exception, and in
a position in which few others of the country rival it....because there has never been a boom or other opportunity
given the eastern money man/pnlators to make the city the shuffle cock in their get rich-quick games, it has been
given the reputation of being conservative
Enterprise, June 11, 1904
As Galena had been eclipsed fifty years before, the Panic of 1893 promptly eliminated one of Dubuque's two
major urban rivals, Sioux City. The 1890 census had dropped Dubuque one more peg to tl~trd place statewide, with
Sioux City assum/ng the number two spot. Like Dubuque, Sioux City was boastfully on its way to becoming the
"Chicago of the West" with massive construction projects under way, these being funded by Eastern, primarily Boston
capital. The Panic crippled that city's hopes and by 1900 it had fallen away to fourth place in population. Sioux City
would rebound during the pre-World War I years and in 1920 once again claimed the silver medal for urban population
(Wilkie, p. 333).
PS Form 10-900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 75
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, I83%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Countv. Iowa
County and State
Local Financial Self Sufficiency:
The 1895-96 Iowa State Gazetteer And Business Directory credited Dubuque with having the healthiest of local
economies:
As a commercial and financial center, Dubuque cannot be equaled west of Chicago. The aggregate
amount of capital used by its banks [down from nine as of 1890], which now number eight, is
$1,450,000. Banking houses here report a very large and prosperous volume of business far exceeddng
that of any previous year in the history of Dubuque
Dubuque of Today (1897) echoed th/s claim, noting "the city, in point of substantial and self-owned capital, is without a
peer in the West." Ominously the number of banks was reduced by one more within year's time. The 1897-98 edition of
the Gazetteer simply repeated the 1895 report, and upped the total capitalization to $1,500,000. The 1899-1900 city
directory boasted that "not five per cent" of the estimated $30,000,000 in assessed city value was "owned by people
outside Dubuque" (1895-96 Iowa State Gazetteer And Business D/rectory, p. 483; i897-98 Iowa State Gazetteer And
Business Directory, p. 505; 1899-1900 Cit~ D/rectory, introduction; Dubuque of Today, p. 12).
German Bank (1901-02) 342 Main Street (Enterprise, November 3, 1901)
PS Form 10-90(~a
(Rev, 8-86]
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The year 1902 was rated "without question the most prosperous in the history of the city" and "every institution
has prospered...[with] a great increase in every line." The seven city banks were collectively capitalized in the amount of
$1,025,000 with deposits of $6,000,000. Municipal ownerskip of the waterworks, secured in 1901, was due to local
investors who purchased $545,000 in municipal mortgage bonds when bond brokers questioned the legality of the sale.
The street railway and electric utilities systems similarly represented a local investment of $1,000,000. The opening of
the second Mississippi River veh/cular bridge in 1903 was celebrated as yet another example of the financial self-
sufficiency of Dubuque. The new Julien Hotel and the modern downtown office buildings were similarly the products of
local capital. The Enterprise boasted is a "fact that there is not a dollar of outside capital invested in any of these
institutions, and none in the city, except in those interests controlled by large corporations and of which the local
institutions are branches or agencies..." (Enterprise, January 24, 1903).
The new German Bank, pictured above, was representative of the new bank buildings which were typical of new
bank architecture as of the early years of the 20t~ Century. Formerly located in larger multi-use office or commercial
buildings, bank revenues now justified single-use facilities with highly ornamental facades. Williamson and Spencer of
Chicago designed the German Bank, which Architect John Spencer described as being Italian Renaissance. Non-
Dubuque architects continued to be preferred for these building designs, although Spencer was really a Dubuque
architect, and soon returned to his home city. The exterior featured polished pink marble, the upper levels a "dull enamel
terra cotta." The plan featured a three-story vault (Enterprise, November 3, 1901).
The Financial Panic of 1905-1906:
Dubuque came through 1904 in good shape. The Enterprise celebrated the "Auspicious Outlook of the New
Year with reports from merchants and manufacturers:
Never in their experience in Dubuque have they seen a year begin with the prospects as auspicious as
they are now...one exceptionally gratifying feature of the year just closed is that it is not marked with the
gravestone of a single Dubuque [business] institution.
Indeed the city had gained several new f'n-ms. Area crops to the northwest, particularly close in, had been exceptionally
good in 1904. Five firms were expanding their facilities and M. M. Walker-Touss~mt-Trexler, burned out just a few
weeks previous, was resuming operations at a new site (Enterprise, January 7, 1905).
The city survived the Initial national economic downturn. The Enterprise noted "the oppression of hard times is
not felt here as elsewhere because the business Industries of Dubuque are uniformly conducted along conservative lines"
(Enterprise, February 18, 1905).
Industrial Might And Labor Strife:
The 1895-96 Iowa State Gazetteer And Business Directory rated Dubuque as '~die largest jobbing, wholesale and
manufacturing point in the State of Iowa." There were 300 manufacturing fwrns with 8,000 employees, and 2,000
additionaljobswithjobbing ftrms. Incorpomted companies numbered 95. It was reported that "a new industry, the
building of steel boat hulls, has gained for Dubuque a wide reputation in that line" (1895-96 Iowa State Gazetteer And
Business Directory, pp. 483-84).
PS Form 10-900-o
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 77
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The Milwaukee railroad shops were also "a big industry" ha the city with 678 employees and a monthly payroll of
$50,000. The facility was said to be largest of its kind in the state. The railroad's division headquarters, also in
Dubuque, employed 30 engineers and 35 firemen. Cars and engines were rebuilt for the Dubuque, Chicago, Council
Bluff, Kansas City, Sioux City and Dakota divisions (Enterprise, January 24, 1903).
A.A. Cooper Wagon Works, 1910, note Shot Tower in distance
(Our Spirited Years, Telegraph-Herald, p. 39)
The Enterprise declared in early 1901 that "the tide of prosperity has turned again for Dubuque." Citing "a
renewed confidence ha business circles and the universal awakening on every hand" the same source claimed "there is not
left a single desirable building for the location of a factory project of any considerable proportions." The recovery was
measurable. The Dubuque Iron Works and the Smedley Works had revived. The George Richardson Company, burned
out in 1903, had rebuilt with greater capacity. Can', Ryder & Adams was installing a new mill outfit. The Chicago, Great
Western Railroad division had returned to Dubuque with 325 resident employees. A new bag factory occupied the
former Dee factory and Harvey Chalmers & Son were setting up a shell button factory that promised 150 new jobs
(Enterprise, April 2, 1901).
The filling massive wetland areas behind the riverfront was the lasting legacy of the factories and the railroads.
The Enterprise observed in early 1902 that the Adams Company (not to be confused with Carr, Ryder & Adams) had
established itself in 1892 at the foot of Th/rd Street amidst a slough with water depths of up to 15 feet. The plant then
had a 30-man payroll and part of the plant was extended over the water. Over the next ten years the firm raised up a
three-acre plant site as it hacreased its payroll to i50 workers. As a result it possessed "one of the most desirable
manufacturing locations in the city." Excavation barrow from the Office and Security and St. Luke's building projects
provided much of the fill material. The adjacent railroads, impressed by the Adams Company efforts dumped over 1,000
carloads of fill material to bury a sideline trestle that adjoined the company. In this manner, incrementally the city was
advancing toward the Mississippi River (Enterprise, March 9, 1902).
PS Form 1C~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count~. Iowa
County and State ......
The Dubuqe Enterprise cautioned against taking for granted the regular and large scale business expansions made
by the larger manufactaring firms, noting:
Some cities with but half the opportunity would make a big splurge about them, but we, because they
come voluntarily and cost the commuinty nothing, take them for granted and while the more progressive
appreciate their significance, there are still some who can neither see that Dubuque is going
ahead...(Dubuqe Enterprise, November i8, 1903, p. 9).
A number of industrial sectors were by this time assuming a substantial scale in Dubuque. The overall and
clothing factor/es as of 1903 provided jobs for 1,200 young women had its origin in small plants in the 1860s. "Today,
halfa dozen of the most substantial plants in the city are devoted to it, and all are daily enlarging the scope of their
operations." The cigar and tobacco sector now claimed three major producers and six jobbing plants. The iron and steel
business had trebled its business in the previous ten years. In the "wagon industry, bre~ving and liquor business, the
grocery and supply concerns...there has been the same development, in some of them greater." The Dubuque Travelling
and Business Men's Association represented a cr/tical marketing and promotional arm of the city's industries. A
majority of its positions had been created only within the previous 25 years "and many of them [were] the result of the
last decade of business energy..." (Enterprise, January 24, 1903).
Even the long-established fn~ms ~vere adapting to the chang/ng times. The Enterprise noted "practically every
business concern, even the older ones, have been reorganized within the last twenty years, and many of them w/thin the
last ten." The same source then went on to tally up new industrial firms. T~venty-two finns "have been established and
developed within the last twenty years." Nine named firms and "others" had done so in the last 10 years and twelve (and
others) in the five years just past. Since 1902 one major firm had reorganized, four new firms had been established
included a bag factory and the pearl button works (Enterprise, January 3 i, 1903).
The factor/es operated full time through 1904 "and nearly every plant has been increased, and its corps of
employees augmented during the last five years." There was "a number" of new fn-ms and "we haven't lost any
institutions to speak of' (Enterprise, December 4, 1904).
Mining Renaissance:
The attention long paid to lead began to switch to zinc ore or "dry bone" which was being profitably exhumed at
LaSalle, Illinois and Mineral Point, Wisconsin "who have no competition to contend with in the northwest." It was
rmmored in mid-1897 that the Glab brothers were planning to establish a zinc works. Large-scale rrfining operahons
occupied the highlands to the southwest, unthreatened by suburban expansion (Daily Herald, June 27, 1897).
Labor versus Management:
Union strife reached its high-watar mark during 1903. The third party political candidates had always generated
a three or four percentage point voters turnout in the elections but Socialist Eugene Debs polled a record seven percent in
the 1904 presidential election. Twenty years later Progressive Robert LaFollette bested even the Democratic Party
candidate as well as the Republican winner, Cal Coolidge, taldng 43 percent of the vote. As the Civil War years had
shown, Dubuque's political makeup was complex and combative.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 79
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The winter of 1901-02 was termed a "great winter for labor" as factories "almost without exception have been
rurming full time all winter and that the open winter has been very propitious for building operations." A new bag factory
was employing women and "everywhere is heard complaint about the scarcity of labor." Spring promised 100 new jobs
at the Iowa Iron Works and architects promised "a building boom" (Enterprise, February 16, 1902).
The winter of 1901-02 witnessed a flurry of union organizational activity. The teamsters successfully put
together a local of 150 members as did employees at the Dubuque Brewing & Malting Company, the George Richardson
Company, the Union Electric Company, and the Iroquois Pearl Button Works. Carpenters too were rumored to be
organizing and plasterers, bricklayers, stonemasons and other trades were newly organizing in anticipation of the coming
building season. Efforts were underway by mid-March to organize the wood workers at Can', Ryder & Adams, Farley &
Loetscher, A. A. Cooper and the Alter companies. All of the locals would demand wage increases as the opportunity
allowed. As a result,
...there is much apprehension, particularly in building circles, and it is almost impossible to obtain a
contract for anything in which labor is a material factor. Even the ice dealers are declining to make
contracts for the season. This line of business is likely to be materially effected by the unions.
The Enterprise noted that fair wages protected the laboring class just as high protective tariffs protected industry and
capital. Anti-tariff democrats had claimed the tariff was a tax on the ~vorking class. The Enterprise offered that ~vhile
the working class paid the tariff "tax" and received no benefit, they would also pay the higher wage "tax" but they would
get a benefit. At any rate the larger issue would be settled quickly, predicted the same source:
Persons who are in a position where they should know say that one season will settle the matter in
Dubuque. They claim that the ~vave for organization has been slow in reaching Dubuque and that cities
like Davenport, Rock Island, Des Moines, Joliet, Quincy and others went through the mill two years ago.
They maintain that prices will adjust themselves to changed conditions and that after the fncst few months there
w/Il be no trouble. They claim that with the trusts hoisting prices on ail commodities they control that labor most
protect itself and that the increased cost of liv/ng makes necessary the demand that is becoming general for increased
wages (Enterprise, March 14, 1903).
The first strike of i903 took place at the Iroquois Button Works. Locals had invested in the plant to bring it to
Dubuque but from the start the owners complained of an inability to secure enough workers. Untrained workers started at
low wages with a promise that with dexterity, they would outpace a laborer's wage within a few weeks. The plant
doubled/ts capacity during the summer of 1902 and consequently needed twice the workers. The Retailer's Association
looked at the company books and determined that the average weekly pay was just $7.00. In addition workers were being
shorted by the disallowance of thin button slugs and they were being charged for saws and other penalties. The
Enterprise expressed initial support for the strikers, while still hoping that a valuable company could be retained. At any
rate the strikers lost, apparently due to bad management on the part of the union (Enterprise, March 14, June 13, 1903).
The factory owner was absent in California when the strike began and his local operatives simply shut down the
plant in the face of the strike. The Enterprise reported a week into the strike action that it
PS Form
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Sorvice
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 80
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
has not created the apprehension in business circles that some of the more timorous were apprehensive it
would....Now however, that the button workers have set the ball rolling, the more attention is attracted to
them [the other unions] for the reason that it will give the trades and labor organizations opportunity to
demonstrate their strength and also the measure of support for those who walk out can expect from other
unions.
At any rate all union eyes were on the strikers. Their success would encourage further labor tests and their failure would
"have a detracting effect on the faint hearted" (Enterprise, March 21, 1903).
The strike that did cripple the city came from an unexpected quarter. Seventy street car operators had unionized
in February 1903 part of a total of 4,000 union members, a number second only to that of Des Moines. The Union
Electric Company had replaced three car firms in 1900 and now controlled public transportation and electrical service.
The company secured a 25-year city franchise in March 1902. One of the features of the franchise was a half fare charge
for commuting laborers. The company started to upgrade its lines in the spring of 1901 and raised both wages and the
public appreciation for its service and efforts. A 1902 point system that rated employee performance and docked workers
for delays and other errors. The union (Local 329 Amalgamated Association of Street and Electric Railway Employees
of America) struck on May 7 when three of its members were fired for presenting demands to the company. The
company firemen joined their striking brothers two days later (Scharnow, pp. 60-70).
Historian Ralph Schamow has documented the failure of what otherwise should have been a major union victory.
There was strong community support for the strikers and strike had shut down a critical transportation system. Initially
supportive crowds stopped the cars from running and they were silent during a visit by President Theodore Roosevelt on
June 2. The company hired Chicago strikebreakers and resumed service on June 11. Mayor Berg dithered, on one hand
he deputized F. L. Dane, the company manager as a deputy sheriff, but he also refused to use the fire companies to
control the crowds. The climax occurred on June 16 ~vhen a crowd of 1-2,000 shut down the service at its main hub. The
state militia was called in to quell the strife. They were replaced by National Guard troops and Governor CummJaus
unsuccessfully attempted to mediate a solution. Public support disappeared with the riot and local clergy and the press
supported a "Law and Order Alliance" which oversaw car operations with militia guards. The Dubuque Club finally
secured an agreement but the Union lost on all of their main requests. The union itself survived as a paper organization.
The mayor, popular C. H. Bern (a seven-term mayor), and the sheriff, initially pilloried by the public for supportfiug the
transit company, survived politically (ibid., pp. 71-75).
The Enterprise had lavished praise on the good works of the new transit company in January 1903 and it was
hard pressed to offer the strikers even the minimal support it had voiced for the button cutters. It criticized the three fired
union leaders for failing to step aside from the negotiations, it blasted faInt-hearted businessmen for failing to support the
use of the cars during the boycott and it lambasted the secondary boycotts against the fmanciers of the transit company.
"Mr. Stout, with Messrs, Shields, Burch, Cooper and others of the men who have made Dubuque and given it the
factories that employ the labor of the city" were to be honored and not vilified. When the strike was finally settled the
paper regretted six weeks of wasted time with no substantial resolution of the basic issues "and the ignominy that is
heaped on Dubuque's name. Were it not for flue labor troubles, 1903 "would have been a record breaker" (Enterprise,
June 13, 27, August 29, 1903).
The publication of the massive Greater Dubuque in 1911 marked the "high water mark" of the city's industrial
growth and development. The chart presented below gives a chronological breakdown of founding dates for the firms
PS Form
{Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State ......
then in operation. These figures necessarily combine the tiniest and the mightiest firms and firms winch closed down or
combined prior to 1911 are unrepresented. Still, this representation includes the long-term successful fa'ms which were
established early in the city's instory winle it also summarizes the more recently founded firms. One glaring gap winch is
hinted at in these figures is the absence of firms winch were established between 1872-1874. The seven firms credited
for 1870-74 were all started during the f~rst two years of that half-decade. The next five years were little better. Five
businesses started 1875-76, but just three more are credited to 1877-79. Reflective of CiviI War period start-ups, ten
firms dated fi:om 1861-65. The explosion in industrial gro~vth dates from 1880 and continues unabated through 1893.
Dur/ng the next four years, 1894 (two firms), 1895 (one firm), 1896 (two fzrms) and 1897 (two firms), things slowed
down and during 1898 there were no new start-ups. The year 1899 signaled a rebound with four new firms. The new
century witnessed renewed entrepreneurial energy and as many new frans were founded in 1910-11 as had been founded
in the previous five years (Index, Greater Dubuque).
Retail Trade, the Achilles Heel?
Under the caption "Dubuque's Future The Stake" the Enterprise presented a remarkably candid assessment of the
city's retail strength. It worded that "the great draw back to the city has been its lack of retail trade." While that trade
was comparable to cities in the other states, "the opportunities are at hand for its being the best and greatest.
The main dependence of the retail dealers has been on the home trade end it is due to the large laboring
community and the fact that the jobbers and manufacturers have been buying almost exclusively at home,
that the retail interests cen make the showing they do. Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City and others
in the state that take renk with Dubuque far outstrip this city in the volume of trade from out of the
city...If Dubuque, with her great volume of home trade, can add a proportionate amount of rural trade,
this city will be the best for retail trade in the state. Business men realize tins end the complaint has been
bitter over the lack of facilities and inducements tn bring th/s trade here.
Dubuque fi'om its inception possessed a tri-state market focus but the river to the east and the highlands to the west had
hindered its ability to capture a broader market in the hinterlands. The complaint voiced above indicates that delays in
building bridges end in making Iowa's interior more accessible, had allowed regional markets end products to be
siphoned away by other regional cities. The completion of the Eagle Point vehicular bridge, delayed until 1903, was
lauded for its potential to "open a vast territory to the retail interests of the city." The city wasn't receiving its due share
of area stock and produce shipments. The same source noted "there is not half enough grain hauled in here for the local
feed supply, and shipments of stock fi:om th/s point have become rare occurrences. The farmers have facilities closer
home and they will not come here unless there are convenient facilities to doing so or other inducements." Hopes for a
packing plent had been delayed to the lack of area stock supplies. Creameries end produce stations in the city were
valued more for the "rural trade they attract" then for their present finencial contributions (Enterprise, January 24, 31,
1903).
The 1895-96 Iowa State Gazetteer And Business Directory claimed that the completion of the city's first inghway
bridge over the Mississippi River with "had secured the trade of a large community of farmers living in the States of
Illinois and Wisconsin near the river" but tins success was apparently insufficient, given the 1903 complaint noted above.
The 1903-04 gazetteer writers were so enamored w/th this claim that they used it again with reference to the completion
of the Eagle Point-Wisconsin bridge wh/ch "secured the trade of large community of farmers living in the states of
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 82
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW. Iowa
Cotmty and State .......
Illinois and Wisconsin and has provided them a market for the products of their farms..." (1895-96 Iowa State Gazetteer
And Business Directory, p. 483; Ibid., 1903-04, p. 611).
1982 Dubuque retail market area
71ae city was delinquent in its development of interurban traffic, a ten-year old phenomenon by 1903 and one that
~vas now more mechanically feasible due to technological development. Apparently Mr. Flyim and others had, with three
years effort, finaliz6d a "project to build from Dubuque into Wisconsin" and route surveys had been completed to the
west and southwest. Curiously the city strongly valued creating interurban links to the Chicago Northwestern, wh/ch mn
west of the county. ~ais "has long been the dream of the business men [and] it w/Il be practical to make at least three
connections with that road." What was the point of making these linkages? Usually interurban lines served as feeders to
a city's existing railroads. The Wisconsin interurban never materialized, primarily because it required the use of the new
h/ghway bridge at Eagle Point (Enterprise, July 4, 1903).
Retail failures of at least ten major firms during the summer and fall of 1903 underscored the ~veakness of the
retail sector despite the relatively good overall economy. The Enterprise observed that the closings were "in marked
contrast to the falling offof the retail trade and the poor showing made by it, is the prosperity and development of the
jobbings and manufacturing interests." The same source dared to credit the success of the latter sectors to their excellent
organization. The 300 city retailers were not organized and they had allowed their retailer's group, formed in 1900, to
wither away after just one year's operation (ibid., November 14, 1903, pp. 8-9).
The Enterprise led the local fight against catalog and out-of-city shopping trips. It urged readers to shop for
Christmas in Dubuque even as "the mail men are loaded down with pamphlets and booklets from mail order houses in
Cl:ficago, St. Louis, St. Paul and other cities...the city is being flooded...by these mail order houses." W?file
acknowledging "there isn't the buying outside of the city there used to be, but there should be none." The Telegraph-
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page $3
OMB Approval No.
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Herald was lambasted to rurm/ng a half page advertisement for mail order buggies in early 1905 (Enterprise, December
3, 1904, February 18, 1905).
Fou~h Street "Gateway" to Dubuque (Enterprise, June 20, 1903)
A large key was hung above Fourth Sa-eet to symbolize enlrance i~to the "Key City."
Note the lumberyard drying piles at the let5 rear.
Municipal Growth, 1893-1910:
Between 1890 and 1895 the city's population increased an impressive 14 percent to 40,574 residents. New construction
during 1894 exceeded $2,000,000, exceeding "any recent year" in the city and a feat 'hmequalled by any city in the state."
This impressive building record was accomplished "in the face o£the general depression and financial disaster that has
swept over the country." As a result "Dubuque [had] a position unequalled, yes even unapproached by any city in the
state or perhaps any city of its size in the United States." The total valuation was driven upwards by an array of truly
remarkable large-scale public, institutional and private projects. These included Central High School, the brewery at 27t~
and Jackson streets, the Mt. Carmel Motherhouse; the Stout Auditorium and the Bank and Insurance Building (Herald,
January 1, 1895).
The construction of the Security and Bank and Insurance buildings in 1895 represented the growing need for
professional offices to be located in moderu office buildings rather than above storefronts in buildings scattered
throughout the downtown (Enterprise, June 11, 1904).
PS Form 10-900 a
[Rev.
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 84
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
The year 1897 witnessed record levels of home construction while business expenditures ware largely restricted
to remodelings.
The present season in Dubuque has witnessed no particular building boom thus far, although evar since
winter all our local carpenters have been busy constructing residences in every portion of the city. It has
been years, if ever, since so many houses ware built in Dubuque during a single season as have already
been constructed this year. This ara of building shows no sign of abatement and will continue until snow
flies.
Rumors circulated that eastern capitalists sought investments in the city. Sevaral small business blocks were underway as
was a new Ryan packinghouse. The earliest indications of an emerging zinc ore mining industry were present and "a late
building boom of gigantic proportions" was predicted (Herald, June 27, 1897).
Real estate business prospered as building proceeded at record levels. The largest dmmnd in the city's history
was reported in the spring of 1891. One measure ofretrenchrnent in the mid-1890s was the large-scale failure of the firm
of Rhomberg and Walker in the fall of 1896. Transfers during 1900 ($1,626,795) outpaced those of 1899 ($1,476,180)
wh/ch in turn exceeded those of 1898 ($1,255,091). An unprecedented real estate boom in early 1901 was reflected in 76
land transfers in just three days (Daily Ledger, April 25, 1891; Daily Globe Journal, September 2, 1896; January 1, 1901;
Herald, December 31, 1899; March 6, 1901).
One hope for new jobs was the planned shops and yard expansion of the Elinois Central Railroad. Dubuque
hopes ware dashed at the end of 1899 when Waterloo was awarded the d/vision point designation. The Telegraph-Herald
bemoaned "Tis Tough on Dubuque. The city directory reported 125 miles of improved streets in Dubuque, six miles
being paved in brick (Telegraph-Herald, January 4, 1900; 1899-1900 City Directory, introduction).
Census year 1900 and presumably the years preceding it "was not one of particular prosperity for the city...it was
exceptionally dull in the building trade lines...many mechanics who belong in Dubuque ware out in other cities worldng"
(Enterprise, Decembar 3, 1904).
The Enterprise reported building matarial costs in 1902 and 50 percent higher than a year before but noted
"and yet the building goes on in Dubuque at a rate that is most encouraging. A drive about town, along
Grandview Avenue, Hill Street and Alpine will convince the dullest observer that Dubuque is in a most
flourishing and prosperous condition. Residences are springing up like toadstools, and they are not the
small square boxes of formar years, but handsome and artistic homes. Even the smallest have
architectural merit. Each year we are malting our city more attractive tn the home-seeker. Each year we
are gathering within our borders a class of people who are a credit and honor to the town. People come
to Dubuque for many reasons. Our schools are of the best, business locations may be found here, and the
industrial and social life are prominent features of the town. Dubuque is too conservative to boom, but
its growth is steady. And no better indication of our prosperity could be given, than the fact that in spite
of the high price of building materials, our carpenters have nevar been busier (Enterprise, July 20, 1902).
Grandview Avenue with its boulevard had the potential of becoming a city's latest "nob hill" but a major
impediment was its lack of city water services. One landowner proposed that the city would give an 18-foot wide strip
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque CounW, Iowa
Name of Propexty County and State
frontage to each landowner. The owner would then plant four rows of trees spaced every 50 feet and keep the land
properly sodded. The idea was short lived if only because many hoped that the streetcar would require some of this right-
of-way. The Enterprise commented
"Dubuque is in need of...a 'beauty drive.' Aside from our picturesque country roads our driveways are
sadly lacking in interesting and beautiful features. They are narrow and noisy and dirty, and are not laid
through the finer residence parts of the town. G-randview Avenue is destined to become the drive of the
city, and as soon as the property owners on that street are able to br/ng city water to their homes its
improvement is secured...Grandview Avenue occupies a unique place in the city. It is urban as to its
character, but it is the pathway that leads fi.om the city to the country, and as such we cannot afford to
lose it (Enterprise, September 7, 1902).
The year 1902 witnessed the building of 75 houses in the Fifth Ward, and fi.om 25-50 in each of the other wards.
During 1903,
...the report for this year will make a showing that will be a surprise. In spite of strikes, and the unsettled
conditions, which caused the abandonment or postponement of a number of building projects, there
wasn't a t/me during the season when mechanics were out of work. On the contrary, contractors were
short of men, and it was one of the most prosperous in these lines the city has had. If ocular evidence is
wanted, one has only to take a trip over the city. Take, for instance, in the vicinity of the Malting
company's brewery, ~vhere there were solid blocks of open lots six years ago there are today rows of
residences and within the last five years hundreds of residences have gone up on the hills (Enterprise,
November 21, 1903).
A 1904 building boom was predicted by the Enterprise with the announcement of plans for five major building
projects (Farley & Loetscher, Metz Manufacturing, Mercy Hospital, St. Franciscan Sisters Home for the Aged-, Union
Electric Company power house), representing an aggregate value of half a milhon dollars. Foundations for the first three
were already in place by the end of 1903. Many smaller buildings were planned and builders were so busy that repair
work and smaller jobs had difficulty getting done. There were over 150 new houses built and half of these were in the
"upper part" of the city (Enterprise, November 18, 1903; December 3, 1904).
Those hopes were confn'med and the number of new houses built in 1904 exceeded that of 1903. The year 1904
"was one of the most prosperous years in the recent history of the city. Not only has trade been good in
all lines, but it has been a record-breaking year in building. In addition tot he big industrial plants, there
has been a building boom in residences and store buildings, and mechanics have been in demand. At
times during the summer work was delayed because of the inability of contractors to secure men, and
many mechanics were brought in here from the outside."
...Districts where ten years ago there were only a few scattered residences, have been built up, and now
some of the most thickly populated sections are where they weren't even streets laid out fifteen year ago"
(Enterprise, December 4, 1904).
"Immense Sums" in excess of $1,500,000 were expended in the city during 1905. Record 1904 expenditures
were bolstered by utilities expenditures but the 1905 improvements actually exceeded those of the previous year.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page $6
Tb_e Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuqae, Iowa. 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Dubuque was "forging-ahead" in all areas, "the corporation has not only expanded but the workingman has built himself
a home." Fiats were being built in larger numbers as were three-unit houses. Brick continued to fade as a preferred
material for houses with just 17 percent of new houses being brick. This could reflect the rising costs of structural brick
construction. Brick would reappear in a veneer application following the First World War. Counting new houses was
made difficult because the city had ceased to do the tracking end the newspaper ctfided the city officials, remainding
readers that "it must be remembered that no official records of building permits or the like are kept in Dubuque"
(Telegraph-Herald, December 31, 1905).
"The hill" north of Dodge Street, was the scene of residential construction beginning in 1905. The Enterprise
reported the start of construction of houses on Winona Avenue end Alpine Street. It predicted
"more fine houses [will be] built on the hill than in any previous year. The rate at which the hill is
building up is surprising. A few years ago there was not a house on such streets as South Alpine,
Winona, Third street extension end others on which there is now hardly a vacent lot. All the way out to
West Dubuque the hill is being built up, end it wont be long until the tide of home seekers sets in on
Grendview avenue. It is understood that this property is to be put on the market this spring end when it
does begin to build up, there is the certainty the Union Electric company will put in a belt line from Delhi
to South Dodge street terminal (Enterprise, April 15, 1905).
Record building was anticipated during 1906. Plauned projects included a new brewery, German Theological
Seminary expansion, three new public schools, a new Masonic Temple end $26,000 in new residences already announced
(Telegraph-Herald, December 31, 1905).
The knockers of 1906 warned that Dubuque was "in a state of innocuous desuetude and is not forging to the front
at a modem city.''17 Defenders noted that "new houses have sprang up in all parts of the city like pansies in a garden and
stand today a credit to the builders, end a proof of the rapid growth of the city." The city was "well fixed with overtaxed
factories" end these had expended over $300,000 in improvements. Dubuque's "fame as a home of institutions" was
maintained by over $400,000 in expenditures. Many of the new homes were being purchased by retired fam~ers end the
city was fast becoming a '¥necca" for them. Mechanics were coming to Dubuque to insure that their children received a
go'od education. "Dubuque is everywhere known as a city of cheap living, low rents, good schools end plenty of decent
amusements" (Telegraph-Herald, December 30, 1906).
At the end of 1907 the Telegraph-HeraM credited the city's slow but steady growth to the principle of
"Couservat~ve Development,
The history of Dubuque is a repetition of remarkable achievements secured through conservatism. Year
aider year new industries are added, old establishments broaden out; vacent tracts of land become dotted
with attractive end costly residences end dwellings; competition appears only to stimulate the Dubuque
business men to acquit themselves of greater deeds and victories. Conservatism marks every step. No
radical, foolhardy step has been taken since the days of the 'boom' period. Dubuque has progressed and
advenced to a point where the future appears like gold on the horizon. "Of all that is good, Iowa affords
the best," end Dubuque is the Key City.
Desuetude, a condition of disuse.
OMB Approval
PS Form 10
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 87
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Major new improvements included the Roshek Bros. Store, Security Building, railroad improvements ($105,000),
German Theological Seminary, and public school improvements ($150,000). Nearly every factory in the city expanded
and improved. "Scores of residences were erected during the year and time would not permit of personal inquiry into
each one." Apparently building perrrfit records remained insufficient. The impressive achievements of the year were
lessened by the "counteraction of certain conditions which tied up building and expansion nearly the whole summer"
(Telegraph-Herald, December 29, 1907).
Continued "conservative growth" was lauded at the end of 1908 but the numbers were down and a few larger
projects accounted for a quarter of the total. Factory improvements lagged below those of recent years. Residential
construction "during the year closing [was] one of the largest in recent years." Throughout the city "house after house
has gone up. On the hills and the north end of the city this is particularly true. Strong, substantial residences have been
erected" with an average cost of about $3,500 (Telegraph-Herald, December 27, 1908).
A record number of houses were built during 1909. For the first time the Telegraph-Herald claimed that
"Dubuque contains a larger number of home owners in proportion to population than any other city in the country." The
city owned itself as well. "Dubuque is built up on her own capital. Here people in larger degree than in any other city,
own what is here. She is stable and has w/thin herself enormous resources." A study of Main Street properties indicated
that they were mortgaged at just six percent of their total value. The record growth of the city this year could not be
attributed to any larger building projects, that largest being valued at $150,000 (Telegraph-Herald, January 2, 1910).
The house-building boom continued into 1910. At the end of 1909 contractors and real estate men were
anticipating a "veritable boom" in house building with a doubling of value over 1909. One contractor had three jobs
committed and all had work enough to start as soon as the weather perm/tted. The actual numbers fell well short of the
1909 record count. By year's end a local realtor reported "there is still a dearth of homes, moderate in price and
substantial in quality." Most of the houses were.for "the prosperous wage-earner" and were valued l~om $2-4,000. The
annual numbers reflected the return of large-scale building by religious institutions ($243,000) with six mai or projects.
Private construction accounted for 63 percent of all improvements. Greater Dubuque credited 1910 with the "greatest
building season ever experienced in the city of Dubuque" (Telegraph-Herald, January 2, October 2, 1910; January 1,
191 i; Greater Dubuque, p. 4).
McFadden's factory on Iowa Street was likely one of the first concrete skeleton industrial plants to be built in
Dubuque. The Times-Journal warned '~to overlook McFadden's big concrete structure on Iowa Street would miss a
handsome five-story building of latest construction w/th the facilities to handle a business that is growing enormously."
Farley-Loetscher also completed a massive five-story fireproof reinforced concrete building that same year (Times-
Journal, February 6, 1910).
A 1914 growth retrospective by the Telegraph-Herald credited the Bank and Insurance Building and Dubuque
Brewing and Malting Company (1894) with being the first modem commercial buildings in the city.
"From 1894 until 1909 progress was slow. In 1909 more residences were erected and also a few business
houses were built. Each year as business got bigger and more facilities were demanded larger and more
substantial buildings were erected (Telegraph-Herald, December 27, 1914)
PS Form 10 90C~a
(Rev. 8=86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Year Total Construction New Residential Construction Notes:
Total Value Total Non- Number New S/F Total Value New Multi-family
Residential Houses Houses
1894 $1,791,000 32 35 3 Estimate $150,000 unreported, Central High
School, new brewery, Bell Bros. Factory,
Sisters of St. Mary Orphanage, YMCA Gym
1895
1896 $4t6,800 17 36 3 Figures through May, $3,000,000 total
including last year's completions, Security
Bldg., Saengerbund Hall, German Pres.
Church, Holy Ghost Church, St. Luke's
Church, Stone Hill School
1897 End of May only, $3millinn counting
finishing '95 prqiecls
1898 Partial list, I8 houses, four others incl. Finley
Hospital
I899
1900
1901
1902
1903 150 new buildings
1904 Larger than 1903
1905 $1,327,210 105 $443,210 24
i ('¥esidences, etc.")
1906 $1,054,850 68 (partial) $I28,150
1907 $1,912,900 "scores", no fewer $162500 Voelker built 22 houses aver agZmg $2,500 in
than 31 starks cost, and all other new houses were valued at
$109,000, newspaper listed six major houses
finished, three underway.
1908 $1,134,438 13 (partial list), 88 $310,000 Estimate based on average cost division of
estimate total.
1909 $1~40,750 I45 Average value $2- 200 totaI new buildings, 25 of which had
4,000, estimated values greater than $10,000
total value
$430,000
1910 $1,173,165 $1,841,747 88 $286,000
The Maturation of Streetcar Service:
Mtmicipal transit systems in most instances only became fully matured in the years just after 1900. The
consolidation of multiple companies, the resulting increased capitalization and rebuilding, improved technology, and the
addition of additional needed lines resulted in a reliable and sufficient level of service. As a result the car lines began to
play an important role in city growth and development. Dubuque's transit system achieved this level of service c. 1902-
03.
Streetcars directly facilitated the final infilling of the Couler Valley and Rhomberg areas in the pre-World War I
years. It is more than likely that the several large satellite industrial plants which located in both areas were made
possible by the combined services of streetcars and railroads. There is architectural and historical evidence that in
Dubuque, living immediately adjacent to a car line was a definite advantage. Builder Chris Voelker in particular
constructed his moderate-cost houses along streetcar lines. Couler Avenue (now Central) experienced sustained mixed
commercial, industrial (breweries, greenhouse, brickyards) and residential growth due to the presence of double-track car
lines along its entire length. The impact of the car lines on bluff-top residential and institutional development is less
PS Form 10 900-a
{Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 89
OMB Appz'oval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
clear. This historical question requ/res research and any architectural/historical survey should be attentive to
architectural correlations between buildings and streetcar/bus lines.
L-D
DUBUQUE
1928
Dubuque's Streetcar System, 1928
(map drawn by Donald R. Schultz for Iowa Trolleys Bulletin #114, 1975, Wilkie, p. 331)
PS Form 10-900 a
(Rev* 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 90
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State .......
A streetcar map showing the transit system c.1890 has not been found. An 1899 map depicts a fairly simple track
layout. The Couler Valley was served by two nortbJsouth lines along Couler/Central and Jackson, north of 14t~ Street.
The latter rejoined the former at Peru (East 32nd) and the main north/south line continued along Coular to Nutmeg
Raceway, Stewart/Union Park and other attractions. The Linwood line departed the Jackson Street track at East Eagle
Point Road (East 22~d Street) and ran via Windsor Street past the cemetery. The Rhomberg line turned offofthe CoMer
track at Rhomberg (East 20m Street), crossed the Jackson Street track, and ran northwest along Rhomberg/East 22na to 9t~
Avenue. (Roosevelt). The downtown car lines followed Clay (now White) and M~m streets, and reunited at 2nd and
Main. The Main Street line terminated at Jones Street. Two lines served the bluff-top districts, departing the downtown
along 8t~ and Dodge. The Main Street line bisected on 5t~, ran south along Locust to Dodge and followed Dodge to
Grandview. The 8m Street line ran east of the downtown and apparently sarved the several passenger depots near the Ice
Harbor. It also ran west, angled southwest along 11th (Hill), turned west on 3~a Street, turned north on Alpine, Julien
(University) (west) and finally ran west on Delhi Street, terminating at O'Hagan and Asbury streets (Map of Dubuque
Showing Circulation of"The Telegraph," The Telegraph's Dubuque CiW Director~ 1899-1900, Keokuk, W. H. McCoy,
1899).
The several streetcar companies (Dubuque Light & Traction Company was the principal service provider and was
an 1893 successor to the Dubuque Electric Railway) merged in 1899, becoming Home Electric Company, a newly
incorporated entity. In August 1900 the company was renamed Union Electric Company. F. D. Stout headed the new
firm. It was uniquely self-fmancing, having raised $1,000,000 without the issuance of bonds. Like other cities, the
provision of electric power and streetcar service was unified w/thin a single corporate entity (WPA History, pp. 62-63;
Lyon, pp. 209, 455; Oldt, p. 195).
The Enterprise proclaimed in early April I901 that "the tide has turned for Dubuque." Among several positive
signs of new economic vitality was the "rehabilitation of the street car and electric systems" which had begun in 1900.
That fall the same source pronounced "the street car system perfect--Un/on Electric Company Has Redeemed Its
The system is now not only modem, but it is being run on modem plans. The cars run by
schedule and the men are req~n:ed to make the schedule t/me. There is no more stopping
in the middle of a block or waiting for a passenger who hails from a ~vindow and then
stops to bid the family good-bye. Cars stop only for passengers on the opposite crossing,
and, while arnploye[e]s are req~nced to be courteous and accom[m]odating, patrons must
learn that there is a limit and that the tedious waits and delays of the old days to
accommodate one at the expense of many others are usages of the past. The cars now
run w/th such frequency that ifa patron is not ready to get on, he is allowed to wait for
the next car.
Enterprise, November 3, i901
Assurance It Would Give Dubuque the Best." The" obsolete and inadequate" system of two or three years previous was
contrasted w/th its replacement "modern in its equipment and up-to-date in its management." "The dingy, weather beaten
cars, uneven tracks, slow and irregular service made the system the city the laughing stock of visitors and disgusted our
own people." Over $i00,000 in expenditures replaced (40 new cars) or rebuilt every ear and relaid 20 miles of trackage.
Most notably car sarvice was faster and more frequent. The longest run, from central depot to the city 1/mits, was ten
minutes faster, just twenty minutes. Cars with two 15-horsepower engines now boasted two 38-horsepower ones. Two
hundred men had worked all summer on line improvement and 20 mechanics and artisans on car work, a monthly payroll
PS Form 10-900-a
IRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 91
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
of $10,000. A separate Iowa Street powerhouse now exclusively powered the cars (Enterprise, November 3, 1901;
January 24, 1903).
A few instances of run-away cars with resulting comer smash-ups led the company to introduce safety measures.
Each car sported protective "fenders" and all cars now halted completely at every crossing. The Hill line cars made two
complete stops coming downhill, to allow for a controlled descent. Stop signs, once provided only on the Hill line, now
ornamented each of 50 key crossing points. A "Y" switch was added at Couler and Peru. Outgoing cars (northward) now
took a separate east track.~8 Sim/larly, on special" summer rash" occasions, the Iowa Street and Couler Avenue lines now
specialized, one for out-going, the other for in-bound cars. Newly awarded right-of-way on the Rhomberg line also
guaranteed adequate service for special events. Finally the new McGuire snow sweeper" promised reliable winter
service. The Enterprise closed with the prom/se that the company was 'haow prepared to give Dubuque a metropolitan
service...[one not]...surpassed in any city the size of Dubuque in this country (ibid.).
The line improvements were only interim ones, pencVmg the development of an entire new system, to be guided
by counselor (now called consultant) F. L. Dame, an IvlIT graduate and 12-year transit design Yeteran, who became
company general manager. The company envisioned a new power plant, new car ham, and line extensions along West
Locust Street and Grandview Avenue (Enterprise, January 24, 1903).~9
The rebuilding of the transit system had at least two results. The first was the fostering of house builcYmg on the
blufftops. The Enterprise noted "What a factor satisfactory, convenience [sic] transportation facilities are in the growth
and building up of a city, is shown in the hundreds of new builcYmgs on the hiI1 and in the suburbs." The unintended
negative with the city's most monumental labor-management struggle, the street car drivers strike of mid-1903, which is
recounted in the labor section of this context (ibid., June 11, 1904).
Grandview Avenue, south of University (then Julien) was first laid out in 1865 by John D. Bush, and opened in
1873. Destined to best approximate the city's finest residential arterial, it wasn't until 1902 that "the probability of the
street car line on that street" was a serious possibility). In 1890 the carline was extended to Herron's Point, near
Grandview Ave. and South Dodge (Oldt, pp. 157, 173; Enterprise, September 7, 1902; Wilkie, p. 331).
Comprehensive transit system improvements, valued at $500,000, said to be the largest such expenditure in the
city's history (or the state), were completed in 1904 when the entire trackage and power plant were replaced. Only the
new cars were retained. The power plant claimed the first installation of steam turbine powered generators "in the west."
The plant was also the first Dubuque building to employ concrete piles for its foundation supports in lieu of the
traditional timber ones. Hollow steel molds were driven to bedrock and filled with concrete. The 120-ton steel
smokestack was also the first of its kind west of Chicago. A new car barn, with a 50-car capacity, more than tripled the
total capacity. Replacement rail, rated at 72 pounds to the yard, were heavier than the 60-pound industrial standard. New
white oak sleepers supported the rails on unpaved streets, and a concrete bed did the same on brick streets. The resulting
la A later account stated "The switches on the upper end of Couler avenue were taken out and by putting in the loop on Eagle Point
avenue, Jackson street and Couler avenue a complete double track is secured on the main line, which obviates all waiting on switches
and other delays (Enterprise, January 24, 1903).
nd
~9 Two lines were actually pulled up, Iowa and Jackson as far as Sanfard Avenue, and 2 , Locust and Iowa as far as Jackson durtag
1903 (Enterprise, April 18, 1903).
PS Form 10-900 a
(Rev* 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of HistoriC Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 92
OMB Approval No. 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~r
Dubuque Count~, Iowa
County and State- ......
system, to be finished by the fall of 1904, was "a model for the state" and the company consequently hosted the annual
meeting of the state association of street railway owners in 1905 to show off the system (Enterprise, June 11, 1904).
A related context that demands the attention of the historian is the matter of interurban service for Dubuque.
Electrically powered interurban railroads provided critical passenger/local freight service to expancFmg urban areas. They
particularly fostered the development of area track farming and suburban growth because outlying residents on acreages
could cheaply and quickly ship flesh produce to downtown markets and buyers. The 1902 completion of the Eagle Point
Bridge was coupled with hopes for an interurban service into Wisconsin that would have utilized the bridge. Nothing
came of these plans however. The organization of the Rochester & Dubuque Traction Company was announced in late
1906, but the fate of this company is unexplored. The role of interurbans and Dubuque req~fire focused attention (Des
Moines Capital, October 5, 1906).
Mississippi River Traffic Ebbs:
The Army Corps of Engineers finally began to make a substantial impact on river navigation during these years.
A combination of wingdams, closing dams (which closed offmultiple charmels), wingdams and riprapping did the trick
in a rudimentary way to achieve a minimal six-foot channel. By 1905 there were 225 miles of wingdams in place
(Anfinson, Chapter 2, p. 36, Chapter 4, pp. 4, 26).
It wasn't until 1907 that federal attention was paid to regularizing even a minimal navigable charmel in the river
above the Missouri River. Congress mandated a six-foot channel that year for the river between St. Paul and the mouth
of the Missouri River. No comprehensive action would be taken for some 30 years however. A long-anticipated event
the next year, 1908, was the belated opening of the Illinois and Michigan Canal (also called the Hennepin Canal). The
canal was too small to handle then-current vessels and the river trade had been diverted by the railroads anyway. The last
lumber raft, comprised of sawn plank passed Dubuque in 1915. Innovative Dubuque lumbermen had already switched
their wood source to the West Coast and sawn lumber reached the city by rail (Tweet, 1984, p. 256).
Three record flood years were recorded at Dubuque between 1916 and 1920. On May 3, 1916 the river reached a
level of 19.8 feet. Then twin flood levels struck in 1920, both 21 feet in elevation, on April 7 and 21 (Dubuque Business,
October 1929, p. 28).
Another Mississippi Ri~er Vehicular Bridge, 1902:
The present-day reader is accustomed to free bridge service over even major rivers but this was not the case for
most of Dubuque's history. It wasn't until the early 1950s that the Julien Dubuque bridge construction bonds were paid
off and that bridge opened for free passage. The Eagle Point Bridge was a toll erossing even after the state purchased it
in the late 1980s with the intention of taking it down.
"Dubuque Now Clasps Hands With Wisconsin" proclaimed the Enterprise as the city's second Mississippi River
vehicular bridge was completed in early 1902. The bridge directly linked southwestern Wisconsin with a population
equal to that of Dubuque (these 40,000 lived within a 20-mile radius of Dubuque). Support for the bridge was not
citywide, being pushed for by the major industrial interests of north Dubuque, specifically the Dubuque Malting
Company. The chief proponent of the new bridge, Mr. Fengler, died in 1900 and the project waned for another several
years. It was said that the disinterest on the part of the rest of the city was due to the many other competing undertakings
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 102z~O018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propezty
Dubuque Count,(, Iowa
County and State .......
and not to a lack of appreciation for the trade advantages promised by the bridge. There were some fears that the
northern bridge would substantially divert traffic from the older high bridge. The construction of the Burlington Railroad
eliminated a riverfront farm-to-market road which led south to the high bridge and what had been a three-mile trip was
lengthened to one of seven or eight miles, and "[the fact that] the detour around the hills was more than the farmers
would make was manifested by our loss of the/r trade." Grant County, Wisconsin, it was noted, had no towns larger than
2,000 population and the only competing major urban center was Madison, 120 miles distant by train. One example of
the failure of Dubuque to develop as a produce hub ~vas the fact that grain for half of the city's 6,000 horses had to be
imported, at a time when the city should have been a grain-exporting center. The city would also benefit from live stock,
dairy and other farm products. City public entertainments would attract a broader audience and city residents could now
enjoy using "one of the finest drives in this part of the country...what would be enjoyable than a drive over there
[Wisconsin] for supper and the return by midnight" (Enterprise, April 27, 1902).
The still incomplete Eagle Point Bridge, view towards Wisconsin (Enterprise, April 27, 1902)20
The bridge was strongly supported by north city interests, particularly the German community. The latter raised
$1,000 for the bridge at a special Saengerbund Hall event and the 300 subscribers to the $94,000 bridge company stock
"included...nearly every merchant and business man in the upper part of the city...it was taken up by them as their
special project. Fund raising actually first began on the Wisconsin side from area farmers. The city built the Iowa bridge
approach ($25,000) and the bridge cost $110,000. Chicago architects E. C. and R. M. Shankland designed the structure.
Toledo Bridge Company provided the structural steel and Lenihan & Mole built the bridge. Pier work began in July 1901
20 The Rhomberg Avenue approach to the bridge is visible in this photograph. Large-scale cut stone abutmentJreta/n/ng walls (visible
to the right) ran along the river side of the approach. It is possible that th/s wall survives and could be used to interpret the now-
demolished bridge. It ~s also possible that the construction of the lock and dam widened or replaced this approach.
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 94
OMB.4pproval No. I02.4-~018
The Arch/tectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
and the steelwork was erected on the ice during the winter. The steelwork was done by early April and the entire
structure finished that same month. 33~e four spans measured 1,110 feet, and the Wisconsin trestle approach was even
longer, 1,824 feet. The roadway was 18 feet wide. The clear span above the high water mark was 55 feet. The bridge
was stronger than comparable spans at Clinton or Lyons and could support the heaviest streetcar if necessary.
In earlier times Dubuque had but two railroads instead of the present four, and for half
the year had no reliable means of communication with her natural trade territory on the
eastern side of the Mississippi. Railway construction meanwhile has been of great value
in sustaining and developing our most important industries.
The construction of two kigh bridges across the Mississippi River greatly improved our
position in competition for the trade of neighboring Illinois and Wisconsin, but did not
perfect it. We had yet to deal with country roads difficult or impassable to travel in some
seasons...
Dubuque Past, Present and Future (1930), p. 9
The City Beautiful Movement In Dubuque:
Dubuque was so well provided with natural beauty and picturesque bluffs that little organized attention was given
to the creation of parks, boulevards, or the improvement of the city's industrial riverfront. The Enterprise judged that
Dubuque had "not only refused to aid Nature, but we have worked against her to some extent." The same source tallied
"ragged river banks, the filth and squalor along the 'flats,' the fact that our forests are being robbed to fill our wood box,
the hideous advertisements that deface many of our magnificent bluffs, and our general unkempt, untidy appearance." It
recalled the words of the Walrus and the Carpenter in early 1902 in describing the riverfront:
The Walrus and the Carpenter were walldng hand in hand.
They wept like anything to see such quantities of sand.
"If this were only swept away," said they, "It would be grand."
"But sand was not the worst thing to be seen. Muddy, swampy banks, covered
with weeds, piles of lumber and evil-smelling masses of clamshells line the
shores of Dubuque. Ashes are dumped here, and debris and rubbish of all kinds
pollute the air and foster disease germs."
Clinton's riverfrunt improvements were contrasted with Dubuque's lack of them. That city to the south, with just 23,000
in population had secured a govermnent-built seawall and was laying out a two-mile long riverfront park. "There is no
reason why the people of Dubuque should not follow Clintun's example. We have her same possibilities, even greater
natural advantages, and a large amount of influence with Uncle Sam" (Enterprise, February 23, 1902).
Two years later, Edith Lane writing in the Enterprise, echoed some of these same concerns, lamenting the lack of
trees along Dubuque's streets and the continual loss of the few that did exist. She lamented "for thirty years our method
of tree-trimming and care has been a byword and laughingstock through the eountry; east and west we hear it,--'Do they
still cut off the tops of the trees in Dubuque?'" Lane deplored "our deplorable lack of park and play-ground... [and] the
vandalism that robs our window-boxes and injures and destroys public and private property." Lane's lens was a high-end
perspective. While she admired the Central High School and "perhaps halfa dozen houses in the city--no more" the city
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 95
OMB Approval No, I024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
had a long way to go before its residents could "truthfully tell about the beauty of Dubuque" (Enterprise, November 26,
1904).
All came to a head w/th City Planner Charles Mulford Robinson's study of Dubuque end his subsequent "Report
On The Improvement Of The City of Dubuque, Iowa" which he presented in late 1907. First the good news. Robinson
found Dubuque to be a city of homes with well distributed wealth, occupying "a wondrously beautiful location, nature
not only pressing it around with varied and picturesque scenery, but thrasting beauty of bluff or river or view into its very
street system, so that throughout the whole city one cen hardly ever be forgetful of the natural beauty of the site." Now
the bad news. The city lacked a park cornrmssion and its parks consisted of"a couple of little triengles at street
intersections, end two little city [nondescript] squares..." (Robinson, pp. 3-5).
...no beauty of bluff or river has been set aside for the people, and viewpoints have been
parted with for what they would bring. The citizen who would enjoy the beauty that
should be the right of those who live in Dubuque is compelled to trespass on private
property.
Charles M. Robinson, 1907
Robinson found three mm components which comprised the city's natural beauty; the river, the adjacent bluffs,
and the western highIends with their inland perspective. He laid out recommendations for ornamental spaces,
neighborhood parks, recreational playgrounds and large country parks, and a series of connecting boulevards. These
small parks were particularly appropriate because the city's irregular street pattern. He favored enhencing the engine
house comer at 18t~ Street and Central Avenue, the terminus of the 8t~ Street carline and Grandview Avenue at Dodge,
South Dodge and Delhi streets. Truly "spectacular" results would be achieved at little cost if the city purchased the bluff
fronts at a number of locations. These were partially hidden with billboards. Rock-hewn public steps could replace
rickety wooden stairways and a safe trail could follow the bluffline. Neighborhood parks would occupy the best
vantagepoints along the trail. The playgrounds were intended for placement near the Great Western Shops for use by
laborers. Present day Comiskey Park was recommended by Robinson as an excellent location for such a park (ibid., pp.
4-14).
Locals encouraged Ham's Island as a location for a larger park but Robinson saw no potential, citing its
inaccessibility, regular flooding, end the compelling alternative of Eagle Point, with its vistas and wild beauty. Kelly's
Bluff, on the south end of the city was the second recommended park site. Robinson judged "there is in Dubuque no
other unoccupied height of such area so accessible and with so splendid a view." The two parks would improve local
property values end would largely pay for themselves in that manner (ibid. pp. 15-18).
When Robinson presented his riverfront parks recommendations he compared Dubuque's relinquistfmg of its
riverfront to factories and railroads to the Chicago riverfront. The city fathers were not well pleased with this f'mding.
Never n/md that it was the raih'oads and industries which had filled in the riverfront to make it usable in any form.
Robinson recommended riverffont parks along the south side of Ice Harbor (owned by the city) end Rafferty's Slough, a
spring-fed wetland that ren in front of Mount Carmel Road. The latter was to be a water park, with smmner swimming
end boating, and winter skating. Finally a larger rural park reserve was best located on the lower Catfish Creek, site of
Dubuque's grave. A counecting boulevard could them link the Ice Harbor, Mount Carmel, the Kelly's Bhiffpark,
Grandview Avenue (with a standard 100-foot width), Serrfmary Street, Madison Street hill, Garfield and Rhomberg
avenues, end Eagle Point (ibid., pp. 18-25).
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 96
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State .......
Robinson closed with some other recommendations. He favored widerfmg of Main Street or at least removing
"unnecessary sidewalk obstructions." Major east-west streets (14t~ and 8m streets) which connected to uphill arterials
were too narrow while other east/west roads which led nowhere, ending at the bluffbase, were too wide. Second Street
in front of the Cathedral in particular was 100 feet wide and could be parked west from M~fm Street. The Rhomberg
Avenue elms he cited as a model for other key streets, but recommended a thinffmg of the maturing trees. He chided the
flimsy electric lights which hung from wires in the downtown and pleaded for street name signs "very much needed
throughout Dubuque." Waste cans would look better without advertising. Dubuque's alleys were "so broad and so
conspicuous that they may properly be considered under the head of streets. Their dirtiness is appalling." Robinson was
impressed by the size of the school playgrounds. He urged that all at-grade railroad crossings be raised and he favored
the building of a union railroad station ("instead of the four village-like stations"). Robinson challenged the city, citing
"the present keen rivalry of cities" that only a broad comprehensive implementation of his park recommendations would
transform Dubuque into a truly modem city (ibid., pp. 25-31).
Dubuque smarted under the criticism and most of Robinson's recommendations remained dreams. Between
1908-10 Eagle Point Park was made a reality with 133 acres. Streetcar access followed the extension of Ravine Road in
1912 and the park formally opened September 28, 1912. Riverfront steps later further enhanced visitor access (Lyon, pp.
133-34).
A 1911 Chamber of Commerce promotional book cited "the layout ora 'City Beautifal." The city "cannot be
said to have been planned but grew without a plan." Terrrfmg the city "The Heidelberg of America," nature and not man
was credited with beautifying the city. A curious self-criticism admitted that "almost all of the public buildings are
poorly located, though fine structures in themselves." Neighborhood was not sufficiently considered when they were
built. In truth all of those builc~mgs had their origins in pre-Civil War Dubuque. All of these bullcVmgs and most of the
city's churches were on the lower level part of the original city.
"Far better, however, the managers of the large educational institutions, the colleges, senfmaries,
hospitals, homes of aged...have chosen sites and thus you find them occupying beautiful view points,
with abundance of pure air and sunshine and away from the city's smoke, magnificent [and]
buildings...(Dubuque, Iowa, p. 13).
A Cultural Flowering In Dubuque:
Lawrence Sommer in particular felt that Dubuque's role as a theatr/cal and cultural center was an important one.
This context is recormuended for development. While the eity boasted two opera houses as of the 1890s, there is some
indication that a cultural high water mark was achieved after 1900. The Enterprise noted in late 1902 that "Dubuque is
fast becoming one of the best show towns in the state." Other developments, particularly the construction of the
Carnegie-Stout public library, the founding of the Dubuque Club, and the flourishing of ethnic cultural organizations,
combined to make the city a cultural center. Literary and other groups and the emergence of the Enterprise magazine,
largely a local cultural journal, were other indications of a cultural and literary movement. Noteworthy Dubuque writers
included Richard Bissell (1913-77), Marian Hurd McNeely (i 877-1930) and "Jazebo of Old Dubuque" John Patrick
Mulgrew (1886-1949) (Enterprise, July 20, October 19, 1902; Lyon, pp. 4041, 300, 321).
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 97
OMB ,4pproval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Another very significant Dubuque historical theme is its role as a college city. Collectively the many colleges
have contributed culturally to the community in addition to their financially beneficial role. Despite Dubuque's
reputation for cultural conservatism, there is considerable evidence to show that new ideas and initiatives have flowed
constantly from its colleges, seminaries and related institutions. Certainly students and faculties have contributed to the
impressive corpus of Dubuque and Iowa h/story (Dubuque Business, Dubuque-A College City, Prof. H. S. Ficke, June-
July 1930, pp. 6, 15).
Context #4, An Era of Stability, 1911-1955:
Dubuque Forward! (Dubuque Business, May 1930, p. 6)
The State of Dubuque:
Dubuque and Dubuque County were defiantly and increasingly pro-Democratic even as Iowa as a whole had
grown more and more staunchly Republican. The city and county figured prominently during the 1931 statewide
Congressional redistricting during the Democratic Party resurgence of power. The local transformation reached its
highpoint in the 1928 presidential election when the last marginal Republican townships were swept away by a growing
Democratic majority. Throughout its h/story, city and county produced lopsided Democratic victories in the usually in
the 60 to 40 percentage range. County party support exceeded that of the city. There were notable exceptions in
elections dating from 1904 when Theodore Roosevelt's popularity swept out all Democratic county office holders save
for the County Recorder, the first time this had ever happened. In 1912 Woodrow Wilson prevailed in the face of a
divided opposition. Theodore Roosevelt's Progressive Party garnered 27 percent of the vote. Possibly setting a pattern
of anti-incumbency, Wilson barely prevailed in 1916, ga/ning a bare two percent majority over Hughes. More surprising,
Republican Warren Harding was awarded a 59 to 36 percent majority over Cox in 1920. Progressive th/rd party
candidates, usually Socialists, usually polled three percent of the electorate, although Eugene Debs attained 7 percent of
PS Form 10-900 a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 95
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-I955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
the 1904 county vote (and t 1 percent in the city).8~ This record level of support closely followed the labor urtrest of
1903. Robert LaFollette smashed that record in 1924, winning the county with 43 percent of the vote. His Republican
opponent Calvin Coolidge beat out Democrat Davis by ten percentage points, q[lae traditional Democratic plurality
returned in 1928 and Roosevelt's first term victory set an all-time record with a 71 percent Democratic turnout.
Remarkably Roosevelt slipped in popularity in each of three successive three elections, and he actually lost to Wendell
Wilkie 51 to 48 percent in 1940. The voters clearly disfavored Roosevelt or the hilltop precincts did so to such an extent
that they prevailed over the flat-landers. Every other Democratic nominee was elected. Dwight Eisenhower carried the
county in two elections but Truman, Kennedy and Johnson all received landslide-level victories. Lesser Democratic
victories followed from 1968 through 1984 (Wilkie, pp. 221,231; Calkin, p. 65).
With the passing of these political giants, Democratic Dubuque candidates had at least a chance to occupy the
vacant seats. Dubuque Congressman Maurice Connolly (1877-1921) was elected in 1912 and four years later sought a
Senate seat in the first popularly elected race for that national chamber. He lost to Republican and former Iowa governor
Alfred Baird Cummins (1850-1926). Former Telegraph-Herald editor Richard Louis Murphy achieved a Senate seat
with Roosevelt's first victory, but he died in an automobile accident in 1936 before his first term was completed. Murphy
Park honors him (ibid., p. 409, 419, 427; Lyons, p. 323 ).
Population Stability:
The population chart presented above dramatically depicts the failure of Dubuque's population to grow during
the 40-year per/od following 1900. Note that the state census totals continued to outpace the federal findings, the last
state headcount being taken in 1925. It wasn't until 1930 that the 40,000-population target was finally achieved (unless
one accepts the 1925 state figures which, for the first time appeared to be accurate). Relying upon the federal counts,
population growth i910-20 was 1.6 percent, between 1920-1930, 6.4 percent, and 1930-40, 5.3 percent. World War 1I
did finally bring substantial population growth to the city and a 13 percent gain was recorded between 1940-50 (a 1945
count would indicate the degree to which this growth came during or after the war). An identical gain was achieved
between 1950 and 1960.
This urban population profile is of some historical interest because it offers the model of a large Iowa city that
failed to grow in population at a time when other comparable cities enjoyed considerable growth. Growth was
particularly associated with World War I-era prosperity. From Dubuque's standpoint, what is siginficant about these
figures is not so much the lack of growth as the lack of population loss. Despite the tramna of the Great Depression, the
city population loyally remained in the city.
Municipal Growth, 1910-1955:
Dubuquer's doubted that any other city in Iowa or the west "could make an equal showing under similar adverse
circumstances" as their city did during 1911. Ten months of struggle between labor and contractors greatly impeded
building. Building continued to be predominately small-scale and just a dozen projects exceeded $10,000 in value. One
of these, the new Brtmswick-Balke-Collender factory ($500,000) accounted for one third of the city building total
however and the five largest private projects ($945,000 total) accounted for 62 percent of the total. Adding municipal
2t The Socialists did very well in the 1902 elections, garnering votes as high as 732. In the spring of 1904 the party offered a full city
ticket but their mayorial candidate garnered just 272 votes (Oldt, pp. 386-87).
PS Form 10-900 a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 99
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
improvements ($200,000) just 25 percent of the total was attributable to small-scale private building. The Telegraph-
Herald concluded:
The meaning of this can be but one thing. Dubuque is building residences for its working classes and is
building them because they are needed. This must mean Dubuque is increasing in population, and
without a doubt, the next census will show Dubuque has the health/est advance in population of any city
in the state.
The 191 ! improvements included two bungalows. The majority of the new houses cost $3-3,500 (Telegraph-Herald,
December 31, 1911).
Brunswick Plant, 1911 (Courtesy Dubuque County Historical Society)
The Telegraph-Herald downplayed the 1912 improvements under a small caption "Much Building Done Past
Year." Residences dominated local construction and "but few large builrYmgs have been erected." No counts or list were
offered. "Many new residences erected" proclaimed the newspaper and it was reported that "architects and contractors
are unanimous in declaring that the year has been a prosperous one in their respective lines of work." New homes were
"especially noticeable in the hill districts and in the north end of the city." Five larger projects were valued at $430,000
(Mercy Hospital Home for the Aged, A. Y. McDonald warehouse, Severance Hall at the University of Dubuque, heating
plant at the German College, and a gym at St. Joseph College) (Telegraph-Herald, December 29, 1912).
The Telegraph-Herald warned "More Homes Are Needed In City" in mid-1912, and lauded the developers who
had built Coventry Court Flats and the Austin Apartments in the face of local criticism. Both buildings were "filled or
almost filled with the most desirable of tenants." A "glaring shortage of suitable cottages or modem flats" should
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
encourage other similar projects. "It will appear laborers, carpenters and others will have their hands full at all times." A
promotional "Home Builders Directory" printed in early May featured a concrete bungalow plan designed by regional
arch/tect Charles Sedgwick, valued at $2,800 (Telegraph-Herald, May 5, June 23, 1912).
Between 1912 and 1914 the Telegraph-HeraM estimated that a million dollars had been spent building new
homes in the city, mostly in response to the arrival of the Bnmswick-Balke-Collender Company with several hundred
new jobs. A major inducement to residential growth in West Dubuque was the extension of the West Locust Street car
line to Asbury and Delh/streets. For a nickel a commuter could traverse a four-mile route west from the Great Western
Depot. The newspaper noted "It has opened up a new section of the city which promises to become a most desirable
residential section."
A trip over the city must convince one of the builcFmg activ/ty. Various sections which were nothing
but pr~n:ie, some of them covered with water and overgrown with weeds, are now among the most
beautiful and sanitary residential districts in the city.
One of the marked changes in this respect is represented by the new Municipal Athletic park. For years
the site was a dumping ground. It now is one of the best-improved pieces of property in the city and one
that will grow in value and usefulness.
Homebuilder Chris Voelker was credited with building a bungalow development around the former athletic park and with
building up the South Alta Vista Street district. "This neighborhood development idea is taking a hold in Dubuque in a
remarkable manner..." The 1914 construction numbers were impressive, in excess of $4 million. "It can be said without
exaggeration that Dubuque has taken a longer progressive step in 1914 than any other city in Iowa." Wartburg Seminary,
new to the city, was being constructed at a cost of $200,000. Four religious institution-building projects totaled
$823,000. The railroads expended $233,000 and public services $493,000. The new Julien Hotel and the Elks Home
cost $670,000 (Telegraph-Herald, December 27, 1914).
A record number of residences were built in 1915 and the list included 15 bungalows. The three principal house
builders were Bradley & MeClay, Kubnals & Son, and Chris Voelker. It was noted "during 1915 there have been more
residences built than in any other year in the history of Dubuque:"
With the rapid growth in population, due to the increase of business, suitable houses are in great
demand. There was a constant cry for houses this year and many contractors were forced to double up on
the shift in order to get the homes ready. Real estate men and those who make a business of handling and
building residences claim that there was never such a demand for residences as this year.
Total private construction accounted for just 44 percent of the year's growth. Religious institution improvements
(principally Wartburg Seminary and Sacred Heart School, totaling $625,000) made up 31 percent. The new building was
"evidence of stability had in style of architecture and serviceability of structures" boasted the newspaper (Telegraph-
Herald, December 26, 1915).
A small 1916 progress report recorded a 50 percent decrease in total construction compared to 1914, below
$2,000,000. The collapse was due to the lack of large private projects. Just one such project that year was valued at
$75,000. Private investments accounted for 39 percent of the years total (compared to 56 percent in 1914). Public
improvements were stressed as were the building efforts ofreligious institutions and public utilities. The Telegraph-
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Architectaral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Herald admitted "for the past number of years [Dubuque's] growth has been varied but gradual." Prospects for 1917
were brighter and readers were assured "Dubuque's population is still on the increase." The city's gateway, '~2ae leading
channel into Illinois and Wisconsin," 4~ Street, was paved. Windsor Avenue was "made over" and the West Locust
Street paving was extended. Clay Street, between 2~d and 24t~ streets, was also paved (Telegraph-Herald, December 31,
1916).
The year 1917 was "another barmer year" in the estimation o£the Times-Journal but the total valuation of new
construction, barely above that of 1916, was the lowest since 1913. Strikes had impeded growth during 1915 and 1916.
One growth area was in street and alley improvements. The Farley and Loetscher Warehouse, an addition to the First
National Bank and the new Holy Ghost Church represented $360,000 in value. Two filling stations were included in the
list of new buildings (Times-Journal, January I, 1918).
New Dubuque House Starts, 1924-33 (1935 Housin~ Report)
World War I brought with it shaxp wage and building mater/als price hikes and during 1918, restrictions on non-
priority construction. Inflation was increasingly present in the pre-war years and particularly during the war when war
needs and military priorities competed for both labor and materials. Construction during the final seven months of 1917
was $603,170, and this figure plthmmeted to $300,000 during that same period in 1918. Under reporting of additions and
remodeling was blamed as part of the cause for the drop but government restrictions were the main cause. Dubuque's
construction rebounded immediately when the government ended its prohibition on non-priority builcVmg and 1919
building figures doubled those of 1918. The numbers were bolstered by a number of very large projects, notably the
Tuberculosis Hospital ($150,000) and the Brunswick plant. A small number of builders dominated, Anton Zwack on the
larger projects, Voelker Realty and James Gregory led in the hunse-builcVmg trade. Contractors counted on filing the/r
building permits after-the-fact and the city engineer threatened fines for the delinquents when they filed for $45,000 in
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 102,
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
LOCATION
Location of Dubuque Housing Starts, 1924-1933 (1935 Housin~ Report)
Note the clustering along the '%vestem highlands" and bluff tops.
permits the first Saturday of the new year 1920. Contractors were enjoined by the Times-Journal to save the city
receiving "a black eye" when undervalued figures were printed each year by "one national engineer's magazine." The
PS Form
(Rev.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 103
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
city experienced a severe housing shortage alSer the war and just two houses were available to be rented at year's end.
(Daily News, December 31, 1919 Times-Journal; January 5, 1919; Times-Journal, November 23, 1919).
By 1922 local construction bad largely rebounded, and doubling the 1921 totals. Public and institutional building
projects drove up the numbers. Downtown the Federal Bank Bn/lcVmg and Un/on Trust and Savings totaled $600,000.
Three religious institution expansions and two new junior high schools were also underway (Telegraph-Herald,
December 3 l, 1922).
The boom continued through 1924 when $3,000,000 was expended although the local newspaper fudged the
figures by including county road paving expenses in the total. Streets and sewer projects accounted for over $2,600,000
of the total. Church institutional builcVmg and Finley Hospital expansions were also underway. A statewide comparison
of building permits issued through November i placed Dubuque behind (actually well behind) Des Moines and Sioux
Falls [sic, Sioux City] but the comparative city listing in The Dubuquer was still headed by Dubuque. Cedar Rapids was
close behind but Davenport, Council Bluffs and Waterloo all languished (ibid., December 28, 1924; The Dubuquer,
December 1924, p. 3).
By 1925 the big projects were finished. The Canfield Hotel expanded and the University of Dubuque built Van
Vliet Hall. Public expenditures comprised just 14 percent of the total while new house starts accounted for 53 percent
(ibid., December 27, 1925).
The house construction chart presented above visually traces the changing m/x of housing cost categories over a
ten-year period 1924-33. Houses priced $4,000-$10,000 dominate through 1929 while the most expensive houses
increase in number between 1925 and 1926, and then decline to a handful. Lower cost housing (less than $4,000)
increases sharply by 193 i, but fades after 1932. By 1920 the average new house cost was $6,000 (Dubuque Business,
January 1930, p. 4).
By 1926 the city boasted 125 miles of paved roads. The year was termed a "Banner Year for the Better Highway
System" given the county's approval ora paving bond issue. It was also "probably the first time in the history of the city
the municipal government lived within its incomes." The city's "auto row" developed along Iowa Street by 1929. The
city bad 96 miles of water mains and during the year added 347 new water meters for a total of 8,005 units. These were
not all new buildings but reflected progress in modernizing older properties. The police handled 150 auto theft
complaints and returned ail but eight vehicles. A total of 644 deaths occurred during the year but it was stressed that 150
of these were strangers and shouldn't be counted in calculating the city's mortality rate! (Ibid., January 2, 1926; January
2, 1927; Times-Journal, January 2, 1927; Telegraph-Herald, August 29, 1929).
The 1929 builcVmg program included a good number of major construction projects. These were an addition to
the Mary of the Angels Home (6t~ and Bluff streets), Clarke College gym and auditorium, Holy Trinity School, the first
(north) balf of Roshek's Department Store (8th and Locust streets), the Burns Realty Company garage,and the new
Telegraph-Herald and Times-Journal building ($500,000) (Dubuque Business, January 1930, pp. 4, 7).
The strangulating impact of the Great Depression wasn't strongly felt until the latter part of 1931 in the Midwest
and Dubuque, like all cities on the go, was busily engaged in erecting major new build/mgs. Over $3,000,000 was
expended in the city during 1929 and a host of major 1930 projects were announced by January 1930. ~hese included
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]04
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count7, Iowa
County and State .......
the new Masonic Temple ($250,000), the south half of the huge Roshek's Departmcmt Store and four lesser industrial and
commercial projects (Dubuque t~usiness, January 1930, pp. 4, 6; Telegraph-Herald, January 2, 1931).
A local campaign was initiated to employ 1,000 unemployed in the construction industries during 1931 and some
successwas achieved with nearly $1,000,00 being spent in new bullcFmg and remodeling. There were 17 new business
bullcVmgs and five new filling stations. The construction season ran later than usual and pm'mits for 23 of 54 new houses
were taken out in the f'mal 90 days of the year. Garage construction continued to play catch-up with increasing auto
ownership. Of 107 new garages, 81 were of frame construction. Six elevators were added to existing buildings and 39
electrical advert/sing signs were added. Four houses were moved and slx demolished (Telegraph-Herald, January 2,
1932).
The 1934 housing survey offers a comprehensive picture of the state of the city's housing as of that year. New
house construction was taking place on the fringes of the city (see chart above) despite the presence of 4,000 irmer city
building lots. Many of the new houses lay outside of the corporate city limits beyond the reach of the tax collector or
land use controls. High property taxes drove up rents, pfincipally in the flats located in and around the downtown. Many
commercial and office buildings had been converted for residential use, apparently in the 1920's, with inadequate
provisions for sanitation and modcu'n conveniances. The city was physically divided by class with poorer housing being
on the lowlands, and the better houses on the bluffs. The greatest population density was at the point and in Kauffman
Valley, and between 9t~ and Dodge streets west of the downtown. The downtown precincts were smaller in size than the
bluff top precincts due to th/s higher density (1934 Housing Report, pp. 77, 98).
Dubuque was described as a city of single-family dwellings and these were nearly completely don~mant outside
of the downtown. Multi-family housing, comprised mostly of converted single-fam/ly houses, was intermixed in the
downtown with fiats set above storefronts, apamuents and rooming houses. Two-family units were of two types, with
side by side and up and down divisions. The housing study found the city notably lacking in multi-unit housing. Low
cost housing was not being built and new construction failed to meet the need. Even with its low level of growth,
Dubuque was gaining 60 new farrfilies annually but new construction would have housed just a third of these. Add in an
estimated 150 housing units (this 1.5 percent of the total housing stock was a theoretical obsolescence rate but these units
didn't necessarily disappear from the housing market) which became obsolete annually, and the housing shortage
increased. Twenty percent of city housing was over 50 years old (1935 Housin~ Report, pp. 13-14, 20-21, 26,31).
The first comprehensive plan (1936) lauded "the notable progress made in the architectural mer/t of recent
private business structures" (1936 Plan, p. 11).
The 1937 building program as of early May exceeded those of the previous "number of years." The ten new
houses then underway included a Cape Cod cottage (2285 Beunett) and a bungalow (263 Valley Street). Seven
businesses were making improvements and Molo Oil Company was bullcYmg a service station (14t~ and Central). House
bullcFmg was clearly leading the way in reviving the local construction industry (Telegraph-Herald, May 9, 1937).
It wasn't until early 1940 that the first real residential construction boom unfolded in the city, the first time that
over a hundred houses went up since 1925. Half as many houses were built in the suburbs beyond the city boundaries.
New house starts continued at the same pace through mid-May of the next year (Telegraph-Herald, May 18, 1941).
PS Form 10 90&a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 105
OMB Approval No.
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
The city as of 1942 included 38 schools, as many churches, 10,000 homes, two thirds of which were owner-
occupied, 16 parks, 89 factories and 599 retail stores (WPA, p. 68).
Year Total Corrstrachon New Residential Conslracfion Notes:
Total Value Total Non- Number New SLF Total Value New Multi-family
Residential Houses Houses
1911 $I,5t5,645 69 4 86 new buildings
1912 $1,500,000
1913 Nearly
$3,000,000
1914 $4,041,745 78 $316,800
19t5 $2,978,571 96 $342,940
1916 $1,914,300 ? Nearly $500,000
19t7 $1,956,445 58 $256,455
1918
1919 $2,000,000+ Est. 149 Leads state, 107 times increase, 200% over
1918, 267 total permits
1920 $551,990 90 8,173 total dwgs. 1920 census
1921 $1,889,320 68
1922 $2,564,477 125 New houses average $5,000, 484 total
permits, several hundred garages
1923 $1,818,000 177
1924 Over $1,632,000 163 8,790 total dwgs., 594 total permits,
$3,000,000 streets,
$1,616,158 $100,000+
I925 $1,140,000 S980,261 143 $600,000 $.75 million public improvements, Eagle Pt
Pump Station, 7 miles sewer, 8.5 m/les
paving, average house cost $4,000, 1551
total perm/ts
I926 $677,876 93 $343,818 1582 total permits, 176 garages
1927 66 Estimate based on 1935 housing ehar~
1928 55 Estimate based on 1935 housing chart
1929 $3,000,000 60-75 Average cost Est. by C. F. Barrels, Bldg. Commissioner
$6,000
1930 $1,548,154 48 four I929 projects finished
1931 54 $213,477
1932 29 Estimate based on 1935 housing char~
1933 22 118 total 1930-33
1934 10,435 torsi families
1935
1936
1937 $ 225,000 (as 10 (as of May 9) As of early May, Molo Serv/ce Station 14m
of Ma7 9) and Central, one bungalow, one Cape Cod
1938 $I,000,000+
1939 $1,124,893+ 38
1940 $728,817 107 $ 500,000 "a few duplexes" Figure excludes est. 50 houses in suburbs
194I $815,377 22 as of Ma7 I8 $ 316,725 (2 duplexes)
1942 $341,I37 10,000 homes
1943 $142,I71
1944 $288,960
1945 $620,970 47 (50) $199,250 $4,240 average house cost, 580 total permits
I946 $2,703,239 I58 $785,000 $4,970 average house cost, 689 total perrrdts
1947 $2,500,000 269 110 Deere Houses underway, 12 done by
m/d-Sept., 744 total perm/ts
1948- Data not found
55
PS Form 1~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 106
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
A statewide canvas of November 1945 new house starts awarded Dubuque the leacFmg role with 40 new houses
started for a value of $179,900. One of three new houses underway in 16 frrst-class Iowa cities was located in Dubuque.
These were of course the houses meant to house the new Deere plant workers and Dubuque Homes Inc. was responsible
for all but two of the house starts. By year's end half were already under roof and the first would be ready for occupancy
within four to five weeks. The city also led in remodeling permits that month (Telegraph-Herald, January 6, 1946).
The year 1945 was termed a "harmer year" for city house builcVmg with more new house permits being issued that
year than in the ten previous ones save for 1940-4i. The Herald explained that "this city's rapid population growth has
made the demand for housing especially intense here." The new houses were accompanied by 43 house conversions
which produced at least that many new housing un/ts (ibid.)
1946 construction figures set a record in every respect. M~rcy and Finley hospitals expanded as did the V/rginia-
Carolina Chemical Company, and Lores College built a chapel (ibid., January 5, 1947).
Pre-fabricated houses played a minor role in new house starts the next year, 1949, with 21 of 269 units being a
prefabricated model. The boom in new housing was underway. Just two years, 1938-39 had been comparable. Three
major business expansions drove up the numbers. Farley & Loetscher added a power plant, Dubuque Packing Company
expanded its stockyards and the Northwestern Telephone Company started the basement and first floor phase of a new
office builcVmg (ibid., January 4, 1947).
Wartime Mobilizations and Efforts to Restore the Eroded Municipal Industrial Base:
The average Dubuquar is taking new pr/de in his city, once the biggest manufacturing center of the
state, as he sees it regaining some of/ts former distinction.
Recalling the huge soap plant and lumberyards that once flourished here, the plow factory which Mark
Tw~m was told was the biggest in the world, John Q. Dubuque was a bit ashamed of his town hi the
30's ....
Some citizens will recall that Dubuque in 1880, with 23,384 population, held the top place in Iowa.
And they will further recall, abashedly, that the population in 1930, when Dubuque sank to seventh
place (behind even Council Bluffs), was smaller than in 1905--the figures were 41,679 and 41,941
respectively...Yet, despite a few blemishes in the general picture, the average Dubuquer has reborn
confidence in his city as a new year "takes off." His hopes are in the altitudes again, like the planes that
will be zooming out of the new airport.
Telegraph-Herald, January 5, 1947
World War I And Industrial Erosion:
This transitional postwar per/od has been addressed by Sylvester McCauley, who, writing in 1922, studied the
oparations of the massive Bmns~vick-Balke Collender Company22, producer of phonograph players. In the prewar years
wages were high and labor was somewhat scarce as the firm operated at normal capacity. With the corffmg of the war
wages continued to rise in the face ora growing labor shortage. City industrial firms were producing such items as the
22 The former Brunswick Plant is now the Flex-Steel complex.
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 107
The ArchitecmraI and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
lumber components of cartridge boxes. Women and girls temporarily entered the workforce to fill the void. At
Brunswick they accounted for one half of the workforce at one point. Followthg the war normal production continued
through April 1920. The only change was in the supply of male laborers, now sufficient. Wages and prices remained
high. By this time the company was working overtime according to McCauley. After April 1920 there was a gradual
decline in business trade, the female workforce was dismissed through the summer and fall. The "industrial crash" in
McCauley's words, came that fall·
The Brunswick was one of the last firms in Dubuque to close down. While some of its employees were
laid offin early October, the factory kept going until the first of December, when the plant's doors were
closed, throwing a thousand men out of work.
For the next few months, business in the city was at its lowest ebb. Then the factories began taking on
more men and things brightened a bit. The high wages of the war, however, were gone. Men at the
Brunswick, working by the piece, who had previously made as much as fourteen and fifteen dollars a
day, found their scale of piece wages sadly reduced when they returned to work and had to be satisfied,
in many cases with little more than half what they had earned before. Employees from other factories
were far worse off than this.
McCauley determined that "Dubuque was not hit nearly so hard as other cities in this post-war slump." It was the
woodworking component of the city's industrial mix which sheltered the city. A house-building boom in New Jersey and
New York for retur~mg soldiers provided a massive market for sash and doors from Farley & Loetscher Manufacturing
Company. McCauley offered a contrasting (unnamed) example of a company that failed to respond to changing times:
We have in Dubuque a plant which, during the war, reaped enormous profits manufacturing war
materials. The management of this company did not have the foresight to realize what was coming after
the war; consequently, all the profits of the company were sunk back into extensive, likewise, expensive,
improvements, for the purpose of turr~mg out still more war materials. When the depression set in this
particular company practically went on "the rocks," and has been so since. A large building, begun
during those times of inflated prosperity, had to be abandoned and still stands there, a mute testimony to
the folly of poor management under abnormal conditions.
Market conditions improved and normalcy was finally achieved by the sttmmer of 1921. Wages were "only fair" given a
plentiful labor supply· Business during 1922 was normal for seven months in the sttmmer and fall when the national
railroad strike caused some job loss and production cutbacks. At the time of his writing, in 1923, McCauley observed
full-time plant operations and fall employment and predicted "Dubuque has nottfmg to fear concerr/mg unemployment at
present" 0VlcCauley, pp. 215-i6).
· In sheer numbers of plants the industrial attrition in Dubuque by 1942 was fairly astounding. The 200 factories
present as of 1900 were by this time reduced to 90. Dubuque had long been the state leader in manufacturing and this last
claim to fame was forfeited. Certainly, the old-line major industries, provicYmg the lion's share of jobs remained in place.
A major loss was the departure of the Milwaukee Shops, the city's largest employer for years. As late as 1918 it provided
2,000 jobs but was completely closed soon after that (WPA, pp. 66-67)·
The post-World War rebound of the 1920's convinced Dubuque leaders that fortune had once again come their
way. At the end of 1927 it was promised that Dubuque was on the "Eve of a new era" and the Chamber of Commerce
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 105
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
called upon all citizens for broad-based support. There was, in the words of Chamber president Dove, an "urgent need
for development in nearly every direction." A lack of financial support had left a number of new industrial developments
in abeyance and there were innumerable civic improvements required commitment and resources (Telegraph-Herald,
Janum'y 7, 1928).
The Second World War both stimulated and exhausted Dubuque's industrial base. Wartime conversion to
produce military goods was limited and it appears that few ex/sting plants enjoyed retooling, new construction or other
forms of reinvestment. At the same time Dubuque was the place of choice for numerous from which relocated there in
during the war. The J. P. Smith Shoe factory was the first to come in 1941, followed by the Arkell Safety Bag Company
in i943, as well as the Electronics Inc. Company, Dubuque Screw Mactfme Company, Thcrmo Electric Manufacturing
Company, and the Dubuque Garment Company. Late-war recruits included the Virginia-Carolina Chemical Company
(which took up quarters alongside the Shot Tower), Baxter Manufacturing Company (another soap company), General
Timber Services (a Weyerhauser Lumber Company subsidiary), and L. and N. Specialties (glove factory). These along
with the John Deere plant which was secured in 1945, provided the "backbone" of a new industrial base that was only
f'malized in recent years. Established local firms, inclurYmg A. Y. McDonald and Dubuque Packing Company both
undm'took expansions (Telegraph-Herald, January 5, 1947).
The year 1946 was the "banner year" for city industrial development. Chamber secretary John Kcrper credited
1945 and 1946 with being Dubuque's two greatest years of industrial progress in a generation." City population
surpassed the 50,000mark and the city annexed 59.6 acres in the Asbury area for the Deere worker's housing, the first
such annexation in almost a century. Kerper claimed that in the past three months 20 new firms had given up plans to
move to the city because of the lack of large open areas in proximity to railroad sidings. Predicting a successful near
future but long-term industrial park initiative, Kerper reported that the Chamber was studying using City Island for that
purpose. It was predicted that the city would surge on to the 60,000-population mark. Darkly, the newspaper worried
"Will this expansion pick up even more steam or gradually slow to a stop?" (ibid.).
The lack of elbowroom had always hindered Dubuque's growth and development and by this time Dubuque's
municipal boundary, encompassing 12.1 square miles was barely exceeded by down-river cities (Clinton had even less,
Burlington just a tad more) except Davenport (17.75 square miles). Mason City wasn't much larger (12.4 square miles)
but Cedar Rapids (28.36 square miles) and Des Moines (55.91 square miles) left Dubuque in theft' dust (ibid.).
The Obliteration of German-American Identity, the Decline of Ethnic Identity:
German-American ethnic identity enjoyed its best years during the 1890s and pre-World War I years. As the war
consumed Europe, The Telegraph-Herald carded a regular "German Views of the War" column, but once the war was
American/zed, any pretense ora neutral stance was abandoned. Germans became the "Huns" and all things German were
derided and finally legally banned. The several German banks changed their names as did the various German cultural
orgarfizations and the churches dropped German language services. Nationally, the largest ethnic group in the country
simply disappeared. Historian John Haygood defines the post-1919 German-American experience as being that ora
separate existence on the part of the Germans, to the extent that a cultural identity was preserved at ail (see the Telegraph
Herald, January 2, I916 for an example of the column; Haygood, pp. 1-21).
Proh/bition played its own role in achieving the same effect. The several German breweries closed down
operations in I916 with the advent of national proh/bitiun. A third factor was the anti-German stance taken by the two
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]09
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
successive Archbishops, both named Keane. Both opposed Cahenslyism, the pro-German cultural movement (the
alternative being the pro-assim/lafion or "Americanism" movement) and worked to Americanize local church serv/ces.
Under the first Archbishop this push was combined with temperance campaigns (Lyon, pp. 48-49; Wilging, pp. 23-25).
Taming the Mississippi River:
Corps of Engineers Historian John O. Anfinson is in the process of finalizing a most excellent study of the upper
Mississippi to be titled The River We Have Wrought: The Upper Mississippi River, 1823-1940. Originally scheduled
for publication in m/d-2000, the book will take at least another year to be published. Necessarily this delay complicates
using the work as a source for this study if only because it would be unkind to steal the author's thunder by pre-
publishing his conclusions. Consequently Anfmson's findings will be only generally summarized at this time.
The first Federal Barge Line Shipment, August 20, 1927 (Telegraph-Herald, October 20, 1975)
The Mississippi was only improved for commercial navigation just as it was losing its last substantial shipping
use, the log rafts. The moribund river trade was revitalized by two federal initiatives. Railroad car shortages were first
felt in 1906-07 but the shortages became acute during America's pre-World War I industrial mobilization for Europe's
war. The lack of ocean freighters forced east coast shipping interests to collect and use cars as temporary warehouses
and cars were soon drained away from the Mississippi River Valley, hampering local industries and agricultural shippers.
The east/west shipping system that had replaced river shipping during the Civil War suddenly ceased to work. The i917
Railroad Control Act provided substantial funds for the construction of barges and boats to supplement rail service in
response to the car shortage. The federally organized and run barge fleet, the "Inland & Coastwise Waterways Service,"
was begun in July 1918 and was under the Railroad Administration. With the passage of the Transportation Act of 1920
it passed to the Secretary of War's control and finally became the Inland Waterways Corporation in 1924, at which time
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 1]0
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Properly
Dubuque County, Iowa
Cotmty and State .......
it was extended to the upper Mississippi River (in the form of the Upper Mississippi Barge Line Company, formed at
MLnneapolis, to be leased by the corporation, Dubuque contributed $5,000 towards the cost of capitalizing the new
company). The Upper Mississippi Division included 21 shipping points m four states. The barge line wasn't ready to
operate until 1927 by which time it had two towboats and 11 barges. Nothing could be shipped until cities like Dubuque
ILLIN[tIS
IOWA
1948 Mississippi River Map, River Miles 268-83 (The Middle and Upper Mississippi River, p. 136)
Note the wing dam and clos/ng dams system that is central to maintaining the main channel. The channel hugs the Iowa
shore at the lock/dam and at the Julien Dubuque Bridge, yet is adjacent to Illinois beneath the railroad bridge.
constructed modem barge termJnals and these cost $200-500,000 each. Dubuque, with its muddy levee, lacked any
docking capability. The Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce and local newspapers convinced voters to authorize the
formation of the Dubuque Dock Commission in November 1926. Anton Zwack was contracted by the Commission to
build the terminal at the bottom of Jones Street and the Dubuque Boat & Boiler Works was contracted to build three
stemwheel towboats (S. S. Thorpe, Charles C. IVebber, T. Q. Ashburn). The terminal, with its excellent rail links, was
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of tho Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ! ! 1
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
one of the earliest completed terminals and it opened July 21, 1927. Dubuque oil tanks serviced the three local boats and
refueled downstream boats. The first federal barge shipment left Minneapolis on August 25, 1927 (see photo below).
The Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works bu/lt the towboats which were used by the new finn. By 1926 the Federal Barge
Lines offered two ~veekly departures each way between St. Louis and St. Paul. It was this barge-shipping initiative which
put in place the supportive constituency that first secured a federal s/x-foot and then a nine-foot channel federal
commitment, the latter coming only in 1930 (Tweet, i984, pp. 256-57; Anfinson, Chapter 8, pp. 1, 11; Kruse, pp. 30-
31)?3
Dubuque Federal Barge Terminal, 1940, view north
(two images joined, Library of Congress photo)
The n/ne-foot charmel enabled the Federal Barge Line to gradually increase its capacity, with much larger barges
and more towboats. While total tonnage was well below that which would develop after World War II, year-to-year
tonnage increases were impressive. Wartime needs further increased river shipping but the true significance of the barge
line was to set the stage for future massive oil and grain shipments. The oil companies were the first to augment the river
with their own towboats and barges. In 1953 the barge line was privatized, and became Pott Industries of St. Louis
(rruse).
Another key factor that pushed for improved Upper Mississippi River navigation was the opening in i914 of the
Panama Canal. The canal reordered the balance between expensive rail shipping costs and cheaper water shipping costs
and Midwest shippers were handicapped. Shippers with direct canal access (coastal shippers using ocean freighters) had
theft' costs cut while upper Midwest fiver shippers with indirect access (transshipment from fiver barge to freighter) were
less competitive, being now further away from a foreign market. It cost more to ship from Dubuque to San Francisco by
rail than it did to send a shipment from New York to San Francisco by boat. The nine-foot channel concept was first
advocated as a means by which shipping costs inequities could be addressed and the farm crisis of the mid-1920s could
be tempered. The overriding goal was that of simply increasing river traffic. By the mid-1930s the justification was
23 By 1928 the federal barge line had four towboats and 60 barges. Supporters for federal assistance noted that communities made no
contribution to the barge sen-vice below St. Louis, but they paid all of the cost for upper river shipping development (AmSnsun, Ibid., p.
30).
PS Perm 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]12
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
based on public employment and responding to the Great Depression. The zYme-foot charmel was strongly opposed from
the start by conservationists, raikoads and some engineers. The first serious study, conducted by Corps Major Charles
Hall in 1927-28 recommended against both a simple channel (which wouldn't work) and a lock and dam system, which
would have transformed the river into a string of stagnant lakes. Hall feared broadscale damage to the public health and
to w/ldlife. The belated inclusion of the r~me-foot channel in the 1930 Rivers and Harbors Act was accomplished in the
form ora last minute 1935 Senate amendment to the original act. With this accomplishment what has been termed the
"Golden Age" of the Corps of Engineers had its beginning (O'Brlen, p. 14; Anfinson, Ibid., pp. 13-14).
Anfinson cites two other events which led to the construction of the nine-foot deep na~ggational channel. The
Indiana 1921 railroad rate case shattered the historic linkage between rail and river shipping rates, and drove the former
upwards. The national farm crisis of the early 1920s ended two decades of record farm commodity prices. These prices
went through the floor hi mid-1920 and farmers now joined the advocates of channel improvements in the hopes of
securing a foreign market (ibid., pp. 17-18).
The original 26 sets of locks and dams were built in order of their importance in alleviating age-old navigational
obstacles. The Zebulon Pike Lock and Dam No. 11, a Class "C" project, was bullt between 1934 and 1937, situated just
upstream from the Eagle Point toll bridge. The complex was relocated to Dubuque in a 1933 plarafmg revision and/ts
construction was hastened to alleviate chronic unemployment in Dubuque. Dams Nos. i 1 and 18 were the first disthct
dams to utilize submersible elliptical Tainter gates and submersible roller gates. The lock and dam cost $6,655,000 and
employed 901 workers at the height of its construction effort (O'Brien, pp. 14, 27, 30, 136-37, 166-67; The Middle and
Upper Mississippi River, pp. 5-7).
The new navigation system was completed just in time to aid the national mobilization effort prior to and during
the Second World War. Dubuque's role in stSp fabrication was made possible by the river improvements. River
shipping took a generation to achieve any significant volume. Petroleum shipments comprised 35-40 percent of all barge
traffic through 1941. Total shipping by 1945 amounted to just 5,000,000 tons. By 1960 this total increased to
27,000,000 tons and was dominated by grtdm shipping (Anfinson, Epilogue, p. 4).
The Emergence of Municipal Planning and Land Use Controls:
A city manager form of government was adopted in the city on April 1, 1920 under the leadership of Mayor
James Alderson, the last person to serve five consecutive terms as mayor until Jim Brady did so during the early 1980s.
One of the casualties of the new form of local government was the ward system. It would not be re-established until
1980, at which time the mayor's term of office was extended to four years. Alderson issued a progress report on new
government. As was the case with any change or major decision, the adoption resulted from "a rocky road" but it was
sold on the promise of efficiency and economy in local government. A substantial minority strongly opposed the change.
A Police Court Judge replaced a system of justices of the peace. Court fines averaged $1,370 between 1915 and 1920 but
in 1923 totaled $18,209. The city adopted a modem acconnting system, eliminated non-essential positions, replaced
horse teams with tracks, disposed of an extra firehouse, constructed a new municipal garage and a new water pumping
station, created the city's first health departracnt and built a new 7,500,000 gallon concrete water reservoir. The old city
hall replaced 15 old stoves with furnace heat. An important change came in 1921 substantially changed the city map by
renaming or consolidating many of the principal streets and renumbering street addresses. East-west numbers were now
based on Central Avenue and not Bluff Street. The north/south numbering remained based on Dodge/Lombard streets.
Other ordinances put in place the first municipal building code (April 1, 1924), mandated building permits (April 6,
PS Form lO-SOO-a
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 113
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Propeity
Dubuque Count-?, Iowa
County and State .......
1923), and authorized the issuance of extensive sewer and waterworks bonds (1922-23). The new athletic field was
established and developed and a tourist camp was established at Eagle Point Park (Report, City of Dubuque, 1924; Lyon,
pp. 470-72).
More of a city's prosperity depends on its beauty than is commonly accepted. A city's guests, by
their number and by their appreciation, come very near to being the yard- stick by which to
measure its success or failure. A municipality which is not inviting to the visitor, and which sends
him away cold soon becomes a community of citizens trying fruitlessly to get rich taking in each
other's, washing. Beauty spots that linger in the memory are more the result of wise planning than
of extravagant expenditure. That city will fare ill which leaves in the mind of the v/sitor within its
gates nothing but an impression of factory chimneys, crowded tenements and blighted residential
districts. It is equally tree that a city whose guests are eager to come again and who leave with
regret will not only be rewarded by their repeated patronage, but will be equally attractive to those
who make their homes within its pleasing environs. It, therefore, behooves all cities to spend some
time in efforts other than the addition of more factories, more railroads and switching yards. Our
commercial clubs and booster organizations have concen~:ated on the latter for so long that they
have too often forgotten entirely the necessity for the former.
Ding Darling, 1935 Housing Report Preface
The city housing conditions were exhaustively surveyed in 1934 by the Iowa State Planning Board. The findings
of that study and its three separate report versions are treated under the industrial and Great Depression sections of this
context.
The fkst city plan took the form ofa zorfmg orcFmance and was prepared by City Planner John Nolen. It was
enacted January 29, 1934i Like most contemporary plans, th/s ordinance assumed that the city would naturally rebuild
itself from the inside out, the downtown would replace aging housing around its per/meter and each residents would
inherit slightly newer and better housing as each class built, occupied and relinquished a generation of housing. The
1934 State study found that the zorfmg plan was overly ambitious in its hopes for secur/ng new light and heavy industry.
A vast riverfront area, inclucYmg all of Ham's Island, was reserved for this land use yet only 20 percent of the area was
then actually used for heavy industry. The planners urged the city to buy ail of the island, in addition to that being bought
for a new airport, to make the area available for recreation until the time that industrial needs required it. The zorfmg
allocation had historical roots. The 1934 report observed that "Dubuque has been fortunate in the past by reason of the
concentration of land use." Geography had limited its four milroads to the use of a single focused corridor while other
cities had been cut up by railroads which came from every direction. The report continued:
This concentration of railroads has influenced business and industry, and has resulted in a concentrated
industrial section and business section which are well connected by paved streets with the rest of the city
Growth to the north had stopped by 1924 despite the provision of city services and the developed nature of the area. The
plan predicted westward residential growth with "subsistence homesteads" favoring establishment to the northwest (July
1934 Housing Report, pp. 38-39; I935 Housing Report, pp. 9, 57-59).
The first Dubuque comprehensive plan dates to 1936 and was developed by City Planners John Nolen and Justin
Hartzog (John Nolen and Associates) of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The plan's development followed the establishment
ora planning and zoning commission on March 29, 1929 (a new zorfmg ordinance was enacted January 29, 1934.
PS Form 10 900~a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. I024~Q015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Perhaps most notably this plan favored the establishment of an administrative governmental center which was to include
a new city hall, new courthouse and a new federal/post office buiRFmg. A "Thoroughfare System" of arterials was also
favored as was a union railroad and bus station, an airport on Ham's Island (or Peru flats) riverfront recreational
facilities, regional highway construction, and the implementation of zo~fmg and land use controls. Curiously absent was
any recommendation relative to Mississippi River shipping or support for a nine-foot navigational channel (1936 Plan,
pp. 1-8; 1934 Housing study, p. 9).
The new federal building, 350 West 6t~ Street, constructed 1932-34 (Telegraph-Herald, August 11, 1933)
The plan enumerated a number of"outstancYmg and praiseworthy features" in the city. The list included Eagle
Point and CJrandview Park, Grandview Avenue ("a striking residential boulevard"), the Dubuque Cascade Road, the
reclamation of riverfront sloughs, the city's promotion of river development and the provision of docking facilities, the
concentration of most railroads to a single corridor in the older part of the city (now considered an asset?), as well as
excellent public water supply, a new high school, a genemlly clean city, and "unusual facilities in colleges, academies
and schools" (ibid., pp. 10-ID.
The city lacked an adequate arterial road system. The haphazard process of land subdivision had produced many
streets w/th overly steep grades and poor alignments. NLain thoroughfares remained obstructed by at-grade railroad
crosshigs. East and west city gateways required improvement. There was a need for a municipal golf course. Generally
the park system needed improvement and natural resources required protection and development (ibid., p. 11).
On the primary downtown streets walls "of brick and stone and steel at the property lines" exceeded the carrying
capacity of very narrow streets. The plan favored enlarging the downtown business district, and decentralizing
specialized retail land uses into neighborhood centers. Road improvements were recommended at the western downtown
links to the outlying residential areas. A traffic bottleneck was cited at the junction of Hill Street and Julien Avenue.
Fourteenth Street and Central Avenue (above 22nd Street) were to be widened and Garfield Avenue improved to provide
access to northeastern Dubuque. An informal pattern of locating neighborhood stores had by this time transformed into a
pattern of favoring comer locations on principal thoroughfares. Neighborhood retail centers with off-street par!ring were
PS Form 10~900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number. E Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count'v, Iowa
County and State .......
now favored. The city lacked large acreages for new industries and 750-acre Ham's Island was favored for a heavy
industrial area with barge access (ibid., pp. 11-33).
The plarmers were pleased with the condition and appearance of city streets but favored the elimination of
"unsightly poles and direction signs, and heterogeneous advertising" and billboards in residential areas. Overhanging
signs in the downtown were discouraged. The famous Rhomberg Avenue Elms were again cited as worthy of emulation.
The "great handicap" for city public buildings was the "lack of setting" resulting from the standardized block size. Any
new structures should locate outside of the downtown and the new high school was offered as a successful example. The
planners praised "the improvement in the appearance of the business district during the past years...both in the character
of new structures and in the reconstruction of some of the older buildings." Apparently some late-Depression
improvements had been made. Many "shabby structures" needed to be replaced with "up-to-date buildings of good
architecture" (ibid., pp. 3441).
2~ae proposed regional plan extended its land use controls a mile beyond city limits, primarily to control fringe
development along Asbury, Middle and Delhi roads were an estimated 2,000 residents now lived. This control effort
anticipated "potential add/tions to the city in the next ten to twenty years." In anticipation ofregiunal highway
construction a 110-foot standard fight-of-way was urged for the key routes leading inland; Sageville, Asbury, Middle,
Dehli, North Cascade and Cascade roads. Circunfferential highways were recommended to follow the one mile, two mile
and five mile zones out from the city center (ibid., pp. 41-43).
Commerce and Banking:
Bank Period of Service Officers Legacy
First National Bank 1864-present C.H. Eighmey, J. C. Collier, B.F. Nearly closes August 16, 1893, for 95 years on
Blockinger northwest comer Main and 5t~ (1867 to 1962)
German Bank/German Savings [State] 1864-1932 N.J. Schrup, Henry Michel Renamed Pioneer Savings Bank and Trust 1918,
Bank Pioneer Trust and Savings Bank 1919, merges
with Consolidated National Bank 1926
Second National Bank 1876-c.1922 W.H. Dcm/rig, J. H. Day 605 Main Street
Iowa Trust & Savings 1884-1932 B.W. Lacy, Mamice Brown To 7~ &Main
Dubuque National Bank 1888-1922 D.D. Myers, J. G. Bailey
German Trust & Savings 1887-I 932 Paul Traut, A. F. Heeb Northwest comer Clay/Centrai and 13~,
renamed of Ui~/on Trust & Savinl~s Bank 1918
i Dubuque Cleahng House Association 1891-c.1927 P.J. Lee, B. F. Blockinger Eight banks orgardze April '6, '89' (Oldt, p.
203).
Citizens State Bank c.1898-1922 P.J. Lee, E. B. Piekenbrock
German American Savings Bank 1901-32 N.J. Slm~p A branch of the German Say/rigs Bank, r~narned
Pioneer Savings Bank & Trust Co~ 1918.
Dubuque Savings Bank c.1902-c.19t7 Wrr~ L. Bradley, J. IC Derrfing, James M.
Burch
Buildin~ and Loan Association 1924-? Incorporated November 27, 1924
Dubuque Bank and Trust c.1937-pres~nt J.M. Butch Jr.,
American Trust and Savings e.1927-present C.J. Scl*rap, O. G. Schrap
Union Trust and Savings Bank, formerly German Trust and Savings Bank, offered the first insured savings
system in the city during the 1920s. The Dubuque Clearing House Association, headed by P. J. Lee as of 1921, was a
local banking consortium that attempted to protect its member banks. It is credited with staving off bank failures during
the 1907 pamc and was still in operation as of the early 1920s. The First National Bank, dating to 1864, claims to be the
PS Form 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]16
OMB Approve/NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, towa, I837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
state's oldest surviving bank and was the only Iowa bank to remain open on the national bank holiday March 8, 1933. It
was also Dubuque's first national bank (Lyon, pp. 25-26, 155-56, 174-75,458-59).
By 1929 it was announced that the city was attractive investment capital from the outside. The Dubuque
Business proclaimed "Dubuque business and Dubuque institutions are evidencing their confidence in Dubuque's future
by investing their money in Dubuque. Outside capital has also selected Dubuque as a city promising great future
growth." The same source noted that Dubuque led the state in disposable personal income in 1928. The Dubuque
average was $990. The city population was an estimated 58,262 with a total income of $57,631,000. Some 5,670
residents earned more than $1,000 annually (Dubuque Business, January 1930, pp. 4, 6).
Dubuque's Reliance on Industry Is Shaken:
The 1924 report on the state of the city warned that "development of the city has been held back on account of
the scarcity of industrial property or property which could be served by the railroads." The city accordingly had
purchased a large 25-acre slou~a which it filled at a cost of $ I40,000. The plan was successful at least in part because
the report added "a part of this ground has already been sold and a desirable industry employing a considerable number of
men is occupying it (1924 City of Dubuque Report, p. 11).
Industrial recruitment was the principal focus of the Chamber of Commerce as of 1929. Outgoing Chamber
president William Avery Smith challenged the organization to tackle its outstanding objective. This was
...the stimulation of our community industrial growth. We want new industries. We want those already
here to grow larger and more prosperous. Most of our so-called objectives relate themselves directly to
this major problem and take on added importance because of the relationship. Probably all will agree
that the industrial development of our city is of paramount importance.
Smith reminded his colleagues that "there are [no] concerns clamoring for an opporttmity to locate in Dubuque." He
noted that "the past few years have been marked by an unusual migration of industries." These relocated principally due
to market labor conditions or transportation needs, not in solely response to financial inducements. Echoing a future
truism of urban growth, Smith noted that locally developed firms created the most jobs and were most loyal to their home
communities. He urged the Chamber to focus on assisting those local firms which targeting branch factory recruitment.
Dubuque was, admitted Smith, "outside the magic circle" vis a vis the major urban areas. Smith closed with the
recommendation that the Chamber should
strive for favorable living conditions attractive to a self-respecting laboring class; facilities whereby a
worthy but struggling industry may be aided by wise financing; factory sites, available at reasonable
prices and suitable to a variety of needs; transportation rates and facilities, enabling a local industry to
compete with those of the same kind elsewhere (Dubuque Business, February 1930, pp. 34).
In early 1930 Dubuque Business credited the city's five companies which collectively made Dubuque '~the
world's greatest millwork center." The firms (Farley & Loetscher Manufacturing Company, Carr, Ryder & Adams
Company, Bmnswick-Balke-Collcnder Company, Metz Manufacturing Company and Hurd-Most Sash and Door
Company) employed 2,500 persons and enjoyed a national market for their products, with exports to Canada, South
America, Mexico and Cuba. The southern export market was a relatively recent development. Dubuque's advantage was
PS Form ~0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 117
!2re Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,i, Iowa
County and State
its central location relative to market as well as its central proximity to scattered and distant lumber sources.
Surprisingly, wood supplies were coming fi.om Wisconsin, Michigan and the southern Mississippi valley. Products were
principally sashes, doors, blinds, moulding, fi.ames and cabinetwork. Carr, Ryder & Adams had eight branch factories all
established between 1892 and 1916. All of the branches were hi larger Midwestern cities than Dubuque but the local
plant was the largest. Former Dubuquers managed all but one of the branches. Farley & Loetscher had three branch
factories with four distribution points scattered across the country (Dubuque Business, January 1930, p. 5).
Dubuque Packing Company (16th and Sycamore streets) suspended its operations in April 1931. Good news for
the city came in July when a new corporation of the same name purchased the plant and pledged to spend $2,000,000
annually in stock purchases and to employ50-60 persons. Harry W. Wahlert headed the new firm. Wahlert and d/rector
Fred Krey, had previously been associated with the Krey Packing Company of St. Louis. The new firm immediately
expended $75,000 in improvements and broadened the company's product line. Wahlert favored the Dubuque location
because of its proximity of a "great stock raising country." Dubuque Business predicted that the new plant would be "of
untold benefit to the farmers in this vicinity who raise livestock for market." The Wahlert purchase saved the city's meat
packing industry (Dubuque Business, July 193 I, pp. 3-4).
Dubuque Packing Company, 1931 (Dubuque Business, July 1931, p. 4)
The Iowa State Planning Board studied housing conditions in the city as of 1934 at the request of the city
government. The study naturally investigated the city's employment profile and particularly the industrial employment
base, the most measurable victkn of the Great Depression's impact. The study determined that the new 1934 city zoning
or/Finance had allocated too great an area to heavy industry, reflecting lingering hopes that industry would once again
bring growth to the city. Industry had always carded the city's economy in the past (July 1934 Report on Housing).
Dubuque had a 16,000 (presumably male) workforce aged 18 years or more and fully one-fourth of these had no
employment. This massive job loss was the result of the "loss of some industries and the slowing down of others" and
the result was the "economic crippling of the city." Many of the lost jobs were long gone before the famous Depression
descended on the country however, and evidenced an industrial decline that had its roots in the post World War One
economic transition. The BrLmswick-Blake-Collender Company plant, producer of phonographs, employed 1,500-1,600
persons as of the early 1920's, was reduced to just 700 jobs by 1927 and was completely silent by the end of 1929,
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 118
OMBApproval NO. 1084-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propezty
Dubuque Count. Iowa
County and State .......
accounting for a tenth of the totaI jobs in Dubuque. Its demise preceded the actual market collapse and was due to
competition from the radio industry. Consolidation w/th the Warner Radio Company resulted in a final plant shutdown.
The Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad relocated its shops in the late 1920s taking with it 600 jobs. The major
woodworking mills with 950 and 700 jobs respectively as of the mid-1920s now totaled cut to a little over 200 jobs.
Their competition was increasingly with iron and steel substitutes in building as well as a sluggish building industry in
the postwar years. Many smaller manufacturing firms simply disappeared. This shaking out was caused by an inability
to compete w/th firms which were either better located near their markets or their raw materials sources. In firms where
jobs didn't evaporate, good wages did and this earnings loss was said by the report to have had a greater impact on
families than did actual job loss (1934 Housing Report, p. 18).
Many of the industries, which once made Dubuque one of the most prosperous cities of the west, did not
adjust themselves to the modem demands for new processes and new products, and are now partially or
entirely shut down. Many new ventures also proved failures.
July 1934 Housing Report, p. 75
As of 1934 14 manufacturing firms employed 1,145 persons and total employment was tallied at 2,181 jobs. Two
railroad shops provided 775 jobs. Four banks employed 62 ~vorkers. The federal revenue office provided 70 jobs. The
sole surviving consolidated newspaper (Telegraph-Herald) had a payroll of 44 (the other major employers were a mining
company, 20 jobs, the power and light company, 25 jobs, an engineering fnxn, 20 jobs, and the oil company, 20 jobs)
(1935 Housing Report, p. 4).
Dubuque's next industrial boom started during World War II and continued through the postwar years. The city
had not expanded its boundaries for almost a century when, in 1946, it added 59.6 acres in the Asbury area for housing
for the newly arrived John Deere plant. The years 194647 were termed the cities 'T~vo greatest years of industrial
progress in a generation" in the words of Chamber of Commerce secretary John A. Kerper. As noted the roots of this
industrial rebound traced back to 1941 when the J. P. Smith Shoe Factory came to the city. It was followed in 1943 by
the Arkel Safety Bag Company, Electron/cs, Inc., Dubuque Screw Machine Company, Thermo Electric Manufacturing
Company, and the Dubuque Garment Company. Ground was broken in the Peru bottoms for the Deere plant in July 1945
and the Virgin/a-Carolina Chemical Company was also building a new plant near the Shot Tower as of late 1946. L&N
Specialties Company, a glove-making firm, started operations in August 1945. The Baxter Manufacturing Company, a
soap making finn moved to Dubuque in October 1946, and General Timber Service (a Weyerhaeuser Lumber Company
subsidiary) started producing prefabricated houses that same month. Three local firms, A. Y. McDonald, Dubuque
Packing Company and other local finns announced additions. Kerper claimed that 20 other manufacturing finns had
dropped plans to relocate to the city during the final quarter of 1946, citing the lack of sufficiently large industrial sites
and direct railroad access (Telegraioh-Herald, January 5, 1947).
These fairly successful redevelopment efforts faded from later memories (at least from Des Moines memories)
and by the late i960s it was recalled that "Dubuque for almost 50 years coasted on the achievements of its first 50 or 60
years. Then for 50 years, nothing much happened until Deeres arrived." In fact the majority of city industries were
established or recruited after 1900. An industrial headcount taken in 1964 found that of 105 manufacturing firms, just 19
predated 1900 and 27 postdated 1945. This left the difference, 59 fn'ms (56 percent) having arrived on the local scene
between 1900 and 1945 (Des Moines Register, October 25, 1964; Des Moines Sunday Register, October 27, 1968).
PS Form ~O-900-a
(Rev.
United States Department of the Interior
National Perk Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa~ 1837-1955
Name of ?roperty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Des Moines newspaper reporter George Mills penned an excellent profile of Dubuque in 1952 as part of his "The
Romance of Iowa Industry Series" for the Des Moines Sunday Register. The city had 4,000 more industrial jobs then
than it had in 1942 at the height of wartime mobilization. The Deere plant employed 2,000 and had expanded 50 percent
since it's founding. Dubuque Packing Company employed just 500 at the end of the war but now had 2,300-2,400
employees. The firm commanded a specialty East coast market due to its Kosher Kill. Two chemical/ferhlizer firms,
recruited postwar, Virginia-Carolina and Algonquin were thriving. The city had excellent fiver barge service and access
to four railroad networks. Reflective of this growth, during a six-year period, from 1950-1956, Dubuque experienced a
26 percent population increase, to a total of 62,853. Mills attributed this success to the fact that Dubuque was close to
the center of national markets and enjoyed advantageous freight rates, an efficient workforce, proximity to raw materials
and the (always controversial) benefits of Iowa's Right to Work law. The principal downside was worsened floocVmg.
The city was attempting to elevate the 830-aere City Island and the river wasn't cooperating. Another initial problem was
a lack of skilled workmen. At one point one-ttf~rd of the Deere workforce commuted from outside the city (Des Moines
Sunday Register, August 17, 1952).
The giant woodworking fa-ms still played a key role in the city's industrial output. Thes local firms were
bolstered by the national postwar house-building boom. Farley & Loetscher (1875) employed 900-1,100 workers and
Carr, Adams & Collier (1866) had 800 workers. The former was the world's Iargest plant of its kind and the latter
processed 40,000,000 board feet o£1umber during 1951. Their combined annual payroll was $7,300,000. Their primary
trade area was the eastern two-tlfirds of the country. By this time thek lumber source was northwestern Ponderosa Pine
which could be cheaply shipped by mil to Dubuque (ibid.).
Dubuque's new riverfront industfial park, aerial view to northwest, the new marina is visible at lower right,
the Rhomberg neighborhood (Phase II survey are) along top of image (Telegraph-Herald, May 24, 1957)
A.Y. McDonald (1856) employed 850 Dubuquers and H. B. Glover (1857) had a 200-person payroll. The latter
was said to be the oldest apparel-manufacturing firm west of the Mississippi. It also operated a branch plant in
Dyersville. Its sales had been harmed by the weakness in the sale of dress shkts. The Adams Company (1883) provided
375 jobs in its machine shops. Nurre Company (1930's) produced mm:ors and employed 60-76 persons. It claimed to be
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]_20
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
the world's largest plant of its class. Northome, maker of living room furniture, came to Dubuque in 1937 from
Minneapolis to take advantage ora better corporate tax situation, better transportation and good mechanics. It was the
first plant to utilize a conveyor belt in furniture manufacturing. The fm'n employed 240 parsons (ibid.).
The city issued $2,000,000 in general obligation bonds to construct an industrial park south of Eagle Point Park.
After the war larger industries in urban centers were establishing branch operations in smaller cities and Dubuque hoped
to capitalize on this trend. Over 4,000,000 cubic feet of fill was expended to fill in the park site (Des Moines Register,
October 17, 1976; Lyon, p. 121).
Hard Times, The Great Depression And State And Federal Intervention:
Historian Wilkie found that the Great Depression "b/t Dubuque harder and lasted longer than it did in other
places, partly because the fabled prosperity of the 1920's had never settled on the city as a whole." Wealthy Dubuquers
were well represented in stock investments on the national level but these tended to be conservative investments not made
on margin, so losses were few. It was the average family small-scale bank deposit that was wiped out in the failure of
four of seven city banks within a few months time in early 1932. Successive runs toppled the Federal Deposit and Trust,
Union Trust and Savings, the Iowa Trust and Saxfings and finally the Consolidated National Bank. The First National and
American Trust and Savings barely surv/ved, as did the Dubuque Savings and Loan Association (Will~e, p. 419).
Hooverville at the city dump, 1940, photo by John Vachon (Library of Congress)
The Dubuque Business magazine, a Chamber of Commerce monthly promotional, was a casualty of worsening
hard times. Its last issue came out in July 1931 and it was then heard from no more.
Hard times overwhelmed the many charities and social service agencies which, in the past, had met local needs
successfully. The estimated 25 percent unemployment was exacerbated by the plain fact that there was little or no
resulting out-migration, Dubuquer's were as of 1920 92.8 percent "native-bom" to the city and the Catholic majority
community was the only home to its members who were out of work. Another factor was the absence in Dubuque of
what was termed "a floating [population] element." This was a city of homeowners, once credited with having a higher
PS Form I0-900-a
[Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]2!
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
house-owning percentage than any other city in the nation (July 1934 Housing Report, pp. 23-24; 1934 Housing Report,
p. 19, 1935 Housing Report, p. 3).
Evening meal, City Mission, financed by the Community Chest, 1940
(photo by JohnVachon, Library of Congress)
A John Vachon study in contrasts, patriotic advertisement (courthouse tower in background)
and the Great Depression (Library of Congress photo)
Dubuque had always had a strong and varied army of social aid agencies, both private and secular. A
Community Chest was organized in 1929 specifically to provide aid to the rising rolls of unemployed. The church roster
(41 total churches) included four Methodist, three Presbyterian, (and their University of Dubuque), five Lutheran (and
their Wartburg Seminary), three Congregational, two Christ Scientist, individual Baptist, Episcopal, Evangelical,
Spiritualist, Nazarene, Seventh Day Adventist, Jehovah's Witness (500 members, no church building) for a total
PS Form
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]22
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Protestant church membership of 23,000. There was a 200-member Jewish community (both Orthodox and Reformed).
There were 12 Catholic churches with a combined membership of 23,135 or 55.5 percent o£the total. The Catholic
churches ran ~fme parish schools, three academies, Columbia College (now Loras), Clarke College (the only state
woman's college offering a B.A. degree). Catholic Charities was organized by 1929. Earlier fraternal and other
orgarftzations included the Boys Club (1903), YMCA (1866), WYCA (1902), Rotary (1916), Kiwanis (1920), Lions
(1922), Elks (1900), Masonic Lodges (largest with 1,i50 members and the oldest), and Knights o£ Columbus (1900).
Collectively these and a host of other assistance agencies were overwhelmed by the tide of misery that engulfed the city
(i934 Housing ReporL pp. 90, 92-93).
By June 1934 the local relief housing program was in a serious crisis. Landlords were systematically threatening
to evict tenants for nonpayment of rent. The Federal Emergency Relief Administration encouraged the city to request the
Iowa State Planrfing Board to perform a health and housing survey. The sixth such study (the other surveyed cities were
Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Sioux City, Davenport, and Mason City) was carried out during July and August 1934. W.L.
Bierring chairedthe study and Leonard Wolf of Ames was project coordinator. Th/rteen Dubuquers participated in the
work. (1935 Housing Report, pp. 21-22).
Photographer John Vachon, c.1940 (Library of Congress photo)
Dubuque by 1934 had its "Hoovervilles" on City (Ham's) Island, on the Seventh Street extension. These new
shacks and milers were predominant and these accounted for 60 percent of the city's renters. There were 729 unfit
housing units and another 587 units in need of major improvements. These housed 3,948 residents. Eighty percent of
these units were in what were termed slum areas. Houses without city water numbered 736. Overcrowding, defined as
more than one resident per room in a unit, was found in 800 dwellings, 153 of these being grossly overcrowded. The
agricultural crisis, which had its roots in the early postwar years, contributed to the unemployment and housing crisis as
large farm families became refugees into the city. Some new housing areas such as Fremont Area were beyond the reach
of the city sewer system, while older parts of the city fronted on open sewers. The famous "Canal B(Sewer" ran down
along Kauffmun Avenue and was enclosed as far as 19th and Elm, but from that point onward, it run open to the river
(1934 Housing Report~ pp. 15, 33, 38-39; July 1934 Housing Report, p. 77; 1935 Housing Report, p. 52).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 123
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW. Iowa
County and State .......
In keeping with planning theory of the day the report stressed the claim that the slum areas of the city, comprising
ten percent of the total city area, produced 70 percent of juvenile delinquency, 60 percent of major crimes, 30 percent of
all fires, 25 percent of communicable diseases, 52 percent ofrelief cases (2,000 Dubuque families were on relief) and 80
percent of unfit houses (1935 Housin~ Report, p. 44).
It is easy to overstate the level of poverty in Dubuque at this time, particularly given the availability of 500+
photos taken in the city c.1940 by photographer Jetta Vachon, an employee of the Federal Securities Administration.
Vachon personified his times by seeking out images which represented the failure of capitalism to meet the housing and
other needs of the many distraught families. Still many of his photos fall short of depicting levels of absolute distress and
the faces of those who posed for him commonly reflect a sense of triumph and even pride in the humble houses and
shacks which they called home. While Dubuque's experience was likely shared by other Iowa cities, the situation was
exaccerbated by the city's previous stagnant growth, the influx of county residence in response to rural conditions, and
the unwillingness of loyal Dubuquers to leave the city even in the face of unemployment and distress.
The city offered a range of amenities for those who had the resources to util/ze them. There were eight theaters,
four neighborhood skating rinks and a ski jump (opened in 1931), and the Central Fire Station made its th/rd floor
gymnasium available for winter basketball and volleyball. Two golf courses catered to the better off, with Bunker Hill
Golf Course on the northwest edge of the city, and the Dubuque Golf Club on the west edge. Lacking was a municipal
pool and auditorium (July 1934 Housing Report, pp. 85-90).
Increasingly federal assistance found its way to Dubuque. The city was awarded $175,000 by the Works
Progress Administration at the end of 1937 for river improvements, these inclucVmg barge t~n~fmal and trestle repair, and
harbor and Lake Peosta dredging. A municipal pool, first sought in 1934, was finally built on Hawthorne Street and
opened in June 1937, paid for with $44,000 in WPA funds and $17,000 in local match (Telegraph-Herald, December 10,
1937; WPA, p. 89).
World War H and Dubuque:
Today the World War II years are rapidly being transformed into myth. It is important to recall that absent the
surprise on Pearl Harbor, there was no American public consensus on joining this second European war. Strong
isolationist and anti-military feelings remained popular in the still recent aftermath of the First World War. Dubuque
witnessed the same earnest and well-intended debates about America's proper response to the events of the late 1930s.
The peace rallies of the late 1960s occurred on Dubuque college campuses and in other venues even as America began its
pre-war national defense mobilization. At Sacred Heart Parish, the Marguette Young Mens' Club held a rally to oppose
compulsory military service (Telegraph-Herald, July 26, 1940).
Dubuque's wartime involvement, in addition to its military contributions, was primarily reflected in its industrial
commitment. Dubuque's perceived vulnerability due to its river location led to understandable paranoia. Cl~m link
fence soon enc/rcled the city water reservoirs and other key security points and armed sentry's patrolled against the threat
of an assault on the municipal water supply.
PS Form ~O~900-a
IRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]24
OMB Approval No. '1024~0015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa~ 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The most evident monument to the war was the Julien Dubuque Bridge. This pre-war marvel was rapidly
completed by 1943 at a cost of $3,120,000. Its completion was made possible because it was a national security asset
(Dubuque. The Birthplace of Iowa, Vol. I, p. 119).
A second monument to the war's home front industrial mobilization was the Zebulon Pike Lock and Dam #I 1.
Completed just prior to the war, the lock and dam system and the nine-foot channel facilitated wartime inland shipping
and made it possible to build larger ocean-going vessels at Dubuque.
A notable loss to the city was the demolition of the monumental illinois Central Passenger Depot (1888-1944).
Its miniscule replacement endured into the i960s. The city as of 1942 was served by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul
and Pacific, the Chicago Great Western, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and the illinois Central railroads. There
were also 30 inter-city truck lines and seven inter-city bus lines in operation. City Island was the site of the municipal
airfield, relocated to that flood-prone site from Nutwood Flying Field, which dated from 1928. The latter was too far
from the city and was located between two ridges (Telegraph-Herald, June 25, 1944; WPA History, pp. 53, 89-90).
The Dubuque Boat and Boiler Works was located along the southern edge of the Ice Harbor when the war began.
A river survey of riverboat building facilities, conducted in late September 1941, determined that the Dubuque works was
the only one in operation on the Mississippi. Democrat Congressman William Jacobsen, of Clinton was interested in
setting up a boat yard at Clinton. The Dubuque company enjoyed a high rating with the federal military departments
given its 100-year history. The federal government sought to utilize inland boa~t builders to reduce pressure on coastal
boat building facilities. The plan also promised to absorb unemployed persons who lost their jobs to domestic production
cutbacks. The works had launched the Coast Guard cutters Dogwood and Sycamore in the fall of 1940, one of which was
christened by the Congressman's mother. The first wartime contract was to provide seven "distribution box" or mine-
laying boats. The Ice Harbor was deepened in 1944 at a cost of $7,500 (Des Moines Register, September 28, 1941; Lyon,
pp. 215-17, 221).
Other Dubuque industries produced products for the war effort. One company was the only state producer of
high-powered binoculars (Telegraph-Herald, February 6, 1944, p. 5. col. 3).
Big Storms Strike Dubuque:
Mother Nature redoubled her efforts to wash the city into the Mississippi dining this period of time. Tremendous freshets
down the many "hollers" of the city pre-dated the arrival of humavJd~d of any description. Heavy rains (more than three inches in a
24-hour period) routinely damaged s~reets and flooded basements. The pattern of these heavy rains was uneven. Between 1874 and
1881 there were nine such storms. Betwean 1882 and 1910 there were just six, yet between 1911 and 1919 there were seven storms of
that magnitude (the records were 5.23 inches on August 18-19, 1912 and 5.22 inches on August 16-17, 1918; the 1876 record was 4.55
inches). (Twentieth Annual Year Book of Agriculture, 1920, pp. 700-703). The following major storms were documented in the issues
of the annual Iowa Yearbook of Agriculture:
January 30-February 2, I915: Everything was coated with solid ice by the end of January ("the brick buildings...looked like
marble"). Five inches of sunw and slush buried the downtown car lines and phone and telegraph poles broke under the weight
of the ice. Damage was estimated at $50,000 (Sixteenth Aaanal Year Book of Agriculture, 1915, pp. 599-600).
July 9, 1919: Th/s was the worst rains storm since July 4, 1876 (the year of the Rockdale flood and 40 fatal/ties, 5.4 inches hi
24-hours) in terms of damage and loss of life, although the total precipitation was just 3.87 inches (this storm delivered the
most rain in two-hours time, 3.03 taches in storms since 1911). The death toil in 1919 was seven persons, five of these being
PS Form lO-9OO-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 125
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-I955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
picnicers at Union Park. Two more were lost in the Bee Branch sewer. "Waterwaf' streets were damaged to a "surprisingly
great" degree. Kaufman Avenue was destroyed as was a large pomion of West Locust. Eighth Street lusts its brick paver
surface for several blocks, and wood pavers on Couler above 18t~ Street were more readily carried off. Total damages were
estimated at $125,000, the street damages alone accounting for four-fiffim of this total (Twentieth Annual Year Book of
Agriculture, 1920, pp. 700-703).
March-Apffi 1920 Mississippi River Flood: This was the worst flood since 1888 and the earliest flood of this ma~fitude on
record. Nine days of warning enabled farmers to remove stock and farm machinery from the islands. The industries in South
Dubuque were hardest hit and the railroads dumped flI1 for a week to save their tracks, running trains through water which
covered them. The Wisconsin approach to the Eagle Point bridge was closed offand almost washed out. Damages totaled
$125,000 (Twenty-first Annual Year Book of Agriculture, 1920, pp. 635-637).
April 12-21, 1922 Mississippi River Flood: Heavy rains and rapid snow melt produced flood levels equalled only three other
times in the previous 50 years (the records were, in descending order, 21.7 feet (1880), 21.4 feet (1888), 21 feet (1920, I922),
19.8 feet (1916). The river opened for navigation in March but remained high up until the final rise. High winds on April 19
increased losses and removed 14 summer houses f~om the islands. Losses totaled $154,000 (Twenty-third Annual Year Book
of Attriculture, 1922, pp. 576-577).
June 14-15, 1925, Storm and freshets: Four area storms over the period June 11-24 claimed ten lives and caused $1,888,000
in damages. During the night of the 14-15, 3.15 inches of rain fell during a six-hour period. Municipal losses to pavements,
sewers, and the accumulation of debris were just $15,000 but the real damage was the loss of Chicago, Great Western
Railroad services for two weeks. The Illinois Central Railroad was shut down for four days (Twenty-sixth Annual Year Book
of Agriculture, 1925, pp. 407-409).
September 8-9, 1927 Hailstorms: Two ice storms delivered 5.46 inches of half-bach hail within a five hour, four minute time
period. Flooding destroyed West 8th Street and Central Avenue between 24t~ and 32~d streets. The northeast part of town was
most damaged and losses totaled one death and $25,000 (Twenty-eighth Annual Year Book of A~-~riculmre, 1927, pp. 473-
473).
March 31-April i, 1929 Ice storm: Ice damaged trees and isolated the city "so far as wire communication is concerned" for
two-four days. Total damages, largely to telephone facilities, were $100,000 but much business was lost due to
communications interruptions and train delays (Thirtieth Annual Year Book of A~xiculture, 1929, pp. 525-526).
The Early Tourism Industry and Dubuque's Serf Image:
Motor to Scenic Dubuque, Iowa, On The Mississippi River--1929 Chamber of Commerce Billboard in Illinois
(Dubuque Business, February 1930, p. 1 I)
PS Form ~O-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page [26
The ArcSitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State
Dubuque's natural beauty was a drawing card for an merging tourist industry as early as the late 1800's.
Colored postcards enabled visitors to take their visual memories back home with them. Two developments made in the
1920's and 1930's, the construction of hard surface roads and the introduction of color photographic film for the home
camera user, dramatically increased tourism, particularly visitation linked to the fall's colored leaves showings. The
billboard image shown above attests to an early recognition of the econom/c and promotionaI potential of tourism in the
Dubuque area.
The "good roads" movement opened inland communication with Dubuque's eastern hinterlands only by 1930 by
which time it had "a paved road to Chicago" and a hard surface road between Eagle Point and Dickeyville, Wisconsin.
Dubuque is down on the maps of the railway surveyors and the highway engineers s a
difficult county, but the paved highway has destroyed our isolation. A physical or
topographical disadvantage from which we suffered from the date of Dubuque's
settlement almost until the dawn of the present decade has all but vanished. It will have
disappeared altogether with the completion of pending improvements in Dubuque and
adj oir~mg counties.
Dubuque-- Past, Present and Future; 1930, p. 8.
Perhaps the meanest descr/ption of Dubuque dates to 1964 when a Des Moines Register article "Dubuque: An
Old City With A New Outlook" noted that until a few years previously, Dubuque was "a medieval-like city ruled by the
church, the aristocracy and the merchants." Social change is said to have impacted the city beginning with the end of
World War II. Ethrfic rivalries, Irish versus Catholic, had finally faded in the 1920s and were replaced with religious
ones, Protestant versus Catholic. After the war, labor versus management joined these religious animosities. The city
was divided into two conflicting camps, those who lived atop the bluffs and those who didn't. Class was further
deterrr~med by membership in the Dubuque Country Club with a 400-family membership, or the Shooting Park which was
the flatland's equivalent, an invitation only social organization with 100 members (Des Moines Register, August 17,
1964)i
George Shane, writing in 1954, lauded the city's attributes, noting Dubuque had "an abundance of tradition,
glamour, the best of the state's nineteenth century architecture, atmosphere, and among many other items a shot tower
and the world's shortest cable car railway." The latter, still charging a nickel for a lift, claimed to have carried seven
million passengers since its 1882 inception (Des Moines Register, June 13, 1954).
The Catholic Church in Dubuque:
The continuing strong spiritual and community role played by the church manifested itself in several ways. First
and foremost was the emergence of a broader community wide parochial school system that replaced the earlier church
parish based schools. Second, community betterment and relief efforts were increasingly addressed by a range of church-
based fraternal and community betterment organizations. Third, the existing impressive array of Catholic educational
institutions were further improved and developed. Finally, archdiocese bishops continued to dominate the fa/thful, most
notably in their efforts to suppress the German culture, and during the late 1930s by supporting the American First
movement which favored retaining military resources at home to first arm national forces (Wilke, p. 419).
PS Form
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]?.7
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~
Dubuque Couutv. Iowa
Couuty and State .......
The formal establishment of the modern parochial school system dated to 1922 but non-public schools were
educating the vast majority of children long before that. As of 1916 there were 11,427 children in the city and just 3,152
of these, 27 percent, were in public schools. A diocesan superintendent was appointed and by 1942 there were ten
elementary schools in operation (WPA, pp. 73-74).
By 1934 Dubuque was known as the "Rome of the West" and its Catholic population comprised 55.5 percent of
the city's population (the church and institutional count is given below in the Depression discuss/on). Tnree of 12
churches were located in the suburbs (1934 Housing Report, p. 90).
Postscript, Dubuque's Recent History, 1956-2000:
While this study is not charged with describing Dubuque's history after 1955, a few words are offered for these
recent years if only because Dubuquers require it. Unlike most Iowans, they live lives which are infused with the echoes
of the past and it wouldn't do to simply stop dead, way back in 1955.
Dubuque As A Special Place:
An advantage of Dubuque, first noticed when the weather station was
put up, is the fact that the wind here is seldom if at all so slrong as
elsewhere here about and in the state.
National Democrat, January 13, 1876
Dubuque of Today, written in 1987, noted that the city was outside of the wind belt, and was "sheltered by a
series of superverfmg elevations." The city therefore suffered no risk of tornadoes! Even the weather makes an exception
for Dubuque! Rhomberg and Couler Valley residents chuckle upon hearing this marvelous claim. The physical isolation
of the city did have a critical impact on television reception. From the start, all television was delivered through cable
and as of 1968 ten television channels were available, far more than anywhere else in the region ("Dubuque: An Old City
With A New Outlook," Des Moines Register, October 25, 1964; Ibid., October 27, 1968; Dubuque of Today, p. 9).
As of the early 1960s, the changes which had their roots in post-World War II American culture, continued to
have trek influences in Dubuque, as they did everywhere else. Historic inter-denominational barriers fell when Catholic
priests joined the formerly all-Protestant Dubuque Nrmisterial Association. A new management class was emerging in
the city. Catholic Charities joined the United Fund in 1960. Catholic-Protestant and labor/management antagonisms had
replaced the German-Irish mutual intolerance of the 19t~ century. Catholics and Protestants were commercially
segregated, there were two ice companies for example. There was an understanding that the school board would always
include three Catholics and four Protestants. There was a two-tiered upper class, defined by membership in either the
Dubuque Country Club or the Shooting Park. Republicans were on the rebound. Eisenhower carried city and county in
1952 and 1956, as did Kennedy in 1960, but Republican turnout in the city was higher than the rest of the county in 1950
and 1960. By 1964 the Republicans could offer a full candidate slate for the first time in years and three of five council
seats were claimed by the party. There was even a change in baseball. In 1963 the city briefly had two minor league
teams, placing the city in the same "Ieague" as Chicago, Los Angelos and New York (ibid.).
PS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 128
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name o£Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Some things of course stayed the same. The city led the state in beer consumption and the per capita annual beer
consumption level of 34.7 gallons didn't county any drinldng across the river in East Dubuque! Dubuque itself boasted
no nightclubs despite this figure and it remained, commercially, a "town of comer groceries." Four out of every ten
families had lived in their present house for at least 25 years. Parochial schools served 10,259 students while public
schools had 7,007. The city boasted of its low property taxes which were due in large part to the self-funding parochial
school system (ibid.).
The city boasted 107 manufacturers, a quarter of which had been established after 1945. John Deeres, with 3,500
jobs, was six miles north of the city on the Peru bottoms and paid no city taxes. The first salvo in what would be a series
of economic set backs, was the 1962 closing of the historic sash end millwork firm, Farley & Loetscher, with 600 jobs
lost. The growing popularity of aluminum doors was credited with its demise. Its counterpart, Carr-Adams became
CARADCO and developed a range of new products. Dubuque had always sought high-paying skilled jobs in its
industrial recruitment. By this time, the city's industrial park was being substantially infilled (ibid.).
Urben renewal dominated city planning beginning in early 1967. A single vote council margin accepted the
federal contract end $12,500,000 was expended to relocate 158 businesses and 36 families out of a 15-block area between
4t~ end 9t~, Locust and Center streets. A total of 128 buildings were demolished over a four-year period. As always, the
need to renew the downtown was driven by the construction of the city's first suburben mall, Kennedy Mall. Kennedy,
opened April 15, 1970, was the state's largest enclosed mai1 with 60 stores. A political battle royal24 in 1965 had ousted
two council members when they refused a rezoning request for a west-end shopping center and the new council had
okayed the request ayear Iater. One of the principal justifications in the downtown renewal project was the 1965
downtown survey finding that many of the downtown frans "didn't need to be there." The same report found just 6.6
percent of downtown buildings to be "sound." Nine wholesale firms in particular could operate outside of the "prime
shopping area" without any difficulty. Seized with the vision of en exclusive downtown retail area, planners ignored the
historical reality that the downtown had always intermixed commercial, jobbing, professional and retail functions.
Curiously, the option of relocating displaced frans to the indns~al park was not en option because it was reserved for
new industrial prospects: The 1950s park now boasted 21 fu'ms but still have 50 vacant acres available for development.
Already, the downtown accounted for less than half of the city's retail sales ("A 10-Million Dubuque Plan," Des Moines
Register, March 5, I967; Ibid., October 27, 1868).
The flood of i965 redefined the city's relationship to its river. The idea had been strongly opposed in the 1950s
end other cities like Davenport had refused to obstruct their riverfronts with a massive dike. In 1953 residents defeated a
$2,000,000 bond issue to build a floodwall. Dubuque Packing Company then proceeded to protect its own interests with
a private wall. The 1965 flood set an all-t/me water level record of 26.8 feet. Now convinced, Senator John Culver led
the charge in securing $11,000,000 for a comprehensive floodwall system. Begun in 1968 and finished in 1971, the
system ~vas credited with saving $4,000,000 in damages during the 1973 flood. Additional paybacks certainly came in
other flood years like 1993. One other direct benefit was the complete infilling of the industrial park. Fear of flooding
had retarded its completion and the fioodwall eliminated that threat (Lyon, pp. 160-61).
24 Recall that a ballowed Dubuque tradition is fighting over any major infi:astmcmmI change. Be it a four-lane street, a new bridge,
belated need for an Iowa approach to the new Highway 61 bridge, there Mil be delays due to these mutually well-intentioned
squabbles.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page, ]29
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The city was well positioned as of this t/me to serve as a "cultural, medical, commercial and recreational center"
for its multi-state 50-square mile region. Half of the city's workc'rs commuted from Southwest Wisconsin. Major
infrastmctural investmcmts were finally underway. In addition to the urban renewal project, $15 million was going into
sewage treatment and water system improvements. The floodwall was to be completed by 1971 and a new Mississippi
River bridge and interstate highways were to be fmished by 1985. One profound change was an increase in city property
taxes. For years low property taxes had been a featured lure for prospective businesses. Explosive growth in the public
school system changed all this. Mergers and the substantial shift of parochial students into the public school system
resulted in a four-fold budget increase in the public school budget between 1959 and 1968. Hempstead High School was
built 1968-69 along with two new elementary schools and a new junior high school was planned for by the 1980s.
Growth was so explosive that a state of muergcncy was declared and school contracts were awarded without the usual
bidding procedure. The parochial school system was particularly facing financial pressures and the public school system
shared classroom space with it and for two years the Academy of the Visitation was leased for use as an annex to
Washington Junior High. On the college level, Clarke and Loras colleges and the University of Dubuque, with a total of
3,000 studcmts, had begun to share services to cut rising operational costs. The three city seminaries, Presbyterian,
Catholic and Lutheran, were pooling library resources, he parochial school system experienced its own record growth
under the leadership of Archbishop Leo Binz, who served as the sixth Dubuque Archbishop from 1954-62. During those
eight years parochial enrollment jumped from 23,000 to 40,000. A $25,000,000 renovation was expended and eleven
high schools, including Wahlert, were built. Politically Republicans were dominant in the state legislature, representing
Dubuque begnming in 1966. On the presidenfial Ievel, Democrats again triumphed in 1964 and 1968 ("Dubuque's
Future: A Changing Pattern," Des Moines Register, October 27, 1968; Ibid., February 21, 1969; Lyon, pp. 35, 112-13,
239).
Three downtown department stores, Younkers, Roshek's and Montgomery Ward, joined in the westward rush as
suburban sprawl was fostered by record house building. The urban renewal record was a mix of success and unrealized
potential. Three blocks of the 38-acre project area remained undeveloped as of 1979. The $5,000,000 Five Flags Civic
Center was opened in early April 1979 and was located next to the restored Five Flags Theater. Downtown retail sales
imploded after the big stores left, dropping from $50.3 million in 1967 to just $33.1 million in 1971. The city served a
n/ne-county (three states) retail and services market. Three new motels, all constructed 1974-79, offered 380 rooms for a
developing tourist trade. The downtown boasted an eight-square block pedestrian .mall and two parking ramps and the
city was selected to participate in the National Main Streets Center's Urban Demonstration Program. Absent still, was
modem highway access to the downtown and even optimistic highway planners anticipated "Highway 561" to be built in
1984-85 ('~/tfis is Dubuque" "A Dubuque 'Horse Race' For New Mall," Des Moines Register, November 18, 1979).
~[he city's industrial j ohs were pehlously concentrated in two firms, Dubuque Packing (3,000 jobs) and John
Deere (7,000 jobs). Thirty-one othar firms accounted for just 1,500 manufacturing jobs as of 1976. The labor un/on at
Dubuque Packmade wage concessions in I980 but 530jobs disappeared in late 1981. That year the county had the
state's highest unemployment level, 8 percent. Hundreds of homes were up for sale but found no takers. The 1980
recession had been followed by no recover when bad had mined to worse. The Deere workforce was down to 6,500 with
1,700 on long-term layoffs. Celotex announced an eight-month long-term layoff for its 141 workers just before
Chrislxnas 1981. That fall, a major downtown department store, Stampfers, closed its doors. The packing plant, its
workforce reduced to 1,200 jobs, closed in mid-October 1982. The news, accordingly to the Register, struck the
"economically tortured city of 62,000...like a bombshell." The city already had 4,100 unemployed, 14.7 percent of the
workforce (Des Moines Register, April 13, 1982).
PS Form 10-90C~a
(Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 130
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
A political revolt took place beginning in 1980. The city returned to the ward system (four wards, two at large
council seats) and the mayor was to be elected at large. Jim Brady, a young motorcycle-riding schoolteacher, was elected
mayor two years later. A year later in 1982 an entirely new council was elected on a "populist" ticket that responded to
record unemployment, a comm/tment to the "status quo," city budget cuts a~d what was said to be poor industrial
recruitment efforts and expenditures. Outsiders alleged a "symbiotic relationship" between the city council and the
Chamber of Commerce, which oversaw the economic development campaign. Brady enjoyed a record term of service as
mayor (Dubuque had only single-term mayors between 1927 and 1982, with but three exceptions, ail of which were just
two-year terms and just one of which postdated 1935) ("'Outsiders' Get Inside Dubuque City Hall," Des Moines
Register, December 27, 1981; ibid., April 14, 1982; Know Dubuque).
The downtown anchor stores didn't guarantee survival by moving to the mall. Ward's closed in early 1983 after
50years of serving Dubuque. Gonewere 130jobs, halfofthesebeing full-time. The state'slast operating brewery,
Pickett's, also shut down in mid-1983. Founded as Dubuque Star Brewery in 1898, it became Pickett's in 1971.
Competition with trademark labels took its toll in the late 1970s. The downtown lost yet another department store in
1990 with the failure of Armstrong's (Des Moines Register, February 10, May 21, 1983; Lyon, p. 239).
The new council and mayor led the move to establish a west suburban industrial park with generous tax
abatement incentives. Apart from relocating two local f'n-ms to the new site, little was immediately gained. A loss to
history was the demolition of the A. Y. McDonald factory and office, which was demolished for the new Highway 61. It
was one of the Radford Road Industrial Park accessions with a $9.9 million new facility. This second industrial park,
containing 236 acres, was purchased in 1980 to relocate displaced Highway 61 industries. Worse, federal funding for
bridge access to the new highway/freeway 561 was lost as locals debated where best to put the bridge. The state
purchased the old Eagle Point Bridge in I979 and dismantled it in 1982 in anticipation of the 1982-83 new bridge
construction. The bridge was one of the last privately owned Mississippi River bridges (Des Moines Register, January
10, September 14, 1982; Dubuque, The Birthplace of Inwa, Vol. II, p. 144; Lyon, p. 121).
City promoters tested various slogans. The "Five Flags" theme was popular during the 1970s and by 1983 the
working theme was "Dubuque, A Place to Live." Ken Pins was the Des Moines Register's Dubuque reporter from 1980-
83. Pins, while not a Dubuquer (he noted one wasn't a true Dubuquer unless your ancestors arrived at the city "in an
oxcart"), he could claim the county as his place of origin. He penned his farewell Register colurrm at the end of 1983.
Pins noted that Dubuque was "one of the largest cities in the Midwest still adrift from the Interstate highway network
[and the] economic development mainstream." Continued isolation was attributable to "local squabbling" over the route
in the early 1970s. Federal funds had dwindled and help wasn't coming from Des Moines given that the "officialdom hi
Des Moines treats [Dubuque] like an unwanted stepchild." Historically, in Pins' opinion, Dubuque was and had been
"stable to a fault" failing to capitalize on both its early assets, embodied in its early leading status as the state's largest
city, as well as on later oppommities. East Dubuque made available the bars and strip-joints which were unwelcome
west of the river. The city had a low crime rate, large families who stayed put, and young newlyweds who reduced the
ranks of the local singles crowd. Still the city was "esthefically pleasing...[with al Courier and Ives feeling in new-fallen
snow" and its many differences in sum were Dubuque's "greatest assets" "Dubuque--It's A Lot More Than 'A Place To
Live," Des Moines Register, December 18, 1983).
By the mid-1980s the city had nowhere to go but up. A 1984 promotional sheet titled "Welcome to Dubuque"
adm/tted "here in the wake of national economic downtums the City has had to fall back, regroup and begin anew." The
city's "many facets," retail, service and industry and a "budding tourism industry" combined to make Dubuque a key
PS Form 10-900 a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and HistoricaI Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
center. New or recent improvements included "a unique urban shopping street," a library expansion, a new pm-mutual
racetrack, a ftrst class civic center, new h/ghways, and a modem industrial park. Industrial employment was not stressed,
and the fact that 70 percent of the city's workforce was not in industry. Durable manufacturing still accounted for two-
thirds of industrial jobs though, a continuing Dubuque tradition. The city owned its water, sewer and transit services
(Welcome To Dubuque, October 1984).
Municipal Growth:
The population chart presented below documents the post-World War II population boom that the city belatedly
enjoyed. Dubuque broke through the 50,000-population barrier after 1950, and the 60,000 level prior to 1970.
Subsequent job erosion forced even loyal Dubuquers to go elsewhere and population counts fell to 1960 levels by 1990.
The population loss after 1980 was not unique to Dubuque, it was a statewide pattern.
New residential construction during 1956 comprised 51 percent of all construction. Religious building (Greek
Orthodox Church, Holy Ghost School, St. Columbkille's School, Maria Josita Hall at Clarke College, totaled $1,945,000)
Accounted for 35 percent. They "for the most part are of conventional design and constructed on definite plans. There
were many imposing and many fine medium pr/ced houses constructed with many extras to add to better living." The
new houses no longer had garages behind them and the newer subdivisions lacked alleys. The house plans were "spread
across the lot with a breezeway and attached garage." Panels with intricate designs replaced the "blank look" of the early
side-by-side garages. Three bedrooms predominated with one larger master bedroom (Telegraph-Herald, May 24, 1957).
The 1980 federal Census of Housing documented a city with high proportions of both old and new housing. The
chart shown below dates housing units (not single family houses but ail units):
Per/od Unit Count Percentage of Total
Pre-1939 12,577 33%
1940-59 5,877 16%
1960-69 4,796 13%
1970-74 3,119 8%
1975-80 11,199 30%
37,567 100%
The post-1939 figures are inflated by the inclusion of multi-unit aparmaents. These were commonly built after 1962. In
more recent years very large apartment complexes were built although these postdate the 1980 figures. As of 1980 renter-
occupied units accounted for just 22 percent of all households. The high annual new house start counts occurred in the
face of population stagnation and decline between 1970 and 1990. The population grew by 63 persons between 1970 and
1980 and then decreased by 4,836 in the next ten years, an eight percent decline {~etropolitan Housing Characteristics,
Dubuque, Iowa, 1980 Census of Housing).
PS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-88)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 132.
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Year Total Construction New Residential Coruslraction Notes: (excludes m/sc. pcmmits)
Total Value Total Non- Number New S/F Total Value New Multi-family
Residential Houses Houses
1956 $5,500,000 233 $2,837,500 792 total bldg. perm/ts
1957 $7,496,358 207 $2,566,000 1/$20,000 695 permts
1958 $5,709,934 302 $3,714,500 2/$36,000 771 perm/ts
1959 $7,978,026 355 $4,351,500 2/$26,000 734 perm/ts
1960 $7,607,875 288 $3,599,500 5/$81,000 919 perm/ts
1961 $7,123,412 305 $3,842,500 4/$77,000 975 permits
1962 $6,869,77i 181 $2,431,500 27/$299,000 1249 pmmits
1963 $6,070,563 237 $2,951,000 5/$185,000 1,009 permits
1964 $12,t14,746 321 $4,159,500 5/$152,000 928 perm/ts
1965 $10,323,036 159 $2,112,000 11/$220,000 1,076 permits
1966 $I8,506,645 261 $3,683,000 9/$685,000 1,250 permits
1967 $14,126,416 193 $2,716,000 11/$263,000 766 permits
1968 $I3,523,058 170 $2,478,000 12/$328,000 762 permits
1969 $I3,623,656 167 $2,288,000 26/S784,000 712 perm/ts
1970 $8,507,004 105 $1,624,000 28/$1,724,989 789 permits
1971 $13,274,901 123 $1,750,000 28/$3,067,064 84I permits
1972 $10,096,963 129 $2,110,000 10/$1,231,000 804 perm/ts
1973 $I5,143,139 141 $2,642,000 2/$1,710,000 882 perm/ts
1974 $I5,111,037 215 $4,796,455 7/$2,240,200 906 perm/ts
1975 $26,306,371 219 $5,I67,500 23/$1,492,000 932 perm/ts
1976 $23,427,645 169 $4,755,000 25/$2,021,500 1,116 permits
1977 $22,167,160 219 $8,I48,126 26/$2,034,931 1,375 permits
1978 $26,954,444 176 $7,I33,746 4/$1,967,834 1,437 permits
1979 $29,849,624 167 $9,623,473 8/? 1,493 permits
(all new
residential)
1980 $t6,750,087 73 $3,952,071 2/? 1,160 permits, total of 37,567 living units as
(all new of 1980 census
residential)
1981 $15,425,630 16 $I,361,769 0 913 permits
1982 $14,567,225 8 $470,739 1/$153,216 1,108 permits
1983 $20,727,955 13 $I,I92,399 0 1,141 p cmnits
1984 $17,969,793 28 $2,221,673 0 Total includes $10.8 million dogtrack
1,268 permits
1985 $25,158,507 26 $1,716,981 2/$458,192 1,278 p~rtnits
1986 $21,562,784 72 $5,937,518 2/$427,000 1,486 permits
1987 $23,448,292 80 1 1,498 permits
1988 $33,137,154 88 6 1,468 permits
1989 $25,154,777 98 11 1,358 permits
I990 $56,665,609 110 7 1,401 perm/ts
1991 $32,827,288 116 15 1,360 permits
1992 $43,404,890 I70 9 1,402 permits
I993 $56,977,536 I26 21 1,526 permits
1994 $50,134,480 I05 . 32 4,133 permits
1995 $59,816,324 84 23 6,043 permits
1996 $73,200,487 65 22 2,334 permits
1997 $32,985,I89 57 9 1,440 permits
1998 $46,851,024 67 6 1,214 permits
1999 $70,322,883 54 11 1,266 permits
The Historic Preservation and Heritage Tourism Programs in Dubuque:
Dubuque in its totality has always been its own self conscious historic preservation program. While many
preservation purists despair of local preferences for replacement siding, downsized windows, and the like, the fact
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 133
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
remains that the many generations of residents have preserved much of their built past. Dubuquers are extremely loyal to
their commurfity, and are particularly loyal to their neighborhoods and finally their own family homes. Nowhere else are
houses so commonly retained in the same family generation after generation. This strong association with the special
qualities of place is the very essence of historic preservation. A real measure of this collective loyalty to the past is found
in the reuse of properties by successive religious and public institutions as well as in retention of early downtown church
edifices by the mafia line churches.
Dubuque's sense of history was naturally reflected in a broad range of commemorative preservation efforts which
dated to the late 19th century. The Julien Dubuque monument (1897) is the premier example, as is the removal of the
1833 log house to Eagle Point Park. The Dubuque County Historical Society embodied the movement in its preservation
of the Ham House.
Richard Herrman (1849-1941) was a central figure in the early development of Dubuque's historic icons.
Hermann was a German-born immigrant (to the US in 1859) and was the youngest member and last survivor of the Old
Settlers' Association. He led fund raising efforts to build the Julien Dubuque monument and it was he who excavated
Dubuque's grave. He founded and operated the "Museum of Natural History" (2419 Central Avenue) and authored a
book on Julien Dubuque's life (Lyon, p. 199).
The virmaI rebuilding of downtown Dubuque challenged historic preservationists. The Gruen Report, adopted in
early 1966, was largely implemented by I970. The plan guided urban renewal and laid the groundwork for a new
Mississippi River bridge and a new in-port. The same plan, citing a Dubuque tendency to use, discard and abandon older
housing, recommended the rehabilitation of older neighborhoods and the creation of new downtown housing (Lyon, p.
186).
Urban Renewal during the late 19608 focused community attention on both the reality of change and the
threatened loss of noted downtown landmarks. The same m/ght be said of the record 1965 flood and the devastation
wrought by the Dutch Elm disease. Efforts to preserve particular buildings and landmarks commonly reflected the efforts
of concerned individuals rather than a formally organized pro-preservation movement. An early example was the
retention of the second Town Clock and its incorporation into Town Clock Plaza in 1971 (the state's first open-air tree
lined pedestrian mall). Now as efforts are underway to reopen Mira Street, the clock might move once again (Lyon, pp.
130, 139, 451).
Wayne Andrew Norman is called the "godfather of historic preservation" in Dubuque. An ISU-trained engineer,
Norman saw economic potential in underused or vacant properties. His efforts saved the Orpheum Theater and the Ryan
House and he formed a corporation that purchased and then resold 18 buildings in what was to become the Cable Car
Square historic district. Norman was also an excellent fundraiser and his efforts financed the Five Flags Center. He
played a leading role in establishing the Fred W. Woodward River Boat Museum and successfully restored the clock
tower to the City Hall (Lyon, p. 331).
Dubuque's more formalized historic preservation movement or program had its roots in the developing tourism
market. Robert Kehl's many riverfront developments are said to have prompted the development of the tourism industry
in Eastern Iowa beginffmg in the early 19808. The i984 Welton Becket/Peat Marwick Mitchell Study concluded that
tourism offered the best economic development strategy for the city. River-related amenities could be combined with
recreational (the new Greyhound Race Track, which opened June 1, 1985), cultural, artistic and historical ones. There
PS Fo~m 10-9OO a
(Rev, 8-S6)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 134
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State
were two riverboats, the Miss Belle and the Spirit of Dubuque, and the Army Corps of Engineers steam dredge boat, the
William Black, was a museum attraction in the Ice Harbor. Increasing river recreation led to the more fundamental
redevelopment of the Ice Harbor and the donation of the Burlington and Northern Railroad Freight House to the Dubuque
County Historical Society. The riverboat gambling industry was another byproduct of Kehl's efforts. Tourism naturally
was also a factor in the continuing loss of downtown buildings as new motels arose in anticipation of ever-increasing
numbers of visitors. A welcome center was established in 1991 and the county historical society played a partnering role
in its establishment and operation. By 1991, the tourism industry in Dubuque was at its Inghpoint. 3he city was the site
of numerous motion picture projects. The Five Flags Greyhound Park opened on Schmitt Island and there were two bed
and breakfast operations in operation (Lyon, pp. 237, 448-49; Des Moines Register, September 30, 1979).
One measure of Dubuque's special historical richness was its early selection as a filming site for the movie
"FIST" in 1977. '~fake This Job And Shove It" was filmed there in 1983. Image-conscious locals weren't overly pleased
w/th the depiction of the city and picketers greeted the opening of the latter film (Des Moines Register, July 13, 1983).
A gallant few began to acquire and restore individual historical properties. The "Dubuque Truss and Buttress
Society" was established in 1980 with 17 members, led by Terry and Darryl Mozena. The restorationist ranks included
Jim Bainbridge, Rev. Frances Brockman (St. Luke's Church), James J. Byme, Ted and Marilyn Blanchard, Paul Pekosh,
Rob and Judy McCoy, Frances Menkels and others. The first historic home tour coincided ~vith Dubuque Fest, a
celebration of 150 years of Dubuque history, in mid-May 1983 (Des Moines Register, May 1, 1983).
J. Bruce Meriwether is credited by Randolph Lyon with pulling the city out of its economic slump in the 1970s.
Meriwether also raised the funds to pay for the Welton-Becket economic study of Dubuque and that report recommended
both economic diversification and the development ora strong tourism industry. Ham House Director Jerry Enzler
contributed to this emerging tourism movement by successfully securing grant funds to establish the Fred W. Woodward
River Front Museum and the National Rivers Hall of Fame (ibid., pp. 140, 305).
Dubuque's many landmarks were featured in innumerable tourism brochures and newspaper articles. The
establishment of the National Register of Historic Places (Historic Preservation Act of 1966) initiated the formal
nomination and listing of many of these properties begirming in the early 1970s. Helen Mercer, president of the Dubuque
County Historical Society and Director of the Ham House Museum, single handedly began to nominate Dubuque
candidates. In June 1991 she was honored by the State Historical Society of Iowa for successfully placing a record
number of properties on the National Register. Public landmarks including the courthouse, jail and city hall, the public
library and Washington Park, along with numerous private residences (Ham House, Hollenfelz House, Langworthy
House, McMahon House, were all listed during the 1970s (Lyon, pp. 302-03).
Bruce M. Kriviskey, AICP, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was contracted in 1978 to survey the architecture of the
older portions of the city. He identified nine potential historic districts, six2s of which (Cathedral, Langworthy, West I i
Street, Jackson Park, and Old Main) were listed on the National Register between 1983 and 1986. Kriviskey's
assignment was to complete a comprehensive architectural survey and then to evaluate h/s findings. He first conducted
%vindshield" survey of over 20,000 properties. This literally meant looking at properties with the trained eye of an
architectural historian. The properties were classified into four categories. The highest was individual significance and
2s His Third/Alpine District was listed as Langworthy Historic District and his BlufffLocust District was combined into Jackson Park
Historic District. The other three were Broadway/Traut, Fenelon Place, and Prospect Street.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resottrces of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
eligibility for listing on the National Register. A "neighborhood" rating indicated that the property contributed to a
grouping of properties which merited National Register listing as a historic district. "Supportive" properhes served as a
supportive backdrop to districts. They shared the same materials and massing and time period as did the supportive
properties. Finally "non-supportive" actually detracted from a historic district's strength due to irreversible alterations or
a recent date of construction. Kriviskey presented his windshield survey in 1979 in the form of the "Atlas of City-Wide
and District Survey Map." Properties in each of 18 districts were coded accorcYmg to their respective ratings (K_fiviskey,
pp. 2-3).
The consultant then evaluated the "clusters" of significant properties and identified nine potential historic
districts as noted. He documented each property within these districts with photography and the preparation of a survey
sheet. Kriviskey credits Lawrence Sommer's Heritage of Dubuque as a source but he otherwise made no pretense of
conducting general or property-specific historical research. This was appropriate for an architectural survey of that time.
He estimated construction dates and documented the condition of each property. Kriviskey noted that the nine proposed
districts were not exhaustive but represented the most significant architectural treasures in the best state of integrity and
preservation. The quality of his work is attested by the successful listing of most of his proposed districts. His
evaluations were utilized as a baseline evaluation for the Phase I survey effort. Kriviskey was challenged in his work by
the already prevalent use of replacement metal or synthetic sid'mg and in general he was unable to evaluate these in any
positive manner. He consequently favored brick and concrete block properties (ibid., pp. 4, 7-8).
Kriviskey's work was followed with the establishment of a historic preservation commission in Dubuque.
George Biasi, a local realtor, penned the city's historic preservation orcYmance. Additional histor/c survey work was
accomplished as three alternative rights-of-way for the Northwest Arterial route were surveyed in 1977-78for their
historical and architectural significance. The actual survey report and environmental impact assessment was finalized in
1986 (Lyon, p. 38; see Till, Hotopp, and Shank).26
Surveys in the Dublin area of southern Dubuque focused both on Irish vernacular properties located along South
Locust and i~dustrial properties located within the Highway 61 project area. The report identified a "Dublin Historic
Distr/ct" with 75 percent of its 46 properties predating 1880. All ten of the South Locust, the earliest of which dated to
the mid-1870s, have been demolished (Draft Section 4(0 Statement For Project No. F-561-4...April 1981).
National Register activities during the 1980s focused on nominating the districts identified by Kfiviskey's survey.
Considerable effort was made to nominate and list the Catfish Creek and South Dubuque historic lead mining and
prehistoric sites and four archeological districts were listed fit i988. Consultant and Archeologist Dr. Joyce McKay
prepared the nominations and conducted the necessary archeological surveys.
Dubuque's belated receipt of arterial and interstate highways and new bridge approaches spawned a series of
historical and archeological corridor surveys. These surveys were necessitated by the use of federal fimding. Little
Dublin was the focal point of Consultant Clayton Fraser's documentation of 14 Little Dublin houses along Bluff and
Locust streets in 1986. The wide~fmg of Dodge Street and the construction of the Northwest Arterial similarly fostered
studies in north and northwest Dubuque (Lyon, p. 267).
26 The Northwest Arterial report, M5037(600)~81-31, issued January 1978 underscores the importance of considering properties
which are just outside of the city limits when Dubuque history is being considered. This report looked in particular at Union Park, the
homes of Dr. John Goldthorpe, William G. Steward, the S. L. Langworthy fan~ and Brewery Cave.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 136
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Properff
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
A ten-year hiatus settled upon the local historic preservation movement after 1988, the date for the most recent
National Register listings. Major landmark build'mgs disappeared and many preservationists were disheartened with
these losses. A demolished historic building is gone forever, while one saved is commonly only temporarily saved. The
current survey and multiple property document project represents a resurgence in the program and a goal to better
preserve and utilize the vast array of surviving historical properties in the city.
Lost Historic Properties:
It is always easier to tally the losses, than the preservation victories. This section attempts to list significant
demolitions in hopes that it will help to catalogue them. Many key builcVmgs have been saved for reuse and many others
have been saved through adaptation. Demolition and "acts of God" have eliminated many builcVmgs in Dubuque since its
inception. The house occupied by Bishop Loras was razed in mid-1904 (Daily Times, May 18, 1904).
By the early 20~ century builcFmgs were thought to have an expected life span and they were then to be replaced
by market or govcuxanent action. The £~rst indication ora push by the city goverranent is found in 1917 when the city
council condemned the "Yellow Front" said to be a "Negro haven." Numerous forced demolitions date to 1921-23, at a
time when the new form of city government was adopted. The fire department condemned 15 buildings in mid-late 1923
for example (Telegraph Herald, August 10, 1917, July 24, October 31, 1923; Times Journal, July 6, 8, 26, 1921).
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-19552?
Dubuque possesses a truly remarkable army of historical architecture. This architectural treasure chest was duly
noted by Lawrence Sommer, the first architectural h/storian to comprehensively evaluate the city's buildings. Sommer
noted "Dubuque, perhaps more than any other city in Iowa, maintains the evidence of its past in the architecture of its
neighborhoods, its businesses and industries." The city's long economic hibernation bequeathed to Dubuque a
commJseration prize in the form ofh/stofic bullc~mgs. Sommer noted
...this long status quo is undoubtedly why so much of Dubuque's ~fmeteenth century architectural
heritage has remained. There was sknply no pressure for demolishing many old buildings, but neglect
and decay did take their toll. [modest level domestic architecture dorrfmated during the years 1900-30
and]...even the anonymous vernacular houses of the 1870s and 1880s are more noticeable than the
typical houses of the 1920s and 1930s that fill the subdivisions of these later years. Some important
stylistic developments of the early twentieth century do not appear in Dubuque at ali.
Specifically, there are no examples of the late Gothic Revival or Jacobethan Revival styles" (Sommer, pp. vii, 143).
27 The succession of architectural styles/s described in Section F of this report. This context treats the local perspective on style as it
was described by newspaper editors, architects and builders. Style and its appreciation is all the more important in Dubuque where
vernacular design and building has always been favored almost to the exclusion of style, at least in residential construction. This
context will simply surnmarme the emergence and dominance of the various styles and contain descriptive information about local
construction. A second section will identify major designers and builders. Only extant examples of their works appear in this listing.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 137
OMB Approval No. I024-00'18
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
The editor of the Weekly Tribune offered his hopes for the newly popular Gothic style in the following account,
penned August 1 I, 1852:
The fine residence now being erected for Mr. F. V. Goodrich, on Locust Street, is designed to vary in
some degree the sameness of style so prevalent in the dwellings of this city...We should like to see the
Gothic cottage architecture introduced here. No style of building admits of so great a range for fancy as
this. A building can he made cheap, and yet neat and tasteful, or it can be adorned in the most costly and
elaborate mauncr, and the style be preserved and the structure satisfy the most critical eye. A hundred
houses might be built in the Gothic style, and no two be alike, and yet all be admirable for proportion and
general effect. The handsomest towns in the Union owe their beauty in the main to the prevailing modes
of architecture. Take for example, Euclid street, in Cleveland, Ohio,--an avenue almost or quite
unrivalled in the United States. What gives it its great beauty and attractiveness? Two things, alone,--
tasteful and ever varying styles of building, and abundance of shade-trees and shrubbery. Take these two
elements away, and in their stead supply a plain and uniform style of houses, and denuded grounds, and
no traveler would linger there for an instant, Or bear away a solitary remembrance that would cause him
to speak in praise of the scene he had left....Dubuque already takes high rank amongst the cities of the
West for natural beauty; we hope soon to see her taking an equally elevated position in the scale of
architectural taste and adormnent.
It is interesting that the writer was conversant with prominent streets in other midwestem cities.
The Weekly Express and Herald (March 8, 1857) hinted at an incremental approach to building in the city. The
source noted that many of the new buildings raised up in 1857 "were erected as back builtYmgs for front or main portions
to be added..." Presumably the reference is made to all types of buildings. If this trend was at all commonplace at least
in the earlier history of Dubuque, the back portions of buildings might actually be of earlier (and therefore more
interesting) periods than those in front. The first county courthouse was built in two stages, the rearmost section being
next to the jail, and the addition being added to the south or front of the lot. A second reference to staged building
involved double brick houses. Mr. Mullaly started half of a double house in 1862 on Locust Street between 14t~ and 15t~
streets, finishing it the next year. The second half was done during 1864. The source curiously noted that the bu/lcYmg
was two stories high "including the wood sheds" (?) Each half was quite wide, measuring 44 feet in width and 51 feet in
depth. This reference indicates that some of these buildings were built a half at a time. Not every double house
represented the efforts of a single owner/builder. In 1870 F. Mueler and John Lutz built a two-story double brick on
White Street near 9th Street (Herald, January 1, 1864; December 18, 1870).
That same source made some stylistic references to new buildings. E. F. Bissle's mansion on 10t~ Street was
done in the "Elizabeth/an style" with four gables and a centra! observatory. Kesler's Hotel at White between 5t~ and 6th
was done "in the modem style of architecture." Lorimer's Hotel was done in a "very neat style of architecture." The
looked-for Gothic was malting its appearance w/th six cited examples. These included the parsonage for the First
Congregational Church (Main and Locust streets), Mr. Green's house on Bluff Street south of 3d Street, Mr. L. Kneist's
brick house on 16t~ Street and three houses on Nevada Street (Messrs. Able, Higginson and Gurnsey) were so described.
The elabomte houses on the bluffs, "almost wholly [built by those]...who attend to mercantile and other pursuits in the
lower portion of the city" were simply described as "justly entitled palaces" and doubted that any other western or eastern
cities could match Dubuque's "many expensive and beautiful mansions."
PS Ferm
(Rev.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 138
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ....
Stylistic references were abundant in the 1867 Herald progress review. The parsonage for St. Mary's parish was
"a Gothic structure of brick, of an irregular shape." Sol Turck's Third Street new mansion was "a beautiful Italian villa,
of brick, which, when finished, w/Il be one of the handsomest residences in the city." Henry Louray's new house at
Locust and 14t~ was also of brick and "~vill be covered by a French roof, surmounted by an observatory." Vernacular
references were also numerous. Three stone houses, mostly story-and-a half plans with basement, were being built. J.F.
Steiner was building a frame house on Seminary Hill "bricked in between the siding and the lath." Three small frame
houses were being built on 5t~ Street to house "that most aristocratic class of our fellow citizens, Irish laborers."
The HeraM in 1868 noted just one example of style, H. Sauer's brick residence, designed "part/ally [in the]
gothic style." A year later L. Zust's two-story brick Seminary Hill house was also termed Gothic in design. The same
source in 1870 reported "a goodly number" of new buildings that "combine great strength of column and architectural
beauty. Edward Langworthy's house at Main near 6t~ streets was one of these (Herald, December 13, 1868; December
16, 1869; December 18, 1870).
The Herald saluted architectural progress made during 187i. The city had assumed
"more of a metropolitan air than on [sic] previous years. More of the eleganee of architectural style has
been embodied in our building sameness. More of Attic28 has been irffused in the notable structures of
the year. The dullness of the old styles has given place to somewhat of life and warmth. Who does not
admire the beauty of those marble fronts and those cornices on Main Street[?]. They alone have made
the street a hundred percent handsomer, and not a stranger that vis/ts the city that points them out first
thing
The year 1871 witnessed the building of an "unusual number off'me residences...almost palatial in style." Yesterday's
style was undergoing a makeover and many "a house once ugly and unsightly, has been remodeled until it vies with any
of its neighbors in good looks" (Herald, December i7, 1871).
The same source made the first known "Italian style" reference (although that style had been around for some 15
years!) was made to John Mulligan's brick block at Main and 1st streets. The same source also first referenced the
"French style" embodied in William Ryan mansion at Main and 14t~ streets as well as R. E. Grave's brick residence at the
same corner ("French style with Mansard roof"). The Tribune cited the new Mullany block as having a "Mansard roof,
crowned with a cupola" (Herald, December 17, 1871; Tribune, December 21, 1871).
Mr. W. L. Bradley finished his Locust Street 1872 residence (between 13t~ and 14t~ streets) in the "Grecian style"
(Herald, November 24, 1872).
By the end of 1873 the Herald declared William Ryan's house to be "in the opinion of competent judges" to be
unequalled in the city for its "richness of design and finish." Two nearby Second Empire designs were also Iauded, these
being William Andrew's mansion and that of Alfred Tredway. Three mansions were underway on upper Main Street.
Two owner/builders were named, these being D. B. Henderson and George Crane. No specific styles were cited but the
paper observed
28 A reference to the base used in the Ionic order or a lower story in the upper part of a house rising above the main portion of the
building, or £mally a window-lighted apariment in the roof level.
PS Form
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 139
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
[the three] make an elegant architectural display, unsurpassed on this mira thoroughfare. They are built
of brick, with the best stone cappings, French plate glass windows and all the latest conveniences, and all
the latest touches of fine workmanship, at very reasonable cost, and are a valuable adornment to the street
and highly creditable to the taste of the architect [one?] and proprietors.
St. Joseph's Academy on Main Street between 12t~ and 13t~ streets also reflected the Second Empire style with its
Mansard roof form. Jacob Michel's thre-story brick business block with its elaborate parapet and balustrade was deemed
the best commercial design and it was said that "no specimen of archirecture made in Dubuque this year can vie with it"
(Herald, November 9, 1873).
By the end of 1874 Locust Street was the place to live with "a large number of the richest and most aristocratic
mansions in Dubuque" crowding along it. The Herald enumerated the houses of William Andrew, D. S. Wilson, Alfred
Tredway, William Ryan, D. N. Cooley, John Thompson, and others valued from $17-22,000 in value. The
Congregational Church had completed its new "French Romanesque" steeple and the structure received "the first
monimg kiss of Sol" each day (Herald, November 22, 1874).
Messrs. Heer & Ngscher whose activity as practical architects of a noteworthy and
,tasteful form of building here in town the past several years have produced some
splendid structures both among places of merchandising and private residences, ail
highly visible, eloquent proofs of excellence, have now this year unfolded an activity
beating witness to their spreading influence as archrtects and as contractors...
Der National Democrat, November 9, 1876
The architecture of new commercial blocks was stressed in 1875. The Eagle Building at Main and Ninth streets
combined "the elegant simplicity of the Rennaissance with the more elaborate and imposing Corinthian
ornamentation..." The James Levi residence was designed in "the Rennaissance order, which cannot be excelled in
combining simplicity with graceful beauty." The Booth and Waller double-mansion was designed in "the Venefioan
style...w/th mansard roof." St. Louis pressed brick was combined with marble trim. Increasingly the term "cottage" was
used to describe smaller residences, built both in brick and frame. "One of the most beautiful little villas of which
Dubuque can boast, will be the French cottage now being built by Mr. Woods for Col. G. F. West" in Grandview Park.
Dr. Porter was remodeling a Grandview Avenue house, "making it one of the most imposing French villas on the avenue"
(Herald, October 31, 1875).
The year 1873 was the first wherein new construction was don~mated by working class housing, "with a greater
proportion of money paid out by the poorer classes of the commuuity to secure homes." The same pattern was observed
in 1883 with "the rapid increase of our population demanrYmg the tenements, and in most instances the dwellings have
been built by those who occupy them.., for the most part the tenements are of an ordinary but substantial character,
costing from $1,000 to $4,000." In 1886 overall construction was dominated by less expensive m/ddle class dwellings
"chiefly of a middle class, two stories, comfortable houses, but nottfmg lavish, costing from $800 to $2,000" (Herald,
November 9, 1873; December 4, 1882; January 1, 1887).
The same trend continued through 1887 and the Herald offered a linkage between home ownership and
democracy that typified the "Own Your Own Home" campaign of the early 20~ century:
PS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]40
The Architectural and 14~torical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
It will be noticed by the list that by far the larger portion of the building permits were issued for the
construction of dwellings ofmed/um cost. This is one of the surest indicators of wealth. When the man
of lim/ted means builds himself a little home, he then is/n a position to accumulate wealth to be turned
into the highways of commerce. If every citizen owned his own home, the government would run itself.
It is this continued improvement in this respect year after year that has given Dubuque such a name for
wealth abroad. It is one of the facts that Dubuque should take the most pride in, that her laboring men
and men of lim/ted income are building homes for themselves and wherever possible, putting up double
houses and so insuring a steady income" (Herald, November 24, 1887).
During 1879 "a number of our most elegant residences have been more elaborately adorned and substantially
improved, d/splaying the taste and enterprise of their owners--notably among which is Mr. A. Levi, whose Mere street
residence is one of the most beautiful in this city." It was also claimed the city possessed "more beautiful churches than
any other city in this state." Stylistic references in the newspapers declined as armual new building lists were simplified
but the Second Empire style continued in popularity with institutional building design. The new St. Joseph's Mercy
Hospital sported a Mansard roof that year. Even later was E. Healey's two-story Bluff Street "Mansard dwelling" built in
1888 (Herald, January 1, 1880; December 23, 1888).
During 1884 the Herald claimed "most of [the new houses] constitute first-class architectural houses. Nothing
less than $500 in value has been raised." The new A. A. Cooper mans/on, built in 1887, was rated "one of the finest
residences in the state...[and] the most attractive in the city." James Howie's block of six row houses, on 17~ Street,
with its three stories and a mansard roof, was a noted 1884 addition to the city. The design was termed "a modified
Gothic combined w/th features of the other orders the whole rendering the builcYmg imposing, pleasing, and admirably
adapted to its situation and locality" (Herald, December i2, 1884; November 24, 1887; Dubuque Trade Journal, October
10, 1884).
Dur/ng 1895 nothing was being built on the "cheap John" order and ali the new residences were claimed to be
"modem, of tasty design and have all the Iatest improvements, both sanitary and otherwise. Dubuque is known
throughout the state as having its beautiful residences and the list has been increased wonderfully from year to year"
(Herald, May 24, 1896).
St. Luke's Church, under construction in 1896, was rated by the Herald as "the freest in the city" despite the
higher building cost incurred building St. John's Episcopal Church (mostly foundation work). Newspapers continued to
avoid using stylistic descriptors. Jacob Traut's new house at 19~ and Jackson streets was "of neat design." Other
examples were of"recent design" or were "strictly modem throughout" or "fitted up in modem style" (Herald, May 24,
1896).
Dubuque's builcYmgs and architects are rated as among the best in Iowa and the beautiful structures
decorating the hills, bring forth admiiation from the visitor who chances to view the city from a point of
advantage. The religious institutions which catch the eye of every person passing by or through the city,
have gained an enviable reputation for the architects who have laid the plans for the structures and the
Dubuque builders are constantly in demand by out-of-town parties desiring big contracts to be filled.
Telegraph-Herald, October 2, 1910
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 141
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
The ArcbJtectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, I837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Dubuque's Vernacular Architecture:
Lawrence Sommer (The Her/tame of Dubuque) lauded the city's vernacular residences when he studied the city's
architecture in the mid-1970s:
They are, to a large extent, the anonymous architecture of the working classes and ~vere not noted by the
newspapers when built or tom down. They are not fully understood by architects and little appreciated
by historians. Nevertheless, they are the most representative type of Dubuque architecture (Sommer, pp.
75-76).
David C. Anderson completed a county wide historical survey in 1991. In his report he noted Sommer's "Dubuque
Vernacular" type and also categorized county vernacular architecture as "Dubuque County Red Brick Vernacular."
Unfortunately he developed no typology or characteristics. He simply stated that examples were unique local imitations.
He recommended that county historical contexts would be developed for the Irish, Luxembourg and German ethnic
groups, as well as limestone and log construction techniques. Luxembourg vernacular favored stone arched basements
and stone in general over brick. They and Germans favored brick and limestone over frame or log construction
(Anderson, pp.16, 38, 110-111).
Brick houses step down a hillside, t Hill streets, v/ew east (Housin~ and Health Survey, 1934)
German vemacular construction predominates in the surviving buildings and certainly did so from the start.
Brick construction was similarly dominant in Dubuque's 19th century construction. This preference combined with scale,
was seemingly a German trait. An 1858 reference to local building observedthat "among [the new buildings] are several
to note with pleasure, built by our German fellow artisans...buildings notable for size and solidity" (National Democrat
July 26, 1858).
PS Form 10 900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 142
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Monitor roof vernacular variation, not located (John Vachon, 1940, Library of Congress)
Much of the earliest frame vernacular and particularly that built and occupied by the Irish of Dubuque has been
lost over time. David Anderson found the same void on a county level and concluded that the Irish had "left the most
meager material remffms in rural areas." Also gone is much of the contextual fabric of the vernacular neighborhoods.
This included the intensive land use patterns of the yards with gardens, innumerable types and varieties of outbuildings,
an intermixing of small shops and businesses along alleyways, functional porches and the like. Also lost in many cases
are the external details which made these houses functional, shutters, dormers and decorative elements (Anderson, p. 17).
The literature clearly indicates that houses commonly clustered along alleys, and occasionally intruded into
public right-of-ways. Many vernacular arrangements became targets of advocates for safer and more sanitary housing in
the years following World War I. The several 1934-35 Dubuque housing surveys gave particular attention to what is now
termed vernacular housing and the photographs in those reports hint at what has been lost since then.
Intermixed brick and frame houses, stone foundations, likely Central Avenue (Housing and Health Survey. 1934)
PS Porm 10-900~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 143
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Closely placed houses along an alleyway, unidentified location (Housing and Health Survey, 1934)
Unusual stone/frame vernacular house, photo c.1925-32, 300s South Locust (Housing and Health Survey, 1934)29
The Coilis Company incorporated April 16, 1907, and as of 1911 was located at 301 S. Locust.
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]44
The Arcl~tecmral and Historical Resources of Dubuque~ Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Stone double house, East 14th and Maple, view northwest (photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
The rear wing might be of log construction.
Key Dubuque Architects, Builders and Property Developers:
This listing is not at this point all-inclusive and focuses on individuals who were practicing in Dubuque prior to
1955. The list of commissions is representative only, focusing upon major designs.
Dubuque Architects:
Beck, Guido (1853-1936), Architect:
As of 1911 it was judged that Beck "has had much to do with the beauty and thoroughness of architecture of
Dubuque." Beck was bom in Germany and came to America in 1882. He worked first as a stone cutter at the Rock
Island Arsenal, Rock Island, Illinois. In Dubuque he turned to architectural design and by the mid-1880s was specializing
in church design. By 1911 he had designed 100 of these ranging from the "small to the cathedral." He first practiced
with (probably) Fridolin J. Heer as Beck & Heer in 1886, practiced alone until he parmered with Martin Heer c.1889-
1895. After 1899 he practiced by himself (Oldt, pp. 651-52; Lyon, p. 33; Shank, p. 20).
Works:
St. Joseph's College Chapel and Auditorium
West Hill Roman Catholic Church
West Dubuque Roman Catholic Church
PS Form 10 900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]45
O)~4B,4pproval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Carkeek, Harvey T. (?-?), Architect:
Shank lists only for 1897 and places both Carkeek's in the same office building. Their relationship is not known
and Carkeek was never affiliated with Iowa Chapter AIA (Shank, p. 38).
Carkeek, Thomas T. (1843-1927), Architect:
Carkeek was English-bom. He was the son of a stonemason and Carkeek learned that trade and carpentry prior to
immigrating to America. He came to Dubuque fi:om Wisconsin in 1882. He first worked as an architect for Cart, Ryder
and Wheeler Company until 1891 at which time he started his own architectural practice in the Lincoln Building. He was
"an entirely self-made arctfitect." He was prolific with over 200 local designs credited to his hand during his 20-year
practice. A prominent Romanesque design, the Odd Fellows BuilcFmg (9t~ and Locust streets) was recently demolished
(Sommer, pp. 160-61; Oldt, pp. 708-09; Lyon, p. 57; Shank, p. 38).
Works:
701 Bluff Street
Odd Fellows Temple, 9t~ and Iowa (1892, razed 1970)
YMCA Auditorium and Gymnasium (c.1894)
August A. Cooper House ("Redstone") (1890, 504 Bluff Street)
Lincoln BuilcVmg (8~ and Locust Streets)
Central Engine House (9th and Iowa streets)
Rider, Burden and Rider Building (7~ and Locust streets)
Bell Bros. Build'mg (4th and Locust streets)
John Emsdorff Sons Company (Main and Jones streets)
C. H. Gregorie's House (109 Alpine Street)
Fred Bell House (968 W. 34 Street)
D. J. Lenehan House (41 ComelI Street)
G. W. Healey House (701 Bluff Street)
Harris House (349 Hill Street)
Clemonson House (575 W. 3~a Street)
W. H. Day Jr. House (66 Highland Place)
C. Mathis House (118 Broadway Street)
J. Lenihan Double House (5th and Hill streets)
Second National Bank
William Lawther Building
Bell Brothers Building
Presbyterian Convent
Heer, Fridolin Joseph Sr. (1834-1910), Jr. (1864-1940), Fridolin J. Heer & Son:
Like many European architects, Heer started as a stonecutter in Switzerland. His father was a builder. He came
to the United States in 1865 and Dubuque three years later. He started his architectural firm in 1870 and was joined in
the practice by his son in 1887. By 1880 he had "built up a large business and [was] the architect of many of the best
builcVmgs in the eity." He first practiced with Edward Naescher as Heer & Naescher c. 1874-76+. By 1875 Heer designed
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]46
OMEI Approval No.
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, i837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
buildings, monuments, furniture and did fi:esco paintings. He also designed bridges, viaducts and runnels. Beginning in
1886 he partnered w/th Guido Beck, but a year later was in partnership with his son. Beginning in 1889 church design let
their list of advertised specialties. Heer joined the Architectural Association of Iowa in 1885 and was elected into the
American Institute of Architects a year later. He was a charter member of the newly organized (1903) Iowa Chapter of
AIA. q2ae son practiced until 1934. Fridolin Heer Sr. is rated as being one of the city's leading architects and it is
important that the city was the point where he opened his practice and received the majority of his design efforts
(Sommer, pp. 159-60; Oldt, pp. 597-601; Lyon, p. 195; 1880 County History, p. 803; Shank, pp. 79-80).
Works:
Second City Clock and tower (1873, Clock Tower Plaza)
Jesse P. Farley House (1879, 6t~ and Bluff streets)
W. L Knight House (1397 Main)
William Bradley House (1268 Locust Street)
Col./Congressman David Bremner House (1433 Main)
J. Van Duzee House (i471 Main)
Alex. Young House (I879, now Bebr Funeral Home, 1491 Main)
William Andrew House (1135 Locust Street)
A. Tredway House (1182 Locust Street)
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church and School (1885, 635 West 22"d Street)
Dubuque County Courthouse (1891, 7t~ and Central streets)
Mt. St. Joseph Academy Building (Clarke College)
First Security Building (1901, 8t~ and Main streets)
M. M. Hoffman Funeral Home (1890, 15t~ and Clay streets)
H. L. Stout House (1145 Locust Street)
L. Gonner House (1295 Alta Vista Street)
N. J. Schrup House (14th and Main streets)
W. S. Malo House (16t~ and Main (?) streets)
F. A. RumpfHouse (West 11t~ Street)
Alphonse Matthews House (1335 Locust Street)
A. F. Heeb House (15 Jefferson Street)
Telegraph-Herald building (7t~ and Main streets)
St. Joseph Academy (1894, 13th and Main streets)
J. L. Hancock House (11 Highland Place)
Dubuque Brewing & Malting Company (supervising architec0
Levi Residence
Baptist, Zion and Lutheran churches
Heer, Fridolin Joseph. Jr. (1864-1940), Architect:
Fridolin, who was trained in architecture in the School of Architecture in Stuttgart, Germany, was the only
descendant of Fridolin Heer Sr. who carried on the family's architectural tradition (A daughter Pauline did work in her
father's office but not as a designer). In 1879 he first worked as a draftsman for Dankmar Adler in Chicago (Adler
parmered later with Louis Sulhvan). Beginning in 188i he studied as noted above in Stuttgart, receiving his degree in
1886. He was elected to the national AIA the same year as his father and a year later partnered with his father in
PS Form10 90~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]47
OMBApproval NO, 1024-0018
The Archltecmral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Dubuque. He was also a charter member of the Iowa Chapter AIA in 1903 and he served as chapter president in 1906.
He succeeded his father upon his death in 1910 and worked on his own until retiring in 1937. He was also registered in
Illinois and Wisconsin. Three children were bom to Heer and Iris wife but it is not known whether any of these worked
in architecture (Shank, p. 8I).
Works:
Sunnycrest Sanatorium ( 1919, Roosevelt Avenue)
Heer, Martin (?- 1915), Architect:
Heer was German bom and came to Dubuque at an undetermined date. His family emigrated to America in 1843.
He practiced along c.1884-88, and partnered with Guido Beck c.1892-95. He was workingon his own as of 1897 being
officed at 824 8~ Street. He is documented as still working in Dubuque through 1899 although family history states he
did so through c.1912 when he returned to Germany. He died there. His design work was regional in scope (Petersburg,
Clinton, Fort Atkinson, Dubuque) (Shank, p. 82).
Works:
Eichhom Building (I 889) (Beck & Heer?)
Holy Ghost Church and School (1896)
Hyde, Franklin D. (1849-?), Architect:
Hyde was bom in Maine but grew to adulthood m Wisconsin and Minnesota. He came to Dubuque in 1878,
having been trained as an architect in St. Paul, Chicago and Boston. By 1880 it was reported that Hyde "is taking a
leading position in his profession." A 10-page inventory of his designs covers Iowa and includes a few commissions in
Wisconsin, Minnesota and Montana. The projects date from 1879-1892. He was a charter (1885) member of the
Architectural Association of Iowa, the Western Association of Architects (1884) and the Architectural Association of
Des Moines. He was professionally committed to the education of architects and served as secretm-y of the national AIA.
He first (1881) specialized in school designs and later (1880) advertised a specialty in remodeling ex/sting buildings.
Hyde briefly (1891-92) partnered w/th William H. Casmer of St. Paul until the latter's untimely death. Hyde departed
Dubuque in 1893 apparently response to the panic of 1893-94 although there is no indication that large architectural
commissions in the city were impacted by that downturn (Wilkie, p. 319; 1880 County History, p. 814; Shank, pp. 86-87).
Works:
Bishop's Block, 1st and Main streets 1887-89
M. M. Walker House, Grove Terrace, c.1884
Water Works Company Pumping Station, 1888
Jesse P. Farley House, 6m & Bluff, 1879
Paint Works Company Mill and Warehouse, Iowa Street, 1883
Block of Houses, James Howie, 17t~ & Locust, 1883
Block of three houses, W. H. Peabody, Locust and 74, 1883
Byrnes Bros. Livery, 1888
Store/apt. building W. S. Bradley, 1888
Store/flats, Rev. P. Burke, 1888
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]48
The Architectural mad Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name o£Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Julien Hotel, $100,000, 1889 (burned 1910)
Queen Anne cottage, W. H. Day, 1883
A. A. Cooper factory, 1890
Block of residences, W. S. Bradley, 1887
A. A. Cooper House, $30,000, 1887
Staples & Wibber double-front store, 1887
W. S. Bradley warehouse, 1886
Block of residences for Bishop Hennessy at 2na and Bluff streets, 1886
Visitation Academy School, 1886
G. L. Torbert business block, 1886
Wm. Andrews Commercial Block, 1885
J. Herod Double House, 1885
A.A. Cooper Warehouse, 1885
Dubuque Ominbus Co. Stable, 1883
B. B. R/chards House, 1492 Locust, Street, 1883
James Howie Six tenements, 1883
St. Josephs College addition,, $15,000, 1884
4~ Street Elevator, station and engine house, J. K. Graves, 4~ Street, 1886
Geo. L. Torbert House, 1890
Thomas Connolly House, $18,000, 1890
E. M. Woodworth house, 1880.
Linseed Oil MilI, 9~ and Jackson, 1880
Thedinga Business Block, M~Cm Street, 1880
Jones, David (?-?). Architect:
Works:
First Congregational Church (1857, 10~ and Locust streets)
Krajewski, Casimer I~natius. (1893-1949+), Architect:
Polish-bom, he received a B. S. in architecture degree from Notre Dame in 1916 and entered into his own design
practice in 1922. He was practicing in Dubuque from 1927 but cancelled his registration in 1940. He then worked in
Chicago from 1944 at least through 1949. One school design is identified in Ottumwa (Shank, p. 102).
Larkins, John P. (?-?):
Rated as of 1902 as "one of the best designers in the city" English-bom and trained Larkins formed his own
design practice that year after partnering for two years with architect John Spencer (see below). He previously worked
with Chicago architects Jenny & Mundel pr/or to moving to Dubuque. He partnered with architect Thomas Carkeek (see
above) c.1898-1900 before joining with Spencer (Enterprise, August 3, 1902).
PS Form 10-9C0-a
(Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 149
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Mullan¥. John, Architect (1812-1884):
Mullany was somewhat ora rarity, given that he was an Irish-born architect. He was also, like Rague, from an
earlier generation of designers. The 1870 Industrial Census credited Mullany as a house builder with finishing five
houses during I879. He had eight employees and his houses were valued at $15,000. His son John I. Mullany (1847-?)
was a noted Dubuque lawyer. The family imm/grated to America in 1849 (Oldt, p. 624).
Works:
Cathedral of Saint Raphael (1852, Second and Bluff streets)
St. Mary's German Catholic Church (1864)
Clock Tower, 8~ and Main, 1872-73
Episcopal Church ("chaste, very proportionate" Herald, June 4, 1872)
Rague, John F., (1799-1877) Architect:
Rague was born in New York and came to Dubuque in 1854. He worked ten years hi New York where he
worked for Minard Lafever. He moved to Sphngfield, Illinois in 1831. He won the 1837 competition to design the new
Springfield State capitol building. In 1839 he designed the Iowa territorial capitol builffmg and contracted to build it with
two Springfield masons. The design was altered and he resigned from superintending the construction. He was also
dismissed from the Springfield construction and relocated to Milwaukee in 1841. He came to Dubuque with his second
wife in 1854, practicing alone until 1857 when he joined with William H. Drake as Rague & Drake. A year later he was
again on his own. His career was a casualty of the 1857-58 panic and deteriorating eyesight. He died in Dubuque.
Rague is clearly regionally significant for his desigrfconstmction supervision with the first Iowa capitol building in Iowa
City and the first illinois capital build'mg to be built hi Springfield, as well as for his employment of the Egyptian style.
Many of his pre-Civil War designs survive which is remarkable in and of itself (Sommer, p. 159; Shank, pp. 133-34).
Works:
Dubuque City Hall, 13th and Central streets (extant)
Dubuque County Jail, 8~ and Central streets (extant)
F. E. Bissell House (11t~ bet. Bluff and Locust streets)
Goodrich-Wilson-Ryan House (1243 Locust Street)
Edward Langworthy Octagon House (1095 W. 3ra Street)
Prescott School, 13m Street, 1857 (extant)
Mathias Ham House, Eagle Point (extant)
Rogers. Robert, (?-?) Architect:
Works:
Frederick Weigel House (1854, 1192 Locust Street) attribution only
PS Form ~0 900-a
(Rev. B 86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 150
OMB Approval No. 1024-Q015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Spencer, John (1856-?), Architect:
Spencer was English-bom and was an 1877 graduate of the South Kensington Art Institute. He emigrated to
America after 10 years of practice in England. He parmered briefly w/th W. W. Boynton and Company (designers of the
Bank and Insurance Building, Dubuque). He worked two years in Cl'ficago but returned to Dubuque. His clients were not
limited to Dubuque (Oldt, pp. 688-89).
Works:
Iowa Trust and Savings Bank
German Trust and Savings Bank
Young Women's Chr/stian Association Building
Carnegie-Stout Library
Iowa Telephone Building
Eagle Point Park Pavilion
Pavilion at Tri-State Fair
Glover and Company Warehouses and Offices
German Presbyterian Church
Carr-Ryder and Adams Factory, Warehouses and Offices
St. Luke's Parsonage
F. D. Stout Residence
Stillman, Charles (%?)
Bell T~t>Imue.
(Enterprise, April 15, 1905)
PS Form 10 900~a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page. 15]
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Dubuque Carpenters and Builders:
Bell, John, (1827-?)/Beli & Green:
Scottish-bom Bell came to Canada in 1844 and to Dubuque in 1853. He worked in the city for 30 years. By
1873 he was in the partnership of Bell & Green, termed "responsible builders and carpenters...well known, year after
year, for their good work...both of whom for a long time have been known in the building line, and for good carpenter
work." Their office was behind the post office. "Messrs. Bell & Green are among the best of the ten or fifteen carpenter
and building firms, and deserve the character and reputation they have acquired. Anything from the building ora small
barn to a large church structure, or from a fence to a business block..." (Sommer, p. 161; Dubuque City Directory for
1873-74, pp. 74-75).
Broadhurst, John G. ( 182%?):
English-bom, Broadhurst came to the U.S. in 1848 and Dubuque ten years later. By 1880 he was described as
one of the oldest contractors operating in the city, then partnered as "Biles & Broadhnrst". Works included the Julien
Hotel addition, the Lorimer House and the Argyle House (1880 History, p. 478).
Brunkow, Ferdinand W. (1861-?)/F. W. Brunkow Sons & Company:
Brunkow was born in Wisconsin of German-bom parents and came to Dubuque in 1892. He had worked as a
teacher and town clerk but immediately entered into contracting work. Begmning in 1907 he was general agent for the
German-American Equation Premium Life Association and was at one time president of the local contractors' association
(Oldt, p. 837).
Works:
Lincoln School
"many of the best residences of which the city boasts"
Burdt, Frederick C. (1872-?)/C. Burdt & Son Contracting Company:
He was bom in Dubuque and was the son of noted contractor Christian Burdt (?-?). His German-bom father
came to America in 1859 and to Dubuque the same year. He built the public school and bank buildings in East Dubuque,
the Carr, Ryder & Adams factory, Couler Avenue car barns, Dubuque Club, (first) Sacred Heart Church, Holy Ghost
Convent, the Thill double store building and "numerous public and parochial school ed/rices and score of imposing
buildings." He built buildings throughout the region. Frederick worked with his father, saw brief Spanish-American war
service, and was a city contractor as late as 1911 (Oldt, p. 846).
Conlin Construction Company:
Richard Conlin (1922-?) founded this firm in 1922 and by 1948 the company with 50 employees had contracts in
seven states. Taking on larger jobs the finn had a 17-state market by 1989. Notable early works included the Carnegie-
Stout Library addition, McCormick Gymnasium (University of Dubuque) and the more recent Five Flags Center (Lyon,
p. 81).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of tho Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 152
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Dubuque Homes Inc.
Charles Mettel Jr. was company president and this firm built the Asbury Park houses for the John Deere workers
in 1946-47 (Telegraph-Herald, January 6, 1946).
Foye, James N. (1833-?):
Foye reached Dubuque in 1857 and first specialized in moving buildings. He was a Civil War veteran and
worked as a general contractor postwar, residing at 143 Alpine Street (1880 County History, p. 791).
Fricke, Alois (1818-?):
Fricke ~vas a Swiss-bom brick and stone mason. He reached the U.S. in 1845, worked a year in Galena and then
came to Dubuque in 1846. By 1880 he was responsible for "many of the best buildings in Dubuque" including the
Lorimer House and St. Joseph Academy. He resided on 134 Street between Elm and Washington streets (1880 County
History, p. 792).
Geiger, Hem'v (1840-?):
Geiger was German-bom and worked as a carpenter and builder after the Civil War. He came to the U.S. in 1861
and saw Civil War service in the 5t~ Iowa Cavalry and two years military engineer service at Nashville. He resided on
White between 16t~ and 17~ streets (1880 County History, p. 793).
Gregory, E. James (1872-?)~ Carpenter Contractor:
Gregory was bom at Webster City, Iowa and came to Dubuque in 1890. He apprenticed under Ketsch and
worked as a journeyman under Jordan. He worked briefly in St. Joseph, Missouri, but returned to Dubuque and had
his own firm begnming in 1902 (Oldt, pp. 775-76).
Works:
Fowler Flats
"various additions to local public buildings and also many fine residences"
Grether. John M. (1816-?):
Grether was German-bom and came to the U.S. and Dubuque in 1854. He resided at 1539 Washington Street and
was "a natural mechanic [who] can make any kind of machinery" (1880 County History, p. 796).
Hartmann, Anthony A. (1884-?):
Hartmarm was born in Dubuque and was a member ora younger generation. His father (Austrian-bom Leonard
Hartmmrm, ?-1908) was a general contractor in Dubuque who built St. Joseph's Academy. Anthony learned contracting
working with his father and worked with his brothers Leo L. (1888-?) and Bernard A. Hartmann. By 1911 Hartmarm
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 153
OMB Approval No. 1024-~015
The ArchitecmraI and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Contracting Company was responsible for "many of the finest residences and public ed/rices" in the city (Oldt, pp. 833-
34).
Heitzman, Williarm ( 1863-?):
Heitzman was German-bom and first worked as a millwright. He immigrated to America in 1885 and arrived in
Dubuque c.1887. He first partnered (1890) with Rheinfrank who died and he continued alone specializing in building
fine residences. His son William Heitzman Jr. joined h/m in 1908 (until 1911) (Oldt, pp. 669-70).
Henderson & Brandt:
2~ae 1870 Industrial Census credited these 3rd Ward builders with finishing 12 houses during 1879. They had 10
employees and his houses were valued at $10,000. Theirs was the largest reported house building operation although the
average price of their houses was just $1,000.
Herdmann, Thomas A. (1870-?):
He was bom in Canada, the son ofa builder-contmctor. He was an 1886 graduate of the manual training
department of the State University of Nebraska and learned contracting working with his father. Herdmann came to
Dubuque in 1888 where he soon specialized in building fine residences (Oldt, p. 830).
Holland. Ora (1825-?):
Holland was a contractor/builder and came to Dubuque in 1846. He developed a large business and by 1880 had
"built many of the best buildings in the city." By that time he had worked as a contractor in the city for 33 years "longer
than anyone else" (1880 County History, p. 806).
Howie. James ( 1841 -?):
Scots-horh Howie reached Dubuque in 1869 and started his firm employing 10-15 hands. He did all of the
carpentry work for the Norwegian Plow Company and the Wailer building (1880 County History, p. 813).
Jones, B. W., (1837-?):
English-bom Jones came to America in i845 and to Dubuque in 1856. He worked in the city through the late
1800s and served as city alderman beginning in 1879 (Sommer, p. 16; 1880 County History, p. 817).
Jones. Rudolph (1855-?):
Jones was bom near Chicago to German-bom parents (family name of Joens). The family came to America in
1853 and reached Dubuque c.1856. Father John Jones was a contractor but farmed in the county for 30 years. Rudolph
did carpentry work for his father and moved from the family farm to Dubuque in 1878 at age 23 years. He rose from
joumeyman to self-employed contractor and by 1911 had "erected many of Dubuque's f'me commercial houses and
PS Form 10-900-a
IRev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National [=ark Service
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 154
The ArcbJtectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
private residences, churches and public buildings." He was a Republican and served as Alderman-at-large from 1898-
1906 (Oldt, pp. 689-90).
Works:
Masonic Temple
Keenan, John.(1824-1909):
Irish-bom Keenan came to America in 1850 and to Dubuque six years later. He learned his trade in New York
and worked in this city through the 1880s. By 1880 he was the veteran of 25 years as a builder and was one of the oldest
working contractors. He served 50 years as president of the Dubuque Council of St. Vincent de Paul (Lyon, p. 236; 1880
County History, p. 819).
Kutsch, Joseph P. ( 1859-1939)/Kutsch Brothers (Charles and Joseph):
Joseph was born in Dubuque and was of German parentage (his father was also a contractor). He was the senior
parmer in a two-brother contracting firm. They were noted for their perfectionism and artistry. He was Catholic and was
a member of the Sacred Heart Church. He was also a member of the Shooters Club and was a noted marksman (Oldt, p.
505; Lyon, p. 252).
Works:
St. Francis Convent (2105 Washington Street)
St. Mary's Casino (Nicholas Street)
Immaculate Conception Academy
Luchterhand, Fred L. M., (1869-?):
Bom in Germany, his family emigrated to America c.1876 and came directly to Dubuque. He learned contracting
under the tutleage of Christ Burdt over a seven-year period. He then partnered with Keller as Keller & Luchterhand.
By 1911 they were "regarded as one of the best firms in their line of business in the city, and have erected many fine
buildings, public and private..." His residence was at 579 Windsor Avenue (as of 1911) (Otdt, p. 709).
Works:
Home for the Aged
The Casino
N. J. Schrup House
McCoy, John (?-?):
Irish-born McCoy came to the U.S. in 1850 and to Dubuque six years later. He was first employed as a
carpenter/joiner. The 1870 Industrial Census credited McCoy with finishing eight houses during 1869. He was involved
in real estate and house building by 1873:
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]55
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State .......
Mr. John McCoy has for some years looked around for some vacant lots in different localities, and
having found them, at what he thought a proper price, he bought thern, no matter if they were even in an
out of the way place. The next thing done would be to set men to work in excavating and filling up and
build good cisterns and cellar walls. By the time that work was done, he would have all the brick or
timber and lumber, and after within three or four weeks, with a sufficiant force of men, one or two or half
a dozen houses would be nearly ready for occupancy. By that time some strangers or those, who were
tired of boarding would be seeking the places to rent or purchase.
Mr. McCoy generally sells his houses and lots ~vith about equal profit to himself and accomodation to
the purchasers. The good residences on Hill street, south of the Diamond House, are samples os his
management referred to. Such man are needed in every city, not older than Dubuque...Mr. McCoy will
take contracts for building houses, barns, churches or any small jobbing in his line, and does good work
and always at proper prices (Dubuque City Directory for 1873-74, p. 79)
He had five employees and his houses were valued at $4,000. By 1880 he was one of the oldest contractors working in
the city and had "erected some of the best buildings in Dubuque" (1880 County History, p. 842),
Mihm, John J. (1860-?), Stone Mason Contractor:
M/bm was born in Dubuque of German parents. His father, Peter Mihm (1824-1902) was also a Dubuque
stonemason contractor and the two partnered after 1884. The finn contracted foundation work for the most part (Oldt,
pp. 717-18).
Works (foundations only):
Sacred Heart Church
St. Matthew's Church
Third Presbyterian Church
Home for the Aged
Nicks, N. P., (1846-?):
Nicks was born in Dubuque and had his own firm beginning in 1882 (Sommer, p. 161).
O'Farrell, James (1850-?):
O'Farrell was Irish-born and came with his family the same year as his birth. They reached Dubuque in 1856.
James apprenticed as a stonecutter with Schulte & Wagner. He partnered with John P. Dorgan in 1871 and ceased the
partnership when he was appointed city street commissioner. He served in that position for two years and was in
partnership with Charles Stenck from 1889-1897 specializing in streets, sewers and concrete work. His partner went off
to the Alaskan gold fields and O'Farrell remained behind. His "O'Farrell Contracting Company" operated a large stone
quarry and c~aployed 75 hands (Oldt, pp. 832-33).
PS Form 1C~900-a
[Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 156
OMB.Approval No. 1024-0018
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,i, Iowa
County and State .......
Pfifther, Andrew ( 1830-?):
He was Swiss-bom and reached the city in 1845 where he worked as a stoncmmson and contractor, parme~ing
with his brother Martin Pfiffner. By 1880 he boasted of 33 years work as a contractor (1880 County History, pp. 857-58).
Rebman. William, (1821-?):
Rebman was bom in Pennsylvania and came to Dubuque in 1837. He worked as a blacksmith until 1850 whan he
started contracting and real estate ventures. He built many downtown buildings and did streetwork. He graded
Washington Park whan it was finally improved. By 1880 it was said "he has erected more buildings than any contractor
in Dubuque." He built the Rebinan Block (later called Sanford Block) the city's first brick business block located north
of 8~ Street. He served two terms as city health officer (Sommer, p. 161; 1880 County History, p. 864).
Rouse & Dean, Iowa Iron Works:
Hammond Rouse established the company in 1853 and survived the Panic of 1857 with his 40 workmen, whom
he paid off early the next year. Chas. B. Dean became a parmer in later years. For the purposes of this study, the firm
was a leading fabricator of cast iron storefronts, cornices, support columns and other metalwork. It also built the first
iron steamboat constructed on the upper Mississippi River (Dubuque CiW Director'? for 1873-74, p. 101-102).
Scharle, Frank D. (%?):
Rated as of 1902 as a '~well known Dubuque contractor and builder. He was the son of a Dubuque builder who
was credited with building "many of our largest buildings." The younger Scharle had traveled extensively and had "made
a special study of modem styles and methods. He ~vas noted for church designs at Mineral Point (Wisconsin) and
Haverhill, Iowa. He built "a number" of Dubuque and area residences (Enterprise, May 25, 1902).
Schilling, M. H. (1835-?):
Schilling was German-bom and came to the city in 1857. He was a briclanason and contractor. By 1880 it was
said he "has done some of the best work in the city" and was also one of the city's oldest contractors (1880 County
History, pp. 876, 880).
Schuite, Bernard (1832-1900), cut stone contracting:
Schulte was Gmanan-bom and came to America in 1854, locating to Dunleith, Illinois, but relocated to Dubuque
in 1867. He was in the stone contracting trade there for 22 years, an early contract was for the Cathedral Parochial
Residence. The finn was called "B. Schulte & Son." Sons John J. Schulte (1861-?) and George G. Schulte (1871-?)
continued the business. By 1911 the firm was "one of the able and substantial houses of the city, and many frae homes
and substantial public buildings have been erected by them." This firm in particular serviced a broader Iowa and Illinois
building market. By 1866 he was partnered with Wagner as Schulte &Wagner. Their stonewas secured from
Illinois (Athens marble, Juliet stone). The firm ~vas "considered the leading stone cutters in Dubuque" with yards on the
west side of White Street, betwecm 9~ and 10th streets (Oldt, pp. 756-758; Dubuque CiW Directory for 1873-74, p. 44).
PS Form 10~900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 157
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Propc:u'ty
Dubuque CounW. Iowa
County and State .......
Works (Dubuque only)
First National Bank of Dubuque'
Conservatory of Music, St. Joseph's
Dubuque Infn'mary
F. D. Stout House
N. J. Schrup House
William L. Bradley residence (1873)
Weigle Block (1873)
Herancourt Block (1873)
C.D.&M. and C.C.&M. roundhouse/shops
Manson Block
St..Raphael's Cathedral tower/steeple
Skemp, Charles W. (1848-?):
Skemp was English-bom and came to America in 1859. He was in Dubuque by 1876. He was a journeyman
until 1897 but then tamed to contracting (Oldt, pp. 608-09).
Works:
Mercy Hospital
Presbyterian Seminary
Lawther's Candy Factory
St. Joseph's College (part, 14~ Street)
Couler Avenue School
Burlington Freight House
McDonand Manufacturing Company (addition, 13~ Street)
St. Anthony's Catholic Church, West Dubuque
Orphan's Home (addition, north of Linwood)
Power House at Finley Hospital
Carr, Ryder and Adams Company (addition)
"numerous residences"
Steuck~ Carl A. (1848-?):
Steuck was German-bom and emigrated to America in 1873, locating that same spring in Dubuque. He worked
several years in local stone quarries and then became a contractor. He "macadamized most all the streets of Dubuque and
has also bricked most of the sewers of the city." He was noted for his honesty and thoroughness. He was a veteran of the
Franco-Pmssian War and resided (i 911) at 58 Francis Street (Oldt, p. 854).
Taylor, Thomas J. (1865-?), General Contracting and Building:
His parents came to Dubuque in 1832, 1837. His mother came first and was among those who were driven back
to Illinois by federal soldiers. His father was a millwright. Taylor was bom at Asbury in Dubuque County. He was an
PS Form
(Rev. 8
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]58
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-i 955
Name of Property
Dubuque CouuW, Iowa
County and State .......
1883 graduate fi:om Epworth Seminary. He was a grocer for four years before entering into contracting (Oldt, pp. 830-
31).
Trexler, John, (1825-?):
Trexler was born in Bavaria ~vhere he was a woodcarver and carpenter. He immigrated to America in 1852 and
arrived in Dubuque three years later. He was first a carpenter/joiner and then worked (as of 1880) 25 years as a
contractor (Sommer, p. 161; 1880 County History, p. 889)
Turtle, L. B., (?-?):
Tuttle was born in Connecticut and arrived in Dubuque in 1858. He learned his carpentry/joinery trade locally.
The 1870 Industrial Census credited Turtle with finishing six houses during 1879. He had three employees and his
houses were valued at $13,800. By 1880 he had worked 15 years as a contractor and had "built up a good business." He
was a Civil War veteran (Sommer, p. 161; 1880 County History, p. 890).
Weaver, Gassowa¥ S. (1846-?):
He was rated a contractor "possessing rare skill and ability, who devotes himself principally to the erection of
fine residences." His father Benjamin Weaver was a contractor in an Eastern state. Weaver came to Dubuque in 1868,
partnered for eight years with B. W. Jones and two years with S. Alexander. He had Iris own firm by 1892 and by 1911
had worked as a contractor in the city for an impressive 43 years (Oldt, p. 503-04).
Works:
W. Dubuque Schoolhouse
Senator N. J. Schrup House
Wilber. C. A. (?-?) contractor/architect:
Wilber came to the city in 1859. He was trained in New York and worked five years in Canada. He was an
officer in the Civil War and then developed a large business as a contractor and architect (1880 County History, p. 896).
Willy, Ulrich (1857-1941):
Willy ~vas born in Switzerland where his father Otto ~vorked as a contractor. He came to Dubuque in 1881 and
had his own finn by 1894 (Oldt, pp. 506-07; Lyon, pp. 483-84).
Works:
German Presbyterian Church
17th Street Presbyterian Church
Dubuque Club
School of the Presbyterian Sisters
Glover Factory
Lutheran Church
PS Form 10-9OO a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 159
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Woods, W. J. (?-?):
Woods came to Dubuque in 1856 and by 1880 was one of the city's oldest working brickmasons and builders
(1880 County History, p. 902).
Zwack, Anton:
Major builder of institutions as of 1919, builds Tuberculosis Sanitariun% Brunswick Additions (Daily News,
December 31, 1919).
Realtors/Developers:
Two distinct classes of individnals are included. There are land dealers who didn't necessarily subdivide or build
and there are realtor/developers 5vho did. The latter group is more pertinent to this report, but both groups played key
historical roles in developing the city.
Barney, William J. (?- 1886):
Lawyer and land speculator during the years 1850-62 (at which time he departed for Chicago). He partnered with
Caleb Booth in "W. J. Barney & Company." It is said that he bought and sold 800,000 acres of land in his dealings
(Lyon, p. 28).
Burden, George (1814-1889)
English born, Burden came to Dubuque in 1857. He worked in real estate with B. B. Richards as "Taylor,
Richards & Burden." He was also a banker (Lyon, p. 51).
Hammond. William A., ( 1859-?):
Hammon was of Dutch ancestry and was bom in Illinois. He came to Dubuque in 1890 and worked as a real
estate dealer, loan and mortgage broker. He belonged to St. Luke's Methodist Episcopal Church (Oldt, pp. 528-29).
Herod, Joseph ( 1825-1911 )
Herod arrived in Dubuque in 1852 and first mined lead. He built a 17-unit su/te of apartments in the early
1900's. He was secretary of the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, was one of the organizers of the Dubuque & Dunlieth
Bridge Company, was instrumental in forming the streetcar system, and was alderman and saw 25 years o£ service as city
school treasurer (to 1902) (Lyon, pp. 198-99; 1880 County H/story, p. 804).
Highland Realty Company:
Formed by two World War II veterans, Homer Vincent But~ Jr. and Frank Whittington in 1945. The firm
obtained its ftrst buildings permits in December 1945 to build houses on Simpson Street near the Wartburg Seminary
(Telegraph-Herald, January 6, 1946).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page
The Arch/tectaral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State ......
Lightcap, Leonard L. (1853-?):
Lightcap was born in Wisconsin and came to the city by 1906 when he entered into real estate trading (Oldt, pp.
702-03).
Malon¥, Lawrence ( 1819-1864):
Malony was bom in Ireland and was an early real estate developer. He operated out of his general store at 3~d and
Main streets. He accumulated vast holdings during the mid-1850s boom times but lost most o£his wealth when he chose
to build on his properties just as the national economy collapsed in 1857 (Lyon, p. 316).
Nagle, Joseph J. (1860-1932):
Lyon describes Nagle as "one of the best known real estate agents" in the city's history. Nagle also served as the
fiscal agent for the archdiocese (Lyon, p. 325).
Norton, Patrick (1821-1868), Teaming and Real Estate:
Norton was bom in Ireland and his family emigrated to America in I832. Norton came to Dubuque in 1837. He
first operated a drayage and "later dealt extensively in real estate, building and renting homes and selling same on time
payments" (Oldt, pp. 854-55).
Pfohl. Louis (?-1986):
A noted and more recent major realtor-developer (Lyon, p. 350).
R/chards, Benjamin Billings (1823-1912):
Lyon terms Richards "one of the city's most influential bankers." He worked in real estate after 1854, partnered
with Taylor, and later George Burden. He unsuccessfully challenged Allison for his U.S. Senate seat in 1864.
Richards served 10 years in the state house and as many years in the senate. He again lost a U.S. Congress challenge to
David Henderson in the 1880s (Lyon, p. 377).
Sanford, Horatio (1815-1884):
Described by Wilkie as "Iowa's biggest buyer and seller of iund' prior to the Civil War. He came to Dubuque in
1834. Never married, he accumulated holdings of in excess of one million acres of land. Most of his real estate activities
dated 1848-64. At one time he owned almost the entire block of Main Street between 8~ and 9~ streets. In his later years
he made seven European and Mid-eastem tours (Wllkie, pp. 160-62; Lyon, pp. 399-400).
Taylor. John W., (?-?)
Taylor "an old citizen well known for his connections with bunking interests" founds a real estate, collection and
emigrant agency (Herald, June 27, 1860).
PS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]61
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Voelker, Christian Anthon.( 1850-1925 ), Realty Investment Corporation, Voelker Realty Company:
Chris Voelker was bom in Baden and came to Dubuque at the age of four months. Educated at Trinity
Parochial School (late St. Marys) he apprenticed for ten years as a cabinetmaker prior to working for twenty
years (1873-93) as a dry goods merchant (1330 Clay Street). He began his long-term involvement in real estate
1890. He developed four residential additions (Woodlawn Park ($25 lots, a total of 337 lots along 14th Street),
Voelker Highlands, South Alta Vista Street and Melrose Terrace)3° and in 1908 incorporated as the Realty
Investors Corporation, and in 1915 as the Voelker Realty Company. He partnered with family members and
Louis Kolfenbach. He organized the Home Building Company of which he remained president up until his death.
Chris Voelker, 1925 (Daily American Tribune, August 14, 1925)
He was an original director of the Julien Dubuque Hotel when that building was rebuilt. He was a board member
of the Dubuque Industrial Corporation and '%vas instrumental in securing the Brunswick Balke factory" for the
city. He was an orgauizer of the Dubuque Altar Manufacturing Company and supervised the construction of its
new plant. As a realtor he belonged to the National Association of Real Estate Boards and the Iowa Association
of Realtors. At the time of his death in mid-August 1925 Voelker was recalled as an "outstanding figure in
Dubuque Business and Church life." A Democrat politically, he attended the 1884 National Democratic
Convention (Cleveland nonfination) and served as city mayor for two terms (1886-87) and as a member of the
state House of Representatives twice, in 1896 and in 1907. A devout Catholic, Voelker was a trustee for St.
Mary's find a trustee of the Mt. Calvary Cemetery Association. He was a Grand Knight of the Knights of
Columbus, was an organ/zer of the Roman Catholic Mutual Protection Society of Iowa, served as president of the
Cental Verein and a chief ranger of the Independent Order of Foresters. Voelker was also increasingly involved
in insurance, particularly fire insurance (Daily American Tribune, August 14, 1925; Lyons, p. 464; Oldt, pp. 638-
39).
30 As of 1896, Voelker also owned the East Dubuque, Mechanic's, Porter's, Finley, Waples & Burton's, and the Littleton & Sawyers
additions (Herald, 1896).
PS Form 10-900-a
IRev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]62
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Voelker Homes, Greater Dubuque (1911)
As early as 1896, Voelker urged the public to purchase his lots, offering building sites "where one can live
comfortably without extravagence" claiming that h/s Woodlawn Park lots were "the best improved, best selling real estate
in Dubuque, Iowa." He urged potential buyers
[You] no longer have to dwell in tenement houses, situated in closely built sections of the city, subjected
to the results of improper and imperfect ventilation, stifled almost by the effiubvia of decomposed
vegetable matter, or remain in flats where the air is more or less filled with the miasmatic influences,
which is the forerunner of malaria. Woodlawn Park has been purchased with the view of furnishing a
remedy for this class of evils, the tendancy of which has always served as a barrier against rapid growth
and prosperity of any city... (Herald, 1896).
PS Form 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 163
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
¥'oelker'Wilt ~m~'e You MmoT,
Headquarters For Homes, 1911, Voelker advertisement
(Telegraph-Herald, April 16, 1911)
At this stage Voelker was attempting to develop additions which were filled with "handsome villas." His
advertisements make no reference to his providing construction services for his lot purchasers.
A decade later, Chris Voelker was the city's leading large-scale hom builder c. 1906-1919. He is the city's best
example of the "community builder," a real estate man who expanded his services to encompass house design,
construction, and financing. Voelker perfected a low-cost installment home buying plan that put many working class
families hito the/r own homes. He epitimized the "Own Your Own Home" movenlent and his house designs combined
PS Focm 10-900-a
(~ev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 164
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuclue. Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
stylistic and the front gable locally dominant in vernacular housing. Voelker's large-scale building legacy has dotted the
city with h/s very recognizable house plans. He also promoted concrete block house construction in conjunction with the
Peer-Amid Cement Company (Daily News, December 31, 1919).
Voelker Realty Company was a well-established firm by the time it began to build houses. The business was
located at the northeast comer of 138 and Clay (1300 Clay). Voelker was president and Louis C. Kolfenbach was vice-
president. Christian A. Voelker, Jr. was company secretary. Chris Voelkcr Sr. resided at 491 Seminary Street as early as
1904. He served as mayor in 1888 (1904-05 City Directory, p. 406).
Voelk~r was '~promincnt among the builders of the city" as early as 1906. That year he built 27 houses at an
average cost of $2,300. From the start he built in the north end of the city, grouping his houses along Washington Street,
between 248 and 258 streets. During 1907 he built 22 houses valued at $53,030. These clustered near 248 and Jackson
streets, but were also along Lincoln and Audubon avenues. The first reference to a concrete block house was made that
same year to a Couler Avenue location. His Peer-Amid Concrete Company first appears in the 1909 city directory,
located at 3005 Pine Street. The firm produced concrete building blocks (Telegraph-Herald, December 30, 1906;
December 27, 1907; 1909 City Directory, pp. 394, 438, 561).
By 1908 Voelker was termed the "Wholesale Home Builder" and his building now included flats, double houses
and cottages. His building market covered the city. His 1908 building efforts included three Peer-amid "cement" houses
and his listed 1909 jobs numbered 15 houses and cottages (Telegraph-Herald, December 27, 1908, January 1, 1910).
Concrete block Voelker house, 24~ (photo by Jim Jacobsen, 2000).
PS Form 10~900 a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 165
OMB Approval No. I024-0015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
By 1910 he was rmming large advertisements which featured his "Pay-As You Can" home buying plan. Echoing
the "Own Your Own Home Campaign" Voelker challenged potential homebuyers to ~vorry more about saving money
rather than earning more. The homebuyer could save by eliminating rent, by buying coal off-season and storing it in the
basement (along with garden produce). The wear and tear on furniture resultant from frequent moves was saved once a
family owned rather than rented a home. Voelker was an early advocate of the home as a good investment. Perhaps
unique to Dubuque, he promised that the rapid exhaustion of building lots and rising house values guaranteed that house
values would appreciate. He warned his clients to buy "average" houses ("That's the kind of homes that ~ve build and we
build them at the right place"). Voelker's new homes were all located within the "mile circle" with its center point
located in the downtown. Nearly every Voelker home also resided directly on a streetcar line. The company's interest
rates were high, ranging from 8-15 percent but the down payment was only $100 and interest diminished as the mortgage
was retired. Buyers could pay extra up front and their interest rotes were recalculated every six months when they did so.
Most buyers owned their houses within eight years and Voelker claimed in 1912 that he had not had a single contract
"lapse" in five years. Buyers who suffered illness, layoff due to a strike or job loss received a six-month grace period
without penalty, to resume their payments. A 1912 ad titled "Voelker's Plan Showed Up At Last" featured an inquisitive
reporter who probed the realtor about his too good to be true scheme. The investigator concluded "Voelker is succeeding
because his plans are right and his methods beyond criticism" (Telegraph-Herald, October 2, 1910, September 29, 1912).
Voelker's house designs were synonymous with modem moderate cost new Dubuque housing by 1910 at which
time they were being featured in annual progress reports and in the 1911 Greater Dubuque. He was called '~the home
builder of Dubuque" and it was said "all of these homes are built for the benefit of the working man..." The Telegraph-
Herald continued "When one stops to consider the enormous amount of money annually invested by Mr. Voelker in the
building of new homes, the idea of what a real booster is, becomes more exemplified by the work of the Dubuquer"
(Telegraph-Herald, October 2, 1910).
Voelker pledged to never place the same house design side by side but he certainly built continuous rows of
strikingly similar plans. By 1910 he was building "a new operation" on Caledonia Place near the 8~ Street carline. By
1914 he had caught bungalow fever and was building a "bungalow neighborhood" around the former ballpark. The
completion of the Bee Branch sewer that same year opened up the area above 28t~ Street to development. Voelker had
also built up the district south of the Visitation Academy on South Alta Vista Street between 1912-14. The area was
"transformed from a sore spot of rough hill and valley with old fences, mine dumps and sundry debris, within two years
to a magnificent neighborhood with beautiful lawns and room residences artistically placed." The accomplishment "is a
fair indication of the activity of Voelker in the upbuilding of Dubuque" and the realtor was having a broader impact as a
result, the same source noting 'cf his neighborhood redevelopment idea is taking a hold in Dubuque" (Telegraph-Herald,
December 27, 1914).
Voelker's house designs commonly featured a pedirnented front gable. Commonly his houses employed double
and triple window sets, an early provision of extra natural light into house plans. Gable fronts were shingled and flared
wall bases and roof eaves were commonplace. His bungalow designs were taller variations of hip roof cottages set on
raised foundations. Commonlyahiproofdormerprojectedatoptherecessedfrontporch. Voelker's story and a half
cottage plans were promoted as single story plans with attic space that could be developed for supplemental bedrooms.
These houses could be more efficiently cleaned, a precursor of the more efficient bungalow concept. A buyer who
selected a design could make "slight changes" and could select paint colors (Telegraph-Herald, January 2, i910).
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 166
OMB Approval No. I024-~018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubnque~ Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
A Home of Your Own Will Give You greater comfort, you will provide
yourself with the things which many landlords deny you, you will be able to secure
comfortable fitmishings that you now deny yourself for they may not suit the next home
you rent.
Voelker-Headquarters for Homes, Telegraph-Herald, October 2, 1910
Voelker also promoted the duplex or double house as an optimal investment opportunity for the homebuyer:
Duplex apartments pay biggest returns. Very popular in the larger cities. Live in part and rent the rest
and just as quickly as you will be paying offa single home for yourself, you many just as well be having
a renter pay off one for you, giving you a magnificent property in a few years...(Telegraph-Herald,
January 1, 19I 1).
The company's annual production never exceeded 30 units, an apparent indication that this volume
matched building technology of the day and the scale of the company's resources. Twenty houses were built in
1917 and 29 in 19t9. The company was also bullcYmg commercial builcYmgs and some larger combination
storefront/flats as well however. Voelker's house-building operation disappears after 1919 and it is probable that
it didn't survive the postwar building slump. The Voelker real estate firm survived as late as 1975 (Times-
Journal, January 1, 1918; Daily News, December 31, 1919; 1913 City Directory p. 500; 1918 City D/rectory, p.
518; 1925; City Directory, p. 567).
Industrial/Major Wholesale Historical Inventory:
Industry and jobbIng made Dubuque what it was. Today only several dozen Industrial facilities survive but many
of these are of enormous scale and nicely interpret some of the city's largest manufacturing firms. While conducting an
Industrial survey was not a part of this study, it was simply more efficient to start with the Inventory of surviving
buikYmgs and then work backwards to identify original tenant/builder firms.
The historical industrial d/strict In Dubuque is located east of White Street, between 1st and 12~ streets. There is
a scattering of plants to the north of this concentration, generally to the east of the downtown proper. Some Individual
plants are located In predominantly residential areas.
The Farley and Loetscher complex, shown below, is typical of the,large plants wbJch survive in the industrial
district. Decorative architecture is usually confined to one office section of the plant, as in the example shown. Lesser
buildings also survive. Additional photographs of industrial buildings can be found in Section F, Registration
Reqmrements.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 167
The Arclfitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Farley And Loetscher Industrial Complex (Enterprise, June 24, 1903)
Map 1, Industrial District (key properties are keyed to list below)
PS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page ]68
OMB App[oval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Nme of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Map 2, Industrial District (key properties are keyed to list below)
The table shown below inventories the surviving industrial buildings In down Dubuque which Individually or
collectively have the potential to interpret Dubuques industrial heritage.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number E Page 169
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Map Address Date Original Builder Present Occupant Comments
#
1 Can:, Ryder &Adams Eagle Window & Door
2 Farley & Loetscher Same
3 Carr, Ryder &Adams Jeld-Wen
4 Carr, Ryder &Adams main Eagle Window & Door
office
5 Carr, Ryder &Adams Wilmac Properties owns,
leased by Spahn & Rose
Lumb~r
6 Carr, Ryder &Adams Dubuque Sash & Door, Carpet Old signage "Fletcher Food Storage"
Depot
7 Krersehmer Mfg. First Supply Dubuque
8 Key Cit~ konworks same
9 Sauerkraut & pickle factcw, F&S Radiator (1962+)
Jaeger-Kunnert Wholesale
Groceries
I 0 1910 Farley & Loetscher Inld-Wen Five sto.~/reinforced concrete
I 1 Jackson & I lth 1897 Brewery tasth~g room Kahmes Breakfime Bar & Grill Murphy's Tap, Puppet Inn, Blue Moon Inn,
Ziggy's Tasting Room, Kennel Club, scene of
movie filmings
12 Cart, ~.yd~r &Adams Don's Auto Repair, Adult
Warehouse, All Season Htg &
Cooling, Armstrong
13 9t~ & 13th National Biscuit Co. Wilmac owns, is restoring Housed Universal Electric
I4 Cart, Ryder &Adams/ Wilmac owns (1984+), rents to
Farley & Loetscher Get Smart Design, Solutions
Plus Mortgage, Panorama Gifts !
15 1917 Farley & Loetscher Jeld-W~n leases lower floor,
Eagle Window & Door might
lease upper level
16 ?
17 Farley & Loetscher
18 Oakdale Dairy
19 Clay & 18th BuettelI Bros. Co., Jobbers, Fumitore Liquidators Books, stationery, sporting goods
importers
20 Cooper Wagon Works
21 William Lawther Key City Weber Paper Co. (1960+) now
Candy CoJKey City Candy vacant
Company
22 90 Main St. John T. Hancock Co./Western Bishop Block Apts. Part of Old Mt~m Historic District (NRHP)
Grocer Co. (I908)
23 44 Main St. 19037 International Harvester Co. of Dubuque Insulation & Siding South of Old Main Historic District, five story
America Co., now Jocille's Beauty bfick
Salon
1000 VFnite 1881 Dubuque Cabinet Makers Rhomberg Furriers (since
Association 1911 ) first called Dubuque
Tanning & Rope Co.
Elm & 15t~ Blum Company (1942+)
Washington & I8m Dubuque Casket Co., Iowa Boyes Auto & Track Parts
Coffin Company (1945+)
Elm & 17th Metz Mfg. Co Lmmar Adver~sin~ 0999+) Frank Hardie Advertising (1974+)
H. Magdal Scrap Iron, metals, Walser Crane Service Previously W. W. Skins tannery
rags and rubber
The two maps shown above locate these buildings according to map number (five buildings are too far north to
be included on the maps). The second map covers the northern portion of the/ndustfial disWict.
NPS Form 10-900-s
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page [?0
TI~e Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Associated Property Types:
Five property types are defined for use under this multiple property documentation form; the detached single
family house, the multiple-family house (duplex or larger), commercial properties, industrial properties, and districts.
Architectural type and style as it relates to the first four property types, is discussed below. The significance end
registration requirements for each property type is then treated.
Vernacular and Stylistically Influenced House/Cottage Sub-Types/Styles:
This typology of residential styles and types is based primarily upon Virginia and Lee McAlesters' A Field Guide
To Americen Houses (New York: Alfred. A. Knopf, Inc., 1984). Theirs is a generally accepted comprehensive stylistic
typology. They also simplify the number end range of accepted styles end some styles will not appear separately but
have been consolidated into a larger stylistic category.
This typology attempts to distinguSsh type end style. The same property cen frequently be analyzed from the
perspective of type and/or style and this can cause confusion. Some house types are treated as styles by some typologies.
The Cape Cod cottage for example is frequently subsumed under Colonial Revival style and is not separately defined as a
recognizable type. This approach is used here. This typological approach assumes that style will be emphasized when
there is a predominance of stylistic attributes present in a property end vernacular or type related attributes will be
stressed absent a strong stylistic presence.
Some properties will fall through the cracks, failing to fit eny category in the typology. Alterations since
construction explain some of these. Idiosyncratic design and building tastes likely explain most of these. These
exceptions are not unimportent end they might represent the work ora particular builder/designer or my hint at interesting
local building patterns and traditions. Care must be taken before these "outlyers" are simply combined into other
categories end are consequently lost.
A great many of the Dubuque residential example properties were first architecturally categorized by Lawrence
Sommer in his 1975 Dubuque study titled The Heritage of Dubuque. Sommer's work still stands the test of time end
plans are underway for a reprinting of this book. Sommer was particularly sensitive to the importance of Dubuque's
vernacular architecture at a time when such an interest was fairly in its infancy. Sommer in fact noted "Perhaps more
important then different styles in establishing the city's character, were the unifying elements of similar scale, mass, color
end materials found on hundreds of locaI buildings." Sommer's examples will be shamelessly copied in this typology
end eny substantial supplement to his good labors will be made in the vernacular categories (Sommer, p. I 13).
For the most part only surviving "best" examples are illustrated under each classification. There is no
comprehensive stylistic listing for Dubuque's properties and it is the purpose of this typology to simply define the range
of each type end style and to establish a standard by which a property cen be architecturally classified.
NPS Form lC~900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]7]
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Romantic Style Houses, 1820-1880:
The romantic styles represented a conscious avoidance of things English following a hard-won independence.
The Greek Revival style was the first of several romantic styles and it enjoyed the most enduring populm/ty. Beginning
c.1840 other styles with Medieval and Italian origins were introduced and successively rose and fell in popular esteem.
Both the Gothic and Italianate styles persisted beyond the Civil War years and would be reinterpreted as Victorian em
styles during the 1880s (McAlester, p. 178).
Adam/Federal Style, 1780-c.1840:
This national style had largely receded in popularity by the time of Dubuque's founding but McAlester states that it continued
to be built as late as 1840. Most commonly this style utilized a two or three-story rectangular core with a centered entxance on its long
dimension, and a side gable/trip roof form. A simple formal entryway, usually with elliptical arch and fanlight highlighting and
classical surround or portico was the only variation of an otherwise plain and symmetrical fagade. Four variations of this style occur in
Dubuque:
1. Side-gabled/roof: Tiffs subtype is the most commonplace with four of six exmrrples representing it.
888 Yale Court (photo Sommer, p. 135).
Herancourt House (see above) (888 Yale Court, self-built) combines Georgian symmetry with Italianate influences.
Window lintels are either of stone or cast iron (photo Sommer, p. 135).
Hipped roof, two-story: Primarily a New England subtype.
690 Fenelon Place (c.1865) (photo, Sommer, p. 135)
Ctmningham House (see above) (690 Fenelon Place, c.1865) features a notable cut stone lintel above its entryway
and rectangular transom lights (photo, Sommer, p. 135).
NPS Form 10 900 a
{Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 172
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-I955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
710 Fenelon Place (photo, Sommer, p. 135)
Cox House (see above) (710 Fenelon Place) is a pure example of the style. The classical porch if original
warrants furthe investigation (photo, Sommer, p. 135)
Town House:
40 Clarke Drive (photo, Sommer, p. 79)
40 Clarke Drive combines Adams and Italianate (windows) as well as a late-date classical porch in a more
vernacular townhouse plan (Somme, p. 79).
2306 Central Avenue (1881) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 173
1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
The later example shown above shows the persistence of this commercial building form in Dubuque. This form
is commonly associated with mid-century building, but Dubuque tended to hold onto styles and types.
1129-31 White Street (photo, Sommer, p.79)
1129-31 White Street (see above) is a vernacular double house version of the Adams townhouse subtype
(8ommer, p.79).
1100-34 Locust Street (photo, Downtown Walldng Tour)
1100-34 Locust Street (see above) sa.id to comprise three separately constructed houses following the same
.design. 1132 Locust was the residence ofnotable U.S. Senator William B. Allison, veteran of 46 years of service
in the Senate (Downtown Walking Tour).
i215 Washington Street (no image) contains three houses in a single rowhouse massing. Only the center unit
retains its twin dormers.
2327 Central Avenue (1855) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
NPS Form 10-900-a
IRev.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 174
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
This example (see above) is offered as the hip-roof version of this type. This very early brewery beer-tasting hail
exhibits an early cast iron storefront and a row of closely spaced second floor windows with flat plain stone lintels.
Greek Revival Style, 1825-60:31
~ne Greek Revival style was nationally dominant from 1830-50 and it was also called the "National Style"
accordingly. It persists as late as 1860 in areas which enjoyed rapid development in the pre-Civil War years. It died out
with the economic downturn of the late 1850s and the coming of the war (ibid., p. 182).
This style employed a low-pitched gable or hip roof in either a side gable or front gable orientation. Greek
temple design is reflected in a two-part broad band, which runs beneath the eavesline and substantial round or square
colunms, ~vhich support a centered entry or full-width front porch. The trim band consists ora frieze (top) and an
architrave (lower). Columns are usually Doric in style. The front door is commonly highlighted by flanldng sidelights
and a transom light. Transoms are rectangular (not in the Georg/an fanlight form).
Three of six style subtypes are found in Dubuque (ibid., pp. 178-79):
1. Side gable/hip with less than full-width entry porch. Full height examples are treated separately in subtype #2 below.
1204 Mount Loretta (photo, Sommer, p. 50)
1204 Mount Loretta Avenue(see above) is a porchless example of this subtype although McAlester does not
allow for the absence of a porch. This plan combines Italianate rounded window arches with Greek Revival
returned eaves and a rectangular entrance transom light (Sommer, p. 50-51).
3~ Sommer offers other style examples including 2452 Broadway, 713 Lincoln, 1323-25 Bluff and 1163 Highland. The
first two appear to be Italianate examples. A review of the other examples will categorize them.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]75
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
2. Side gable/hip with full-height entry porch. Like subtype #I above, the entry porch is less than full width.
Solon Langworthy House (1856) (drawing by Carl H. Johnson, Sommer, p. 48)
Solon Langworthy House (see above) (264 Alpine Street, 1856) is an excellent example of this subtype. The
plan is oriented not to the street address but rather towards the hhver. A wing has bean added but the core house
retains its design integrity.
Side gable/hip with full width and full height front porch. There is no pediment above the porch. The porch roof is
either a fiat separate extension from the fa;ade or it is integral to the main roof. The porch can wrap around the plan.
This subtype is more common in the South.
Joseph A. Rhomberg House (508 West 7~ Street, 1856) (no image) originally featured wrap-around porches and
a roof top belvedere. The house was colonialized probably prior to World War I and four full-height tapered
round columns and a bracketed eavesline were substituted for its Greek Revival elements. Consequently this
prominent bluff top residence no longer represents its original style (Sommer, p. 46).
Welbas House, 2615 Hillcrest Road and 3035 Pmmsylvania Avenue offer similar porch replacemants (no images)
(Sommer, p. 5 i).
Gothic Revival Style, 1840-1880:
This picturesque style had its origins in England in 1749 and was a reinterpretation of Medieval architectural
themes. The first American example dates to 1832 and was the work of architect Alexander Jackson Davis, the initial
promoter of the style. He published the first known plan book in i837 which he used to present three-dimensional
examples of his work. Architect Andrew Jackson Downing carried the promotional effort on a broader scale beginning in
1850. The Gothic Revival was particularly appropriate for a picturesque rural cottage setting and it was ill-adapted to
construction on a narrow town lot. The style persisted in popularity through 1865 and it was commonly employed during
the Civil War years in military chapels, officer's quarters and military installations. It was also popular for public
settings such as parks, cemeteries and fairground. Two of six style subtypes were built in Dubuques (ibid., pp 196-97,
200).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 176
The Architectural and Historical Resottrces of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
1. L-shaped asymmetrical plan and cross gable roof. Secondary cross gables can be employed and square towers are
commonly placed in the comer of house core and wing after 1860.
863 (photo, Sommer, p. 57)
863 West 5t~ Street (see above) is a late-date example of this Gothic Revival subtype.
1207 Prairie Street (date) (photo, Sommer, p. 57)
1206 Prairie Street (see above). This house has been resided with either a masonite or asbestos sh/ngle siding but
its windows and perforated bargeboards remain intact (Sommer, p. 57).
Flat roof with castellated or parapeted wall treatment. More truly Medieval in derivation, churches more commonly
utilized this subtype.
Dubuque Female College (Heeb Street, 1854) (see below) is a considerably altered example of this subtype. The
building is an amaz/ng survivor and it has successively housed the college (founded as a result of funding by the
noted Beecher family of New England), a public high school (1862+), the Episcopalian Lee Female Seminary
(1864+), the Presbyterian Theological School (1872+), Catholic Immaculate Conception School (1907+) and
Lady of Lourdes Nursing Home. The towers lost their onion domes and the pointed windows were infilled and
NPS Form 10~900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 177
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Romanized. The castleated parapet walls have also been lost. Originally the side ~vings were single stow in
height so the overall massing stepped up from the ends to the center of the plan (Sommer, pp. 54-55).
Dubuque Female College Building (1854) (photo, Sommer, p. 54)
Cathedral of Saint Raphael (185%59, 1878) (photo, Tourist Guide of Dubuque, p. 31)
Cathedral of San Raphael (231 Bluff Street, 185%59, 1878, architect John Mullany) is in Sommer's opinion, one
of the state's best Goth/c Revival examples and the most important Dubuque building constructed during the
1850s. The tower was originally intended to stand 300 feet above ground but these plans were scaled down when
construction began, the finished tower being completed in 1876. Stained glass windows followed in 1886, four
bells in I897, and the replacement organ, said to be the largest in Iowa, were installed in 1919. Gebhard noted
the lancet window at the tower base as being a most unusual component. TI'tis is the third cathedral of this name.
The stain glass windows were installed in 1866 and were imported from England. The cathedral occupies a
special location at the west end of the broad 2nd Street (Sommer, pp. 51-52; Gebhard, p. 84).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 178
~ae Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Propcmy
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Loras Academy (Loras Avenue, 1854, 1878-82) (no image) was built for use as a marine hospital, the first in the
city. Gebhard sees range of styles from Victorian Gothic to Second Empire with the latter being visually
dominant (Sommer, p. 89; Gebhard, p. 91).
Italianate Style, 1840-85:
The popularity of this style coincided with the explosive new growth of Midwestem urban centers and
the style is consequently well represented in that region. Like the Gothic Revival, this picturesque style was
developed first in England and was an attempt to emulate the rambling Italian farmhouse/villa. The earliest American
examples date to the late 1830s. Architect Andrew Downing also promoted this style nationally and the Italianate was
dominant over the Gothic Revival by 1860. It reigned nationally until the fmaneial panic of 1873. Two sub-phases have
been distinguished. A simpler plain phase lasted until the late 1850s and what is termed "High Victorian Italianate," a
much more elaborated range of designs, closed out the style (ibid., p. 212).
This style was rarely a single story in height, but commonly had two or three stories. The usually hipped roof has
a low profile and broad overhanging eaves and the eaves are supported by exaggerated and ornate brackets. Windows are
narrow and are commonly arched with stylized hoods. Cupolas or square towers are also ffequantly incorporated. The
fact that all six subtypes of this style are found in Dubuque attests to the style's popularity and longevity (ibid., p. 211).
1. Square or rectangular box shape with uninterrupted hip roof with optional cupola (half of examples) and a cantered
front entrance (usually three or five bays). This is the most common subtype form.
1192 Locust (1854-55, 1860) (photo, Sommer, p. 66)
Frederick Weigel House (1192 Locust Street, 1854-55, 1860, architect possibly Robert Rogers, contractor Rufus
Rittenhouse) (see above). Five generations of the same family have occupied this property. A simple brick
addition with low profile hip roof and a belvedere was added to an earlier residence (Sommer, pp. 65-66).
NPS Form 10-90(~a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 179
OMB Approval No. 1024-00~8
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Countw, Iowa
County and State .......
1455 Main Street, double house (photo, Sommer, p. 90)
1455 M~fm (see above) represents a number of Dubuque Italianate style double houses. These have hip or gable
roofs. Other excellent examples are found at 324-26 Locust Street and 1257 Locust Street. Like their Second
Empire counterparts, the latter designs employ flanldng broad full-height bays which project around a shared
bracketed portico (Sommer, pp. 90-91).
597 Loras Boulevard (1855-60) (no image) is a more elaborate and larger frame example of this subtype.
Fenestration is symmetrical and side windows are paired and set above five-sided single-story bay windows. The
porch is full-width with an enclosed solarium (ibid., p. 66; Gebhard, p. 91).
389 Hill Street (no image) is classified by Sommer as Georgian Revival but it combines Georgian symmetry with
Italianate features including a belvedere atop a hip roof. Windows are rectangular without decorative hoods,
which is a Georgian feature (Sommer, p. 137).
2441 Broadway Street (no image) is also termed Georgian Revival by Sommer but it likely had a belvedere and
its window hoods are Italiunate derived. The classical portico is likely a Neoclassical alteration (Sommer, p.
137).
Scott-Wilson House (732 Fenelon, 1857) (no image) combines a broader Georgian facade with Italianate brackets
and a belvedere (Downtown Walking Tour).
Col. D. E. Lyon ~h
House(10 and Bluff streets) (no image) is three stories high and has distinct/ye cast or carved
window hoods. The porch is not original and there is an indication that the windows have been shortened or that
one second floor window was once a door (Downtown Walking Tour).
The centered gable subtype is based upon a hip or side gable core. Commonly the cross gable is incorporated into a
shallow central wing.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 180
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of]Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
325 Alpine Street (1854/1900+) (photo, Sommer, p. 65)
General Warner Lewis-John T. Adams House (325 Alpine Street, 1854, 1904s) (see above) represents a very late
post-1900 Italianate Revival make over of a Federal design. The alterations make this an Italianate rather than a
Federal design and they likely coincided with John Adam's purchase in 1904. Adams was president of Cart,
Ryder and Adams Company, a nationally significant millwork firm but he was nationally important as a
Republican Party leader during the early 20th century. This example is exception given its very late date and its
evoking of the Italianate theme. There are some minimal h'mts of the Colonial Revival in the porch lines and the
bulls-eye window and Gebhard interprets remodeling as a Colonial reinterpretation (Sommer, pp. 63, 65;
Gebhard, p. 91).
Mathias Ham House (1839, 1857) (Carl Johnson drawing, Sommer, p. 64)
Mathias Ham House (2241 Lincoln Avenue, 1856-57, John F. Rague, architect) (see above) is a very well
preserved example of the Italianate Villa, built of Dubuque limestone. The Ham house design presents four
centered gables. There are two porches, a front centered entry porch and a south side verandah (Sommer, p. 63;
Gebhard, pp. 88-89).
NPS Form 10-S00-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]8!
OMB Approval No, 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
890 West Third (c.late 1860s) (photo, A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Jacob K. Rich-Spahn House (890 West Third, c.late 1860s)(see above) has lost its full-width front verandah (A
Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Asymmetrical L or U plan with hip or cross gable roof form. Towers are not employed.
FirstWard/Prescott School(12 and Centml streets, 1857, JohnRague, architect)
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Largely ignored and altered in its fenestration, the First Ward School (see above) is a rare and very early example
ora ward school. Its significance is bolstered by its noted designer. The decorative cornice with parapets has been
removed and its windows shortened. Note the round attic light, the massive central chimney and the irregular plan.
NPS Form 10-900~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]82
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name o£Propexty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
1163 Highland Place (photo, Sommer, p. 83)
1295, 1245, 1163 Highland Place (see above) are three very similar L-plan examples of this subtype. All front
towards the city and fiver from the bluff front. Each has a bracketed eavesline, the most elaborate of which is
found on 1163 Highland Place. The three plans all have wrap-around porches but the 1163 Highland Place porch
is of classical derivation with Ionic columns. Sommer sees a multitude of vernacular, Second Empire, Queen
Anne and Italianate design influences in these plans but Italianate predominates. Construction dates will clarify
the Queen Anne role. Porches might represent replacements and stylistic updates (Sommer, pp. 79, 83).
St. Raphael Cathedral Parish House (231 Bluff, t858) (no image) presents a symmetrical main faqade but two
successive south-facing wings make the overall plan asymmetrical (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque).
Subset #3 with a tower placed on the front or side of the plan. Most commonly it marks the juncture point of core
and wing.
Ryan Houses, 1375 (left, 1866) and 1389 (1870/73) Locust Street
(drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 73)
What are now termed the "Ryan Houses" are probably the most recognized historic homes in the city. They
certainly represent the best of the later Italianate style in Dubuque. They have received constant promotion
particularly in the most recent decades, and today they serve as the entre point for the Dubuque County Historical
NPS Form lO-9OC~a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Society's historic house tour and progressive dinner. These properties are respectively the William Ryan and
John Thompson houses and each is described below.
William Ryan House (1389 Locust Street, 1871, John M. Van Osdell architect) (see above) represents the
successful meat packing industry which Ryan established in Dubuque during the Civil War. This house is less
elaborate than/ts next-door neighbor. The roo£is low-pitched and combines hip and gable forms (Sommer, pp.
71-72; Gebhard, pp. 85-86).
William Andrew House (1375 Locust Street, 1873, Fridolin Herr, architect) (see above) was sold in 1874 to city
mayor John Thompson. It embodies the most ornate and purest design elements of the Italianate style. It also
borrows from the then popular Second Empire in its use of a Mansard roof attic treatment with dormers. This
house is larger in plan, is taller due to the Mansard cap, and employs window groupings, overstated window
hoods, elaborate bays and highly decorated and glassed porches. The Ryan £ardily purchased it in 1888 and
owned it until the 1960s. It has recently served as a noted restaurant (Sommer, pp. 71-72; Gebhard, p. 85).
581 Clarke Drive (1872-75) (photo Sommer, p. 102)
Dr. Ernest M. Porter House (581 Clarke Drive, 1872-75) (see above) is of some historical interest because its
construction was greatly delayed by the financial panic of 1873. It represents the later examples of a purer
Italianate style in Dubuque. Note the paired windows with rounded hoods and the elaborate attic dormers. Like
many plans this one incorporates a Second Empire mansard attic treatment. The tower too is surely one of the
most elaborate to be found in the city, it too utilizes the "S" profile of the mansard roof (Sommer, pp. 102-03).
1133 Highland Place (photo, Sommer, p. 106)
NPS Form 10-900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 184
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Histor/cal Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
1133 Highland Place (see above) combines an Italianate core with Queen Anne bays. It most likely represents a
substantial remodeling (Sommer, p. 106).
Joseph J. Steil House (541 West Th/rd Street, 1870s) (no image) was constructed to house the Lad/es' Episcopal
Seminary. The plan has a gabled roof, L-shaped plan and a comer tower. The bluff front location offers an
overview of river and city. It was built for use as the Lad/es Episcopal Seminary (Sommer, pp. 71-72).
Other examples: 1330 Locust Street, 1871 North Main, 333 Villa Street (no images) (Sommer, p. 72).
5. Front gable with detailing.
1815 Jackson Street ( 1884-91) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
1815 Jackson Street (1884-9I) (see above) presents a vernacular Italianate design. Only the paired black stone
brackets classify it as Italianate. The double door has rounded transom lights set above it.
City Hall (1857-58) origUml appearance (photo, S ommer, p. 59)
NPS Form ~0-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]85
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
The Arch/tecazral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Dubuque City Hall (southwest comer Iowa and t 3~ streets, 1857-58, architect John F. Rague, building, John D.
Aubry, Second Empire bell tower) (see above) is a rare commercial example of the Italianate style. Th/s three
story edifice features elongated windows, bracketed eaves, and an ornate cupola (top removed in 1954, restored
in 1980s). Typical of many mid-century commercial buildings, this one employs a projecting structural column
and broad round arch wall plane with recessed brick/window recessed panel inserts. This effect lightens the
massing of the building and places arnphasis on its vertical detailing. This effect was originally heightened by
the presence of six chimneys, which were spaced along each side wall (Sommer, p. 59; Gebhard, pp. 87-88).
Bishop's Block (photo, Sommer, p. 90)
Bishop's Block (First and Main streets) (see above) represents a massive late date Italianate commercial design.
Like City Hall, brick pilasters and paired window arches frame recessed wall panels within each vertical bay.
The comer turret is particularly impressive as are the surviving finials, which cap each pilaster (photo, Sommer,
p. 90-91).
6. Town house with straight bracketed pediment, flat or low pitched roof form. Window treatments identify this subset.
975 Locust Street (photo, Sommer, p. 91)
975 Locust Street is (see above) actually a grouping of three double houses with end pediments and crestings
which highlight the bays (Sommer, p. 91).
NPS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 1§6
OME Approval No. 1024-0018
ne Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Couutv. Iowa
County and State .......
340 Wartburg Place (no image) is classed by Sommer as Georgian Revival but its twin bays, and semi-elliptical
stone arches and bracketed eaves argue for the Italianate Style. It is side-gabled and has the same townhouse plan
as the examples above although it is a single family plan. Its entryway has been altered and a Neoclassical
rounded dormer has been added (Sommer, p. 137).
Commercial Italianate Examples:
401 Locust Street (pre-1884, no image) housed the city's first permanent fire station. Thin round arched 2/2 windows
reflect this style. The cornice line is formed with an arcade ofbrickpiers and rounded arches (A Walking Tour_South
Dubuque).
169-85 Main Street (no image) comprises several separate bu/lifmgs which retain ornate cornice lines and window hoods
(A Walking Tour... South Dubuque).
Commercial BuiltYmg (second north from southeast come} 9t~ and Central streets) (no image) with Italianate "flavor"
(Gebhard, p. 82).
Exotic Revivals, Egyptian, Oriental and Swiss Chalet, 1835-c.1890:
These three uncommon styles are all contemporaneous picturesque styles but otherwise were distinct styles (ibid.,
pp. 230-232).
The Egyptian style derived its popularity from Napoleon's late 18~ century invasion of Egypt. It was very rarely
applied to domestic designs but is more common in public building design. The style is most commonly reflected in the
use of massive flared "bundled" columns and in the use of flared comers and elaborate window surrounds. The Oriental
is commonly a decorative theme applied to an Italianate villa core. Ogee arches on porches or Turkish onion domes
identify the stylistic/nfluence.
The very rare Swiss Chalet style utilized a broad fi-ont gable core and a second floor balustrade or balcony.
Greek or Gothic Revival decorative influences intermixed with Swiss stick work.
Egyptian Style, 1830-50:
Dubuque County Jail (1857-58) fagade to left, view southeast
(photo, Horton, "Early Architecture in Dubuque," p. 141)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page__157
The Architectura/and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Dubuque County Jail (southeast comer Central and 8t~ streets, 1857-58, John F. Ragne architect) (see above) is
said to be the last example of this style built in the nation. The construction of this public building coincides
with the national financial panic of 1857-58 so this design and the building represent the highest aspirations for
the city's growth during what suddenly became a period of financial retrenchment. Its rarity of style makes this
the city's most significant building design overall. This is Iowa's only example of this style in a jail form
(Sommer, p. 58; Gephard, pp. 8I-2).
County Jail Door Detail (photo, Horton, Ibid.)
Octagon Type/Style, 1850-1870:
This style employed an eight-sided form and most commonly a two-story core with centered cupola. The form
utilized all of the contemporary stylistic influences in its ornamentation. New Yorker Oren S. Fowler single-handedly
promoted the type in a series of plan books beginning in 1849. He advocated the form for its additional living space,
improved light and ventilation. He also promoted pounded earth or concrete construction in conjunction with his house
form (ibid., pp. 235-37).
Langworthy Octagon House (1857) (photo, Tourist Guide of Dubuque, p. 14)
NPS Form 1~900 a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 188
OMB Approval No. 1024-0015
The Arckitectaral and Histoiical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, i837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count% Iowa
County and State
The Edward Langworthy Octagon House (1095 Tlftrd Street, 1857, architect John Ragne) (see above) is one of a
handful of surviving Iowa examples of this rare house type. It is unusual in that is built of locally produced soft red
brick. This was Dubuque's second octagon, its predecessor fell to the ~wecldng ball in 1932. The Langworthy house has
been documented by the Historic American Building Survey (1934) and is National Register listed. Octagon forms
were deficient in their inter/or room layouts. The Langworthy example utilized a full-length central hall and parlor,
which filled half of the main floor (Seminar, p. 60; Gebhard, pp. 91-92).
The Mathias Ham house at Eagle Point (1857) employed an octagonal belvedere. Another unusual, though much
later, octagonal structure is the octagonal tower base found on the First Un/ted Presbyterian Church (17~ and Iowa
streets, 1880s) which is otherwise of a later Gothic design (Sommer, pp. 63, 87, 89).
Victorian-Era House, 1860-1900; The Second Empire, Victorian Gothic, Queen Anne, and Richardsonian
Romanesque styles.
This architectural em was largely based upon Medieval designs but classical influences were also strongly
represented. Designs celebrated textural and color variations and asymmetry of form. Stylistic influences were freely
intermixed and consequently stylistic categories are less mear~mgful than they were for the Romantic era. After 1876
there was a resurgence of interest in the Federal/Adams and Georgian styles and these would set the stage for the
successor styles which appeared c.1900 ~ McAlester, p 239).
Second Empire Style, 1855-1885:
Th/s style enjoys the visual don~mance of the Mansard roof form, a French-derived attic treatment which allowed
for livable upper level space. No other Victorian style has so singular an identifier. The roof form is accompanied by
molded cornice lines and decorative brackets set beneath the eaves. In Dubuque the form was reduced to a nearly vertical
attic front treatment. Usually limited to the facade only, the mansard was combined with a flat roof and side wall parapet
walls, often with a stepping down of the latter towards the back of the plan. Invariably the mansard dormers feature
pecFnnented gables and classical side column elaborations. What is most remarkable is the late persistence of the use of
the Mansard attic form in Dubuque. It is still in use as late as 1896 (1913-17 Jackson Street).
This largely urban style was particularly popular during the 1870s and leant itself to row house and multi unit
residential builcFmgs. Hotels and other commercial builcFmgs greatly favored the style during these years. Simply
defined, this style placed a mansard roof on an Italianate base, effectively adcYmg a fuI1 floor. The style appears along the
Mississippi River by the early 1850s but reached its greatest popularity during the middle 1870s in the Midwest.
The first Victorian era style, the Second Empire found its inspiration in the rebuilding of Paris which followed
the restoration of the French monarchy. McAlester note that in America it coincided with the first post-Civil War
administration and was known as the "General Grant" style. The style is purported to have developed in Paris as a tax
avoidance practice, the Mansard attic space not being counted as livable and therefore taxable space. Accordingly this
mansard level is usually well lighted with richly ornamented windows. The style was a victim of the economic pan/c of
1873 although it appears to have persisted as a domestic style into the next decade (McAIester, p. 241).
NPS Form SO-90(~Pa
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 159
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
This style is particularly prone to loss due to remodeling if only because its combination flat and steep side roof
is hard to maintain and because its examples are frequently multi unit or late date conversions.
Four of five subtypes for this style are found in Dubuque. Dubuque appears to favor one that McAlester fails to
identify. This is a twin-full-height bay plan without a tower. It is particularly favored for the Townhouse variant (see
1100-1150 Main and 1631-33 Main) but it also is found in a fi~ee-standing house plan, the best example being 1491 Main
Street, the Behr Funeral Home (Sommer, p. 97).
1491 Main Street (c.1875) (photo, Sommer, p. 97)
Young House (1491 Main Street, c.1875, Fridolin Heer Sr. architect) (see above) has a Indiana limestone facade
and a splendidly carved 15~ Street frontage (photo, Sommer, p. 97; Gebhard, p. 86).
1. Simple uninterrupted mansard roof form on a rectangular or square core form. Fenestration is symmetrical and
utilizes a three or five-bay cadence with centered openings. Centered ~upolas also appear in some examples.
652 Needham Place (photo Sommer, p. 99)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 190
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
652 Needham Place(see above) is a cottage example of the style and of this subtype. Its narrow rectangular plan
is fronted to the street. ~aere is a separate full-width front porch and a bay/dormer wing on the south side wail
(Sommer, p. 99).
1025 Walnut Street (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 109)
1025 Walnut Street (see above) actually incorporates a tower base onto a rectangular plan. The design is notable
for its delicate porch detailing (Sommer, p. 107).
Dennis Cooley House (1394 Locust Street, c.1866) (no image) has strong historical associations with city
women's organizations. Cooley was its second owner. The house has lost its centered belvedere or tower,
rooftop/ron cresting, and its full-width front porch (Downtown Walking Tour...).
Alfred Tredway House (1182 Locust Street, late 1870s, Fridolln Heer architect) (no image) is associated with the
Iowa Iron Works and Dubuque Boat and Building Works. It likely has gained front porches, bays and a side
solarium (Downtown Walldng Tour...).
757 West Third Street (1850) (photo, A Walking Tour... South Dubuque).
NPS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 191
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
John King-Barmeier House (757 West Third Street, 1850) (see above) has historical associations with the state's
first newspaper editor. The house contains 16 rooms and three fireplaces (A Wai!dng Tour...South Dubuque).
2. Asymmetrical plan without a tower.
Robinson-Lacy House (1878) (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 88)
Robinson-Lacy House (1640 Main Street, 1878, Fridolin Heer Sr. architect) (see above) is the premier Dubuque
Second Empire design. This massively built house exemplifies ali of the attributes ofth/s style (Sommer, p. 92;
Gebhard, p. 86).
Jesse P. Farley House (605 Bluff Street, 1879, architect Franklin D. Hyde) survives today as the southernmost
portion of the Mary of the Angels Home. The house has lost its original Moorish porch but it is otherwise clearly
recognizable. Farley was three-time city mayor, was the capitalist partner in the Farley & Loetscher Millwork
Company and was a railroad promoter. He finally was bankrupted by his loss of a Supreme Court ruling that
went against him in 1892. Three additions (1899, 1911, 1929) designed by two other architects, (Guido Beck,
Fridolin Heer) ali continued to honor the original style (ibid., pp. 94, 96; Gebhard, p. 83).
1611 Main Street (photo, Sommer, p. 99)
1611 Main Street (see above) is another elaborate and well- preserved example of this subtype.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 192
OMB Approval NO. 1024 GO 18
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
2133 Central Avenue (I884-1890) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above is a later and less elaborate example of the style. In this single family house
plan application the mansard still encircles the entire plan.
1913-17 Jackson Street (1886) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above illustrates a commercial/apartment application of the style. The mansard form
is reduced to a fagade-only nearly vertical upper level treatment. An absolutely vertical version can be found at
1902 White Street. An apartment building application is located 2095 Central Avenue.
Farley Manufacturing Company, Main Street
Industrial/commercial style exanxple
NPS Form 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]93
The Architectm~l and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Cotmty and State
563 West Eleventh Street (no image) (Sommer, p. 98).
Bethany House (see Phase II report, no image) (original portion is the Christian Loetscher House) (1005 Lincoln
Street) has a single off-center bay/wing and a full-width front porch (Sommer, p. 98).
Hattie Scott House (788 Fenelon, 1880) (no image) is an unusual Second Empire design. Its narrow end of an L-
plan is fronted to the street and there is an elongated side porch. The front features a two-story bay and dormer
tower base (A Walking Tour... South Dubuque).
Any of the above with a centered or offset square tower. Three often examples are of this subtype.
1651 White Street, photo Sommer, p. 97)
1651 White Street (see above) is a smaller example of the style. It is noteworthy for its comer tower and
belvedere (Sommer, p. 97).
One bellcast tower survives apar~ from its building. The second city clock (1873, architect Fridolin Heer Sr.) was
set atop a three-story "Rusldnan Gothic" building near the comer of Eighth and Main streets. The clock and
tower offers the only example of a standing seam metal mansard tower roof with rotmd windows in the city. In
1970 it was moved to Clock Tower Plaza and has occupied its present tower site since 1971. Gebhard identifies
Barton and Aschman Associates as the replacement tower designers. He also notes that the clock's weather vane
cast iron key, now lost, read "key to the city." The Clock Tower Building itself survives at 823-25 Main Street
and is in the process of being nominated to the National Register of Historic Places on the basis of its architecture
(Sommer, p. 99, 107; Gebhard, p. 84).
4. The townhouse subtype with mansard roof in lieu ora pediment front.
NPS Form I0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State ......
1100-1150 Main (photo, Sommer, p.98)
1100-1150 Main Street (see above) comprises a three-part assemblage of six rowhouses. Two of the projecting
bays feature mansard towers while four do not (Sommer, p. 98).
1025-37 Locust Street (Dov~ntown Walking Tour).
1025-37 Locust Street (see above) combines three rowhouses in a single unified frontage with vertical
differentiations present only at the mansard attic level. Each house frontage exhibits twin elaborate attic dormers
(Downtown Walking Tour).
Other examples: 1631-33 Main Street (no image); St. Columbkille's School, Rush Street (older portion) (no
image), St. Francis Convent, Davis Street (no image), 1450 Iowa (no image), 1552 Locust Street (no image), and
489 Lores Avenue
Loras Academy (Loras Avenue, 1854, 1878-82) (see under Gothic Revival style)
]mmaculate Conception School, (no/mage) Davis Street, in conjunction with the St. Francis Convent constitute
one of the largest examples of the style in Dubuque (Sommer, p. 97)
Double house examples are found on Clarke Drive, Rhomberg, Central, Jackson, Washington and White streets
(Sommer, p. 97).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 195
OMB Approval NO, I024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
701 Bluff Street (Thomas T. Carkeek architect) (no image) was built by George W. Healey (see drawing p. 95)
(Sommer, p. 96).
Victorian Gothic (1860-1890):
This style is d/stinguished by the presence of polychromatic horizontal bandings which are formed by the use of
contrasting materials and colors in the building exterior finish. For residences plain stucco is used in addition to the more
common brick The same Gothic trimwork of the Gothic Revival persists but straight headed windows are used along
with the pointed arch form.
This style leant itself to the design of many picturesque churches especially those of frame construction.
Institutional (armories, public buildings) and commercial structures also favored the style. The style's elements are also
commonly found in vernacular house types.
1207 Grove Terrace (1890) (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 56)
Benton M. Harger House (1207 Grove Terrace, i890) (see above). Built too late to exemphfy the Gothic
Revival, there is no question that this late example util/zes that style's form as well as its ornamentation. It
would otherwise be termed "Steamboat Gothic" or perhaps an early Tudor Revival example (Sommer, pp. 55-56;
Gebhard, p. 85).
St. Mary Catholic Church (1864-67) (Photo, Sommer, p. 84)
NPS Form 10-90C-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ]96
OMB Approval No. 1024-0015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Propezty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
St. Mary's German Catholic Church (see above) (northeast comer 15~ and White streets, 1864-67, architect John
Mullany) exemplifies the "High Victorian Gothic. Its design is more vertical and employs a variety of colors and
materials. Its organ dates from 1870 (Sommer, p. 84; Gebhard, p. 88).
Dubuque's churches adopted the High Victor/an Gothic in the construction of an array of spectacular substantial
replacement edifices, all of which survive intact.
First Congregational Church (1857-60, 1880s), note octagonal tower at fight-hand comer
(photo, Horton, Early Architecture..., p. 146)
First Congregational Church (see above) (10~ and Locust streets, 1857-60, completed 1880s, David Jones
architect) might properly represent the earlier Gothic style but this requires further investigation. The decoration
was enhanced by a later generation in the forms of a 13' diameter rose window (1895) and Tiffany windows
(Sommer, p. 89).
First Un/ted Presbyterian Church (photo, Sommer, p. 86)
NPS Form 10~900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 197
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of lh:operty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
First United Presbyterian Church (see above) (17t~ and Iowa streets) also has a cruciform plan but the special
feature is a rear octagonal tower (Sommer, p. 86).
St. John's Episcopal Church (1875-78)(photo, Sommer, p. 86)
St. John's Episcopal Church (see above) (1410 Main Street, 1875-78, Henry Martyn Conger architect) was
designed in a cruciform plan. Walls are of rough fmished local limestone with smooth finished window
surrounds and belt courses. The architect was a national specialist in Episcopal church design (Sommer, p. 86;
Gebhard, p. 86).
Queen Anne (1880-1910):
The Queen Anne style built upon the visual busyness of the Stick Style and this longest enduring style (unless
one counts the Colonial Rev/val which really consisted of a series of distinct reinterpretations of the Colonial) sought out
and utilized any structural or decorative trick to achieve exter/or variety. Over time the style utilized any asymmetrical
form and this asymmetry was greatly facilitated by balloon frame construction. Over half of all Queen Anne houses used
the hip roof form nationally, although Rock Island's Queen Anne houses used the front gable set above and behind
subordinated off-center gabled wings of varying depth. Porches were thin and delicate in their ornamentation and the
wrap-around porch is a certain indicator of the style. Few original porches survive however, and Classical Revival era
replacements are usually in place.
While the Stick Style aggressively infilled any wall surface, the Queen Anne tended to be ornamental in gable
ends and porch pediments, usually m/xing wooden shingle shapes. Queen Anne plain wall areas are minim/zed by the
complexity of the exterior shell and varied wail coverings (shingles, brick, wood) are frequently used to break up these
wall panels.
Like the Italianate, the Queen Anne was visually a very vertically inclined expression. Much of this
feeling has been lost due to the removal of tall and ornate chimneys, roof crestings and finials.
NPS Form 1C~900-a
{Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 195
OMB App[oval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The Queen Anne style, like its Italianate and Second Empire antecedents, is comprised of four subtypes, which
employ three basic core shapes. The f~rst two subtypes share a common core shape. The longevity of this style and its
coincidence with large-scale urban growth make it a very common one amongst the Victorian-era styles. It accounts for
the vast majority of designed houses in most communities.
Four decorative treatments farther distinguish Queen Anne houses. Spindlework encompasses Eastlake or
detailing classes of mined decorative posts and friezes. Free Classic ornament substitutes classical colttrnns, Paladian
windows, dentils, and bay windows. Half-timbered examples use early Tudor derived half timbering and window
groupings. Patterned masonry elaborates stone and brickwork and can use terra cotta inserts and decorative panels.
"Eastlake Style" and "Shingle Style" decorative motifs are not treated as styles in th/s typology but are regarded as part of
the Queen Anne style.
There are four Queen Anne subtypes:
1. Hipped Roof With Lower Cross Gables: Half of all Queen Anne houses present a dominant front gable with one or
more subordinated cross gables. Most common is an L-shaped plan with front facing and side facing gable ends.
Hipped examples differ from the norm by running the ridge front to back on the plan rather than from side to side
(see Italianate). Towers occur at a front corner.
1145 Locust Street (1892) (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 105)
H. L. Stout House (see above) (1145 Locust Street, 1892, Fridolin Heer Sr. and Fridolin Heer Jr. architects) is to
the Queen Anne what the Ryan House is to the Italianate. This is the most ornate example of this style in the city
and it represents the conscious intermixing of stylistic influences, the Romanesque, Oriental, Byzantine being the
most obvious. Stout built this house for his daughter Fannie. It is presently used as a funeral home (Sommer, pp.
101-02; Gebhard, p. 85).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 199
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Pr6perty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
900 West Third Street ( 1891 ) (photo, A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Lester C. Bissell House (see above) (900 West Third Street, 1891, F. D. Hyde architect) containsl 0 rooms and a
three-story open interior stairway and an attic ballroom. The foundation is of brownstone (A Walking
Tour... South Dubuque)
Charles H. Eighmey House (no image) (1337 Main Street, c.1892) was one of Dubuque's most elaborate Queen
Anne residential designs but it has been compromised by a Neo-Classical updating. Originally the plan consisted
of a broad gable front on the hip roof core, with flanking comer turrets, the lesser one pointed and the dominant
one onion domed. A classical temple front with pediment and two story columned porch and balcony and a
matching south-facing side porch w~re superimposed on the plan during the early 1900s. The resulting hybrid
while illustrative of both styles, really represents neither style well (Sommer, pp. 101-02; Gebhard, p. 87).
300 Central Avenue (photo, Sommer, p. 102)
3000 Central Avenue (see above) combines Romanesque and Queen Anne features. The design combines an
angled square tower, cross gables and a subordinate side wing to create a visually busy Queen Anne house.
Heavy stone lintels and sills give the design a vernacular touch (Sommer, p. 102).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 200
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
1921 Madison Street (photo, Sommer, p. 106)
1921 Madison Street (see above) represents a moderate size frame interpretation of the style. The design is based
on a hip roof square core. A comer turret and a square cut gabled bay are cantilevered from the second floor to
balance the faqade. A wrap-around porch unifies the fagade and south-facing wing and solarium (Sommer, p.
106).
2568 Jackson Street (1900) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This simplified two story Queen Anne (see above) represents the addition of a full-height offset bay and inset
porch onto a square jerldnhead roof plan. Reflective of local vernacular tradition, the entryway has a ~ansom,
and the house a raised stone foundation.
1105 Grove Terrace (no image) presents a substantial frame interpretation of the Queen Anne style and this
subtype. Two broadly projecting gabled wings disguise the fact that the plan core is a two-story hip. A full-
height round tower with cone roof is centered between the two wings and a wrap-around porch unif/es the ~vhole
NPS Form I0-900 a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 20~1
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
plan. Shingle Style influences might by indicated by the generous use of wood shingles to surface the entire
upper level and gable fronts. This property enjoys one of the most impressive vistas in the city (Sommer, p. 106).
1045 West Third Street (no image) is a fairly compact yet strikingly tall brick interpretation of the style. A
massive round comer turret and cone roof dominates the two shallowly projecting wings or bays and a rounded
wrap-around porch interconnects the whole plan. Pediments with classical features hint at the emerging
Neoclassical style while rusticated stone trim reflects the Romanesque Style (Sommer, p. 107).
2955 Jackson Street (photo, Sommer, p. 78)
2955 Jackson Street (see above) is a vernacular interpretation of the style and it is an anomaly with regard to the
four subtypes. Clearly the core structure is side-gabled and a hip wing with offset six-sided tower projects from
that core (photo, Sommer, p. 78).
2. Cross Gabled Roofi This is the gabled variation of the style. Towers occur on a front comer.
August A. Cooper House/"Redstone" (1888) (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 104)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 202
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propm-ty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
August A. Cooper House/"Redstone" (see above) (504 Bluff Street, 1888, Thomas T. Carkeek architect) is
another very well known Dubuque Quean Anne style residence. A comer Romanesque style tower dom/nates the
complex interm/xing of gables, dormers and pediments. Gebhard sees Colonial Revival componants as well.
This is the last of three residences associated w/th the Cooper family however it has the lesser tfistorical
association, having been the residence of danghter Elizabeth and it was built as a duplex rather than as a single
family house. Cooper owned the Cooper Wagon Works (Sommer, p. 103; Gebhard, p. 83).
2735 Windsor Avanue (photo, Sommer, p. 103)
Linwood Cemetery Office, (see above) (2735 Windsor Avenue) combines a Second Empire comer tower cap
with Quean Anne whimsy. Likely of an early date, th/s residence is of particular interest given its public service
origin and its survival (Sommer, p. 106).
Harry Tredway House (no image) (565 Fanelon Street, 1880s) consists of a hip roof two story core and pronfinent
Romanesque tower. A wrap-around porch encircles the tower base and unites the whole plan (A Walking
Tour... South Dubuque).
1492 Locust Street (t 883) (dra-wing~y Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 93)
NPS Form 10-9C0-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 20~___.
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
Re Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Benjamin B. Richards-T. Ellsworth House (see above) (1492 Locust Street, 1883) is Dubuque's best example of
what many term the "Stick Style." Its extensive use of wood shingles on the upper floor also evokes a "Shingle
Style" feel as well. The stick style (treated as a Queen Anne subset here) emphasized steeply pitched gable roofs,
decorative trusses which cap gable fronts, overhanging eaves and exposed rafter ends. The interior decoration is
equally profuse with seven fireplaces and a broad range of wood trim types. This house has been occupied by the
same family since its construction (Sommer, p. 91).
3. Front Gabled Roof: A single ful-width front gable caps the fairly symmetrical rectangular plan.
Loras Blvd. and Main Street (photo, Sommer, p. 107)
The house at Loras Avenue and Main Street (see above) is a massive polychromatic example of the Queen Anne
with Neoclassical Revival style influences. The core form is that ora front gable rectangle. The dominant steep
pitched front gable is balanced between the comer tower and the projecting bay. The comer location allows for a
wrap-around porch and a side entrance (Sommer, p. 107).
3087 Central Avenue (no image) almost matches the above example except in scale and elevation. Frame and
brick are intermixed and the wrap-around porch is of light frame and turned post construction (Sommer, p. 103).
4. Town House: Detached houses are gabled, while row houses employ flat or gabled roofs.
Comer 2na and Bluff Streets (1880s) (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque).
Hennessy House (see above) (Comer 2"a and Bluff streets, 1880s) is an elaborate comer interpretation ora Queen
Anne style rowhouse. A comer turret is cantilevered from the base of the second floor and an elaborate pattern
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 204___
OME Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources o£Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-I955
Name of Propc~rty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
of broad and narrow dormers, a central cross gable, and varied porch lengths combine to visually enhance the
longer dimension of the plan (A Walking Tour... South Dubuque).
Fifth and Bluff Streets (no image) (c.1890s) offers a more substantial example of the same comer design lines
exhibited in the above case with a complete comer tower, substantial stone foundation and two complete
frontages (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque).
Richards House (no image) (1392 Locust Street, 1882-1883, Franldin D. Hyde architect) is an example of the
Eastlake style. The multiple gable ends feature exposed medieval timber work (Gebhard, p. 86).
Richardsonian Romanesque (1880-1900):
The subtypes of this style are based not upon basic form, but rather on roof type. Three components identify the
style. These are the use of round-topped arches, rough faced stonework and the presence of round conical capped towers
(75% of properties according to McAlester). Dark red brick with ttfm colored mortar lines and rubbed brick arches, as
well as the application of decorative terra cotta panel inserts, are also associated with this style. Wtfile the brickwork
seeks to minimize surface texturing, stone wails seek a varied and rusticated visual surface effect but avoided applied
ornament.
This style being ill suited to smaller residences and restricted to brick ones, there is but one fairly pure example
to be found in Dubuque although numerous Queen Anne residential designs betray a Romanesque influence. Two-ttfirds
of all residential examples employ a hipped roof with cross gable form. It was this style which coincided with another
intense church building phase and numerous religious properties represent its influence.
Unlike other Victorian era styles, this one, while still evocative of the Romanesque era, was uniquely American
in its inception, being largely credited to Boston Architect Henry H. Richardson. His work directly influenced the
forthcoming Sullivanesque and Prin'ie styles, also American generated styles and a conscious result of an architectural
search for an American derived style that did not come from European sources (Blumenson, p. 47).
1105 Locust Street (1890-91) (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 125)
F. D. Stout House (see above) (1105 Locust Street, 1890-91) is Dubuque's only Romanesque residential design
and its original cost ($300,000) perhaps explains why others weren't built. Lumberman Stout built the house and
it serves as a monument for an industry that was already fading when construction was begun. The rectangular
NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 205
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and H/storical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, i837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
plan incorporates a hexagonal comer tower end the broad Iow stone upper level arch is particularly impressive. It
is constructed o£red sandstone end the interior features rosewood and mahogeny trim work. The Archdiocese of
Dubuque has owned the house since 1911 end has served as its agent of preservation. 7here is a matcl~mg
carriage house on the property (Sommer, p. 124; Gebhard, p. 84).
Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1885-87) (drawing by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 114)
Sacred Heart Catholic Church (see above) (635 East 22~a Street, 1885-87, Fridolin Heer architect) represents the
city's earliest Romanesque edifice. Its uneven end contrasting towers continue the Dubuque tradition of a single
dominent comer tOwer (Sommer, pp. 113, 115).
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (1910) (photo, Sommer, p. 115)
Holy Trinity Catholic Church (see above) (Rhomberg Avenue, 1910) follows the same design lines as Sacred
Heart but it hugs the ground more closely. The rose window is shifted to the upper reaches of the main tower and
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 206
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources o£Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State ......
a multi-light rounded main window is substituted for the traditional rose window setting. Paired entrances are
substituted for separated triple entrances as at Sacred Heard (photo, Sommer, p. 116).
Villa Raphael Motherhouse (1909) (photo, Sommer, p. 115)
Villa Raphael Motherhouse (see above) (1235 Mt. Loretta, 1909) features an elongated rectangular hip core w/th
flanking hexagonal towers, and a central classical portico with a cupola set above it. Heavy pilasters terminate in
three-story high rounded arches and a dormer caps each bay above the facade (Sommer, p. 116; Gebhard, p. 90).
Saint Luke's United Methodist Church, 1199 Main Street (1896-97) (photo, Downtown Walking Tour)
Saint Luke's United Methodist Church (see above) (1199 Main Street, 1896-97, George W. Kramer architect)
originally served as a design counterpart to Central High School, which has been lost. Rusticated Bedford
Indiana limestone was used as an exterior cladding. A single square tower dominates the plan and an enlarged
NFS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 207
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-i955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
rounded arch window substitutes for a rose window. A full-width Italian loggia of rounded openings surmounts
the broad front steps. This church is justifiably notable for its ornamentation. It contains the state's best array of
actual Tiffany dedicatory windows and chandeliers and Tiffany Company designed the church interior. Architect
Kramer was nationally known for his church designs. This is Dubuque's fourth Methodist church and replaced
an 1853 Gothic Revival design (Downtown Walking Tour, Sommer, pp. 118, 120; Gebhard, p. 87).
Mount Cannel Motherhouse (1893-94) (photo, Sommer, p. 123)
Mount Carmel Motherhouse (see above) (south end Grandview Avenue, 1893-94, John J. Egan, Chicago
architect) was the nation's largest convent when it was built on the most commanding site in the City. It
is more a complex than a single building. Brick and Bedford limestone trim comprise the exterior
materials. Total construction cost equaled that of the Stout House at 1105 Locust Street! (Sommer, p.
123).
2070-72 Jackson Street (1891-1909) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example is a diminutive example of the style, with a single arched entryway. This duplex is unusual
for its form and massing.
NPS Form I0-900-a
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 208
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Commercial/Industrial Examples:
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company (1894-95) (Architect's sketch, Sommer, p. 122)
Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company (see above) (3000 Jackson Street, 1894-95, Louis Lehle, Chicago
architect, Fr/dolin Heer construction supervision) is a complex of from three to seven stories which fills an entire
three acre industrial site. The facility was one of the nation's largest brewery plants and was regionally famous
for its product. Note the massive Romanesque towers. The ground level is faced with stone, and brick above that
point (Som_mer, pp. 120- 122; Gebhard, p. 88).
Dubuque Star Brewery Company, 1898 (photo, Sommer, p. 120)
Dubuque Star Brewery Company (see above) is a smaller brewery facility designed in the Romanesque style.
Note that the multi-light wthdows and the round lights are also found in the several church designs discussed
previously. Note also the decorative finials, the central tower, and the integration of the smokestack into the
overall design (Sommer, p. 120).
NPS Form 10-900 a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 209__
O~lB Approval No. 1024-0018
The ArcbJtectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Bank and Insurance Building (1890s) original photo (photo, Sommer, p. 127)
Bank and Insurance Building (see above) (9th and Main streets, 1890s) is one of two Sullivanesque (flat parapet
or roofline and exaggerated corn/ce line) commercial designs and one of the "skyscrapers" of Dubuque. The
building has gained an aluminum covered additional floor that replaced its original corince line detailing. This
change along with the obliteration of the lower story/mezzanine has destroyed the architectural integrity of this
once grand building (Sommer, p. 126).
Security Building, 1896 (courtesy Loras College)
Security Building-J. F. Stampfer Building (see above) (northwest corner 8t~ and Main streets, 1896) is the second
Sullivanesque influenced commercial design in Dubuque and it is well preserved (Sommer, pp. 126-27).
NPS Form I0-900 a
(Rev. 8-86]
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2.10
OMB Approva/ No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, i837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Grand Opera House (1889-90) (photo, Sommer, p. 132)
Grand Opera House (see above) (813 8e Street, 1889-90) has only recently had its Romanesque brick fagade
uncovered after many years and the building is undergoing a restoration. The ground floor of the facade consists
of truly massive "Richardsoinan" brick arches. Successively smaller rounded arches/nfill the mezzanine level
and a Paladian-like bend of square cut short windows traces the attic level.
1000 Main Street (1894) is a three-story commercial block with a comer location. It was built as commercial
rental property end long housed the Dubuque Electric Compeny (1924-?). Its first tenent was Richard Herrman
Furniture (Downtown Walking Tour).
Commercial Building (southeast comer ~
Central and 9 streets) said to be Richardsonian Romanesque by
Gephard, wel-preserved example (Gephard, p. 82).
Eclectic House Styles, 1880-1940: Anglo-American, English and French Period Houses:
McAlester groups these styles under three general sub-categories, the Anglo-American, English end French
Period Houses Cmcludes the Colonial Revival, Neoclassical, Tudor, Chateauesque, Beaux Arts and French Eclectic
styles), Mediterrenean Period Houses (includes the Italian Renaissance, Mission, and Spenish Eclectic styles) end
Modem Houses (includes the Prairie, Craftsman, Modernistic, and International styles). Until the end of World War I,
eclectic influences were largely limited to the larger house. After the war, economical brick end stone veneers extended
these styles to the small tract house as well.
This subgroup of the numerous eclectic styles can be distinguished by the common effort of its several styles to
more accurately replicate various Europeen end New World building traditions.
NPS Form I0-900-a
{Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Colonial Revival~Dutch Colonial Revival (1880-1955):
The first twenty years of the Colon/al Revival saw the emergence of an amalgam of Queen Anne basic forms
with so called Colonial and even Classical ornamentation. It wasn't until c.1910 that the style first clearly focused on
faithfully replicating original American Colonial house plans. The Colonial, even in its earliest expressions, represented
the emergence of the frrst American-generated architectural style (Labine, McAlester, pp. 321-341).
These houses differed fundamentally from their Neo-Colon/aI predecessors because they actually attempted to
replicate actual upper class late 18th Centmy Colon/al plans. The house footprint was rectangular and the facade was
symmetrically arranged. The decorative components differed from those of the Neo-Colon/al; and included scrolled
pediments, dentil bands, modillinns, fan lights over doorways, and formal porch columns (Clam Labine, "The Neo-
Colonial House, The OM House Journal, May t 984, pp. 73 -77).
Even the more accurate designs departed from the Georgian and Adam originals by adding window groupings,
side wings, dormers, broken pediments and various window hood treatments. The gambrel roof form was completely
reinvented to serve the needs of taller residences. The Colonial Style is unified through its common linkage to a true
Colonial architecture. The higher end examples of each subtype shared the same range of window and decorative
treatments. The earliest style examples can be distinguished from Free Classic Queen Anne precursors only with great
difficulty. Colon/al inspired elements are simply overlaid on the same asymmetrical house core. Hipped roof subtypes
accounted for one tlftrd of ColoniaI Revival houses in the years leading up to World War I.
Later examples of this style employ a centered entrance on the long side of the house plan, and the entryway is a
point ofpart/cular design attention. Porches or hoods are minimized for all but the second described subtype. Brick and
stone exteriors are associated with early high-end style examples. Brick veneers on tract house examples appear in the
post-World War I years. There are nine subtypes of the Colonial Revival Style, four which are found in Dubuque.
Schweitzer and Davis identify a h'~msitional Colonial Revival that endured through 1925, peaking in its
popularity between 1905 and 1917. This sub-style slightly predated 1900, but unlike the Queen Anne and Georgian
carryover styles, it did not enter the century at a flourishing state, achieving broad acceptance only by c.1905. This style
represented the move to reduced and simpler ornamentation. It typically employed grouped porch columns, dentil
moldings, returned corrfices in their ornamentation. The houses stood one and a half to two stories tall, occupied a
narrow core plan and had a front-facing gable with high-pitched roof. A full-width front porch was considered by the
authors to represent a Queen Anne holdover. If cross-gable wings are present, their roof ridges are subordinated to the
rnffm rooflthe. The main entrance is centered (although early examples use a side entrance on the facade with side hall)
as are side wings and bays. The later examples also employ the living room that runs the full width of the house
(Schweitzer and Davis, p. 131).
Schweitzer and Davis note that the Dutch Colon/al Revival was the only holdover that was influenced by the Arts
and Crafts movement. The gambrel roof on this two-story house came in three varieties, with front, side and cross gable
versions. The front-gables came first, side-gables appearing by the 1920% The gambrel roof form offered more second
floor interior space and used shorter pieces of lumber for its mflers. The front gambrel subtype disappeared by 1919, but
was succeeded by a new form side-gable subtype at about the same time, c.1918-19. This subtype peaked in its
popularity c.1932-40 (Schweitzer, pp. 134-37).
NP$ Fo:m 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2].2.
The Architectural and HSstorical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,?, Iow~
County and State
They similarly observe that the "Neo-Colonial" house design represents a "Colonialized Victorian" house and as
such it epitomizes what they describe as a "carry-over" style from the late 19~ century. The house shape is still Victor/an
while the decoration is Colonial. These houses were not reproductions of the actual Colonial house plans, this difference
distinguishing these from the 20th Century Colonial Revivals that came later. The marriage of Victor/an and Colonial
was an effort to produce a unique American style, a "National" style. Shingles were commonly used for this style,
combined with clapboard. Decorative elements included classical colunms, Paladin windows, oval windows, pedimented
dormers and porches. Distinguishing any demarcation between Neo-Colon/al and the Colonial Revival, the latter
developing between 1895 and 1910, is no easy task. By 1910 Colonial Revival house plans were accurately replicating
actual Colonial houses (Schweitzer, pp. 119, 121; Clem Labine, "The Neo-Colonial House, The Old House Journal, May
1984, pp. 73-77).
Schweitzer and Davis distingnish a Williamsburg subtype, which they say was introduced in 1928 and peaked in
popularity between 1935 and 1940. Their "Modem Georgian Revival" similarly is said to have appeared in 1920,
flourishing between 1925 and 1940.
Colonial Revival elements were incorporated into the Dubuque vernacular, fusing classical elements with narrow
two-story single family and duplex house plans. The form was particularly favored for concrete block residential
construction and it coincided with a boom in moderate priced housing in the pre-World War I years in north Dubuque. A
vernacular variant of this style is appended below.
Colon/al Revival Style Subtypes:
1. Centered Gable: Either of the two examples described above w/th an added subordinated front cross gable usually
superimposed on an entrance pavilion.
514 Fenelon Street (c. 1910) (photo, A Walking Tour... South Dubuque)
Jay Farwell House (see above) (514 Fenelon Street, c. 1910) is associated with a noted inventor (A Walking
Tour... South Dubuque).
2. Gambrel Roof: Pre-W.W.I examples combined front and side gable gambrel wings. The postwar Dutch Colonial runs
a steeply pitched gambrel roof parallel to the front. The key characteristic of this Colonial Revival subtype is the use of
the gambrel roof form. When wall dormers are employed the subtype very nearly becomes the full two-story house. Like
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-861
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 213
The Arckitectaral and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
the Cape Cod, twin dormers can peer out from the gambrel roof surface. Confusion comes when all things gambrel are
simply lumped together as Dutch Colonial Revival.
Front gable gambrels were the earliest, and side gable versions began to appear only by 1919. It is thought that
the gambrel roof form maximized second floor interior space while still conserving on the length of lumber req~fired to
frame the roof. Gambrel roof cottages are not a full two stories high. The reappearance of the style in the 1920s is a
distinctly different Colonial manifestation, however. These houses do not commonly employ the cross gable and the
gambrel ends nm parallel to the street. Increasingly a unified shed roofed dormer fills most of the front and rear roof
plane. The gambrel roof form is increasingly marginalized in an effort to make the upper level more fully a second story.
512 Fenelon Street (1897) (photo, A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Trewin-Huntoon House (see above) 512 Fenelon Street, 1897, Thomas T. Carkeek, architect) (A Walking
Tour... South Dubuque)
3. Second Story Overhang (post 1930): "Garrison Colonial" with side gabled, central entrance, second-floor cantilevers
beyond lower one.
4. Cape Cod (1920s-1950s):
Numerically the Cape Cod cottage was the most popular small house type in Amer/ca for over 30 years, an honor
previously and much more briefly bestowed upon the bungalow, and subsequently by the ranch house and split level.
Unlike the bungalow with its multitude of forms and styles, the Cape Cod had a precise and tmchang/ng basic appearance
and form. This form was that of a story and a half side gabled cottage with steep roof pitch, with twin dormers set atop
its front roof plane. Colonial Revival style by definition, it employed a symmetrical facade with centered entryway,
double hung light sash windows with various Colonial multi-light patterns, Colonial detailing around the entrance,
window shutters, a broad clapboard covered exterior, and the occasional use of stone or brick as supplemental building
materials.
Even the Cape Cod form could evolve and more expensive house plans tended to elongate, spacing the dormers
across a broader roof plane (or rarely adding a tlfn:d middle dormer, more commonly broadening the two dormers) or
adding subordinated side wings, particularly breezeway/garage combinations. Schweitzer and Davis date the
introduction of the type to 1929 and its zenith in popularity to 1935-40.
NPS Form ~0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2]4
OM~g Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The frequency of the Cape Cod style is underestimated because the form is defined by the presence of dormer
windows. Architect Charles Keefe, writing in late 1930, called for the recognition of the styles "inherent characteristics."
These elements included a clapboard/shingle exterior, a recessed front entryway with flush-set pilasters and transoms,
low design lines (with eaveslines close to the tops of windows and doors), no front porch (usually a lattice surround on
the entryway), a massive central chimney, and a 39x30 overall footprint. Keefe makes no reference to the use of dormers.
Of course it can be argued that the popular or idealized Cape Cod form is the twin-dormer plan, but caution is urged that
earlier examples might have more closely approx/mated Keefe's standards and these are likely classified as colonial
bungalows in contemporary surveys (Keefe, pp. 9-11, 66-67).
Vernacular Colonial Revival:
2590, 2586-88, 2582, 2578 Central Avenue (1915-25) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
These four Chris Voelker built houses illustrate an array of classical elements (pedimented gable fronts, Paladian
window sets, and full-height bays) which fused with the local narrow two-story gable front vernacular form in the years
at~er 1900. These houses were principally of frame construction, and secondarily of cuncrete block. Wood shingles,
usually in contrasting patterns, infilled the gable fronts.
2545 Jackson (1910) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2]5
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, I837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .....
Dubuque house builder Willy Ulrich built the elegant concrete block house shown above. It too combines the
gable front vernacular two-story with classical design elements. The plan is still narrow (core 24x50).
2044 Jackson Street (1900) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The frame example shown above combines a narrower core rectangular plan (22x46) with a classical porch,
broken pediment, and a side bay.
Classical Revival/Neo-Classical (1895-1950):
This style reinterpreted the Early Classical Revival and Greek Revival homes of America. The style was first
applied to monumental governmental buildings. The new style's appearance coincided with the United States emergence
as a world naval and colonial power, the product of the Spanish American War. The lmllmark of the Nee-Classical style
is an ornately formal two story front porch. Otherwise the Classical Revival employs a one and two story porch that is
centered on or covers the front ora hipped or side gabled rectangular core form. The style focused attention on a central
enttyway and a symmetrical facade composition was mandatory, there are no asymmetrical subtypes under this heading.
Examples of this style up until the mid-1920s exhibit the hipped roof form most commonly along with ornate
Corinthian or Ionic fluted columns. From then on into the 1950s the side gable and square plane columns were the norm,
with the full width porch dominating. Like the Colonial Revival many components inchiding the rounded flat-topped
portico, side extensions, combination one and two story porches, and grouped windows were not found on the original
houses which were being emulated. The style lends itself to high-end designed houses. Many earlier small houses were
given Classical Revival porch replacements as original porches wore out or were considered outdated.
Classical Revival Style Subtypes:
1. Full Heip~ht Entry Porch: Like its earlier (Greek Revival and Early Classical Revival) counterparts, the classical porch
does not cover the broad (from three to five or more bays wide) facade.
NPS Form 10 900 a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2]6
The A~chitectaral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,z, Iowa
County and State .......
1090 Langworthy Avenue (photo, Sommer, p. 136)
Joseph Garland House (see above) (1090 Langworthy Avenue) has a rusticated concrete block exterior and a
classical Greek two-story portico. Open terraces flank the porch (photo, Sommer, p. 136).
1005 Locust Street (photo, Downtown Walking Tour...)
Dr. James Guthrie House (see above) (1005 Locust Street) presents contrasting dorm,s including one with a
rounded vault roof, paired colunmed two-level porch and twin contrasting full-height bays (Downtown Walking
Tour...).
2. Full Height Entry Porch With Lower Full width Porch: This subtype takes the above example and adds flanking
subordinated front side porches to the central porch.
1595 Montrose Terrace (photo, Sommer, p. 136)
NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 217
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State ......
1595 Montrose Terrace (see above)interweaves two separate porches. The plan has a stone porch and house
foundation and a stucco exterior (Sommer, p. 136).
541 Fenelon Street (c. 1909) (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Peter J. Seippel House (see above) (541 Fenelon Street, c.1909) reflects the city wealth derived from lumberir~g
as well as the r/ch array of wood types expected in the house of a lumber dealer (A Walking Tour...SoUth
Dubuque).
First Church of Christ Scientist (1911) (photo, Sommer, p. 134)
First Church of Chr/st Scientist (see above) (Ninth and Bluff streets, 1911) combines a Roman temple front
"porch" which projects beneath an open pediment building fi:ont. This example fits none of McAlester's
subtypes because the portico is technically not full-height, but is of even height with the side wings (Sommer, p.
134).
NPS Form 1~900 a
IRev. 8-88)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2]8
O~V~B App[oval No. 1024-0018
2mae Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
4. Front Gabled Roofi 23ais full height and full width front porch covers the entirety of this gabled front house type.
Carnegie-Stout Public Library (1901) (drawhag by Carl Johnson, Sommer, p. 133)
Carnegie-Stout Public Library (see above) (southeast comer Eleventh and Bluff streets, 1901, Williamson and
Spencer, Chicago architects) offers a perfect example of the style and subtype. Six Corinthian cohmms support a
formal temple front. The new addition on the east side dates to 1979-81 (Sommer, p. 134; Downtown Walking
Tour; Gebhard, p. 84).
Full Facade Porch: Like the above, this type substitutes a side gable roof form for the front gable form. The porch
usually has a flat roof. There is a full-width colonnade but the main roof or an extension of that roof covers the porch
area.
German Bank (1901-02, 342 Main Street) (Enterprise, November 7, 1901)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2]9
OMB ~4pprova/ No, 10240018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State .......
German Bank (342 Main Street, 1901-2) features four engaged Corinthian columns on a commercial front. The
columns are uniquely patterned with layers of smooth and rusticated stone (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
372 Main Street (c. 1910) (photo, A Walking Tour... South Dubuque)
Henry H. Mehlhop Company (no image) (372 Main Street, c.1910) is a dim/nutive Neoclassical design with an
elaborate stone facade and eom/ce (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Tudor Revival (1890-1940):
Th/s style loosely evoked late medieval English houses rather than anything specifically Tudor. Unlike the
Colonial Revival, earlier formal Tudor designs tended to be more accurate while later ones were more generalized. The
style found popular acceptance for both more modest and tract house applications beginning in the middle 1920s and tl~s
popularity, rivaling the Colonial Revival, persisted until World War II. The abrupt demise of the Tudor style, in the years
right before the outbreak of the war, is a research topic that is yet to be explored. The Tudor would rebound in suburbia
during the early 1970s and remains a part of that stylistic range today.
The Tudor Revival had its inception with the showing of the "Victoria House" at the British Exhibit at the
Chicago Columbian Exposition in 1893. For the most part the houses were too large to be included in early plan books
and they are more represented in the field than in those sources.
Like the earliest bungalow form, the Tudor Revival house was dominated by a steeply pitched roof. A massive
and elaborate chimney was also central to the type. The style could also be incorporated onto a simplified Queen Anne
foundation. These transitional house plans tended to have central halls and entrances, and elaborate applications of
dormers, oriels and bays. The houses ranged from the small house to the great country house (Bruce Lynch, "The
Popular English Revival Style," The Old-House Journal, July 1983, pp. 117-20).
An asymmetric facade was the hallmark of this style with no preferred core form save for a decided preference
for the side gabled roof form. Roofs are steeply pitched and are set behind one or more prominent cross gables or
gable/dormer combinations that cluster or are distributed across the facade. Half of the style's examples employ a non-
NPS
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 22.0
The Architectural and ltistorical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
structural half timbering usually fin the gable areas. Bands of tall narrow windows and tail chimneys with chimney pot
caps give these buildings a vertical visual sense.
Schweitzer and Davis define a two phase Tudor Revival, the whole lasting from 1875 through 1940. The Arts
and Crafts-influenced phase peaked from 1909 through 1917. These authors credit this style with bringing the Arts and
Crafts influence into this present century. The style or type is represented by half timbering, plaster infii1 between the
exposed stmcturaI members, steep multiple gable roofs, and bands of smalI windows. Twin front gables frequently
linked by a long shed-rOofed dormer, fronted side gables and rounded entry hoods over the main entrance. They see the
so called Shingle Style as essentially Tudor and lump a number of late 19th Century styles, including English,
Elizabethean, Jacobean, Norman, "Old Country Farm", and the Picturesque as being representative of the Tudor, which
they collectively term "Tuderbeathean" (Schweitzer, pp. 126-29).
In its tract house application this style favored the use ora rectangular core ~vith a very shallow side wing. The
steep roof form produced a story and a half cottage. Frequently a dormer balances an In-wall cross gable. There are four
types to this style, all of winch are defined by the choice of exterior cladding materials:
Brace Lynch distinguishes what he terms "the English Revival," a subtype that differed from its predecessor
English/Tudor Revival by virtue of its post-war symbolic association with the victorious and now unified "English
heritage and its public acceptance was directly linked with the architectural development of the small house, as a
competing house form with the bungalow. Lynch termed this type the "Modem Tudor Revival," dates its introduction to
1920, flourishing between 192540 (Brace Lynch, p.120).
Subtypes:
1. BrickWall Cladding:
The vast majority of area examples have brick veneered exteriors, commonly accented with decorative stone
inlays around the entrance, at comers, and in the chimney construction. A random intermixing of stone or other inserted
materials is frequently found. Late-1930s examples commonly use a polychrome brick.
1130 South Grandview Avenue (no image) (c.1928) combines an entrance gable chimney with the core roof,
brick construction with diagonal patterning (Gebhard, p. 90).
Chapel, University of Dubuque (no image) (University Avenue past Algona Street, 1907) is said to represent a
"Gothic Revival" design using br/ck with stone trim (Gebhard, p. 91 ).
2. Stone Wall Cladding:
John G. Kuehnle House, (1924) (photo, Sommer, p. 138)
NPS Form 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number, F Page 22!
OMB App[oval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of ?ropetty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
John G. Kuehnle House (see above) (northwest comer Kirkwood and Alta Vista streets, 1924) is a rare stone
Tudor Revival design. It was featured as a model house in 1924 and was Dubuque's first "all electric" house. At
the time of its construction it was termed "English Style"and Sommer categorizes it as "Bungaloid." The cottage
has an unusual "thatched" roof of an undetermined material (Sommer, p. 138; Gebhard, p. 91)
Wartburg Theological Seminary (no image) (333 Wartburg Street, 1914-16, Perkins, Fellows and Hamilton,
architects) is interpreted by Gebhard as an example of"English medieval" or "modernized Gothic." The building
has a U-plan and a six-stow crenellated tower. The exterior is of stone. Brown, Healy and Block Architects of
Cedar Rapids designed the 1981-82 addition (Gebhard, pp. 90-91).
Beaux Arts (1885-1930):
~uis style was employed in public buildings and great house designs. Syrranetrical stone-faced plans featured
rusticated first floor exteriors and smoothed stone on the upper levels. The exteriors were richly adorned with Ionic or
Corinthian columns, quoins, decorative garlands, floral patterns, and pilasters. There were two very different subtypes:
Flat or Low-Pitched Hip Roof Subtype: This subtype derives from Italian or Northern European Renaissance
examples and is readily confused with the Neoclassical Style. Paired columns identify the Beaux Arts. The latter has
lower roof profiles and the more distinctive vertical division of detailing.
Dubuque County Courthouse ( 1891-93) (photo, Sommer, p. 148)
(Third) Dubuque County Courthouse (see above) (720 Central Street, 1891-93, Fridolin Heer, Fridolin Heer Jr.,
architects) is said by Sommer to represent the Beaux Arts Style but also reflects Romanesque and Neoclassical
(Gephard says French Classicism) influences. This was one of the first National Register of Historic Places
listed properties in the city. The first courthouse (1836) was of two-story log construction. A two-story brick
replacement (1839, 1857) was Greek Revival in style. The building has had its original segmented tower dome
NPS Form 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 222
OMB Approval No. 1024 0018
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propemj
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .....
replaced and four massive comer statues were lost to a World War I scrap drive. The building was proposed for
demolition in 1932 but the Depression saved it (photo, Sommer, p. 116; Gephard, p. 81).
2130-34 Central Avenue (1891-1902) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The tri-plex apartment house shown above combines an Romanesque entry arch with Beaux Arts exterior
ornamentation.
German Trust and Savings Bank (southeast comer Central Street and Loras Boulevard) is now the Dubuque Bank
and Trust Company and represents this style in its fluted pilasters and its cream colored terracotta faqade. Italian
marble covers the interior walls (Gebhard, p. 87).
Mansard Roof Subtype: This subtype brought a revival of the Second Empire stylistic elements but the scale is
greater, the exteriors are of stone and the range of Beau Arts ornamentation is distinctively different. The Mansard
roof form survives in Dubuque into the mid-1890s but most examples fall well short of the Beaux Arts mark in their
ornamentation.
Majestic Orpheum Theater (no image) (northwest comer Fourth and Main streets, 1910, Cornelius W. and
George L. Rapp, architects) was the first known commission completed by its designers and is described by some
as "Flemish Renaissance" in style. Gebhard says Second Empire with Beaux Arts fagade. Restored 1974 and
became part of the Five Flags Center (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque; Gephard, pp. 82-83).
French Eclectic (1915-1945):
The visual hallmark of this style is the steeply pitched hipped roof or roof combination on a rectangular or
asymmetrical core. Exterior cladd'mg is in stone, brick, stucco (or half timbering). As loosely defined as the Tudor
Revival, this style offers endless variety of form and detailing, given that it mimics no particular era in French domestic
architeeture. Th/s style consists of three subtypes, just one of which has a known Dubuque example:
NFS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number. F Page 22.3
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
SubWpes:
1. Symmetrical: Uses the large hipped roof which parallels the house front. The fenestration is symmetrical.
McCoy House (no image) (1160 S. Grandview Avenue, 1928-30, Karl F. Saaur architect) represents a French
Provincial revival design according to Gebhard. The design combines dark brick and a light tan brick work (Gebhard, p.
90).
2. Asymmetrical: This most common var/ant offers varied roofline elevations and an asymmetrical fenestration and
range of varied facades.
3. Towered: Adds a dominant tower, usually including the entryway, to either the straight or ell shaped plan.
Eclectic House Styles, 1880-1940: Mediterranean Period Houses:
Italian Renaissance Revival (1890-1935):
This late Victorian-era style sought to represent the original inspirations for the Italianate style in a more accurate
manner. It retained the basic square or rectangular core form, the low-pitched hipped roof, and the horizontal
differentiation between base (the foundation), column (the walls) and the capital (the attic/roof). The first floor
dom/nates the facade with its column flanked or arcaded central entryway and the longer, frequently arched windows.
The second floor is often distinguished by a string course that runs along the sill level of the upper floor. The style favors
the use of tile roofs. There are four residential subtypes of this style. The Dubuque County Courthouse (1891) is
credited to this style (see Beaux Arts style, above) as is a residence at 1125 Highland Place (1915):
Subtypes:
1. Simple Hipped Roof Subtype: Tais subtype accounts for half of all style examples. A straight front, sometimes with a
full width front porch (an arcade or sehes of heavy piers) (pre-1920 examples) has central entrance and hall, rectangular
plan and low hipped roof which runs the length of the plan.
2. Hipped Roof With Projecting Wings Subtype: The same basic subtype described above is augmented with a recessed
or projecting wing/porch with flanking side wings, either integral to the core structure or subordinated as Iower and
separate wings.
3. Asymmetrical Subtype: The same basic subtypes described above feature asymmetrical fenestration, ell shaped wings,
short towers, front chimneys, side porches or angled wings.
4. Flat Roof Subtype: These architect designed urban examples have flat roofs, additional floors and a three part
hor/zontal division of the facade.
St. Raphael School, 223 Bluff (1904) (no image)
Franklin School, 39 Bluff (1906) (no image)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 224
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Mission (1890-1920)/Spanish Colonial Revival (1915-1940):
The presence of a Mission shaped dormer or roof parapet places a Mediterranean influenced house design within
this stylistic camp. Other secondary signature elements are a red tile roof, white stucco exterior, heavy porch support
piers or an arcade. Like the bungalow and later the ranch house, the Mission style was perfected in California and
accepted nationally. Like the bungalow, its popularity had waned by the end of World War I. Schweitzer and Davis
distinguish between the onset of the Spanish Colonial Revival, c. 1915-16 and its most popular period, 1929-34, by
explaining that it's comparatively early introduction was made through the bungalow as a medium.
Subtypes:
1. Symmetrical: The house massing is square or rectangular w/th a hipped roof and a symmetrical facade with regard to
both elements and fenestration.
1105 Highland Place (photo, Sommer, p. 140)
1105 Highland Place (see above) represents what McAlester would tm'm a Mission Style inspired design (photo,
Sommcr, p. 140).
2. Asymmetrical: The same basic form is elaborated with asymmetrical components such as towers, porches, entrances,
porch arcades and chimneys.
999 Kirkwood Street (photo, Sommer, p. 140)
NPS Form I0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 225
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, t837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Cotmty and State .......
999 Kirkwood Street (see above) represents what McAlester would term a Spanish Eclectic design (Sommer, p.
140).
Eclectic House Styles, 1880-1940: Modern ]louses:
Prairie Style (1900-1920):
The Prairie School of design is both an American as weI1 as a Midwestern architectural style. It enjoyed a
comparatively brief popularity, losing out to period designs, and never achieved broad public acceptance in its purest
forms. Its influences left their long-range mark on a broad range of houses, most commonly in the form of window
treatments and Prairie style ornamentation.
In its ultimate form, interior walls were virtually eliminated as wings of the house merged at a central point (the
two story portion of the plan and the site of the massive fireplace) inside the house, the whole lighted by banks of glass
walls which were formed by bands of windows. The house exterior, capped with a low-pitched hip roof blended into the
horizontal prairie landscape and the particular setting of the house.
In popular design applications Prairie style motifs and forms were frequently adapted to the basic isolated cube
form that Frank Lloyd Wright had tr/ed to transcend. These house designs utilized a basic two story broad basic form
with low-pitched hipped roof. There is frequently as much if not more vertical flow in the design than there is horizontal
emphasis. Narrow casement window bands, tall chimneys, pilasters and bays all conspire to draw the eye upward (Foley,
p. 227).
There is no middle ground when the significance and success of the Prairie Style are debated. To its advocates,
the style spawned or greatly influenced the bungalow form as well as the ranch house and was therefore integral to much
that followed it. On the other hand, Schweitzer and Davis echo the majority of histoiical architectural scholars when they
state that the Prairie School or style never really caught on with the general public. To the extent that it left a broader
imprint on the built landscape, other types and styles attempted to interpret its basic principles, for the most part without
success. The authors don't think that the style had much of any influence on house plan books or ready-cut house plans,
being relegated for the most part to the Ingher-end catalogues such as William Radford. "Prairiesque" features are to be
found on bungalows and foursquares, in the form of contrasting thm and main body colors, window bands, decorative
linear motifs, low-pitched roofs, broad overhanging eaves, and the use of stucco and brick veneers. H. Allen Brooks
believes that the Prairie Style was actually popularized by the more popular bungalow, which "extended its aura of
respectability to the prairie house." Mass public acceptance was prevented by the high cost, the fact that a Prairie house
couldn't even begin to fit on a narrow urban lot, and the fact that non-standard construction materials and designs were
employed. Scholars attribute both the bungalow and the Prairie School as being the precursors of the modem ranch
house (ibid., pp. 138-29; Brooks, p. 25; Ames, pp. 22, 71).
The Prairie Style or school receives surprisingly little press coverage in the several house journals, and this term
is rarely employed when example house plans are offered. The exception was the Chicago based House Beautiful that
carried some 20 Prairie School articles between 1905 and 1909. A unique Instance in another journal is Peter B. Wright's
"Country House Architecture in the Middle West" from the Architectural Record of 1915-16. That article is interest for
two reasons; the first being the Prairie Style coverage and examples, and the second is the author's atypically more
generous definition of what constituted the "Middle West." Wright went beyond Ohio and included the entire area
NPS Form lO-9OO-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 226
OMB Approval No. I024-~015
The Architectural and H/storical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~y
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
between Western New York and the Rocky Mountains! Wright actually used true Midwest house examples, including
the E. C. Crossett House in Davenport, a Prt(zrie design by Architects Temple and Burrows, and a Delavan Lake,
Wisconsin side-gable bungalow. The author suggested that the Prairie style was "so well fitted to the natural conditions
of the strenuous liberty of the [Middle] West." The majority of house plans which feature a Prairie Style influence
feature square houses with no Pr~wie reference (Brooks, p. 24; "Country House Architecture in the Middle West,"
Architectural Record, 1915-16, Vol. 38, pp. 385-421, and Vol. 40, pp. 290-321).
Gustav Stickley, editor of the Craftsman Magazine, thoroughly ignored the Prairie School despite the fact that
both the Craftsman Prairie movements derived inspiration from the Arts and Crafts movement. R/chard Wilson and
Sidney Robinson suggest that the greatest cross-fertilization took place between the bungalow and the Prairie School, and
note that some scholars see the Pra'wie School as representing '~the regionalization of the bungalow." H. Allen Brooks
offers the "high-end" example of the Harold C. Bradley bungalow, which was constructed as a summer residence at
Wood's Hole, Massachusetts 1911-12. It was designed by architects Purcell, Feick and Elmslie and represents, in
Brook's opinion, an example of the convergence of this style and the bungalow house type (Brooks, 206; Robinson, The
Prairie School In Iowa, I.S.U. Press, Ames, 1977, p. 8).
Sub-t,rpes:
Hipped Roof Symmetrical With Front Entry: Square or rectangular plans with low-pitched hipped roof and a prominent
centered front enttyway. Single-story wings or appendages can be present but core structure is symmetrical.
Eagle Point Park Pavilion (1934-36) (photo, Tourist Guide of Dubuque, p. 25).
Eagle Point Park Pavilion (see above) (1934-36, Alfred Catdwell landscape architect and designer) is one of
Dubuque's most significant architectural designs. It represents an extraorcYmary blending of site, natural
materials and style. Gebhard rates this as one of two of the best Iowa Prair/e designs (the other being the Rock
Glen neighborhood in Mason City, designed by Walter Burley Griffin. He also credits Wendell Reffenberger
with design input but offers no explanation. Caldwell's work was an interpretation of Wrights Taliesin design,
set in what he termed "The City in a Garden" and the landscape architecture of Jens Jensen. (Sommer, p. 142;
Gebhard, pp. 89-90).
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 227
Tl~e Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Eagle Point Park Bandstand (no image) (1957, Rossiter and Ham architects) is a later interpretation of the Prairie
Style (Gebhard, p. 90).
1761 Plymouth Court (photo, Sommer, p. 142)
1761 Plymouth Court represents a faithful application of the Prairie Style. Note that the core of the
house is a full two stories high however (photo, Sommer, p. 142).
Ward Donovan House (1721 Plymouth Court, 1941, Alfred Caldwell landscape architect) is a two-story Prairie
style plan (Gebhard, p. 89).
Gabled Roof: Front and side gables can intersect or can step down along the ridgeline.
Arts and Crafts/Craftsman (1905-1930):
The Craftsman Style is a fairly recently generated term. Today the term embodies the more stylized range of
bungalow and foursquare exterior treatments. In its own time, this style was best represented by the house and interior
furnishing designs of Gustav Sticldey, founder of the Craftsman movement. Stickley's house designs were substantial in
size and were uniformly executed in concrete, stucco, and wood, and used Arts and Crofts detailing. Schweitzer and
Davis distinguish between a Craftsman house type and the bungalow type. They define the former as a two-story house
being either more substantial in their massing or more complex in their design than the bungalow. They identify three
regional subtypes of the Craftsman style, the Colonial/Adirondack (East Coast), the Prairie (Midwest), and the Oriental
(West Coast). Stickley considered the bungalow house form to be appropriate only for seasonal occupation, as a
sarnmerhouse, and his year round designs were rarely bungalows. He was strongly influenced by the Mission, Spanish
Colonial and his own "Craftsman" values. A good house exterior included sloping roofs, verandahs, pergolas, the use of
rough timbers, overhanging eaves, and exposed construction (Craftsman, June 1908).
The Craftsman design aesthetic sought to integrate the house and site. The interior and exterior were integrated
by the use of windows and multiple entries. No room was to be buried within the house without windows and nearby
egress. Building materials were to retain their natural untreated qualities to the greatest extent possible, and major
structural members were to remain exposed and visible. Stucco and shingle exteriors were favored. Structural members,
such as rafter tails, knee braces, tie beams, and tapered or battered porch posts are purposely exposed. Craftsman
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Name of Property
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windows, with multi4ight upper sash (usually with vertical divisions) were commonly used in many other styles of the
time.
This style had its roots m the Arts and Crofts movement, which in tram derived largely fi:om the writings of
Englishmen John Ruskin (1819-1900) and designer William Morris (1834-96). It was both a reaction against
industrialized society and an effort to unify art and architecture with morality, politics and science. The movement
celebrated individual craftsmanship over mass produced repetition and sought to achieve societal improvement through
its design concepts and its teaching of the basic crafts. Stickley was one of the leading American adherents of the Arts
and Crofts movement. By the early 20th centmy the architectural and design aspects of the movement focused upon
integrating the house with nature and the particular house setting, as well as celebrating the exposed usage of minimally
processed natural building materials. Thus structural columns and beams are prominently displayed and cladding
materials favored the use stucco, cobblestone, shingles and wood. Asymmetry of design was celebrated, favoring
complex roofing schemes and visual variety in fenestration, patterns of materials, porch lines, and the overall hous plan.
Favored structural expressions include the exposed knee brace and rafter tails, extra stickwork, and the common use of
battered or sloped porch columns, of varying lengths, in combination with heavy pier bases.
Schweitzer and Davis credit seven different house types or styles as being directly influenced by the Arts and
Crafts Movement, these being the Tudor Revival, the Transitional Colonial Revival, the Dutch Colonial Revival, the
Prairie School, the Gustav Stickley Craftsman, the Bungalow and the Foursquare/Box. Schweitzer and Davis reserve the
style to Stickley but many other designers produced what were termed Craftsman or Arts and Crafts houses (Schweitzer,
p. 125).
Alan Weissman in his introduction to Craftsman Bungalows (1988), a compilation (1903-16) of bungalow
articles fi:om Gustav Stickley's The Craftsman Magazine, states that '~the American Arts and Crafts movement
unofficially adopted [the bungalow] as the ideal Craftsman house." The vast majority of American bungalows are best
described as being most strongly influenced by this style. The "high-end" bungalows therefore are equally bungalow
house types and represent the Arts and Crafts style in Weissman's opinion.
Stylistic terminology is particularly problematic in this case. Today the title "Arts and Crafts" is the generally
preferred one for anything not purely Stickley derived, and is accepted one for use in describing the majority of
residential housing of the period c.1905-25, although these words were not historically applied to houses. Today many
prefer that the term "Craftsman" be reserved for that range of house designs which was the work of Stickley or his
architects. The problem is that "Craftsman" is the historical term and then-contemporary society would have used it to
refer to these houses.
Schweitzer and Davis define and distinguish a separate range of Arts and Crafts houses (they call them
Craftsman), these being two story houses, being either more substantial in their massing or more complex than their
bungalow counterparts. The two house types share common characteristics including the avoidance of adornment, a
functional nature, the use of natural materials, a strong and direct link with the immediate setting and environment, a low
roof pitch, tapered porch columns, pergolas and porches, earth-tone colors, the use of built-in interior furniture, and the
common use of a "living room." Three regional variations are identified; Colonial/Adirondack in the East, the Prairie in
the Midwest, and the Oriental in the West (ibid., pp. 142-48).
NP$ Form 10 900~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 229
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of ]?roperty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .....
Schweitzer and Davis suggest that the Craftsman style followed the earlier trends, including the bungalow. The
style incorporated the attributes of those antecedents. They themselves are not always certain what is Craftsman. Several
of their pattern book examples are Georgian Colonial or front-gable square plans (ibid., pp. 144, 148).
One would be hard pressed to develop a consensus list of Arts and Crafts or Craftsman influenced house
examples. For the most part craftsman stylistic features are overlaid on the other period house types. The same house
could be rightfully termed an Arts and Crafts house, with reference to style, or a bungalow, with reference to its type.
Stubblebuie that only Stickley house designs can properly termed "Craftsman" houses and anything close had to be
labeled Arts and Crafts examples. Using the Stickley design authorship relieved Stubblebine from even attempting to set
any stylistic guidelines apart from setting, materials uses and treatments and relatively open interior plan. The author
warns that many builders eschewed Stickley's fairly expensive interior appointments and chose to cut construction costs,
thereby compromising even the Stickley designs (OldHouse Journal, July August, 1996, pp. 26-31).
H. Allen Brooks notes that Gustav Stickley, like most of his peers, chose to publish few Midwestern house plans.
Brooks was not enamored with what was published, judging that "Craftsman houses [were] boxy in plan and utterly
devoid of any artistic sensitivity" (Brooks, p. 22).
One effect of the Arts and Crafts movement was to reinvigorate craftsmanship in house building. Carpentry &
Building observed in January 1907 that
There are indications pointing to a rena/ssance of genuine band work in America, voiced chiefly
through the arts and crafts movement, which, from an artistic fad, is rapidly approaching the stage of
practical utility. It now appears probable that handicraft will speedily come again into its own, bringing
with it a new development of the best as well as the simplest type of domestic art. In this development
will be opened up a new avocation for the mechanic who has a natural tendency toward the artistic side.
Key here, and in keeping with the growing rejection of the overly and purposefully ornate and impractical Victorian
artistic ethos, was the point that in this new age, the artistic had to be functional, natural and subtle (Carpentry &
Building, January 1907, p. 6).
The Craftsman style in Dubuque is largely restricted to the greater houses of the western highlands outskirts of
the city. Isolated examples are scattered across the city as well. The bungalow is far from commonplace and is rarely
found in any substantial groupings, the exception being the east and of the Rhomberg area. The onset of both the
Craftsman and the bungalow type coincided with the slowing down of house building in the city. A hallmark of the style
was the hip roof and this roof form was but rarely utilized in Dubuque and was not part of the local vemacuiar building
tradition.
2006 Jackson Street (1909) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
NPS Form 10~900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
NatiOnal Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 230
The Architectural and ltistorical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of l~operty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Dr. Frank Meyers built the large residence and attached medical office shown above in 1909. The house is
broader than any other residence found in the Couler Valley. It combines classical and Craftsman elements w/th
the traditional raised stone foundation and smooth concrete (not stone) lintels set flush with the exterior wall
planes.
2555-65 Central Avenue (1923) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
Stone Ridge Aparmaents, shown above, utilizes a broad hip roof-like parapet front, window bands and a Colonial Rev/val
entry porch. Despite its concrete block construction, the foundation is of limestone.
Art Moderne/Modernistic (1925-1940):
The style encompasses two subtypes, the Art Moderne and the Art Deco. Both subtypes employ the same basic
flat roofed (less commonly gable or hip) square or rectangular core. The Art Modeme rounded corners and streamlined
the whole through the use of horizontal lines and patterns. Art Deco imparted a largely vertical emphasis by adoring
towers and other vertical elements, and ornate detailing. Both styles disappeared with the confmg of World War II.
120 South Grandview Avenue (c.1939) (photo, Sommer, p. 141)
120 South Grandview Avenue (c.1939) (see above) is an Art Moderne design with a matching attached garage!
This example is likely from the late 1930s given the use of block glass and comer windows. This design is safely
NPS Form I0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 23]
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Modeme and is the only Dubuque example with a rounded corner, but it does clearly reflect International Style
design influences in its window treatments. Gebhard sees as almost identical to 535 South Grandview Avenue
(see below) (photo, Sommer, p. 141; Gebhard, p. 90).
155 South Grandview Avenue (no image) is an L-plan with tuck-under double garage, and liner window bands
(Sommer, p. 141).
1144 South Grandview Avenue (c.1935) (photo, Sommer, p. 141)
1144 South Grandview Avenue (see above) (c.1935) combines classical proportions, a very unusual rounded bay
and landscaping to produce a marvelous overall effect. Gebhard interprets the design as combining "Regency
Revival" and Moderne elements (photo, S ommer, p. 141; Gebhard, p. 90).
Un/ted States Post Office and Federal Building (1932-34) (photo, Sommer, p. 144)
United States Post Office and Federal Building (see above) (350 West 6~ Street, t932-34, James A. Wetmore,
Supervising Architect, with Proudfoot, Rawson, Souers, and Thomas; and independent architect Herbert A.
Kenn/son of Dubuque) is said to be the only Dubuque Art Deco design. It was built by the Public Works
Administration. The design is centered on a four story central pavilion. There are two Grant Wood murals
inside. This was the only one of three public buildings proposed for a Moderne style government center by
designer John Noland in 1932 (photo, Sommer, p. 144; Gebhard, p. 83, http://www.gsa.gov/web/p).
NPS Form 1C~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 232m
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Masonic Temple (no image) (southwest comer Locust and 12~ streets, 1931-32, Raymond E. Moore architect) is
considered by Gebhard to exemplify an "abstracted medievalism" with an Art Deco overlay (Gebhard, p. 85).
Red Cross Building (no image) (1200 Main Street, c. 1941 ) is an example of the later-date and less exuberant
Streamline Modeme with yellow tile, stainless steel facing on the marquee (Gebhard, p. 87).
House, 535 South Grandview Avenue (no image) (c.1939) is another streamline Modeme example
according to Gebhard. The exterior combines glass block and light cream-colored brick (Gebhard, p.
90).
Vernacular Cottage/House/Commercial Types:
· Vernacular architecture is defined in this typology as "nonacademic architecture." This range of recognized
house types was most strongly influenced in its design by the realities of regional climates, the availability of (or the
processing of) building materials, and by ethnic or other cultural/traditional values. Certain house types emerged to
dom/nate regional and even national architecture and examples of these commonly accepted types are found in most
communities. These local applications of type are commonly reinterpreted by those who built them. As a class or type,
these house/cottage forms largely address the working class spectrum of residences although this is not exclusively the
case.
Most of the nationally accepted vernacular types defined below have little application to Dubuque's urban
vernacular architecture. Dubuque vernacular types are therefore appended to this section. The architectural context
speaks broadly to the long-term dominance of this vernacular architecture and its significance in light of that dominance.
Dubuque's vernacular architecture represents an intenu/xing of Southern Upland (David Anderson terms it Midland
American Backwoods Culture") and Continental European, principally German, Swiss and Luxembourgian building
traditions. The Southern Upland is first dominant in fairly pure forms (log houses in particular) but then found
expression in the more permanent early brick houses and business blocks, representing a local/zed interpretation of urban
commercial design and the various national architectural styles (Anderson, p. 13).
Little is known about Irish influences on vernacular architecture in Dubuque and very little has survived. Further
study is strongly recommended, minimally with regard to linking non-religious Irish cultural organizations with surviving
properties. German influence on the local vernacular also lacks any formal investigation and the Phase I survey is
perhaps the first formal study of the German vemacnlar.
Dubuque's vemacnlar properties can be divided into two classes, residential and commercial/industrial. The
latter is expressed in the forms of comer commercial storefronts and combination residential/workshop/storefront
properties. The residential properties can be divided into two groups, the earlier examples which pre-date 1870 and those
which postdate that year. The cutoff is arbitrary but the survey results hint at distinctively different vernacular
characteristics. One difference is in scale with earlier buildings being a single story high. There is evidence that these
were intended to be increased by adding a floor and by elongation.
The following general characteristics describe almost all of the surviving vemacnlar buildings in the Phase I
survey area:
NPS Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 233
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resoarces of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
· raised limestone foundations, probably the best material to ward off subsurface moisture, elevated due to flash
flooding, present even on the earliest concrete block houses, dom'mant through World War I. Very rare is
complete stone construction, found only in earlier years.
· front gable absolutely predominant, due in large measure to the narrow building lots in Dubuque
· use ora rear corner recessed and elongated side porch, normally south-fronting, paired on double houses, as
high as the building. Double-decker full-width rear porches also very common.
· use of broad clapboard on earlier examples, narrower clapboard in pre-World War I examples.
· transom above entryway, especially common between 1890s and World War I.
· predominance of side-hall ground plan, with fight-hand entryway strongly favored over the left-hand side.
· double-wall brick construction, dates to 1870s-80s, apparently a hollow-wall hnilcYmg technique for insulation
purposes, indicated by lack of rowloek courses in exterior brickwork.
· the use of rounded upper window sash-either upper sash have been uniformly replaced or a rotmded blank
infilled the space between the sash and lintel.
· elongated narrow plans
· the avoidance of the hip roof form in residential plans
· a decided preference for two story plans in lieu of single story or story and a half high plans
· the absence of front porches of any size or shape on gable front plans
· steeply pitched gable roofs, usually without front or side dormers
· preference for decorative finials above porch entryways
· preference for double houses with centered pair of entryways, entryways never on exterior walls
· preference for centered cross gables and single or paired attic lights in alt gable end walls.
These characteristics incorporate those developed by Lawrence Sommer. He listed a nearly universal preference
for brick, rectangular plans, symmetrical/classical proportions (of Greek Revival derivation, focusing principally on gable
treatments and dentils along eaves lines), dominance of single and story and a half plans, entrances on gable ends or
sides, rear additions or L-shaped cores, a preference for gable roofs, plain chimneys, two story comer recessed porches.
He proposed the same window lintel/arch evolution as is defined below. Sommer remained stylistically focused even
when he looked for vernacular attributes, but he did determine that "perhaps more important than different styles in
establishing the city's character, were the unifying elements of similar scale, mass, color and materials found on hundreds
of local buildings. Sommer also saw material, technological and physical influences, which favored the persistence of the
local vernacular
...the natare of available materials, construction technology, economies and the size of most city lots
produced constraints that resulted in similarity of building scale. This was particularly true in so far as
height was concerned. A four or five story structure was about as high as could be effectively served
using only st~aways (Sommer, pp. 75, 80).
NPS Form lC~9OO-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 234
OMB ,~pproval No. 1024-0018
~lYae Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Window Arch and Lintel Treatments:
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
Detail, 2329 Washington, early lintel form
Window lintel forms can be used to date vernacular buildings. The earl/est window cap is the semi-elliptical
brick arch (either rubbed soldier course or doubled rowlock courses). Virtually all side wall window arches use the
double rowlock arch form regardless of building date. The carved stone lintel likely dates to the 1870s-80s and first takes
the form ora plain stone lintel set flush to the exterior wall plane. Dubuque's stone lintels nearly always emphasize and
directly incorporate the spring stone portion of the arches and most examples consequently wrap-around the window top
as a result. The earliest lintel form, a rounded lintel with flattened ends is shown below. During the 1880s and 1890s
there was a rich array of elaborate of lintel designs (termed Baroque by Sommer). These emphasized keystones or the
spring stones.
Most appear to be a single piece of stone despite elaborate surface divisions. Cast stone is probably more
common, rather than carved stone, but malting the distinction is difficult. Generally the more elaborately ornamented
"stonework" is a cast product, while plain or textured surfaces are real stone. Flat stone lintels, found in the very earliest
vernacular builWmgs, reappear in the 1890s and are prevalent up to World War I. Basement window arches are mostly of
brick construction and are raised above the water table level. Segmental stone arch construction is rare although there are
some late-date examples of intermixed stone and brick.
Wooden lintel, stone foundation window
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic PlaCes
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 235
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Window lintels can date a house as being of very early origin. Wooden lintels are rare survivors from the earliest
surviving buildings. Solid plain curved stone lintels predate 1891. Curved lintels with straight "springstune" ends date
from 1870 through 1900. Flat stone lintels date from the 1880s through the turn o£the century. Flat lintels with a
centered pediment and side brackets date to the mid-1880s. A triangular pediment arch with end brackets dates from the
early 1890s.
Stone voussoir basement arch
Brick arches also changed over time. Sidewall semi-elliptical consist of two or more rows of arched rowlock
bricks and these are plainly executed. The same arches were built over the entire range of brick load-bearing
construction. Semi-circular arches with keystone and springstone block inserts date from the mid-1870s. A brick arch
which mimics the rounded stone arch, with a flat base and a projecting brick cap, dates from 1870. A flat brick jack arch
with mbbedbricks dates fromthe late 1890s. Ahighly decorated flatbrickarchwithprojecfingbricktmceryworkdates
from 1900.
2311 Windsor, stone lintel line, storefront
Two examples of the use of a solid stone lintel line set atop a cast iron storefront were found in the Phase I
survey area.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2,36
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,z, Iowa
County and State .......
Original double doors, transom and carved stone lintel and porch detailing
Paired comer brackets and finial with sunburst ornament
2531 Windsor
The art glass transom at 2531 Windsor not only survives but it retains its original street address number (603). It
nicely represents the historical confusion wrought by the re-numbering and renaming of streets.
NPS Form 1P~9OO a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 23?
The Arckitectuml and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propexty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Hall and Parlor/Double Pen (c.1817-c.1870):
Tiffs double pen cottage form is basically a two-room side gabled single story plan. There is no hall but one
larger room (the "hall") is the more public room on the ground level and this larger room has the only front entryway.
John Jalde terms this form the "Pre Classic" I House or the "Early I House") (Jalde, Common Houses, p. 216).
William Newman Log House (1833), Eagle Point Park (Horton, Palimpsest, Sept./Oct. 1974, p. 133)
Incredibly Dubuque has a very early surviving example of this vernacular type, certainly one of the few if not the only
double-pen log house example in the state. Twice relocated, the house first stood in the downtown area at Second and
Locust streets until 1915 when it was moved to the park proper. In 1967 it was moved to the Ham House propcnty by the
Dubuque County Historical Society. Gebhard terms this the Louis Arriandean "log cabin." It directly represents the
vernacular influence of the Southern Upland culture (Anderson, p. 12; Sommer, p. 33; Gebhard, p. 89).
Log construction, while not restricted to this specific type, is well represented across the county, particularly in
Moselem Township. A broad evaluation of all of these rare properties is warranted (Anderson, p. 17).
Gable Front (pre-1850-1930+):
Also termed the "Open Gable," or "Gambrel Front." The two defining characteristics are a front gable roof (as
opposed to a side gable) and a gable end house entrance. The type ranges from one room and a side hail in width to two
rooms and a central hall (three to five bays). Generally the overall plan is a rectangle with its shorter dimension fronted
to the street.
The housing literature is silent with regard to this commonplace type and even Schweitzer and Davis fail to
identify to acknowledge it. The diminutive size and early date of these cottages (c.1890-1920) hints that this very small
cottage form was already well estabhshed in the public's tastes when the bungalow form appeared.
Dubuque gable fronts can be divided on the basis of their height and their breadth of plan. Single story and story
and a half plans are few and far between in Dubuque. The Phase I survey identified just four of the former and six of the
latter. Most of these examples postdate 1900.
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8~86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 238
OMBAppmval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~y
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
2304 Jackson Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above typifies the single story gable front cottage type in Dubuque. Wooden lintels are
combined with brick walls. Originally the cottage had a side entrance, the present entry wing is of later date. The plan is
extremely narrow. At least some single story brick cottages were built with the intention of adding a second floor. One
example of this incremental plan is found at 2310 Jackson Street, where the brick color difference on the side wall clearly
marks the addition.
One-story front gable cottage, 2552 Jackson Street (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This is the frame version of the single story gable front cottage form. The core plan is rectangular with a
centered south gabled wing. Note the transom above the entry.
2461 Central Avenue (1890) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
An example of the story and a half gable front cottage is shown above. A broader plan (24x46) note the rare use
of stone lintels on a side wall and the rear side porches. This is a rectangular core plan w/th a centered south wall
dormer. An earlier although altered example is found at 2272 Prince Street.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 239
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
2082 White Street (1863) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above is the earliest known Phase I survey area example ora two-story gable front house
plan (23x33). Built entirely of stone, the designer employed flat stone lintels. Note the transom over the entry and the
syrmuetrical arrangement of three opexfmgs on each level of the fa¢ade, along with a centered round-arched attic light.
Virtually every gable front vernacular property employs a side hall plan (refer to side hall type below), usually with the
entrance on the right-hand side of the fagade.
2401 Queen Street (1880) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This second example of the same type illustrates another early stone lintel form and hints that the original upper
sash had rounded tops. Note the absence of any front porch, the elaborate surviving chimneys and the rear recessed
porches.
2510 Washington Street (1900) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This frame version of the two-story gable front house type has a very narrow elongated plan (16x30). The
transom remains. Fewer window openings are distributed over the narrow fafade and there is no vertical alignment. The
gable front is ornamented with wood shingles and is often pedimented. Clapboard is narrow with comer boards. A tkree-
sided bay substitutes for the centered south-facing wing and the rear comer porches remain in use.
NPS Form I0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86]
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 240
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
2525 Jackson (c.1910) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This example of the type illustrates the commonplace el/mination of one upper level fagade window above the
stairway. The fenestration is otherwise symmetrical and true to the verngcular tradition. The porch and rear side wing
postdate the original construction.
329 East 20~ Street (1880) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
Th/s property exemplifies the broadest version of the two-story gable front house type (24x35). The porch is a
concrete block replacement c. 1915. The upper level center door is likely an alteration.
2226 Jackson Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example illustrates the largest scale achieved by the two-story gable front in Dubuque. The
dimensions of this duplex are of the scale that is commonly associated with German vernacular building, broad and deep.
This facade has likely been updated with window replacement but it is of early orig/ns and the porch is authentic in its
scale and detail.
NP$ Form 10~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 24]_
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Side Hall Plan (c.1830-1880):
This subtype provides a category for side gable end hip roof houses/cottages that are not front gables. The plen is
usually two rooms deep end a single room wide end has a side hall. These cottages are mostly a single story or story and
a half in height. In Dubuque the two story side gable house plen also almost always uses a side hall plen and the vast
majority of these occur in a double house arrangement. The double house could be built incrementally and one excellent
example of a half-double house that failed to gffm its mate is found at 308 East 22nd Street. Two story house examples are
not normally included under this vernacular category but Dubuque's vernacular types require a section for side gable
house pIens.
2307 White Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example ora single story side gable cottage form (hall and parlor room arrangement) was originally
constructed as a cooper's shop. The use of brick window arches indicates a very early building date.
2052 Jackson Street (pre-1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This is enother early side gable plan example ora story and a half cottage plan. Also a hall-parlor floor plan
arrangement, the porch is a later addition.
NPS Form l0~900-s
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 242
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State
2509 Broadway Street (photo Sommer, p. 80)
1212 Elm Street shown above has 2/2 lights and semi-elliptical rounded window arches (Sommer, p. 78).
Street (photo, Sommer, p. 80)
504 22nd Street represents a more traditional plan orientation to the street front. This example is strongly
influenced by the Italianate Style in its window treatment and the classical porch is of much later date (Sommer,
p. 8O).
2255-57 Central Avenue (1884) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This double house frame example of the side gable house type offers a rare instance where the original clapboard
remains visible. Frame double houses are far less common than are their brick counterparts. The porch is a larger
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 243
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propexty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
version of what was originally desiglaed for the house. The plan measures the standard 32x30. Of 17 measured double
houses, 11 measured 32 feet in width, with a 28-30 foot depth.
2339-43 Washington Street (1880) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The above example shows the more commonplace brick double house (32x30) with the best example of the
orighaal porch profile and scale. Note the "wrap around" stone lintels which incorporate the arch and the rectangular
spring stones. Note also the in-wall end chimneys, the raised stone foundation and the paired entryways with transoms.
2523 Central Avenue (1892-1909) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
German vernacular surveys in Ohio have linked that culture with large squadsh building plans. The example
shown above depicts a very immense double house plan with a cantered cross gable.
2058-62 White Street (1875) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The White Street property shown above is the best approximation of the frame tenement that was commonly
being built in the city after the Civil War. This tri-plex plan (51x32) has bean resided and the porch canopies replaced
but it is a rare surviving frame example of a common Dubuque type.
NPS Form l0-gOO-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 244
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propeity
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
t212 Elm Street (photo Sommer, p. 78)
The "courtyard house" is a special vernacular side gabled house type in Dubuque. Two examples survive today
and it is probable that other examples, particularly of frame construction, have been lost. This unusual vemacular feature
appears to have distinct European roots. The other example is found at 1989-1915 Central Street.
Kelly House (274 Southern Avenue, c.1855) is described by Gebhard as reflecting Greek Revival (general form) and
Goth/c (barge board usage) influences. It has a rectangular plan and a two-story porch. The ground floor is of stone, the
second board and batten (Gebhard, p. 90).
Asvrnmetrical Side Gable Plan:
304 West Fifth Street (see above) (c.1855) (photo, A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
J. H. Thedinga House (304 West Fifth Street, c.1855) superimposes an asymmetrical fenestration upon an Adams
style facade. The door has sidelights. Lintels are flat and of stone (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
NPS Form lO-800-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 245
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
"Dubuque German" House Type:
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
572 West Fourth Street (1860) (photo, A Walking Tour...South Dubuque)
Charles Markle House (see above) (572 West Fourth Street, 1860, self built) is one of the best preserved
examples of this once extensive vernacular type (A Walking Tour...South Dubuque).
Story and a half Side-Gable:
2509 Broadway Street (no image) appears to represent a side-gable cottage set sideways on a narrow Dubuque
lot. While the house has an elaborate Victor/an-era porch, it is still vernacular in its origins (Sommer, p. 80).
Gabled Ell (c.1850-1920):
This subtype requires that its two wing components possess roof ridges of equal height. Commonly a "T" form is
the result when a shallow bay or wing cames the dominant wing beyond the junction point, but the core structure is an L-
form. The respective wings can vary in their comparative widths but their roofr/dge elevations must be even. Porches
commonly infill the reentrant angle and two entrances, one from each wing, open to the porch. The subtype is generally
dated to c.1865-1915. Like many vernacular types it fades with the approach of World War I. Central to truly
understanding how these houses worked is determining how the subtype effected the room arrangement and flow witl~m
the house. Which interior spaces are shared across the two wings for example?
I-House (c.1850-1890):
This two-story type is defined as a side gabled house although it does occur as a story and a half. Associated
particularly with the states of Illinois, Indiana and Iowa, the plan is two rooms and a central hall across and a single room
in depth, so it is basically two rooms over two rooms. The type can range from three to five bays, substituting a side front
entry for the central one in the shorter versions.
OffBluff Street (1850s) (photo, A Walking Tour of South Dubuque)
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. ~-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 246
The Architectural and Itistorical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State .......
Dennis Mahoney House (see above) (off Bluff Street, 1850s, not found) is a three-bay surviving example of this
subtype. The plan has a central chimney. The property was directly associated with 1862 local military
suppression of the "Copperhead" newspaper the Dubuque Herald (A Walking Tour of South Dubuque).
2108 Jackson Street (c.19007) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The example shown above is unusual in that it has a single centered entryway and a full array of five openings on each
level of the facade. These denote the pure 1-House facade. The building is of early date given the flat stone lintels. It
was apparently deepened in plan following its initial construction.
L-Plan (1850-1900):
This subtype covers L plans that have var/ed roof heights on their core form and a front ell or wing, or one of the
wings having a roof form that is not a gable. This L-plan type must have this roof form or height difference and the
interior rooms must divide at the junction point of the core and wing. Frequently the cross gable is then balanced with a
dormer on the subordinate main wing. This type lends itself to stylistic applications, particularly Tudor and Colonial.
This type is very rare in Dubuque given the local preference for narrow elongated lots.
T-Plan (c.1860-1920):
This type is defined by it's "T" footprint rather than its roof elevations. The roof ridges of its parts can
be uneven. The "T" is sometimes symmetrical with a wrap around porch on the three exposed sides of the stem
of the "T" infill the plan, or it is asymmetrical with a L-shaped porch along the front and one side of the
projecting wing. The plan can orient with its projecting wing being set either towards or parallel to the street.
2531 Washington Street (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
NPS Form 10-900 a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 247
The Architectural and H/storical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubu~ Iowa
Name of Property County and State .....
The example shown above offers a rare instance of this type in the Phase I survey area. The side entrance on the
"upright" or front portion identifies this as being other than a side gable plan.
Popular C6ttage/House Types:
The Bungalow (1910-1930):
Pre-bungalow, described as a "low rambling building, all wtth wide porches and low windows,"
the Dubuque Golf Club clubhouse (Enterprise, June 18, 1904)
The bungalow emerged as a popular house type c. 1908 and by 1916 was the house of choice across the country
for the middle and working class. The type howevcr defies ready definition because it includes subtypes with
diametrically conflicting characteristics. There are three generally accepted bungalow subtypes: (1) the single story front
gable; (2) the aeroplane and (3) the side gable. A fourth subtype, (4) the Chicago Bungalow, is defmed in this study. The
acroplane subtype might be considered a var/ant of the first one, given that it simply adds an extra room or rooms onto a
single story plan. The side gable subtype can be more than two stories high, but that fact is hidden beneath the broad roof
planes that descend to the street front. Few hard and fast design rules can encompass these three varied subtypes but it
can be generally said that the bungalow form is either a single story small form or if it is higher, the roof form is used to
disguise the presence of additional floors. Ideally it is a single story seasonal retreat, being largely open to the outside. In
the Midwest the bungalow most commonly has a basement, a steeper roof, reduced overhanging eaves, and a reduced
amount of porch and exterior exposure, in contrast with its West Coast precursors. In its tract house form it occupies a
narrow urban lot with front and rear porch, and a rear lot garage. The majority of bungalows have no Craftsman
affectations to speak of and only rarely muploy very exotic building materials such as cobblestones. Even stucco is rarely
employed in the Quad-Cities area. It is the general finding that bungalows as a subtype are for whatever reason fairly
under represented in this area. At the same time, the term bungalow endured well into the 1950s and early 1960s here
and many a cottage and ranch house was marketed as a bungalow well after World War 1I. The aeroplane was simply not
found at all. Especially rare is the straightforward front gable subtype. A front gabled cottage is more likely a bungalow
if the porch is not separate from the house core, and forms an extension of the core roof plane. The bungalow finds
expression in the following subtypes:
Subtypes:
1. Gable Front/Narrow Front Bungalow:
NPS Form ~O-900-a
(Rev, 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 248
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubu~
Name of Property County and State .......
This group of bungalows, primly consisting of gable front variations, includes bungalow plans that present
their narrow dimension to the street. Hip roofed bungalows are included in this type. Variations include a facade wide
gable front, w/th separate porch or a recessed porch, and plans that project off-center porches or side porches from a
gable front core. Dubuque's preference for taller gable front homes worked against this bungalow type. There are two
examples of story and a half concrete block gable fronts in the Couler Valley (2429 and 2485 White Street) which might
best be termed bungalows despite their height and the telltale presence of second story gable front windows.
2. Aeroplane/Airplane Bungalow:
This bungalow type is a variant of the gable front/narrow front type. The aeroplane plan simply adds another
room as a second floor. This level is then separately roofed with matching projecting eaves and detailing.
95 South Grandview Avenue (photo, Sommer, p. 139)
95 South Grandview Avenue (see above) is an aeroplane bungalow and an unusual one in that it is placed atop a side
gable bungalow plan. The design is heavily Craftsman influenced and the large solarium gabled bay centered on the
second floor is particularly interesting (photo, Sommer, p. 139).
3. Side Gable Bungalow:
This general type includes side gable plans, most of wbich present their broader dimension to the street front.
The roof form can have a single roof plane which continues forward to cover a recessed porch, or it can have two roof
pitches, and the lower reduced pitch roof plane projects above the porch. Dormers commonly are set into the front roof
plane and these can be very large relative to the volume of the roof plane. This type can be further categorized in terms
of the use of a full width or partial width porch.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number ~ Page 2,49
The Arcb2tectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
OMB Approval NO, 1024-0018
County and State .......
2319 Washington Street (1910) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
1781 Plymouth Street (photo, Sommer, p. 139)
178I plymouth Street (see above) is a complex example of the side gable subtype. The house has matching end chimneys
which is very unusual. The facade is a careful balance of a shed roof bay and donner on the left side with a jerkinhead
roof cross gable and an offset entry porch on the right side. The tile roof features decorative finials on its peaks and the
l~ont porch roof is wrapped around projecting pilaster tops (photo, Sommer, p. 138).
125 South Grandview Avenue (no image) is a more diminutive brick bungalow design. It has a tile roof and multiple
chimneys however. The fagade has a centered cross gable and an offset bracketed entry porch. It is probable that the
same designer/builder was responsible for this house and 1781 Plymouth Street (Sommer, p. 138-39).
Foursquare (1904-1940):
The foursquare term is a recently crafted one, coined to identify an accepted two-story house with square plan
and hipped roof. The type has an interior floor plan of four rooms on each of the two floors. There is no central hall.
The square house was long touted as the most economical house, it being the nearest thing to an a theoretical
frame sphere that could be readily built. It delivered the maximal interior space for the lowest cost per square foot. At
.... Despite this element of
the same me it was derided in the period architectural journals for zts resulting boxy look.
disfavor the house type pemisted and designers strove to remedy the limitations of its core form. Its origin remains
undetermined. In some manner the near square late Victorian house with its irregular interior plan and assemblage of.
bays was, like the bungalow, replaced by an economical eight roomed cube plan, with four rooms per floor. The type zs
defined by the near square footprint, an elevated foundation line, the absence of a central entry and hall and the use of a
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number~ Page 250
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Arckite_~ctural and Histo~ncal Resources o__f Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque Count~Iow~
· County and State .......
Name of Property
four room over four room interior plan, and the use of a plain hip roof, w/th from one to four dormers. This has been
termed the "foursquare" or the "Prairie Cube" and a host of similar other names. It has Midwest regional roots and was
for a generation the farmhouse model of choice along with the bungalow.
This house type appears to have almost instantly appeared on the national building scene in the years 1904-06.
While squarish forms of similar scale preceded the foursquare, it was the simplification of both exterior form and
interior layout that resulted in the foursquare. The shell divested itself of bays, side wings, equal height rear extensions,
resulting in the square or very near square footprint. Inside, the floor plan eliminated the central hall and stairway, and
embraced the living room concept. The first floor was divided roughly into four square rooms, as was the second floor.
A side stair, centered on one side wall became the standard feature.
The type adopted the full width single story front porch, employed a raised foundation, and added from one to
four roof dormers to tYmalize the basic form. The type could still take on stylistic features and found expression in most
of the eclectic house styles.
The foursquare was a very popular house type, particularly during the years 1904-1925. Its rise to popularity
paralleled that of the bungalow. The foursquare persisted in popularity after that of the bungalow waned, but after the
mid-1920s it appears to have been used mostly to add a vertical variety to housing developments· Whole developments
consisting on only foursquare houses are not common but they do occur.
John Wimmer foursquare, 1616 Lincoln (1925)
Beginning in the mid-1920s the type was further refined, losing its signature front porch and finally gaming s~de
extensions in the forms of solariums, garages and connecting wings, or side wings. The eave sline was sharply cut back
in these later houses and the dormers largely disappeared. Inside, the living room expanded to fully occupy half of the
main floor plan. The raised foundation disappeared along with the front porch. To many, these houses are not
foursquares given these changes· Instead they are categorized as two-story Colonial Revival house. Th/s author suggests
that there is at least a symbolic link between the square houses of the 1930s and 1940s. The interior floor plan changes,
away from the standard four over four-room arrangement, was forced by the reduction of the house size. Further research
of the design origins of these later square houses and their interior plans will help to determine to what extent they can be
called foursquares.
ce of this ubiquitous house form in Dubuque is worthy of a s, tudy in and of itself. River cities
The near total absen , - '~,- ~- ~,ha house twe and Dubuque s narrow bmldmg lots were
(Quad Cities) appear to have been tess enamoren w~m tn~ ...........
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 251
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
particularly ill suited for them. The general lack of hip roofs on dwellings in Dubuque also appears to have argued
against the popularity of the foursquare.
Minimal Traditional Cottage (¢.1931-55):
This title, coined by Virginia and Lee McA/ester, is thought to represent a dilution of the Tudor Revival cottage.
They date the onset of the subtype to c. 1935. The type was produced by minimizing the size, complexity and style of the
then popular eclectic house or cottage. The type is described by McA/ester as follows:
With the economic Depression of the 1930s came this compromise style which reflects the form of
traditional Eclectic houses, but lacks their decorative detailing. Roof pitches are low or intermediate,
rather than steep as in the preceding Tudor style. Eaves and rake are close, rather than overhanging as in
the succeeding Ranch style. Usually, but not always, there is a large chimney and at least one front
facing gable, both echoing Tudor features (McA/ester, p. 478).
Architectural historian Mary Mix Foley terms the type the '~builder's economic house." Foley dates its
emergence with the Great Depression. Foley greatly simplifies the type by presenting a simple and very basic rectangular
plan. The McA/ester definition, noted above, allows for a broader and more useful inclusiveness. The McA/ester
examples all depict elongated side gabled plans but also allow for a front off-center gabled wing. The entryway is usually
into or adjacent to this short projecting front wing. All of the examples are single story although some steeper roof
pitches hint that some livable attic space is present. The McA/ester examples also portray plans with side wings,
breezeways and attached garages to one side (Foley, p. 220).
Following the broader McA/ester definition, the minimal traditional type encompasses any single story tract
house that was built between the Great Depression and the mid-1950s that cannot be categorized by either style or
another accepted type. The later date counterpart of this type is the ranch house. The difficulty then is distinguishing the
two forms (refer to ranch house type, defined below).
A very broad range of single story cottage forms fall under the minimal traditional heading in field surveys and
this is no surprise given that the minimal traditional was the dominant cottage form for a 25 year period. This
construction era coincided with historical events and economic cycles that combined to favor the mass construction of
these very small homes. The square minimal traditional, found in association with 1940-44 and 1945-47 housing
developments, was not addressed either by McA/ester or Foley. The 24x28 foot standard plan is credited to Robert L.
Davison, research director for the John B. Pierce Foundation. It is the square or near square form which dominates the
large plat developments of the early 1940s (Mason, p. 27).
Tl~ree subtypes are defmed for the purpose of this survey project. These are the (1) square, (2) linear, and (3) L-
plan. The (1) square subtype is a squarish single story variant. The gable end can be oriented to the front or side of the
plan and a hip roof can also be used. The linear and L-plan subtypes are cfa later date. The linear subtype most
commonly is side gabled and it presents the longer dimension of its rectangular plan to the street front. The L-plan takes
this same form and orientation and adds an off-center front wing or a shallower cross gable to the facade. The cross
gable can project slightly in a shallow pavihon form (most commonly) or it can be room sized and form an L-plan. As
the ranch house period approaches in the late 1940s, the L-plan becomes the most common of the three subtypes. Further
research into floor plans will help distinguish between these subtypes.
NPS Form ~0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2.52
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,?, Iowa
County and State .......
One characteristic of the rain/mai traditional type, unlike the ranch, is that the windows on the facade are of the
double hung sash type, end these tend to retain their full length. This reflects the increased proportion of window glass
that is put into the ever-shrinking small house. More light disguised the small size of the rooms inside. Windows,
particularly picture windows, ran closer to the floor level to maximize interior light. The porch by this time has atrophied
to a covered entryway, end there are no donners, the roof pitch being too shallow to allow for eny upper level livable
space.
The Lush-on pre-fabricated all steel house is the preeminent example of the minimal traditional type end there are
at least two of these in Dubuque. The Lustrun franchise holders were beset by the refusal of FHA to underwrite the full
cost of the structures end by the initial inability of local crews to achieve the 350 man-hours target promised by the
compeny to complete a house assemblage. The compeny ceased production in mid-1950 as growing debt and steel
shortages impeded output ("Problems of Independent Small Business Lustron Dealers," 1950, pp. 20-21, 65).
The minimal traditional type coincides with the revival of house building in Dubuque in the late 1930s. While
there are no tracts of war workers' housing in the city, the John Deere workers housing, consisting of Colonial Revival
style red brick duplex cottages, exemplifies th/s general type. These houses are worthy of a survey and study.
The Ranch (1938-presen0:
The ranch type is enother California derived house. All call it the "ranch house" but it technically is a cottage,
being just one story high. It first manifests itselfin the very late 1930s but it took another decade before the type is built
in any numbers and its name has public recognition. Its origins are Ymked by some to the Spanish Colonial. The rench
shares many attributes with its bungalow entecedent. Both types originated in California end both were in their own time
associated with a modem popular lifestyle. The ranch offered en untraditional form end plan, one disassociated from war
end the Depression. Both were low profile types end the ranch, orig/nally lacking a raised basement/foundation was
particularly low in profile. Both utilized a broad projecting eaves line although the ranch exhibited no structural
supports. Both types were strongly oriented to the nature end the out-of-doors. Later ranches utilized rear patios and
sliding door access points just as the bungalow used porches, side gardens and terraces accessed by multiple exit points.
To some the ranch is the direct successor to the bungalow end it embodies the same basic principles. John Jalde
states "the ranch movement was rooted in the bungalow craze" and early in its history there was the '~ench bungalow"
that evidenced a cYncect California derivation. The fundamental difference was that the ranch glorified self-indulgence,
replacing style with convenience, and comfort in lieu of beauty. Previously the family fit itself to the house. Now the
house was planned around the needs and tastes of the family. The ranch, unlike its predecessor types, was a home for the
affluent suburbanite. Consequently it has to be sufficiently large (Jakle says six rooms minimum) (Jakle, Common
Houses, p. 183, 186, Clifford, p. 216).
The term "ranch" was not accepted as the donfmant name for this house form until c.1950 according to Jakle. It
was otherwise termed "western," "California bungalow," "contractor modem" or "contemporary" in the interim years
(Jalde, pp. 183-84).
Defining the ranch today is as problematic as tying down the bungalow. Like the bungalow in and after its day,
everyflfmg gabled end rectangular is labeled a ranch. Realtors love the term. Consequent/y the minimal traditional
cottage is lumped into the ranch category. John Jalde has developed what appears to be a very useful basic ranch
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8q]6)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 253
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
typology. 2~ae "standard ranch" consists of a strict rectangular footprint with an attached or integrated garage. It meets
Jakle's s/x-room minimal test. On a narrow lot, the plan is commonly turned sideways and joined on the streetface with
an attached garage or carport. Commonly the form is employed on a wider lot in an effort to differentiate the repeated
use of the same plan. Jakle terms this sub-type the "ranch bungalow." The "minimal ranch" is Jakle's term for the
minimal traditional. While rectangular in plan, the garage is not attached and the plan offers five or fewer rooms. The
"composite ranch" utilizes an irregular plan (L or T var/ants of the rectangular) and a more complicated roof form. A
garage or carport is integrated into the plan. Jalde treats the spht-level as a ranch house subset. Finally he defines the
raised ranch or "split entry" or "bi-level" subtype. Jakle states that it is a variation on the split-level sub-type although he
acknowledges that there are only two living levels in the plan (the split-level has three such levels). This sub-type centers
an entryway between a raised upper level and a raised and exposed basement. Stairs descend and ascend to the two
levels. Jakle terms the sub-type a stow and a half(ibid., pp. 183-94).
The ranch is certa'mly a single stoW house with low roof pitch and broad overhanging eaVes. Gable roofs tend to
be of earlier date and are more associated with the minimal traditional type. Hip roofs are a signature roof form for the
ranch. One very common feature in early ranch houses is the use ora half-high windowin the private portions of the
house. Later designs tend to employ these half-length windows all across the facade. The earlier houses use a composite
picture window, formed by a band (usually three sets) of multi paned lights. Jakle adds a long, wide porch to the ranch
criteria, but many ranch porches use a long but very narrow porch form.
A common early descriptor that was associated with this type was the term "rambler." The word means lacking
plan or system. The earliest ranches had single pile room plans and these rambled off in any direction, frequently
covering several sides ora rear patio area. The earliest ranch examples exhibit this rambling nature. Spanish
architectural influences and the concept of a full or partially enclosed central patio played a central role in the emergence
of the ranch type.
Some early ranch plans present a series of individually roofed segments, almost a row house-like profile. This
ranch form has a taller roof pitch and more closely approximates traditional Colonial Revival form and style. These plans
can have the profile of a stow and a half cottage.
The ranch interior plan consisted of three zones, these being for housework, living activities and private areas.
The housework core combined kitchen, bathrooms and laundry. Multi-functional rooms were the rage. The hygienic
kitchen was transformed into combination play areas, laundry rooms, and project rooms. The living room family room
and dining room merged. The study or office doubled as a guest bedroom. The emergence of a "teen culture" and
improved television and record playing technologies meant that there were quieter parental activities in the living room
and the need to segregate teens to a separate recreation playroom in the basement. Additional half bathrooms guaranteed
that the private zone of the house could stay private (Clifford, pp. 211-216).
The ranch house was largely employed by wealthier homeowners between its initial emergence in the late 1930s
and its post-1945 gradual rise to dominance by the middle-1950s. Its mass adoption is said to have been in response to a
popular demand for a larger house. The type coincided with the trend towards wider and shallower lots and a growing
public interest in greater privacy from adjoining neighbors. Chfford Clark believes that the ranch house popularity was
rooted more in a public perception of a Southwestern relaxed and comfortable lifestyle as much as it was in the house
type itself. This fashion was directly reflected in the massive westward migration that followed the war but which had its
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 254
OMB Approva/ No. 1024~0018
The Arch/tectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque; Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
roots in wartime industrial worker displacement to that region. New heating technologies would allow for transplanting
the type to colder climates (ibid., pp. 210-213).
The ranch houses were first introduced c.1938-40 but failed to achieve any immediate public acceptance. The
first house plans were noted for their "rambling" designs and many consisted of strings of single rooms. The double pile
ranch plan was less capable of rambling. During the final years of World War 1I the housing literature focused on future
house building (given that relatively little building was then going on) and the public, with its accumulated savings and
/ts pent-up demand, anxiously awaited what was promised in postwar house building. Most homebuyers had dreams that
exceeded their means. Public opinion polls taken between 1945 and 1955 still recorded a major/ty opinion in favor of the
traditional house. Public interest in contemporary design increased as one went west in the country. Potential
homebuyers expressed httle interest in style per se but there was a strong interest in "a ranch house or a rambler...which
probably means little else than a one story building." In the North Central and East Central regions about 41 percent of
the potential house buyers favored either the traditional or the contemporary house. The national average was 37 percent
for a Cape Cod (27 percent) or Colonial, and 42 percent for a ranch (24 percent) or contemporary (18 percent). Fully 21
percent favored an unspecified other house type. Potential buyers wanted broader lots although the vast majority of lots
were 40-60 feet w/de. A quarter of all lots measured 60 to 80 feet wide. An apparent casualty to fashion was the demise
of the Tudor Revival style. The ranch would take on surviving Colonial Revival manifestations. As early as 1946, it was
reported that the modem contemporary house had "gained in popularity in recent years" ("What People Want When They
Buy A House," 1955).
Dubuque's wartime and postwar industrial revival produced a house-building revival that coincided with the
emergence of the true ranch house type. By def'mition, this type could only be constructed on larger building lots located
on the bluff tops or the outskirts of the city. Examples are intermixed with earlier houses. A survey and study can
investigate the early emergence (with particular emphasis on pre-World War II late '30s examples) of the type and the
forms in which it was locally expressed.
The Split Level (1938-present):
Most house types had an initial appearance that predated the emergence of a popular mass-appeal variant of the
type. The earliest spht-level plans appeared in 1939 and 1940. The first known large scale builder of the type was
Leonard W. Besinger & Associates, of Oak Park, Illinois. In 1939 that firm built 58 "economy three-level" houses in the
Clarendon Hills Addition, a Chicago suburb. Besinger had previously built only the more expensive class of residences.
While he is not necessarily credited with developing the type, he adapted it to the rolling topography. The ground level
housed a garage and utility room, the main floor dining room, kitchen, and the two bedrooms and bath on the upper level.
The basic house footprint was a near square with a side-gable roof(American Builder, February 1940, pp. 76-77).32
The mass produced split-level was derived from the "builder's economic house" of the 1950s. It provided more
living space than did the ranch and it was mass marketed once the market demand for economical smaller houses was
satiated. The combination one and two-story form performed the still necessary role of varying the vertical profile of the
streetscape. The form itself was built in Iowa as early as 1940 (see the Davenport example above) but its mass popularity
developed as house buyers sought larger houses during the middle 1950s. John Jalde dates its mass-appearance to
c.1950. The split-level was particularly appropriate for hillside developments and made some uneven land parcels
Fort Dodge gained a five-level split-level in 1940 (Register, December 29, 1940).
NPS Po~rn 10-90~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 255
OMB Appmval No. 1024-0018
The Architectm~ and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
suddenly attractive for house building. The split-level, like the ranch added more interior space, sectioned offthe second
living room (the "family room") from the rest of the house (Jakle, p. 191, Foley, pp. 220-21).
John Jakle considers the split-level to be a ranch subset. The plan reflects the theory that a family required three
distinct areas, quiet living areas, noisy living/service areas and sleeping areas. Thus the split-level combines three levels,
a junction ora two-story component with a raised single story wing. He also suggests that the house is better represented
in the period building literature than it is in actual subdivisions (Jakle, p. 191).
Corner Commercial Storefront, c.1880-1920:
Dubuque neig~hborhoods on the fiats offer numerous examples of this impressive property type. In the Couler
Valley the cutting through of cross streets between 20~ and 24~ streets, from Couler (Central) Avenue to Washington
Street, created a number of newly available corner locations. Elabomtely ornamented two story storefronts were
constructed between 1890 and 1909. Frame storefronts, usually single story saloons and groceries, preceded their more
formal replacements on other corners.
Almost all of the examples feature prominent corner rectangular bays or tun'ets. In is probable that the former all
had additional decorative caps or fmials (see 2600 Central Avenue pictured below). Angled corner entryways are placed
below these. Storefronts are of cast iron construction. The facade and frequently the exposed side wall feature multiple
horizontal bandings (water table, lintel or sill belt courses, parapet lines). Very elaborate carved stone lintels are also
favored. The earliest examples are plain stone arches or flat lintels. Later examples feature floral incised decorative
patterns. The fmal examples, dating to the 1890s up to World War I, are more elaborate with keystones, spring stones,
and colored designs. Some of these could be cast stone in composition.
2601 Jackson Street (pre-1891) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
The storefront presented above is the last-surviving corner frame commercial building in the lower Couler Valley
(Phase I survey area). The north half of the building is of hr/ok construction. The complex certainly predates1891 at
which time it housed a saloon.
NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 256
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
400 East 22'd Street (pre-1891) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This example is the earliest documented form of the more substantial brick comer storefront. Its early date is
attested by the use of semi-elliptical brick window arches and a solid stone lintel across the storet~ont. An identical
example is found at 2162 Washington Street.
2600 Central Avenue (1898) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
2600 Jackson Street (1903) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 257
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and l-I/storical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque Count-?, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
This later example likely had a decorative cap or f'mial treatment on the bay, but it adds a commemorative
pediment and a polychrome storefront patterning of brick and stone layers.
607 East 22na Street, A. C. ?ancratz Grocery (1900) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This final example, while also a comer storefront, is without the comer turret or bay. A double storefront on a
major east-west arterial, this storefront nicely exhibits the exaggerated pediment, metal cornice, brick parapet wall, and
elaborately carved stone lintels, alt of which typify Dubuque neighborhood storefi:onts.
The Commercial Front Row House/Duplex:
A number of row house and duplex examples located in the lower Couler Valley appear to assume a commercial
faCade, basically a combination of elaborate faCade and parapet brickwork. The properties combine vernacular elements
(stone foundation, paired entryways with transoms, rear recessed corner porches, the lack of front porches in most cases,
the narrow and tall footprint, the preference for brick, and elaborate brick and stone lintel designs and detailing) with
stylistic ones (pa/red windows, a central triangular pediment, horizontal patternings).
Single family row house (1900) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This example, possibly a duplex from the start, presents a single frontage version of this type. Note the unique
brick and stone combination lintels, the lack of a front porch, the combination metal and brick cornice and pediment, and
the paired upper windows.
NPS Form 1(~900 a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2,58
OMB Approval NO. f024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
2255-57 Jackson Street (1891-92) (photo by Jim Jacobsen, March 7, 2000)
This is a duplex example of the type. The traditional lines of the vernacular duplex are retained but the fagade is
very formally treated. Large windows and transoms below are balanced with paired windows above. The pediment and
parapet wall merge and are fully executed in brick. Horizontal design lines dominate on the faqade.
NPS Form 10 900 a
IRev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 259
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~y
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Registration Requirements:
Registration Requirements: Single Family Residential Property Type:
Description:
This property type includes single-family houses which are either detached buildings or attached row houses.
Single-faafily residences set above commercial storefronts are excluded here but are subsets of either the commercial or
the multiple family property types. Church parsonages, the Linwood Cemetery house/office, and any individual
residential quarters located in an institutional setting are included under this property type. The many types and styles of
this property type are defined in the style/type typology (see above).
Siginficance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
Dubuque appears to retain a record number of this property type and a special effort is recommended to inventory
these properties. Groupings of residences from this period are found in the Jackson Park Historic District but otherwise
they appear to be scattered throughout the city. "True" vernacular properties most likely date to this earliest period and
should be sought out. A property can be nominated under Criterion A, B or D for its historical significance under this
context. Under Criterion A the property has to have a documented effect on the overall development of the early city.
Under Criterion B, the property must have a direct association with a significant individual. Under Criterion D, the
property is significant for its information potential better understanding the development of the city.
National Re~ister Listed/Eligible Properties:
1095 3~ Street, Edward Langworthy House, Octagon Style, 1856-57, NRHP
719 West 3~a Street, Late Victorian, 1855, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
755-57 West 3d Street, Second Empire, 1855, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1095 West 3~a, Octagon, no date (Kfiviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
340 West 56, J. H. Thedinga House, Colonial Revival, 1840/1855, NRi-IP CKriviskey recommendation,
national/state significance)
508 West 7m, Joseph A. Khomberg House, Greek Revival, 1856, DOE
264 Alpine Street, Solon Langworthy House, Greek Revival, 1856, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
38 Bluff Street, Greek Revival, 1850, DOE, NKHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
103 Bluff Street, Federal, 1855, DOE
474 Bluff Street, Greek Revival, 1855, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2810 Cascade Road, John Palmer, Second House, Greek Revival, no date, DOE
690 Fenelon Place, Federal Style, c.1855 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
710 Fenelon Place, Federal Style, c. 1855 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1572 Iowa Street, Gable Front, 1855, NRHP
NP$ Form
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 260
OMB Approval NO, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~
Dubuque Count~, Iowa
County and State ......
1578 Iowa Street, I-House, 1855, NRItP
2241 Lincoln Avenue, Mathias Ham House, Italianate, 1839/57, NRHP (local landmark)
19 Locust Street, Edward/Ahem House, Italianate, 1856, DOE
1204 Mount Loretta Street, Johann Christian Frederick Rath House, Neo-~lassical/Greek Revival,
1296 Mount Pleasant Street, Ora Holland House, Neo-Classical, 1855, NRHP
274 Southern Avenue, Kelley House, mid-19t~ Century, 1855, NRHP
365 Southern Avenue, Nicholas Thornton House, I-House, 1856, DOE
503 Southern Avenue, Irish stone barn, DOE-considerably altered (stone shell only)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
757 West 3rd Street, John King-Barmeier House, Second Empire, 1850
Eagle Point Park, William Newman Log House, 1833
732 Fenelon Place, Scott-Wilson House, Italianate, 1857
1192 Locust Street, Fred Weigel House, Italianate, t 854-55, 1866
597 Loras Blvd., Italianate, 1855-60
3035 Pennsylvania Avenue, Greek Revival, no date
Context g~2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
A great many surviving properties represent this period of exponential growth. A property can be nominated
under Criterion A, B or D for its historical significance under this context. Under Criterion A the property has to have a
documented effect on the overall development of the city during these years. A house construction might have led the
way to the development of a particular district and many larger properties housed important local religious and
educational institutions. Properties can interpret the story of the several significant ethnic populations in the city. Under
Criterion B, the property must have a direct association with a significant individual. Many houses can interpret and
represent the working careers of significant commercial and industrial leaders for whom work-related proporties are no
longer extant. Under Criterion D, the property is significant for its information potential better understanding the
development of the city.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
541 West 3rd Street, Joseph J. Steil House, Italianate, 1865, DOE (ICriviskey recommendation, local sigrfificance)
655 West 3d Street, Neo-Classical, 1865, DOE
660 West 3~a Street, Neo-Classical, 1865, DOE
705 West 3~a Street, Neo-Classical, 1860, DOE
729 West 3~a Street, late-Victorian, 1860, DOE
793 West 3~ Street, late-Victorian, 1875, DOE
804 West 3~a, Nco-Classical, 1880, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
890 West 3~a Street, Jacob K. Rich-Spahn House, Italianate, late 1860s/1875, DOE (YCriviskey recommendation,
local significance)
990 West 3~ Street, Queen Anne, 1890, DOE
1036 West 3~ Street, Late Victor/an, no date, DOE
1045 West 3ra Street, Queen Anne, 1890, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1057 West 3~a Street, Second Empire, 1870, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
NPS Form 10 90~a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of HiStoric Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 26]
The Architectm'al and Historical Resottrces of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Cotmty and State .......
1084 West 3~a Street, Italianate, 1870, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
535 West 5th Street, Nco-Classical, 1860, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
794 West 5n Street, late Victorian, 1889, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
639 West 3rd Street, Italianate, 1870, DOE
804 West 3d Street, Classical Revival, c.1880 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1491 West 3~ Street, Italianate, 1870, DOE
508 West 7t~ Street, Federal Revival, c.1860 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1005 West l0n Street, Romanesque, 1880, DOE, NRHP (3Lriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
563 West 11n Street, Second Empire, 1874, DOE
636 West 11a Street, late Victorian, 1860, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
75 West 17n Street, Victorian Eclectic, c.1875, NRI-W (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
175 West 17n Street, Italianate/modified, c. 1870, NRHP (ICriviskey recommendation, local significance)
260 West 17th Street, Queen Anne, 1893, DOE
265 West 17th Street, Queen Anne, 1885, DOE
325 North Alpine Street, Neo-Classical, no date, (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
431 North Alpine Street, Neo-Classical, 1875, DOE 0Q-iviskey recommendation, local significance)
586 Arlington Street, Greek Revival, 1860, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
637 Arlington Street, Italianate, 1865, DOE, NRItP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
51-53 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1860, DOE, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
125 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1890
186 Bluff Street, Queen Ann, 1890, DOE
221 Bluff Street, Gothic Revival, no date, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
231 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1870, DOE, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
392 Bluff Street, mid-19n Century, 1860, NRHP
409 Bluff Street, Second Empire, 1875, NRI-IP
417 Bluff Street, Neo-Classical, 1875, NRI-IP
432 Bluff Street, mid-19~ Century, 1860, N1LI-IP
436 Bluff Street, mid-19a Century, 1865, NRHP
445 Bluff Street, mid-19~ Century, ~
448 Btuff Street, mid-19a Century, 1860, NRI-IP
504 Bluff Street, Augustus A. Cooper House, Queen Anne/Romanesque, 1888/1894, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey
recommendation, national/state significance)
567 Bluff Street, Second Empire, 1870, NP,_HP
[679 Bluff Street, mixed, 1890, listed RHP, delisted NRHP]
721 Bluff Street, Gable fi'ont, 1865, ~
759 Bluff Street, late Victorian, 1890, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
940 Bluff Street, Neo-Classical, 1880, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
945 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1880, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
961 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1860, NRHP
970 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, t 890, NRHP
1005 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1865, ~
1015 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1865, NP, HP
1025 Bluff Street, Second Empire, 1875, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1038 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1890, NRHP
NPS Form 1C~900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 262
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
1047 Bluff Street, mid- 19~ Century, 1860, NRItP
1157 Bluff Street, Gable front, 1870, NRHP
1175 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1890, NTRI-IP
1240 Bluff Street, Greek Revival, 1860, NRI-IP
1449 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1865, NRItP
1461 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1885, NRHP
1499 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1880, NRItP
1599 Bluff Street, Nee-Classical, 1885, NRHP
2404 Broadway Street, Greek Revival, 1860, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2440 Broadway Street, Second Empire, 1875, DOE
2447 Broadway Street, Italianate, 1875, DOE
2452 Broadway Street, Italianate, 1870, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2500 Broadway Street, Queen Anne, (1845?), DOE
2518 Broadway Street, Italianate, t 880, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2527 Broadway Street, Italianate, 1860, DOE (IG-iviskey recommendation, local significance)
385 Burch Street, Itahanate, 1875, DOE 0QSviskey recommendation, local significance)
2810 North Cascade Road, John Palmer, First House, Side gable, no date, DOE
2133 Central Avenue, Second Empire, 1884-90, DOE (Phase II survey recommendation)
2243 Central Avenue, Italianate, 1880, DOE (Phase II survey recommendation)
2461 Central Avenue, Italianate, 1890, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
2499 Central Avenue, Itahanate, 1880, DOE (phase I survey recommendation)
3135 Central Avenue, Italianate, no date, DOE
632 Chestnut Street, Italianate, 1860, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
79 Diagonal Street, Queen Anne, c.1890 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
432, 434, 436 Emmett Street, Italianate, 1870, DOE
480 Emmett Street, Nee-Classical/Dubuque vernacular, 1880, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
800 English Lane, McMahon House, Nee-Classical, 1861, NKHP
695 Fenelon Place, Italianate, no date (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
732 Fenelon Place, Italianate, c.1865 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2081 Garfield, 1870-1880, vernacular (phase II survey recommendation)
1106 Grove Terrace, I-House, 1880, NRHP
1206 Grove Terrace, Benton M. Harger House, Victorian Gothic, 1890 (Gothic Revival, 1865?) DOE
1207 Grove Terrace, Gothic Revival, c.1865, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
1292 High Bluff, pre-1891, vernacular (Phase II survey recommendation)
1133 Highland, Italianate, c. 1865+, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1363 Iowa Street, Nee-Classical, 1880, NRHP
1450 Iowa Street, Second Empire, 1870, NKHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1504 Iowa Street, late Victorian, 1890, NKItP
1534 Iowa Street, Gable front, 1860, NKHP
1592 Iowa Street, mid-19~ Century, 1860, NRHP
1637 Iowa Street, Queen Anne, 1893, NRHP
1638 Iowa Street, Second Empire, 1875, NRHP
1670 Iowa Street, Italianate, 1865, NRHP
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 263
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property'
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
1678 Iowa Street, late Victorian, 1890, NRHP
1699 Iowa Street, Gothic Revival/Carpenter, c.1885, NRHP (iC-iviskey recommendation, local significance)
2082 Jackson Street, stone side gable, 1863, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
2282 Jackson Street, 1863, vernacular (Phase I survey recommendation)
571 Jefferson Street, Italianate, 1865, DOE
314 Jones Street, Greek Revival/Dubuque vernacular, 1870, DOE, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local
significance)
320-22 Jones Street, Gothic Revival/Dubuque vernacular, 1880, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
Locust & 10e, Romanesque, c. 1890, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
Locust & 14~, English Gothic, c. 1875, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
Locust & 15e streets, Richardsonian Romanesque, c. 1890, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state
significance)
315 North Locust Street, Queen Anne, 1890, DOE, NP, JtP (Kriviskey recommendahon, local significance)
346 North Locust Street, Colonial Revival, 1890, DOE (Sommer recommends as vm'nacular double house,
recommends for further investigation)
363 North Locust Street, Nco-Classical, 1895, DOE
396 North Locust Street, Dubuque Vernacular, c.1880, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
911 North Locust Street, Romanesque Revival, c. 1893, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1005 North Locust Street, Queen Anne, c.1890, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1182 North Locust Street, Second Empire modified, c.1875, NKi-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
1192 North Locust Street, Italianate, c. 1865, NRI:IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1243 North Locust Street, Itahanate, c.1860, NRItP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1268 North Locust Street, Nco-Classical, 1865, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1320 North Locust Street, Eastlake, c. 1880, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
1344 North Locust Street, mid-19e Century, 18695, DOE
1375 Locust Street, William Andrew House, Italianate, 1866, NRHP (ICriviskey recommendation, national/state
significance)
1389 Locust Street, William Ryan House, Italianate, 1870/73, DOE (local landmark), NRHP (Kriviskey
recommendation, local significance)
464 Loras, Dubuque Vm'nacular, c.1860, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
509 Loras, Queen Anne, c. 1890, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
597 Loras, Italianate, c. 1865, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
464 Loras Blvd., Nco-Classical, 1860, DOE
509 Loras Blvd., Queen Anne, 1890, DOE
597 Loras Blvd., Italianate, 1865, DOE
t295 Loras Blvd., Italianate, 1880, DOE
1921 Madison Street, Queen Anne, no date, DOE
1337 Main Street, Chas. H. Eighmey House, Queen Anne/Neo-Classical modification, 1880/92, DOE, NRHP
(Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1433 Ma/n Street Street, Italian_ate, 1865, DOE, ~ (ICriviskey recommendation, local sigrfificance)
1455 Main Street, Italianate, c.1865, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
1491 Main Street, no style, c.t870, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8~86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic PlaceS
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 264
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
1611 Ma'm Street, Second Empire, c. 1875, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1640 Main Street, Robinson-Lacy House, Second Empire, 1870
1650 Mffm Street, Second Empire, c.1870, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1209 Prairie, Italianate, c. 1865, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1295 Prffn-ie, Italianate, c.1865, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
704 Providence, 1880s, vernacular (Phase II survey recommendation)
2412 Queen, 1891, vernacular (Phase I survey recommendation)
205 Southern Avenue, Gable front, 1881, DOE
354 Southern Avenue, Gable front, 1875, DOE
387 Southern Avenue, I-House, 1865, DOE
455 Southern Avenue, Gable front, 1870, DOE
448 Summit Street, Italianate, 1865, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
875 University Avenue, Queen Anne, no date, DOE
1020 University Avenue, Queen Anne, no date, DOE
1025 Walnut Street, Second Empire, c. 1880, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1651 White Street, Second Empire, 1891, NRHP
2414 Windsor, 1870, vernacular (Phase ]I survey recommendation)
2531 Windsor, 1880, vernacular (Phase II surv6y recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
504 22~d Street, vernacular, story and a half, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual investigation)
711 22~a Street, vernacular, not dated (Sommer recommends as cross roof plan for investigation)
701 Bluff Street, George W. Healy House, Second Empire, no date
10~ and Bluff streets, Col. D. E. Lyon House, Italianate, no date
2441 Broadway Street, Italianate, no date
2509 Broadway Street, story and a half vernacular, not dated (Sommer recommends as vernacular for
investigation)
300 Central Avenue, Queen Anne, no date
3087 Central Avenue, Queen Anne, 1880s
40 Clarke Drive, Adam/Federal townshouse, no date (Sommer recommends as vernacular, for investigation)
581 Clarke Drive, Dr. Ernest M. Porter House, Italianate, 1872-75
1212 Elm Street, vernacular, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual investigation, "early example")
565 Fenelon Place, Harry Tredway House, Queen Anne, 1880s
788 Fenelon Place, Hattie Scott House, Second ]Empire, 1880
690 Fenelon Place, Cunningham House, Adam/Federal, 1865
710 Fenelon Place, Cox House, Adam/Federal, no date
1063 Highland Place, Greek RevivaVltalianate derivative, not dated (Sommer recommends as vernacular for
investigation)
1133 Highland Place, Italianate/Queen Anne, no date
1163 Highland Place, Italianate, no date
1209 Highland Place, Greek Revival/Italianate derivative, not dated (Sommer recommends as vernacular for
investigation)
1245 Highland Place, Italianate, no date (Sommer recommends as vernacular, for individual investigation)
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8~86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 265
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Prope[W
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
1295 Highland Place, Italianate, no date (Sommer recommends as vernacular, for individual investigation)
389 Hill Street, Itahanate, no date
2615 Hitlarest Street, Welbas House, Greek Revival, no date
1263, 1267 Jackson Street, no date (Sommer recommends as vernacular cross roof plan for investigation)
1815 Jackson Street, Italianate, 1884o91
2955 Jackson Street, Queen Anne, no date (Sommer recommends as vernacular for investigation)
1105 Locust Street, F. D. Stout House, Richardsoulan Romanesque, 1890-91
1182 Locust Street, Alfred Tredway House, Second Empire, late 1870s
1330 Locust Street, Italianate, no date
1394 Locust Street, Dennis Cooley House, Second Empire, 1866
1552 Locust Street, Second Empire, no date
489 Loras Avenue, Second Empire, no date
1491 Main Street, Young House, Second Empire, 1875
1611 Main Street, Second Empire, no date
1640 Main Street, Robinson-Lacy House, Second Empire, 1878
1871 North Main, Italianate, no date
652 Needham Place, Second Empire, no date
1012 Rhomberg Street vernacular, single story and a half, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual
investigation)
1016 Rhomberg Street, vernacular, story and a half, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual investigation)
333 Villa Street, Italianate, no date
1025 Walnut Street, Second Empire, no date
340 Wartburg Place, Italianate, no date
1215 Washington Street, vernacular, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual investigation, "early example")
1543 Washington Street, vernacular, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual investigation, "early example")
1651 White Street, Second Empire, no date
888 Yale Court, Herancourt House, Adam/Federal, no date
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910:
Some of Dubuque's largest and most magnificent residential properties date to th/s final period of substantial city
growth. A property can be nominated under Criterion A, B or D for its historical significance under this context. Under
Criterion A the property has to have a documented effect on the overall development of the city. Under Criterion B, the
property must have a direct association with a significant individual. Under Criterion D, the property is significant for its
information potential better understanding the development of the city.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
900 West 3rd Street, Lester C. Bissell House, Queen Anne, 1891, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
971 West 3rd Street, Queen Anne, 1900, DOE
990 West 3rd Street, Neo-Classical, no date, DOE
1027 West 3rd Street, Neo-Classical, 1900, DOE
1072 West 3rd Street, Queen Anne, 1895, DOE
NPS Form 10-900-a
IRev. 8-861
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 266
OMB Approval No. I02#-0015
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
863 West 5~ Street, Gothic.Revival, 1900, DOE
904 West 5~ Street, Late Victorian, 1900, DOE
955 West 5th Street, Neo-Classical, 1900, DOE
495 West 7~ Street, Late Victorian, 1895, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
612 8~ Street, Neo-Classical, no date, DOE
674 8~ Street, Late Victorian, no date, DOE
809 8t~ Street, Neo-Classical, no date, DOE
360 West 11~ Street, Classical Revival, 1901, NRHP (ICriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
510 West 11~ Street, Queen Anne, 1895, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
524 West 11~ Street, Neo-Classical, 1900, DOE, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
560 West 11~ Street, Neo-Classical, 1900, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
563 West 11~ Street, Second Empire, c.1895, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1220 West 12~ Street, Late Victorian, 1900, DOE
135 West 17t~ Street, Queen Anne, c.1895, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
195 West t7~ Street, Italianate eclectic, c.1900, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
325 Alpine Street, General Warner Lewis/John T. Adams House, Federal, rebuilt as Italianate, 1854/1900
1380 Auburn Street, Colonial Revival, no date, DOE
114 Bluff Street, Dubuque Vernacular, c. 1900, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
205 Bluff Street, Classical Revival. 1904, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2444 Broadway Street, Neo-Classical, 1905, DOE (Kriviskey recommendation, local si~ficanee)
2500 Broadway Street, Queen Anne, c.1895 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
512 Fanelon Place, Classical Revival, c.1895 (Kriviskey recommendation, local sigrfificance)
975 Grove Terrace, Neo-Ctassical, 1900, DOE
990 Grove Tencace, Queen Anne 1895, DOE
1095 Grove Terrace, Neo-Classical, 1900, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1105 Grove Terrace, Charles T. Hancock House, Queen Anne 1895, NRI:IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
1295 Grove Terrace, Queen Anne, 1895, DOE
1105 Highland Place, Queen Anne, no date, DOE (also evaluated as Mission style, late date?)
1684 Iowa Street, no style, 1898, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2006 Jackson Street, Dr. Frank Myers House and Office, Neo-Classical, 1909, DOE (Phase I survey
recommendation)
2546 Jackson Street, 1910, Classical Revival (includes contractor's shed 2545 White) (Phase I survey
recommendation)
2568 Jackson Street, Queen Anne 1900, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
561 Jefferson Street, Neo-Classical, 1895, DOE, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1090 Lungworthy, J. Garland House, Colonial Revival, t907, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state
significance)
1302 Lincoln, 1898, vernacular (Phase H survey recommendation)
9 Locust Street, Nicholas M. Sutton House, Gable ~ont, 1909, DOE (more recently evaluated as ineligible)
1145 Locust Street, H. L. Stout House, Queen Anue, 1895, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
1492 Locust Street, Benj. B. Richards/T. Ellsworth House, Queen Anue, 1883/1898, DOE, NKHP (Kriviskey
recommendation, local significance)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F
Page 267
OMB ,~pproval No. I024-~018
The Architectaral and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
199 West Loras Blvd., Queen Anne, 1900, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
4900 Peru Road, Burden House, Spanish Revival/Mission, 1908, DOE
712 Providence, pre-1909, Queen Anne (Phase I survey recommendation)
2545 White Street, 1910, contractors shed 1/nked to 2546 Jackson (Phase I survey recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
512 Fenelon Place, Trewin-Huntoon House, Colonial Revival, 1897
5 t4 Fenelon Place, Jay Farwell House, Colonial Revival, 1910
541 Fenelon Place, Peter J. Seippel House, Classical Revival, no date
2044 Jackson Street, Colonial Revival, 1900
2548 Jackson Street, Colonial Revival, 1910
1005 Locust Street, Dr. James Guthrie House, Classical Revival, no date
1595 Montrose Street, Classical Revival, no date
1207 Prairie Street, Gothic Revival, no date
Context ~4, An Em of Stability, 1910-1955:
Dubuque is perhaps unique in that residential construction was severely limited during this time period, in
contrast to other Iowa cities. Consequently there are fewer examples of this property type for each style and there is a
decreased likelihood that these will cluster in any single neighborhood. A property can be nominated under Criterion A,
B or D for its historical significance under this context. Under Criterion A the property has to have a documented effect
on the overall development of the early city. Under CriteiSon B, the property must have a direct association with a
significant individual. Under Criterion D, the property is significant for its information potential better understanc~mg the
development of the city.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
660 West 3~a Street, Craftsman/Bungalow, 1920, DOE
1028 West 3d Street, Craftsman/Bungalow, 1920, DOE
1036 West 3d Street, Mission, no date (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1083 West 3~d Street, Colonial Revival, 1921, DOE
1087 West 3~ Street, Colonial Revival, 1920, DOE
370 West 6t~ Street, Art Deco, c.1930, NRI-I? (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
500 West 70* Street, Tudor Revival, no date, DOE
9 Algona Street, Spanish Colonial Revival, no date, DOE
2001 Alta Vista Street, Dalsing House, Tudor Revival, 1923, DOE
160 South Grandview Avenue, T. Ben Loescher House, 1920, NRHP
1105 Highland Place, Mediterranean, c.1915, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1125 Highland Place, Italian Rermaissance, 1915, DOE
1454 Iowa Street, Stmeber Funeral Home, Art Deco/International, 1939, NRHP
1472 Iowa Street, International, c.1940, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
2545 Jackson Street, Ulrich Willy House and Contractor's Yard, 1910, Neo-Classical, DOE
1307 Lincoln, 1920, vernacular (Phase II survey recommendation)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 265
OMB Approval NO. I024-~018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County. Iowa
County and State .......
1309 Lincoln, 1918, Craftsman bungalow (Phase II survey recommendation)
1616 Lincoln, t 925, foursquare (Phase II survey recommendation)
2183 Lincoln, 1925, vernacular (Phase 11 survey recommendation)
1155 Locust Street, Classical Revival, 1931, NRHP (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
1965 Prescott, 1945, Tudor Revival (Phase II survey recommendation)
500 Prospect Street, Tudor, 1925 (Kriviskey recommendation, local sigrfificance)
628 Rhomberg, 1923, Craftsman bungalow (Phase II survey recommendation)
2001 Rhomberg, 1934, Craftsman bungalow (Phase II survey recommendation)
2001 Rhomberg, 1948, Modeme (Phase 1I survey recommendation)
723 Ries, 1930, Tudor Revival (Phase 11 survey recommendation)
2542 Stafford, 1920, Colonial Revival (Phase II survey recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
95 South Grandview Avenue, Craftsman/Aeroplane bungalow, no date
t20 South Grandview Avenue, Art Modeme, 1939
535 South Grandview Avenue, Art Moderne, 1939
1130 South Grandview Avenue, Tudor Revival, 1928
1144 South Grandview Avenue, Art Moderne, 1935
1160 South Grandview Avenue, McCoy House, French Eclectic, 1928-30
Kirkwood and Alta Vista streets, John G. Kuehnle House, Tudor Revival, 1924
999 Kirkwood Street, Spanish Eclectic, no date
1761 Plymouth Street, Ward Donovan House, Prairie, no date
1781 Plymouth Street, Ward Dunovan House, Craftsman/bungalow, no date
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
A property can be nominated under Criterion C if it meets the criteria set forth in the style/type typology (see
above) and if it represents a significant example of a particular style or type.
(the same property lists appended above apply to this context)
Unassigned Properties:
These residential properties lack dates and cannot be assigned to a particular context.
462 West 3ra Street, DOE
495 West 3~a Street, DOE
1005 West 10~ Street, DOE
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 269
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and H/storical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Registration Requirements:
· Individual residential properties must be directly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to present.
· Individual residential properties must have a direct and significant association with one or more of the
established historical contexts, which are defined in this document.
· Individual residential properties eligible under Criterion A must retain the integrity aspects of location, design
and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original location, and its
original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity aspects of
setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss does not
disqualify eligibility.
· Individual residential properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retain the same integrity aspects
required for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and materials must at least be minimally
reflected in the visible fagade.
· Individual residential properties eligible under Criterion C must represent a significant style, type, period or
method of constmcfion. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property represents a once
common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels of significance
because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the property represents
and interprets the working career of a notable artist, architect, engineer or landscape architect and explains how
that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses high artistic
qualifies, which characterize the architectural heritage of Dubuque. Finally significance is possessed if the
property represents local vernacular architecture or stylistic vernacular adaptations.
· imdividual residential properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential to yield
information through archeological treatment. For subsurface remains of buildings, structures or objects,
it is expected that the integrity aspects of materials, workmanslfip, and the cumulative aspects of feeling
and association are sufficiently retained so that the property is recognizable and qualifies to yield
information. For the subsurface remains of dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the
deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The individual nomination form must identify key research
questions to be answered and must explain how the information yielded from the property w/Il shed light
on these questions.
Registration Requirements: Multiple-family Residential Property Type:
Description:
The styles/types of this property type are treated in the styles/tyPes section (see above). Targeted research is
required to sort out the many multiple property forms, which are commonplace in the city. Newspaper accounts refer to
frame and brick double houses, tenements, flats, flats above stores (treated under Commercial properties), apartment
buildings, duplexes and so on. Tenements are the hardest of these to define. Individually owned row houses are
excluded despite the fact that many "rows" were constructed by multiple owners using a unified plan/architect. Double
houses were valued as a means by which a homeowner could use half of his property to support the purchase ora more
substantial housing investment. Some double houses were built one half at a time. Double houses are the most
commonplace in Dubuque and are found in all parts of the city but are principally concentrated in the Phase I and Phase
1I survey areas and in the several fiat-land listed resident/al districts. They are commonly vernacular adaptations of
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 270
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Cotmty and State .......
stylistic and urban forms. Brick appears to dominate in preference until c.1906. The several basic forms are described in
the v~-nacular portion of the architectural context. Research is recommended to determine the degree to which multiple
family house types were more or less likely to be non-owner occupied. Conve~ed single-family housing is excluded
from th/s property type.
Significance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
A few double houses are known to exist from this period and these are of particular interest as early examples of
this common Dubuque type. The stone house on East 14~ Street, pictured elsewhere in this report is the best example
and a rare all-stone example.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
755-57West3 Street, Vemacular/Second Empire, c.1855 (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
1100-34 Locust Street, rowhouse, Adam/Federal, no date
1215 Washington Street, triple unit rowhouse, Adams/Federal, no date
1129-31 White Street, duplex, Adams/Federal, no date
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Multiple-family house types were more commonly built during the later years of this period and are significant
because they provided close-in housing for city residents. Other types, flats in particular, begin to become more common
place in the later years of this contextual period.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
464-66 West 3~a Street, Dubuque Vernacular, c.1865, ~ (Kr/viskey recommendation, local significance)
675-77 West 3'a Street, Classical Revival, 1860, DOE
331-39 West 4~ Street, Queen Anne, 1890, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
44244 West 5th Street, Italianate, 1860,DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
586-90 Arlington Street, Dubuque Vernacular, c.1860, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
63741 Arlington Street, Dubuque Vernacular, c.1865, ~ (IG-iviskey recommendation, local significance)
186-190-196 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, c. 1890, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
479481 Bluff Street, I-House, no date, NRHP
493-95 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1895, DOE, ~ (Kdviskey recommendation, local significance)
42541 Btuff Street, Queen Anne, 1900, NRI-W
549-27 Bluff Street, Second Empire, 1879 (aka 605 Bluff Street), NPd~
605-21 Bluff Street, Second Empire, 1860/1879, N1GtP (Kriviskey recommendation, local sigrfificance)
653-55 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1860, NRHP
NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Shoot
Section number F Page 27!
OMB Approva/ No. 1024~018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
701-03 Bluff Street, George Healy House, Queen Anne, 1890, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
729-31 Bluff Street, 1-House, 1865, NRI-IP
743-45 Bluff Street, I-House, 1881, NRHP
949-25 Bluff Street, Italianate, t865, ~
1004-22 Bluff Street, Queen Anne, 1890, NRHP
1219~29 Bluff Street, Mid-19~ Century, 1860, NRHP
123543 Bluff Street, Late Victorian, 1855, NRHP
1273-75 Bluff Street, 1-House, 1860, NRHP
1293-97Bluff Street, Second Empire, 1870, NRHP
1323-25 Bluff Street, Greek Revival, 1865, ~
1335-37 Bluff Street, Italienate, 1865, NRHP
1353-55 Bluff Street, Adams/Federal, 1860, NRHP
1390 Bluff Street, no style, 1891, NRHP
143941 Bluff Street, I-House, 1865, NRHP
1491 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1860, ~
1501-03 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1875, NRI-IP
1509-11 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1875, ~
1535-37 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1875, NRHP
1551-53 Bluff Street, Italianate, 1885, NRItP
1571-73 Bluf£ Street, Italianate, 1875, NRHP
1589-91 Bluff'Street, Italianate, 1875, NRHP
2130-34 Central Avenue, Beaux Arts, 1991, DOE
432-34-35 Emmet Street, Dubuque Vernacular, c.1870, NRFIP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
929-31 Garfield, 1881, vernacular (Phase 1I survey recommendation)
94345 High Bluff, 1867, vernacular "Mississippi Valley" (Phase 1I survey recommendation)
1428-30 Iowa Street, Late Victorian, 1891, NP,~P
1594-96 Iowa Street, Second Empire, 1875, ~
1610-14 Iowa Street, no style, 1865, NRI-IP
1658-60 Iowa Street, Late Victorian, 1885, ~
1659-77 Iowa Street, Italianate, 1860, ~
320-22 West Jones, Dubuque Vernacular, c.1865, NRttP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
53-55 North Locust Street, Late Italianate, 1882, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
324-26 North Locust Street, Italianate, 1875, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
34648 North Locust Street, Queen Anne, c. 1895, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
363-65 North Locust Street, Classical Revival, c.1895, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
975-97 North Locust Street, Queen Anne, 1890, DOE, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1255-57 North Locust Street, Italianate Townhouse, c.1865
1552-54 North Locust Street, Queen Anne, c.1885 1560-68 Iowa Street, no style, c.1898, NRHP (Kriviskey
recommendation, local significance)
1590-92 North Locust Street Dubuque Vernacular, c.1860 1560-68 Iowa Street, no style, c.1898, NRHP
(Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
1631-33 North Main Street, Eclectic/Second Empire, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
483-89-95 Loras Blvd., Second Empire, 1875, DOE
NPS Form 10-900~a
{Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 272
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Proper~y
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State .......
2301-03 White, 1884-91, vernacular (Phase I survey recommendation)
Recommended for further smd? and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
471-73-89-91 West 4~ Street, vernacular, not dated, (Sommer recommends as "early example," for individual
investigation)
2nd and Bluff streets, Queen Anne townhouse, no date
5~ and Bluff streets, Queen Anne rowhouse, 1890s
2130-34 Central Avenue, Beaux Arts, 1891-1902
2555-65 Cental Avenue, Craftsman, no date
Davis Street, St. Francis Convent, Second Empire, no date
1913 - 17 Jackson Street, Second Empire, 1886
2070-72 Jackson Street, Richardsonian Romanesque, no date
975 Locust Street, triple unit rowhouse, Italianate, no date
1025-37 Locust Street, triple unit rowhouse, Second Empire, no date
1100-1150 Main Street, six unit rowhouse, Second Empire, no date
1455 Main Street, duplex, Italianate, no date
42749 Summ/t Street, vernacular, not dated (Sommer recommends as vernacular for investigation)
1129-31 White Street, vernacular, not dated, (Sommer recommends individual investigation)
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893 - 1910:
The full range of multiple family house types were built during this final period of large-scale growth. Builders
like Chris Voelker promoted duplex purchases as a preferred route to home ownership and builders first offered concrete
block built duplexes and fiats. The formal apartment building is relatively rare in the city but experienced its first
application in the final years of this context.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
264-66 West 17m Street, Queen Anne Townhouse, c.1895 1560-68 Iowa Street, no style, c.1898, NRHP
(Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
265-67 West 17~ Street, Queen Anne, c.1885 1560-68 Iowa Street, no style, c.1898, NRHP (Kr/viskey
recommendation, local significance)
2130-34 Central Avenue, 1891-1902, Beaux Arts flats (Phase I survey recommendation)
1560-68 Iowa Street, no style, c. 1898, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
530-544-550-560 Loras Blvd., Rermaissance Revival, 1895, DOE, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified.
NPS Form 10-900-a
IRev. $ 86}
United States Department of the Intarior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page ?-73
OMB Approva/ AIo.
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Context #4, An Era of Stahihty, 1910-1955:
Multi-family housing types grew more common as it became more ddfficult in the post-World War I years to
provide owner-owned housing for working class families. Housing supply became scarce and renting was increasingly
the only option or at least a short-term one. Apartment blocks were more commonplace.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
1265-67 Bluff Street, Foursquare, 1910, NRHP
2001 Shiras, apartment house, Art Deco, 1937-38 (Phase II survey recommendation)
2222 Washington, 1891-1909, vamacular (part of a dish-ict) (Phase I survey recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
Multi-family housing expressed both stylistic and vernacular applications and the two are hard to distinguish.
Later apartment blocks utilized Craftsman style and experimented with rusticated concrete block construction.
(the same property lists appended above apply to this context)
Registration Requirements:
*Individual multi-family residential properties must be directly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to
present.
*Individual multi-family residential properties must have a direct and significant association with one or more of
the established historical contexts which are defined in this document.
*Individual multi-family residential properties eligible under Criterion A must retain the integrity aspects of
location, design and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original
location, and its original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity
aspects of setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss
does not disqualify eligibility.
*Individual multi-family residential properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retain the same
integrity aspects required for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and materials must at least be
minimally reflected in the visible fagade.
*Individual multi-family residential properties eligible und~ Criterion C must represent a significant style, type,
period or method of construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property
represents a once common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels
of significance because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the
property represents and interprets the working career of a notable artist, architect, engineer or landscape architect
and explains how that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses
NPS Form 10-90~a
(Rev. S-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 274~
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
high artistic qualities which character/ze the architectural heritage of Dubuque. Finally significance is possessed
if the property represents local vernacular architecture or stylistic vernacular adaptations.
elndividual multi-family residential propcn~ies are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential
to yield information through archeological treatment. For subsurface remains of buildings, structures or
objects, it is expected that the integrity aspects of materials, workmanship, and the cumulative aspects of
feeling and association are sufficiently retained so that the property is recognizable and qualifies to yield
information. For the subsurface remains of dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the
deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The individual nomination form must identify key research
questions to be answered and must explain how the information yielded from the property will shed light
on these questions.
Registration Requirements: Individual Commercial Property Type:
Description:
The styles/types of this propc=~rty type are treated in the style/type section (see above). Survey and research is
required to fully document and distinguish the broad range of commercial property types in the city. The majority of the
commercial downtown area has not been surveyed and findings from the Phase I survey represent mostly comer
storefronts and whatever commercial properties have located along Central Avenue and the lower reaches (above 18t~
Street) of Jackson, White and Washington streets.
Commercial buildings in this study comprise two closely related sub-types, the one and two part commercial
subtypes as defined by architectural historian Richard Longstreth. Longstreth has defined 11 basic commercial building
types and his is the most comprehensive schema for use in Dubuque. His types are all defined by the fundamental
massing and facade arrangement and each type more or less persists over the years 1800-1950, and each tends to be
influenced by the same styles, popular changes and evolving technologies and the availability of new building materials.
Longstreth does not proceed to further subdivide each of his types. The types that follow represent groups of buildings
that share the same basic structural or ornamental features. Usually these same buildings also share comparable
construction dates. Each type is largely defined by the elements or treatments found in the upper story (if present) or the
pediment. Storefronts are rarely original and change constantly both in design and materials (Longstreth).
The One-Part Commercial Block (c. 1850-present):
This is the single story version of the two-part type, being essentially only the storefront component, with or
without a false front/parapet and cornice line being set above it. The origin of this type was the frontier and suburb and it
was commonly expressed in frame construction. This type also includes many later bank buildings although it was
overwhelmingly a retailing building type. The same general transitional phases mark the evolution of this type. By the
20th Century detailing was simpler with a greater uninterrupted array of display glass being possible. The Moderne
influence resulted in a deeply recessed entrance with a simple wall surface above.
The Two-part Vertical Block (1830's-1930's):
This type consists of two-story buildings. The facade is divided into two hor/zontal zones, the public storefront
level (base) and the more private upper floor (shaft). In the earlier examples the upper level ornamentation is additive
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 275
OMB Approval No. 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
and is generally not associated with the facade. This type was well adapted to house a diversified range of commercial
uses including banks, hotels, office buildings and department stores. The vast majority of this subtype is two stories high
but can range upwards to include as many levels as are generally associated with a pre-elevator era.
The type passed through a Victorian period of ornate exaggeration. The High Victorian years, continuing into
the early 1900s was particularly fanciful, employing varied window openings, a broad range of materials, and fancy attics
and turrets. Longstreth credits the Academic Movement (c. 1800s into the 1930s) with brhiging about a more
proportioned reordering of the decorative elements on the upper floors. That level was more unified, with the decorative
elements being subordinated to the overall facade. The commercial builcYmg was to be unobtrusive and less ostentatious.
Multi-colored brick and thin veneer stone was now available. European modernism first influenced the type between the
mid-1920s and mid-1930s. A vertical emphasis was added, tying the floors together. An enriched wall surface resulted.
A second period of influence (1930s-1940s) resulted in a strong emphasis on horizontally with decorative banding,
smooth wall surfaces and the integration of signs into the whole building design. Forty-one surveyed properties fall
under this sub-type.
The Three-part Vertical Block (late 1880's-1930's):
This subtype is counterpart of the taller count~art of the two-part, with the distinction that the uppermost
grouping of floors (most commonly from one to three stories) is given a distinctive architectural treatment which is
analogous to the capital in the classical column. The American Trust, Banking and Insurance, and the Security buildings
all fall under this subtype. The modeme style tended to reduce the dimensions of the uppermost zone with a recessed cap
and sometimes add a tower.
The Vault (c.1900-1930's:
This subtype is most commonly associated with monumental bank designs. The entire main faqade is enframed
by a wrap-around (sides and top) decorative surround. A large entryway is usually combined with classical elements
such as a temple front with columns. Faqade windows are small. These buildings can be as high as four stories. This
subtype was commonly used by the Prairie School in the early 20~ century.
Central Block With Flanking Wings (1890's-I920's):
This subtype is most commonly associated with public and institutional builcYmgs and d~rived from the Italian
Villa form. A ccmtml dominant core is flanked by recessed subordinate matching side wings. Banks and theaters also
used this subtype. This subtype is commonly associated with commercial expressions of the Second Empire and
Romanesque styles.
Enfi'amed Block (Late 19~ centarey-1930's):
Like the central block with flanking wings subtype this elongated subtype has a larger central massing and side wings but
all three parts in this instance share the same height and the side wings are narrower. The central core usually employs a
row of classical columns. It is also commonly used for public and institutional buildings but banks use it as well.
Three-part Block (1900-1940):
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 2715
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
This subtype is elongated and consists of three equal narrow sections, the centermost being more elaborate than the
flanking ones. Usually one to two stories high, examples employ English classical forms and ornamentation.
ArcadedBlock (1900-1920):
This elongated subtype features an arcade or loggia which covers its faCade. Examples range from one to three stories in
height.
Significance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
Retail trade during this period was overextended and the Financial Panic of 1857 exposed this vulnerability in
Dubuque. The banking sector however the local amassment of capital from mining in particular set the stage for future
city growth. Very few commercial buildings survive from this period and those that do are of considerable historical
interest. A recent regrettable (2000) loss was the Merchant's Hotel, the last surviving pre-Civil War hotel and a part of
the Old Main historic district. It is more likely that private residences survive which can be used to interpret the
commercial theme for this time period.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
240 West 1st Street, Italianate, 1857, DOE
2317 Central Avenue, Schmid Brothers Brewery/Beer Hall/Spahn's, 1855, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
400 Central Avenue, Comer Tavern (former American House Hotel), pre-1857 (Highway 61 Study, 1981)
414 Central Avenue, American Hotel expansion, was Minnesota Hotel 1891 (Highway 61 Study, 1981)
2327 Cenlral Avenue, Italianate, 1855 (Phase I survey recommendation)
Context g2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Small local retail finns in a few instances grew tremendously during this t/me period and many buildings still
surhve. While subordinate to manufacturing and jobbing, commerce and particularly banking and wholesale trade was
of critical importance to the city's growth and success during these years. Capital was amassed and local banks grew and
multiplied. Ethnic defmed businesses were plentiful and each major ethnic group established its own shopping and
services district. Many new or refronted buildings survive to interpret this time period.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
813 8~ Street, Grand Theatre, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1889, DOE (N1GIP in process)
8t~ and Main streets, Security Building, 1890s, DOE
397 East 208 Street, J. J. Grode Jr. Building, Queen Anne, 1909, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
NPS Form ~0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 277
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
607 East 22~a Street, A. C. Pancratz Grocery, Commercial, 1900, DOE
1735 Central Avenue, Late Victorian, no date, DOE
1889 Central Avenue, 1880, DOE
1913-15 Central Avenue, J. Ostdorf BuilcYmg, 1890, DOE
1961-65 Central Avenue, no date, DOE
2180 Central Avenue, Knicker's Tavern, 1891, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
2222 Central Avenue, Peter Klein Building, Italianate, 1888, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
2306 Central Avenue, Wright's Grocery, 1881, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
2400 Central Avenue, 1886, commercial (Phase I survey recommendation)
1373-95 Iowa Avenue, Late Victorian, 1870, NRItP
1560-68 Iowa Avenue, Queen Anne, 1895, NRI-IP
Jones and Water streets, Diamond Jo Boat and Office, Italianate, 1885, NRHP
210 Jones Street, Midland Laboratories, 1908, DOE
910 North Locust Street, American Towers Building, Richardson Romanesque, 1891, NRHP
60 Mffm Street, A. J. Farber Company, Late Victorian, 1878, DOE
90 Mffm Street, Bishop's Block, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1889, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
103-23 Main Street, O'Neill Block, Italianate, 1870, NRBP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
106-20 Main Street, Kennedy's Aquarium, Nco-Classical, no date, NRI-IP
129 M~m Street, Knippel's Religious Goods, Italianate, 1870, NRHP
137-53 Main Street, Weber Paper Company, Neo-Classieal, no date, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
164 Mira Street, Plumbers and Fitters Union, Italianate, no date, NRHP
169 Mira Street, Design Associates, Italianate, no date, NRHP
177-85 Mim Street, Gordon's Toggery/Kirby Company, Italianate, no date, NRHP
180 Main Street, Dubuque Mattress Company, Italianate, no date, NKHP
182 Main Street, Canvas Products Company, Italianate, 1870, NRHP
195-97 Main Street, Dubuque Glass Company, Nco-Classical, no date, ~
190 Main Street, Cinema X Theater, no style, no date, NRHP
198 Main Street, United Realty, no style, 1865, NRI-IP
253 Main Street, Buddy's Tavern, Italianate, no date, NP,_HP
261-63-69 Main Street, McCoy Goldsmith, Italianate, no date, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, national/state
significance)
299 North Main Street, Classical Revival, no date, NRI-IP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
[304-310 Mim Street, Merchant's Hotel, Italianate, no date, NRH~, demolished 2000]
[3020 Main Street, Merchant's Hotel Annex, Italianate, 1875, NRHP, demolished 2000]
330-336 Main Street, Dolan's Barber Shop/Union Cigar Store, no style, 1875, NRHP
342 North Main Street, Renaissance Revival, 1901, NKHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
345 Mim Street, Homestead Gift Store, Italianate, no date, NRHP (Kriviskey recommendation, local
significance)
353-75 Main Street, State Liquor Store, no style, no date, NRItP
356 Main Street, Bus/ness Supply Company, no style, 1875, NRHP
378 Ma'm Street, Monte Carlo Restaurant, Italianate, no date, NRI-n)
395 Main Street, Capri Cosmetology College, Italianate, no date, NRHP
NPS Form l0-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 278
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa. 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,/, Iowa
County and State .......
401-05-15 North Main Street, no style, no date, NRHP (I~riviskey recommendation, national/state significance)
823-25 Main Street, Town Clock Building, Italianate, 1873, DOE (NP, HP in process)
957 Main Street-Charles J. Petersun Building/Hall, Romanesque 1886, (consultant eligibility recommendation,
2001)
1100-50 Main Street, Bissell Block, Second Empire, NRHP
2311 Windsor, commercial, 1880 (Phase II survey recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Re~ister eligible
1~ and Iowa, Central Supply Company, 1872, mikoad freight house (Woodward River Museum) (Highway 61
Study, 1981)
134 1 st Street, McFadden's Coffee and Spice Company, 1910 (might be gone) (Highway 61 Study, 1981 )
470 Central Avenue, Dubuque Cornice and Ceiling Works, mid-18908 470 Central Avenue, Dubuque Cornice
and Ceiling Works
2306 Central Avenue, Adam/Federal, 1881
169-71 Iowa Street, 1884-91, grocery warehouse (Highway 61 Study, 1981)
40t Locust Street, Italianate, pre-1884
965 M~fm Street, Chas. A. Noyes Art Store, Classical Revival, 1900, consultant eligibihty recommendation, 2001
South Main, Western Hotel/Harmony House, c.1859
No address, A. J. Faber Company, 1878, altered grain warehouse (Highway 61 Study, 1981)
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910:
A few firms grew to dominate their respective trading niches during this final era of strong municipal growth.
The weakness of Dubuque's retail sector became increasingly apparent but banking and wholesaling remained strong.
Tb2s was the final phase of small-scale downtown rebuilcFmg. A few monumental downtown buildings date to this period
of development (American Trust Building). Broad-scale bank failures in 1932 devastated many families. Increasingly
local capital was invested more generally and in a less conservative and traditional manner.
National Re~ister Listed/Eligible Properties:
521 E. 22~d Street, commercial, 1900 (Phase I survey recommendation)
607 E. 22nd Street, A. C. Pancratz, 1900 (Phase I survey recommendatiun)
821-25-41 Central Avenue, Buettell Brothers Company Builc~mg, Richardsouian Romanesque, no date, DOE
1812 Central Avenue, Nicholas Palen Building, 1895, (part ora distr/c0 DOE (Phase I survey recommendation).
t 842 Central Avenue, German Savings Bank, 1905, (part of a district) DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
2600 Jackson Street, Joseph Ziereis Meats and Grocery, 1903, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
1 t00 Lincoln, 1898, Rettenmaier Store (Phase II survey recommendation)
57 South Locust Street, James Beach and Sons Building, 1910, DOE
284 Main Street, Fischer Company Building/Patrices Bridal, no style, no date, ~
299 Mffm Street (aka 206-10 West 3~a Street), A. A. Cooper Building, Neo-Classical, no date, NRHP
342 Main Street, Olde German Bank, Rermaissance Revival, 1901, NRHP
372 M~fm Street, John H. Pollock, Florist, Neo-Classical, 1910, NRHP
401-05-15 Main Street, Orpheum Theatre and Site, French Reunaissance, 1910, NRt:IP
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States DePartment of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 279
OMB Approval NO, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Properly
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
908 Rhomberg, 1894, commercial (Phase II survey recommendation)
1027 Rhomberg, 1896, Neumeister Meat Market (Phase II survey recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Central Avenue and 9~ Street, Richardsonian-Romenesque, no date
Central Avenue and Lores Street, German Trust And Savings Bank, Beaux Arts, no date
1000 Main Street, Richardsouian Romanesque, 1894
Context ~4, An Era of Stability, 1910-1955:
Monumental commercial buildings, mostly exclusive office building were built in the downtown. Comparatively
short in stature, these were the city "skyscrapers" to the extent that Dubuque ever had any. A surviving examples is
Roshek's. Local capital bankrolled the recruitment of new industries.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
1 t l 1 Bluff Street, Modume, no date, NRHP
401 Central Avenue, Karigan's Restaurant, Moderne, 1947, DOE
22 South Main Street, Huss House/Old Main Hotel, c.1909
100 Main Street, Johnnie's Sports Center, Chicago, no date, NRHP
200 Main Street, Julien Motor Inn, Commercial, 1915, NRHP
233-51 Main Street, Rosey's, Posey's/Ryder Realty, Neo-Classical, no date, NRHP
301 Main Street, Tri-State Surplus, Moderne, no date, NRI-IP
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
1200 Main Street, Red Cross Building, Streamline, 1941
12~ and Main streets, Strand Theatre, Moderne (new faCade on early Baptist Church-extant?
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
A number of commercial buildings are identified in the style/types section (see above) as having architectural
significance. Surviving Vernacular commercial designs interpret once more common local types and these survive along
Central Avenue in the Phase I survey area. Some of the earliest buildings likely survive on outlying arterials. The
appearance of the first all-cast iron and plate glass fronts, the refrontlng of earlier buildings with more stylistic architect-
designed fronts, or the use of special building stone are examples of developments which reflect the growth of the
downtown commercial sector as expressed by architecture.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
(the same property lists appended above apply to this context)
NPS Form ~0-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 250
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State
Registration Reqtftrements:
*Individual commercial properties must be directly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to present.
.Individual commercial properties must have a cYn:ect and significant association with one or more of the
established historical contexts which are defined in tins document.
.Individual commercial properties eligible under Criterion A must retain the integrity aspects of location, design
and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original location, and its
original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity aspects of
setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss does not
disqualify eligibility.
-Individual commercial properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retains the same integrity aspects
reqtfn:ed for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of worlananship and materials must at least be minimally
reflected in the visible fagade.
-Individual commercial properties eligible under Criterion C must represent a significant style, type, period or
method of construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property represents a once
common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels of significance
because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the property represents
and interprets the working career ora notable artist, architect, engineer or landscape arcl:fitect and explains how
that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses high artistic qualities
winch characterize the arcintectural heritage of Dubuque. Finally significance is possessed if the property
represents local vernacular architecture or stylistic vernacular adaptations.
*Individual commercial properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential to yield
information through archeological treatment. For substtrface remains of buildings, structures or objects,
it is expected that the integrity aspects of materials, workmanship, and the cumulative aspects of feeling
and association are sufficiently retained so that the property, is recognizable and qualifies to yield
information. For the subsurface remains of dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the
deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The individual nomination form must identify key research
questions to be answered and must explain how the information yielded from the property will shed light
on these questions.
Registration Requirements: Individual Industrial Property Type:
Description:
The surviving industrial properties in Dubuque have not been surveyed. A quick field check indicates that the
major industrial concentration is located in the southeast quadrant of the downtown area between Central Avenue and
Highway 61. Another cluster of smaller and older plants is south of 18t~ Avenue and east of Jackson Street. Finally a
number of notable plants are located in the upper end of the Couler Valley, above the Phase I survey area. These include
the 1894 brewery and possibly the Brunswick plant if extant. A scattering of plants are located closer to the river,
notably the shot tower and brewery and the Alliant Plant. Factories at Eagle Point are not thought to survive in any form.
NPS Form 10-9OO-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 25]
OMB Approval No, 1024-00t8
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The earliest plants employed load bearing exterior walls and internal heavy beam and column support systems.
Almost uniformly building fronts are divided vertically into bays with intervening pilaster supports. Lower level
fenestration and ceiling height tends to be higher than are the upper levels. Later designs, c.1890's and after, employ a
more formalized th-partite system with base, column and cap. Fenestration is reduced in scale with each successive level
and a decomtive corbelled brick parapet lines form the cap. Centered pediments with dates and finn names ornament
major buildings. Central bays are highlighted with larger window sets and rounded transom lights. The first structural
concrete beam and column support system dates to 1910 (McFadden factory, Iowa Street).
Dubuque Casket Company, Washington and 18t~ streets, view northeast from 17~ Street
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Early unidentified factory, Elm and view northeast, partially demolished
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No, I024-00~8
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 282.
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque~ Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CounW, Iowa
County and State-
Carr, Ryder, Adams Millwork, view northeast, note fenestration, fire shutter hinges on windows, parapet
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
There is a probability that the principal cluster ofinduslrial buildings are National Register eligible because they
represent the zenith of Dubuque's industrial might. G/yen the probability of owner opposition to any formal listing,
further research and public education options in the form of tours and publications is recommended in lieu of formal
recognition. The following photographs are representative of these surviving industrial buildings. The breweries have
been treated in the styles/type section (see above).
Same building as shown above, continuation to east, view northeast, note elaborate gateway
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 283
OMB Approval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count,?, Iowa
County and State .......
Detail, Can', Ryder, Adams Complex, note signage
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Pediment detail, Carr, Ryder, Adams Complex
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Factory district view, view to southwest
(photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8~86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 284
OMB ,Approval No. 1024~0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Factory door detail (photo by James Jacobsen, April 21, 2000)
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
No industrial properties survive from this time period apart from the largely symbolic Shot Tower. Numerous
underground remnants of the lead mining industry survive and these have not been researched or surveyed. A number of
lead mining related properties have been listed on the National Register as archeological resources. It is likely that other
industrial sims survive as archeological properties. Apart from lead mining, Dubuque's industries at this time were only
at a developmental stage. Still, all uf those industries which later dominated and drove city growth had their origins at
this t/me.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
and Commercial streets, Dubuque Shot Tower, 1854, NRI-W (local landmark)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No propcn~ies identified.
Context/22, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Developing industries, principally woodwork/ng and wagon building, coalesced during this long period of
growth. The Civil War fostered industrial growth in several industries, principally in meatpacldng, and helped strengthen
the capital base that made future locally controlled growth possible. By the 1880's and '90's manufacturing and jobbing
drove the municipal economy and were poised to expand into large-scale operations.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
East 4~ Street, Dubuque Star Brewery/Pickett Brewery, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1888-89, DOE
7~ and Washington streets, Dubuque Oatmeal Mill Powerhouse, Italianate, no date, DOE
834 East 24~ Street, Morrison Company, 1918 (Phase I survey recommendation)
898 Jackson Street, Key City Iron Works Foundry, Late Victorian, no dam, DOE
1000 Jackson Street, Can', Ryder and Adams Company Factory, Late 19~-20~ Century Revivals, 1868, DOE
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 285
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque Count% Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
163 Mira Street, Dubuque Screw Products, Italianate, no date, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified.
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910:
During this £mal growth period several industries assumed unrivaled proportion. Lumber processing enjoyed its
final years of prosperity but was crippled by fires and the exhaustion of upriver timber resources. Replacement industries
were secured and some new plants were built. More aggressive industrial recruitment attmupted to drive municipal
growth and capital was invested in a broad range of community improvements.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
995 Jackson Street, Carr, Ryder and Adams Company Powerhouse, Late 19~-20~ Centuries Revival, 1910, DOE
3000~02 Jackson Street, Dubuque Brewing and Malting Company, Richardsouian Romanesque, 1895, DOE
(dehsted f~om NRHP 1978)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified.
Context//4, An Era of Stability, 1910-1955:
This period was marked by a near total remover of manufacturing and jobbing firms as old firms disappeared and
new ones were brought to the city. The industrial base responded to manufacturing opportunities during the two world
wars. Most notable was the role played in the building of boats for the navy. Major fa'ms such as the Brunswick
Company (1910-11) resulted in the construction of major plants but the Depression crippled the industrial base and left a
quarter of the worldng population unemployed. A major period of successful industr/al recruitment began during World
War 1I and continued through the late 1940s. Most notable was the securing of the John Deere plant in 1946-47. The
first major industrial park was created along the riverfront in 1955 but its real impact postdated the creation of the
floodwall system in 1978.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
5~ and White streets, Kassler Motor Company Showroom, Modem, no date, DOE
834 East 24~ Street, Morrison Brothers Manufacturing Company, Commercial, 1918, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified.
NPS Form 10-900-a
IRev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 286
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
Count7 and State
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
Surviving industrial buildings present their own industrial vernacular with some stylistic pretensions. Many of
these massive and imposing buildings are architecturally significant by virtue of their style, use of materials,
workmanship, and ornamentation. Sheer rarity further muhances their eligibility because the survivors represent and
interpret the former industrial might that made the city great.
(the same property lists appended above apply to this context)
Registration Requirements:
· Individual industrial properties must be directly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to present.
· Individual residential properties must have a direct and significant association with one or more of the
established historical contexts which are defined in this document.
· Individual industrial properties eligible under Criterion A must retain the integrity aspects of location, design
and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original location, and its
original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity aspects of
setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss does not
disqualify eligibility.
· Individual industrial properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retain the same integrity aspects
required for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and mater/als must at least be minimally
reflected in the visible facade.
· Individual industrial properties eligible under Criterion C must represent a significant style, type, period or
method of construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property represents a once
common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels of significance
because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the property represents
and interprets the working career of a notable artist, architect, engineer or landscape architect and explains how
that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses high artistic qualities
which characterize the architectural heritage of Dubuque. Finally significance is possessed if the property
represents local vernacular architecture or stylistic vernacular adaptations.
elndividual industrial properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential to yield
information through archeological treatment. For subsurface rc~nains of buildings, structures or objects,
it is expected that the integrity aspects of materials, workmanship, and the cumulative aspects of feeling
and association are sufficiently retained so that the property is recogrfizable and qualifies to yield
information. For the subsurface remaim of dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the
deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The individual nomination form must identify key research
questions to be answered and must explain how the information yielded from the property will shed light
on these questions.
OMBApproval No. ~024-0018
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 257
The ArchitecturaI and Historical Resouxces of Dubuque~ Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Prope~y
Dubu~
County and State ......
Registration Requirements: Residential, Commercial, Industrial District Property Type:
Description:
A residential district is comprised cfa combination of the several residential types and subtypes, associated
outbuildings that were linked with a plat or residential development. While the plat property type muphasizes the overall
physical arrangement of the plat, the district focuses principally on the above ground buildings, structures and objects
that arose from that plat. Districts are commonly associated with a single plat or a sequence of related plattings but this is
not always the case. Original plattings can be replatted or subdivided and a recognizable district emerges as the end
product. The district must be physically distinctive and visually cohesive. For the purposes of this nomination a district
is comprised of single-family houses or cottages to the near exclusion of other land use classes such as commercial,
religious or multiple unit dwellings. Visually cohesive districts are most commonly comprised almost exclusively of
house/cottage designs of a single and unified architectural expression.
One key component cfa significant residential disttict is its plat design. The plat is defined as a parcel having a
formalized division into individual building lots that was offered for pubhc sale at a specific time. within the Dubuque
historical context a successful plat is one which achieved the stated goals of its developers, that is the development of a
near homogeneous range and class of houses and a particular overall design for the plat as a whole.
The plat includes the overall plat design and spatial organization, including the street layout, the size,
arrangement and location of its lots, any associated natural qualities or features that influence the plat design, original
landscaping and contouring, the siting of properties, the influence of original building restrictions (setback, massing,
outbuildings or other imposed design standards as examples), and the provision of common spaces (walks, playgrounds,
parks).
There are two basic subtypes, these being the standard grid and the relatively uncommon curvilinear forms. The
grid subtype has predominately straight streets and 90-degree intersection angles. Block layouts in Dubuque are usually
elongated narrow rectangles that orient north/south. Alleyways are generally uncommon in earlier plats. Curvilinear
plats employ mostly curved streets and these usually follow natural contour lines. There are many Dubuque examples of
curvilinear plats being located on flat ground. The former type also tends to retain original ground contours and
landforms as well as groundcoverings.
The curvilinear plat is represented in most National Register nominations that treat the plat as a property type.
The fncst such plats reflected the naturalistic or picturesque national design movemant of the mid-1800s that most
commonly was reflected in public park or cemetery designs. Plats and suburbs were also commonly designed although
most of these were located in or adjacent to the largest urban areas and predominantly in the Eastern states. In cities such
as Dubuque it was more common to find these designs in public spaces, particularly in Linwood Cemetery's layout.
Design elements did appear in residential plat design. These included cul-de-sacs, occasional curved streets and radial lot
arrangements. The more complete early curvilinear plats were upper class in composition and occupied physically
isolated and self-defmed rugged settings. Frequently these were as much accidental, being forced by the topography as
by design. The City Beautiful Movement of the pre-World War I years and the emergence of urban planning brought
renewed attention to the picturesque residential plat. After the war the California design influence transported the
western curvilinear plat design throughout the country. This final per-World War II phase of curvilinear platting
coincided with large-scale house building as an integral part of subdivision development. After World War II the
NPS Form 10-900~a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 258
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-t955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
curvilinear plat was more common but probably didn't become dom/nant until the mid-1950s. Grid plat plantfmg didn't
disappear and was more typically utilized to infill within the core city boundaries.
Curvilinear plats in Dubuque are all located on the bluff tops and many of these reflected an effort on the part of
developers to exhaust the ridge tops which separated the many radiating ravines in the western part of the city.
Curvilinear plats are certainly the exception in the city, most of these date to very recent residential developments.
Industrial and commercial distr/cts can be more simply defined as contiguous groupings of each respective
property type. Residential uses frequently occur on the upper levels in commercial areas but the properties are still
deemed to be primarily commercial. Dubuque's downtown was always a multi-use area and witnessed an interm/ngling
of all types of land uses. The apparent dorrfmance of commercial properties today is more the result of demolition and
the loss of buildings. The vast majority of older industrial properties have been demolished or altered beyond
recognition. Large areas were historically open either due to marshy conditions or to the former donfmance of the lumber
industry w/th its huge drying yards.
Significance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
No commercial or industrial districts survive in Dubuque from this time period.
Residential Districts:
It is doubtful that any clusters of residential properties survive from this time period. Some are included in the
Jackson Park and Cathedral historic districts. The proposed Broadway District is said to represent this period and might
offer some examples of the earliest vernacular houses.
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Commercial Districts:
The commercial downtown expanded northward into the Couler Valley during these years. The Old Mtfm
historic district contains some surviving building from this time period but much of the downtown, east of the several
other listed downtown residential districts has not been surveyed. The sub-theme of banking is perhaps the most
important historically. Dubuque claimed a self-sufficiency of capital throughout its history and it was during these years
that the basis for greater growth was formed. The rise of the major commercial houses had its roots in this same period.
Industrial Districts:
It was during this contextual period that the city reigned as Iowa's largest manufacturing center. This dorrfmance
was based on many hundreds of small-scale firms. By the 1880's a few firms and certain industrial sectors achieved a
larger scale and importance tn the city, setting the stage for the next and final period of induslrial growth. The city's
riverf~ont was formed and defmed by this industrial presence.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 289
OMB Approval No. 1024~018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .....
Residential Distt/cts:
This period of city growth produced many potential residential districts and most of the listed districts represent
this time period. Most of the "vernacular" properties date to this context and clusters are to found in the Couler Valley
and Rhomberg. Vernacular houses of this same period are scattered throughout the city in every neighborhood but they
are too intermixed with other property types and styles to produce a visually cohesive district.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
100's-300's Main Street, Old Main (Commerical) Historic District, NRHP
Bluff and Locust streets, southof Jones Street to south of 8t~ Street, Cathedral Historic District, NRHP
Bluff, Iowa, Montrose, 10~ and 17a streets, Jackson Park Historic District, N-RItP
Top of bluffs, Picket/Montrose, Walnut, Wilbur streets, West 11t~ Street Historic District, NRHP
Top of bluffs, Alpine, Hill, 5~ and Solon streets, Langworthy Historic Dislrict, NRHP
1800's-1900's Central Avenue, commercial district, 1870-1900, DOE (Phase I survey recommendation)
(1812, t824, 1826-28, 1838, 1842, 1850, 1856, 1876, 1879, 1889-95, 1913-15, 1919, 1959, 1965 Central)
1800's-1900's Jackson Street, residential/commercial district, 1880-1890s, DOE (Phase I survey
recommendation) (1885, 1889, 1903, 1905, 1913-17, 1920, 1930-32, 1946, 1949 Jackson)
Rhomberg Cluster (625, 627, 629), commercial/residential, Second Empire, 1880s-1909 (Phase 1I survey
recommendation)
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Top of bluffs, Fenelon Place, Prospect Park Historic District
Broadway and Division streets, Broadway Historic District
White, Jackson, Washington, 6~ to 12~ streets, Commerical/Industrial District
White Street Commercial/residential district, 1870-1900 (1902, 1908, 1922, I938 White) (Phase I survey
recommendation)
East 22~a & Washington residential district, 1890s (Phase I survey recommendation)
(215-17, 301,305, 306, 308, 310, 311,312-14, 317-19, 321-23, 400 E. 22~a, 2162, 2172, 2201-03, 2209
2222, 2226, 2227, 2234-36, 2238, 2241 Washington)
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893 ~ 1910:
Commercial Districts:
A number of"modern" office buildings arose during this growth period symbolizing the growth of insurunce and
other service related businesses and the maturation of the commercial downtown. These precursors of the skyscraper
represented the aspirations of the downtown interests. Large-scale wholesale businesses also were built at this time. The
Old Main District includes some of the latter. The banking sector enjoyed particular growth and expansion and the city
weathered the 1893 financial down mm which crippled virtually every other competitor. This was a remarkable
achievement and consequently the city boasts major buildings from the period 1893-96 which are not to be found
elsewhere.
NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev, 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 290
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .....
Industrial Districts:
The surviving industrial concentration likely has its origins in this time period. Dubuque's woodworking,
wagon-builcYmg, and several jobbing fu-ms grew exponentially during these years and a few were claimed to be the largest
in the world. While the city had lost its statewide leadership in industry, these firms led the state in their respective
sectors. The city's wealth and expansion Ifmged on these successes and made possible the remarkable era of growth and
the survival virtually unscathed of the 1893 financial panic.
Residential Districts:
These years witnessed the building of some of the city's largest and most omate homes as well as an explosion in
the construction of quality moderate priced working class housing. The latter was offered beginn'mg c.1906 by larger
scale "community builders" such as Chris Voelker who left their mark in the form of numerous distinctive single family
houses. Voelker introduced the use of rusticated concrete block in house construction. The building of satellite factory
sites in the upper Couler Valley also produced districts of company housing around the factories. These should be
investigated for their district potential.
National Re~ister Listed/Eligible Properties:
The same list (see above, Context #2) of listed districts applies to properties related to this context.
Context ~4, An Era of Stability, 1910-1955:
Commercial Districts:
This later period of commercial growth has yet to be fully studied and its buildings surveyed. For the most part
commercial buildings represented infitl construction downtown or arterial development. Districts as such are unlikely
although the survival of these buildings might favor identifying a small district. The significance question is a difficult
one if the assumption proves true that the commercial component of the city's economy was underdeveloped. Banking
interests once again rise to the top given the severe retrenchment that followed a burst of bank formation and growth prior
to World War I. German banks in particular flourished and several "skyscrapers" arose to attest to banking's strength.
The bank crash in 1932 reduced seven to three banks and the attending losses appear to have substantially crippled the
city's economy for many years.
Industrial Districts:
While not yet surveyed, a cursory examination appears to indicate that new industries from this per/od
established themselves at scattered sites along the river or up the Couler Valley and that most do not survive today in
recognizable form. Significant themes include the massive (25 percent) unemployment brought by the Depression and
wart/me construction contracts. A few new finns set the stage for future industrial growth and some facilities like John
Deere's might constitute a district in their own right.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 29]
OMB Approvai No. 1024~0'/8
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propm'ty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Residential Districts:
Much of the reduced level of house building during this period consisted of infilling of available lots and it is less
likely that visually cohesive residential districts resulted. This building took place on rolling land atop the bluffs.
Flatland house clusters have a better chance of being identified as districts because they are more compact. There is a
probability that a Craftsman/bungalow district is to be found in the northeastern part of Rhomberg and the Deere's
housing of 194647 in Asbury, with its distinctive red brick and Colonial styling, is also worthy of studying. Grandview
Avenue features much of the best residential architecture of this period but no district has yet been identified.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
The same list (see above, Context #2) of listed districts applies to properties related to this context.
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Asbury Road, John Deere Workers Housing, late 1940s
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
Commercial Districts:
The commercial architecture of the earliest build'mgs is best expressed in scattered individual buildings if any
exist unaltered, or in a composite commercial district such as Old Main.
Industrial Districts:
The only apparent industrial district as noted is between Old Main District and Highway 61 and represents
industrial construction from c.1880 through 1920. The buildings reflect the evolution of industrial construction from
load-bearing exterior brick walls with heavy timber internal support systems to cast concrete post and beam construction:
Exterior wall design is at first quite ornate with decorative pediments, horizontal design zones, and elaborate panel and
window set detailing. Later buildings are more generic, with metal windows, smooth surfaced brick panel infilling and
the like.
Residential Districts:
Under Criterion C, a significant residential district coincided with and represents the peak popularity of a finite
number of cottage/house types and styles and its properties individually and collectively reflect the distinctive
architectural design of a cottage style or type. An intermbimg of types and styles, associated with a prolonged period of
development or infilling is not deemed to be architecturally significant. An exception might be a sequential set/es of
formalized designs that represent successive popular architectural styles.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
The same list (see above, Context #2) of listed districts applies to properties related to this context.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 292
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Registration Req~frrements:
· Residential/industrial/commercial district properties must be directly associated with the City o£Dubuque, 1833
to present.
· Residential/industrial/commercial district properties must have a direct and significant association with one or
more of the established kistorical contexts which are defmed in th/s document.
· Residential/industrial/commercial district properties eligible under Criterion A must ret~m the integrity aspects
of location, design and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original
location, and its original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity
aspects of setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss
does not disqualify eligibility.
· Residential/industrial/commercial district properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retains the
same integrity aspects required for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and materials must at
least be minimally reflected in the visible facade.
eResidential/industfial/commercial district properties eligible under Criterion C must represent a significant
style, type, period or method of construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the
property represents a once common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or
national levels of significance because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is
possessed if the property represents and interprets the working career of a notable artist, architect, engineer or
landscape architect and explains how that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is
significant if it possesses high artistic qualities which characterize the architectural heritage of Dubuque. Finally
significance is possessed if the property represents local vernacular architecture or stylistic vernacular
adaptations.
eResidential/industrial/commcrcial district properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the
potential to yield information through archeological treatment. For subsurface remains of buildings,
structures or objects, it is expected that the integrity aspects of materials, workmanship, and the
cumulative aspects of feeling and association are sufficiently retained so that the property is recognizable
and qualities to yield information. For the subsurface remains of dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris,
it is necessary that the deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The individual nomination form
must identify key research questions to be answered and must explain how the information yielded from
the property will shed light on these questions.
Registration Requirements: Public and Religious Institutional Property Type:
Description:
The term "institutional" is broadly defined here to encompass public governmental, religious, fraternal, medical,
civic and educational properties. Consequently this type includes public buildings, fraternal halls and temples, ethnic
halls, schools, hospitals, charitable organizations, and religious and other colleges, universities and seminaries. Dubuque
has a r/ch and unparalleled army of most of these property categories. The city is most noted for its late 19~ century
churches and its many religious educational institutions. The stylistic aspects of this type are treated in the styles/types
section (see above). A survey is required to exhaustively analyze and compare the many surviving examples of this
property type range.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 293
OMB Approval N. o. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Significance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
From the beginning Dubuque's church spires and the towers of its educational institutions dominated its skyline,
the latter tenrYmg to occupy promincmt bluff top locations. Dubuque is particularly fortunate to retain a number of
buildings from this formative period and they represent the early emergence of an urban centor on the frontier as well as
the importance of the church in promoting emigration and in settling the region. Institutional architecture Ied the way in
symbolizing the city's aspirations. Remarkably three public buildings, City Hall, the Jail and First Ward School, all
designed by noted architect John Rague, survive and represent the emergence of the urban center within the context of a
frontier community. Several educational institutions, religious and secular left their early marks in sur~ving buildings
and these have significant associations with contemporary movements of the day.
National Register Listed/Eligible Propcu~ies:
36 East 8~ Street, Dubuque County Jail, Exotic Revival/Egyptian, 1857, NRHP (local landmark)
75 West t7~ Street, Lady of Lourdes, Gothic, 1854, DOE
231 Bluff Street, St. Raphael's Cathedral, Parish House (Italianate, 1858), Gothic Revival, 1857-59, 1878
(steeple), DOE
55 Loras Blvd., Loras Academy Buildings, Second Empire, t854, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
255 West 10~ Locust streets, First Congregational Church, Gothic Revival, 1857, 1860, 1880s
13~ and Central streets, First Ward/Prescott School, Italianate, 1857
Heeb Street, Dubuque Female College, Gothic Revival, 1854
Context ~/2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Religious architecture during this time per/od produced what many claim to be Iowa's best collection of
monumental and formally designed church architecture. Dubuquer's built large and ornate edifices and they remained
loyal to them. The major churches located downtown and remained there. Church growth, particularly the Catholic
parishes, added church after church as the city expanded northward. The vast and complex array of educational
institutions grew and flourished during this period. The remarkable tking is that most of these still survive in some form,
usually at the same location, and have commonly added on to original buildings with a sensitivity to stylistic continuity.
Other Iowa communities lost the majority of these facilities and can claim but a handful as present-day survivors but
Dubuque has always enjoyed the reputation of being a college town. A broad army of pubhc and religious social
services, religious order residencies and the like are also represented by surviving buildings. Many bullcYmgs houses a
remarkable range of successive tenant institutions.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 294
OMB Approval No. 1024 O018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
110 15~ Street, St. Patrick's Catholic Church (Gothic Revival, t 870) and Rectory (Second Empire, 1880), NRHP
635 East 22~a Street, Sacred Heart Catholic Church Complex, Italianate/Richardsonian Romanesque, 1885-87,
(includes rectory at 2215 Windsor, 1888) DOE (Phase II survey recommendation)
720 Central Avenue, Dubuque County Courthouse, Italian Rermaissance/Beaux Arts, 1891-93, NRI-IP (local
landmark)
469 Emmett Street, St. Raphael's Convent, Second Empire, 1870, NRI-IP
1425 Iowa Street, St. Patrick's Church, Gothic Revival, 1870, NRItP
1699 Iowa Street, German Methodist Church/Grace Baptist Church, Gothic Revival, 1885, NRHP
1458 Locust Street, St. John's Episcopal Parish House, 1875, NR/-IP
55 Lores Avenue, Lores Adademy Buildings, Second Empire, 1878-82, DOE
50 West 13~ Street, Dubuque City Hall, Italianate/Neo-Classical, 1857-58, NRHP (local landmark)
1410 Main Street, St. John's Episcopal Church, Gothic Revival, 1875-78, NRHP
655 Loras Blvd., St. Jospeh Hall, Second Empire, no date, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
13a and Locust streets, Second Presbyterian Church, pre-1895 (now Boys Club)
17~ and Iowa streets, First United Presbyterian Church, Victorian Gothic, no date
1631-33 Main Street, Immaculate Conception School/St. Francis Convent, Second Empire, no date
1240 Rush Street, St. Columbkille's School, Second Empire, no date
1584 White Street, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Victorian Gothic, 1864-67
White between 13a and 14ta streets, German Congregational Church, 1888 (now St. Johns Lutheran)
Windsor Avenue, Linwood Cemetery, Cemetery Office, Queen Anne, no date
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893 - 1910:
Dubuque failed to acknowledge the fmancial panic of 1893 and plunged ahead with the construction of enormous
primarily religious institutional buildings. Collectively, these with industrial and commercial buildings of the period,
represent the city's final large-scale period of growth.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
125 West 9m Street, Dubuque Young Men's Christian Association, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1894, DOE
11t~ and Bluff streets, First Baptist Church, 1923 (St. Marys Community Center)
West 11e Street at Bluff Street, Carnegie Stout Public Library, Beaux Arts, 1901, NRHP
1225 Alta Vista Street, Church of the Nativity, 1923
Althauser Street, Jefferson Middle School, Tudor Revival, 1923 (Phase II survey recommendation)
39 Bluff Street, Franklin School, Italian Rennaissance, 1906, NRHP
223 Btuff Street, St. Raphael School, Italian Rennaissance, 1904, DOE
2905 Central Avenue, Holy Ghost School, Late Gothic Revival, no date, DOE
2917 Central Avenue, Holy Ghost Rectory, Late Golhic Revival, no date, DOE
2921 Central Avenue, Holy Ghost Catholic Church, Late Gothic Revival, no date, DOE
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F' Page 295
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
2540 Central Avenue, Fulton Elementary School, Modeme, 1939 (Phase I survey recommendation)
t684 Iowa Street, First German Presbyterian Church, late Gothic Revival, 1896, NRHP
655 Loras Blvd., St. Joseph's Chapel, late Gothic Revival, no date, DOE
398 Main Street, Dubuque Mission, Neo-Classical, no date, NRHP
1490 Rhomberg, Marshall Elementary School, Art Deco/Modcrne, 1939 (Phase II survey recommendation)
1713 Khomberg, Holy Trinity Catholic Church Complex, Tudor Revival, Romanesque Revival, 1910-29 (Phase II
survey recommendation)
2050 University Avenue, University of Dubuque
Severence Hall, late Gothic Revival, 1907, DOE
Old Chapel Hall, late Gothic Revival, t907, DOE
Van Vliet Hall, late Gothic Revival, 1907, DOE
Steffin's Hall, late Gothic Revival, 1907, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
18e~ and Jackson streets, Immanuel United Church of Christ, 1897
Grandview Avenue, Mt. Carmel Mother House, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1893-94
Grandview Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church, 1896
1199 Main Street, St. Luke's United Episcopal Church, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1896-97
1235 Mt. Loretta Street, Villa Raphael Mother House, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1909
Context g4, An Em of Stabihty, 1910-1955:
Institutional growth outpaced private sector growth through the mid-1920's and was represented by projects like
the Tuberculosis Sanitorium (non-extant). The modem parochial school system developed during this same period,
replacing the traditional parish-based school system and rose to compete effectively with the public school system. The
public school system was transformed during these years by the construction of modem jun/or and high schools, and
during the late 1930's many of the grade schools were replaced by a set of Modcrne yellow-buff brick school complexes.
The larger religious educational institutions, University of Dubuque, Clarke College, Loras College, and the Wartburg
Seminary, all underwent major rebuildings, name changes in most cases, and emerged as successful entities.
National Register Listed/Ehgible Properties:
350 West 6~ Street, U.S. Post Office, Art Deco, 1932-34, DOE (later recommendation as not eligible)
Eagle Point Park, Park Pavilion, Prairie, 1934-36, DOE
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
359 West 9a Street, Christian Science Church, 1923 (now a restaurant)
12a and Locust streets, Masonic Temple, "abstracted Medievalism"/Art Deco, 1931-32
1700 Lincoln Avenue, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Richardsonian Romanesque, 1910
333 Wartburg Street, Wartburg Theological Seminary, 'hnodemized Medieval," 1914-16
NPS Form 10-900~a
[Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 296
OMB Approval No. 1024~018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, t 837-1955
Name of Propeity
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955:
The styles associated with these properties is treated in the styles/types section (see above). A great many
institutional properties are recognized for their architectural merit and state of integrity and the city is generally credited
with possessing the best 19th century church architecture in Iowa. A targeted survey and inventory is required to make
formal sense of the vast number of properties which fall under this property type and many could be potentially treated as
historic districts.
National Register Listed/Eligible Propm'ties:
(the same property lists appended above apply to this context)
Registration Requirements:
*Individual institutional properties must be directly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to present.
*Individual institutional properties must have a direct and significant association with one or more of the
established historical contexts which are defined in this document.
*Individual institutional properties ehgible under Criterion A must retain the integrity aspects of location, design
and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original location, and its
original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity aspects of
setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss does not
disqualify ehgibihty.
*Individual institutional properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retain the same integrity aspects
required for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and materials must at least be minimally
reflected in the visible facade.
*Individual institutional properties eligible under Criterion C must represent a significant style, type, period or
method of construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property represents a once
common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels of significance
because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the property represents
and interprets the working career of a notable artist, architect, engine~ or landscape architect and explains how
that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses high artistic qualities
which characterize the architectural heritage of Dubuque.
*Individual institutional properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential to yield information
through archeologicat treaWaent. For subsurface remains of buildings, structures or objbcts, it is expected that the
integrity aspects of materials, worknmnship, and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association are sufficiently
retained so that the property is recognizable and qualifies to yield information. For the subsurface remains of
dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The
individual nomination form must identify key research questions to be answered and must explain how the
information yielded from the propcu'ty will shed light on these questions.
NPS Eorrn 10-900-a
(Rev. 8*86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 297
OMB Approvai No. I024-00'18
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Propcn~ty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Registration Requirements: Transportation Related Property Type:
Description:
This general property type includes those resources which relate to railroads, streetcars, the Mississippi River,
and engineering related to surmounting the famous bluffs of Dubuque. A fairly fmite property list covers the gamut of
these subtypes. The Illinois Central Railroad bridge (and one surviving span of the original bridge!) and the freight house
on the Ice Harbor exhaust surviving raikoad buildings. The much-altered streetcar barn on Central Avenue nicely
interprets the history of streetcar transportation in the city. A number of right-of-way features survive, often linked with
landmark comers and buildings which interpret the several carlines. Strings of houses, particularly those built by Chris
Voelker, also cluster directly on those lines. Three properties, the Zebuton Pike Lock and Dam #11 and the Federal
Barge Ternfmal and the Ice Harbor all speak to the role of the Mississippi River and particularly to federal fiver
improvements which impacted the city. Finally, the famous 4~ Street Elevator and the several surviving sets of public
stairs attest to solutions to help blufftop homeowners to get home. There is a probability that some archeological
properties survive given the vast infilling of the riverfront area. The foundations of wharfs, warehouses, sunken barges
and steamboats, remnants of the Eagle Point boat building works are likely bur/ed. The preenfment boat building site on
the south side of Ice the Harbor is gone save for a landmark tree. No portions of the several early airports survive and
Union Park, the long-time streetcar amusement park, is also non-extant. Eagle Point Park, a later-date streetcar
destination point, is well preserved but it is best treated under the sites property type or under institutional architecture.
Si~laificance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
Individual residential properties might survive that have links to transportation and these would be significant
under Criteria A or B. More likely, archeological resources which possess the potential to yield information about this
early period ofpfimafily fiver transportation would be significant under Criterion D.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
No properties identified.
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified.
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
The original railroad bridge span, the streetcar barn, the 4~ Street Elevator, and the Ice Harbor are all significant
under Criterion A for their association with major transportation contexts. Many residences having significant
associations with leading transportation promoters and owners are potentially eligible under Criteria A or B. The
Criterion B qualification requires that the property have a substantial association with the working career of the
individual under consideration.
NPS Form I0-900-a
{Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 295
The Arckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Properly
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .....
Dubuque Ice Harbor, 1886, DOE
First and Iowa Streets, Illinois Central Raikoad Freight Depot, 1873, DOE
8~ and WaslYmgton streets, Key City Electric Street Railway Company, Italianate, no date, DOE
1500 Bluff Street, Steps, 1930, NRHP
15th Street Steps, no date, ~ (Kriviskey recommendation, local significance)
Central Avenue between 3~a and 4~ streets, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad, Art Deco, 1882, DOE
512 Fenelon Place, Fourth Street Elevator, 1882, NRItP
400 Raymond Place, elevator, NRHP (Kriv/skey recommendation, national/state signiIlcance)
Recommended for further smd? and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
No properties identified.
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, 1893-1910:
The replacement Illinois Central Railroad bridge, the bluffpedestrian steps and the streetscapes which are
associated with the matured streetcar system all represent this time period and context and are potentially eligible under
Criterion A. Many residences having signiIlcant associations with leading transportation promoters and owners are
eligible under Criteria A or B. The Criterion B qualification requires that the property have a substantial association with
the working career of the individual under consideration.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
300 East 3,a Street, Dubuque Freight House, Late Victorian, 1901
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Illinois Central Railroad Bridge
Context g4, An Em of Stability, 1910-1955:
The Zebulon Pike Lock and Dam #11 (1937) and possibly the Julien Dubuque Bridge (194042) interpret the
growing federal role in river transportation improvement and are potentially eligible under Criter/on A.
National Register ListecVEhgible Properties:
Dodge Street, U.S. Highway 20, Mississippi River, Julien Dubuque Bridge, 1943, NRHP
14~ Street, steps, DOE
Ice Harbor, William M. Black dredge, DOE (local landmark)
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page
The Axckitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 183%1955
Name of Property
Dubuque Count, i, Iowa
County and State
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Mississippi River, Federal Barge Terminal
Context #5, The Architecture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
The lock and dam appears to have employed Modem design lines as did the Julien Dubuque Bridge and might be
significant under criterion.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
(the same property lists appended above apply to this context)
Registration Requirements:
· Individual transportation properties must be directly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to present.
elndividual transportation properties must have a direct and significant association with one or more of the
established historical contexts which are defined in this document.
*Individual transportation properties eligible under Criterion A must retain the integrity aspects of location,
design and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The pro~)erty has to be in its original location, and
its original design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity aspects of
setting, materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss does not
disqualify eligibility.
-Individual transportation properties eligible under Criterion B is eligible if it retains the same integrity aspects
required for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and materials must at least be minimally
reflected in the visible fagade.
*Individual transportation properties eligible under Criterion C must represent a significant style, type, period or
method of construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property represents a once
common type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels of sigulficance
because they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the property represents
and interprets the working career ora notable artist, architect, engineer or landscape architect and explains how
that individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses high artistic qualities
which characterize the architectural heritage of Dubuque.
*Individual transportation properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential to yield
information through archeological treatment. For subsurface remains of buildings, structures or objects, it is
expected that the integrity aspects of materials, workmanship, and the cumulative aspects of feeling and
association are sufficiently retained so that the property is recognizable and qualifies to yield information. For
the subsurface remains of dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the deposits be relatively
intact and undisturbed. The individual nomination form must identify key research questions to be answered and
must explain how the information yielded from the property will shed light on these questions.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 300
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Registration Requirements: Historic Sites Property Type:
Description:
This range of properties includes the several former city/religious cemeteries, the Civil War Camp
Un/on/Franklin, Union Park, the Shooting Club Phrk, Nutwood Race Track, and the many German beer garden sites.
Numerous baseball fields served the city and most had some substantial bleachers and related infrastructure. Athletic
Park, located at 4~ Street north of the Shot Tower, was established on filled land which later became an industrial area.
The intention is to address all social and institutional gathering sites which were not linked with permanent buildings and
which are not otherwise addressed in the other property types in this document. The landscaping and architecture of
public parks such as Eagle Point or commemorative sites such as the Julien Dubuque monument is covered under the
institutional property type because these retain a permanent architecture or landscaping. Recent archeological work
related to the Northwest arterial yielded artifacts which appear to document the pre-1833 U.S. military presence in the
Dubuque area. These troops prevented lead miners from pre-empting legal occupation of the region. These campsites
and other early mining, smelting and milling sites, and their related occupation sites and Native American sites merit the
creation of an early settlement context that would encompass pre-1837 property types.
Simtificance:
Context #1, Frontier City on the Mississippi River, 1833-1858:
The earliest cemeteries possess the potential to yield information about mortality rotes, causes of death, and the
social history of early Dubuque under Criterion D (archeology). Neither the Jackson Park or the earliest Catholic
cemeteries were properly vacated and many burials remain. No registry exists for the catholic cemetery.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
1500 Bluff Street, Grant Park is a part of the Jackson Park Historic District
Washington Park is a part of Cathedral Historic District
Context #2, The Key City, 1859-1893:
Camp Un/on/Franklin served as the rendezvous camp for a substantial number of Iowa infantry regiments during
1861-62. It is probable that the site, located south uf Eagle Point, has been completely lost with the lowering of that area
for use as barrow to infill the marshes to the south. Investigation and testing is recommended however in hopes that the
site does survive. If it does survive the site has a probable capacity to yield important information about Iowa's wartime
homefront military mobilization under Criter/on D. Union Park and the Shooting park emerged during these years as a
key amusement park and German social club respectively. Both sites retain some structures and the latter is still
functio~fmg in its original use. The present established cemeteries were opened duiing this period. Nutwood Park
National Register Listed/Eli~dble Properties:
No properties identified.
NPS Form
(Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 30!
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Recommended for further study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Rhomberg Street (Blocks 207-8, Ham's Addition) Camp Union/Franklin
Context #3, Fitful Growth and Maturation, t893-1910:
Union Park's popularity continued to grow as did the beer gardens and other social use sites. Union Park in
particular was cVzrectly linked to the emerging streetcar service and helped fund its growth and development. The
majority of social site usage was stretched along northern Central (then Couler) Avenue.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
Julien Dubuque Monument, National Historic Landmark
Context #4, An Era of Stability, 1910-1955:
Floods crippled Union Park and it faded from use during the 1930's. The Athletic Park was built during this time
and long served the city.
National Register Listed/Ehgible Properties:
4900 Peru Road, Four Mounds Site (National Register)
Recommended for fitO~er study and evaluation, likely National Register eligible
Eagle Point Park
Context #5, The Arcinteeture of Dubuque, 1833-1955
Not applicable for this property type given the expected loss of all above ground features and
builcFmgs/stmctures.
National Register Listed/Eligible Properties:
Registration Requirements:
eHistoric sites properties must be cYzrectly associated with the City of Dubuque, 1833 to present.
eHistoric sites properties must have a direct and significant association with one or more of the established
historical contexts winch are defined in th/s document.
eHistoric sites properties eligible under Criterion A must reta'm the integrity aspects of location, design and the
cumulative aspects of feeling and association. The property has to be in its original location, and its original
design must be visually apparent, unobstructed by additions or alterations. The integrity aspects of setting,
materials and workmanship are expected to have changed the most, and their substantial loss does not disqualify
eligibility.
NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number F Page 302
The Architectural and Historical Resottrces o£Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
*Historic sites properties eligible under Criterion B are eligible if they retain the same integrity aspects required
for Criterion A (see above). The aspects of workmanship and materials must at least be min/mally reflected in
the visible faqade.
*Historic sites properties ehgible under Criterion C must represent a significant style, type, period or method of
construction. Rarity of example is a justified reason for significance if the property represents a once common
type now rarely found. Many Dubuque properties will warrant state or national levels of significance because
they combine architectural significance with rarity. Significance is possessed if the property represents and
interprets the working career of a notable artist, architect, engineer or landscape architect and explains how that
individual contributed to their respective fields. A property is significant if it possesses high artistic qualities
which characterize the architectural heritage of Dubuque.
*Historic sites properties are eligible under Criterion D if they possess the potential to y/eld information through
archeological treatment. For subsurface rema'ms of buildings, structures or objects, it is expected that the
integrity aspects of materials, workmanship, and the cumulative aspects of feeling and association are sufficiently
retained so that the property is recogrfizable and qualifies to yield information. For the subsurface remffms of
dumps, sinks, or other cultural debris, it is necessary that the deposits be relatively intact and undisturbed. The
individual nomination form must identify key research questions to be answered and must explain how the
information yielded from the property will shed hght on these questions.
NP$ Form 10 900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
OMB Approval No. I024~0018
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number G Page 303
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State
Geographical Area:
Five Proposed Survey Phases (Telegraph Herald, March 30, 2000)
Th/s multiple property document encompasses the entirety of the city of Dubuque. The survey report component
covers only the Phase I survey area which is defined by Central Avenue (west boundary), East 26~ Street (north
boundary), Elm Street (east boundary) and East 18~ Street (south boundary). Five successive survey efforts are planned
to update Dubuque's historical/architectural inventory. This report includes the fm(Fmgs of the Phase I survey. The
Phase II survey is also under contract and planned to begin in the late summer of 2000.
At least one identified resource, the railroad bridge, crosses the Mississippi River and connects to the Illinois
shore. In many ways the proper historical and architectural context is not Iowa but rather southwestern Wisconsin and
northwestern Illinois. All of these share the same river valley culture and history.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8486)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number G Page 304
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque. Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
National Register Listed Historic Districts, Dubuque
(1-Jackson Park~ 2-West 11~ Street, 3-Langworthy, 4-Cathedral, 5-Old Main)
In addition to these listed districts, three others were recommended for listing by Brace Kriviskey in 1979:
Broadway/Traut District: Broadway, 24 and Central, 51mid-19 century residential properties. t~
Fenelon Place District: Located atop the bluff opposite the 4 S~:eetElevator, 61 contr/butingresidentialproperties.
Prospect Street District: Located between the bluffs and Prospect Street with 15 contributing properties.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic PlaCes
Continuation Sheet
Section number H Page 305
OMB .4pprova! No. 1024~0018
The Axcbitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Methodology:
This multiple property development and its related historic survey projects represents a renewed effort on the part
of the City of Dubuque to puts its historic preservation program in order. The surveys are the first comprehensive effort
to update the city's historic building inventory and to organize that inventory on the basis of an established set of historic
contexts. The multiple property document establishes those contexts and defines the property types and styles which are
expressed in Dubuque's architecture and history.
The staff of the Dubuque Community Development Department developed a five-phase historical survey plan to
complete the city's historical/architectural inventory and the first two phases of this plan were accepted for completion by
the City Council in 1999. Phase I, the survey of the lower portion of the Couler Valley, funded with a Certified Local
Government grant, was awarded to historic preservation consultant Jim Jacobsen (d/b/a History Pays!). Phase [I, the
survey of the Rhomberg or North Dubuque residential district, was funded using Housing and Urban Development Funds,
and the contract was awarded to consultants Jim Jacobsen and Molly Myers Naumann.
The Phase I survey effort had the stated goal of documenting only those properties or districts which appeared to
merit National Register of Historic Places eligibility recommendations. Completed individual historical inventory forms
and photographs documented individually ehgible properties or district groupings. In both survey efforts, the consultants
initially documented all properties having exterior integrity (exposed wood, stucco, brick, etc.). Re-sided buildings
defied documentation using standard field survey techniques. If one was documented, then all had to be because they all
looked the same. Re-sided buildings were not documented unless they had exceptional features (distinctive exposed
trimwork, significant building type, well preserved features such as windows or porches). This initial pool was then
reviewed and eligible properties were given special research attention,
Surveyor Kriviskey encountered the re-siding problem back in 1978 and he too had to focus his attention
primarily on non-frame buildings. The passage of 20 years had considerably worsened the situation and many buildings
which Kriviskey favored are now unrecognizable. Third, most of the buildings were collectively of historical interest but
very few warranted individual National Register consideration. District clusters consisted of sizable fragments, mostly
being focused on commercial nodes which occurred at street comers or in the southern tb2rd of the survey area. There
were a number of impressive commercial blocks however.
A key concern on the part of the City was the need to resolve the lead paint issue. The City's housing program
was covering historic buildings and removing interior trimwork in an effort to remove the lead paint threat. The
consultants were asked to review this issue as it related to historic preservation concerns. The consultants quickly
determined that the issue was virtually a mute one given that at least 98 percent of all frame houses have already been
sided. The lingering concern is the wholesale loss of historic interior trimwork.
Brace Kriviskey's (see below) 1978 survey findings guided the present survey efforts. Kriviskey prepared no site
forms and did no historical research but he did prepare key-coded survey maps which identified a range of significance
levels, all of which were architecturally based. Planning staff prepared a baseline survey map that was derived from the
Geographic Information System. This map depicted individual building outlines as well as street names and building
addresses. Kriviskey's findings were copied onto this base map and the resulting map guided the present survey. While
many Kriviskey eligibility recommendations had been lost to demolition or re-siding, there was still a good "fit" between
his findings and those of the consultants.
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number H Page 306
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
The many hundreds of vernacular residences which were not documented are still collectively of historical merit.
They present an excellent example ora situation where excepted survey techniques and National Register standards are
not helpful in acknowledging their collective importance. Given the city's topography, only the Phase I and Phase ll
residential areas offer large groupings of Dubuque's vernacular houses in a flat land setting. Similar houses are found
throughout the city above the bluffs, but these are scattered and intermixed with houses from later periods. The best
chance for vemacular districts is found on these flat valley floors. Replacement siding has transformed these into look-
alike boxes devoid of any detailing or uniqueness. To document one was to document all. What remains impressive is
the density, juxtaposition, and occasionally the orientation of these houses. Surviving examples of once typical detailing,
house orientation, and original appearance were documented, but much has been lost or obscured. Virtually every frame
house still retaining its original clapboard exterior was documented. Exceptions were due to the loss of integrity due to
porch removal, window reduction, or other alterations.
Historical research first focused upon identifying a means of accurately dating the surveyed propea~ies. If
anytlYmg can knowingly be said about the evolution and derivation of vernacular house designs then accurate building
dates are the starting point. The earlier vernacular survivors can be sorted out through this dating process. Many of the
surveyed properties were found to be of a later building date than might be generally assumed, given Dubuque's
conservative building tradition. This is particularl true ofbuilcYmg dating after the 1880s through the First World War.
Dating pre-1921 properties using city directories is a complex process because Dubuque renamed many streets
and renumbered east/west nmning blocks that year. Prior to 1902 chreetories have no listings by address and a property
can be traced back only if the owner/occupant is known by name. Historical photographs can date buildings if they are
accurately dated, but they are best when used to document major builrYmgs. Few neighborhoods have historic
photographic coverage and the Phase II survey area was particularly difficult to photograph historically from any vantage
point. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps are restricted in their coverage in residential areas prior to 1909, but there are maps
for 1891 and 1884. Lithographic views proved to be one of the best means to date buildings but they are most accurate
when landmark buildings are the subject of investigation.
The Multiple Property Document:
Intimidation is the word that best describes the challenge of summarizing Dubuque's amazing story in a standard
multiple property document. The sheer mass of most excellent written and visual history alone makes the task a daunting
one. The real challenge is to dare to rank or distinguish one context over another. Fortunately the answer is found in the
same historical cornucopia--many others possessing more talent, have largely done the analytical work and their
guidance made the task a doable one. Dubuquers know and live their history and any historical summary is guaranteed to
undergo close and exacting scrutiny as it should.
The same historical literature search identified the key secondary historical references and these formed the
outline for the docmment. A multiple property document, in order to be truly useful, has to be tailored to the historical
personality ufa community. It has to fit. Dubuque very much still embodies the historical personality that made it such a
special place so local input will test the developing document.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number H Page 307
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Phase I Survey Area Map
NPS Form
{Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number H Page 305
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
Phase II Survey Area Map
A first draft was hurriedly prepared in mid-January 2000 given the fact that the project had been so delayed in
getting stzxted. Eighty percent of the first draft comprised an architectural typology of Dubuque's best h/storical
properties. This section was quickly prepared only because Lawrence Sommer and David Gebhard and others had
akeady largely and capably done the work. The remainder of the draft offered four time-defined basic contexts and a
range of sub-contexts. An initial review of the city's historiography indicated that the years 1857-58, 1893, and 1910
best marked transitions in the city's development.
A more substantial draft was developed in March-April following the completion of the second field visit and the
completion of most of the preliminary h/storical research. Two sources, William Wilkie's Dubuque On The Mississippi
and Randolph Lyon's singularly outstanding Dubuque: The Encyclopedia, provided the backbone of both guidance and
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number H Page 309
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
documentation for the developing document. Lyon's work is of particular importance because it treats the recent social
and economic development themes along with historical ones.
Survey and Registration Recommendations:
A number of observations or recommendations have been during the course of this Phase I multiple property
document development and survey effort. These are appended below.
1. Historical/architectural survey of the upper Couler Valtey (above 26t~ Street).
This area is not included in the five-phase survey plan but should be. It contains a number of very significant
industrial plants, the housing which is associated with those plants, and an array of potentially significant churches and
comer commercial properties. This area developed post-1890/1900 for the most part, save for scattered properties along
Central Avenue.
2. Survey of the northern portion of the downtown area.
Kriviskey identified potentially significant properties in this area (generally the area located north and east of the
designated Main Street distric0 but save for the registration of the Jackson Park area, little attention has been pa/d to it.
This part of the downtown contains innumerable commercial, industrial, vernacular and architecturally significant
properties and deserves focused survey attention. Many of the surviving early downtown buildings are found here. Such
a survey would address the issue of possibly extending the Main Street program area northward, an idea that seems to
have much merit.
3. Survey and possible registration of Dubuque's surviving industrial architecture.
It appears that a substantial industrial historic district survives between the courthouse and Highway 61. This cluster
of large industrial properties best represents the industrial heritage of the city. Preservation financial incentives might be
very beneficial to the continued use of these properties but if property owners are opposed to formal listing, it is
recommended that the area offers an excellent venue for historical tours and educational promotions. Numerous scattered
industrial properties (including jobbing, wholesaling, transportation related properties) are scattered throughout the city
and need to be studied as a group.
4. The extension of Survey Areas 4 and 5 to include Grandview Avenue and other pre-1955 residential neighborhoods.
Many early 208 century residential properties and significant institutional/religious properties are scattered
throughout the city and many of these are located outside of the planned survey areas. These should either be enlarged,
on the scale of Survey Area 3, or additional survey areas should focus on either particular neighborhoods such as
G-randview Avenue or upon particular ranges of residential architecture. It might be advantageous to simply survey the
entire highlands portion of the city, selecting out potentially significant properties. A first phase reconnaissance survey
could locate and classify these and follow-up intensive survey efforts could document them individually. Bruce
Kriviskey's proposed Prospect Park historic district is deserving of particular attention (as does his Broadway distr/ct).
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number H Page 310
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State ....
5. Survey and evaluate the John Deere workers housing south of Asbury Road and other major post World War plat
developments.
The John Deere workers' housing was quite unusual in its design and stylistic treatments. These brick duplexes
and single family residences employed a fairly formal Colonial Revival style. They are massed in one part of the
city and comprise Dubuque's premier post-World War suburban subdivision.
6. The Illinois Central Railroad bridge over the Mississippi River warrants National Registration listing.
7. Eagle Point Park merits comprehensive survey and evaluation efforts.
8. The Zebulon Pike Lock and Dam facility and Mississippi River Barge Terminal are likely National Register eligible
and deserve study and consideration.
9.Linwood Cemetery is a splendid historical resource and is probably signiIlcant for its landscape design and/ts historic
builcYmgs and structures.
10. Shiras Avenue merits a historical/architectural survey to the north of the Phase 1I survey area.
NPS Form I0-900-a
(Rev. ~86}
United States Department of the interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3! [
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Bibliography:
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State ......
Dubuque's history is better documented than any other city in the state. The very best historians, on a state or
local level, have labored in the historical vineyards of Dubuque and the result has been both plentiful and impressive.
Dubuque from its inception has been collectively historically minded and virtually every step forward was taken with an
appreciative nod to the historical Muse. Even today the past continues to enliven, guide and help explain the present in
Dubuque.
What is perhaps most remarkable ufthe secondary history of the city is the attention given to state and regional
context and to historical analysis. Virtually every important historical context has been researched and developed to
some extent.
This wealth of sources is matched by a richness in libraries and research centers. Three principal archives, the
Carnegie-Stout Public Library, the Dubuque County Historical Library, and the Loras College Center for Dubuque
History, were accessed for this project.
Dubuque Sources:
American Trust and Savings Bank, Dubuque Folklore, Dubuque; n.p., 1980 (two volumes)
Anderson, David C., Reconnaissance/Historical Survey of Dubuque County, Iowa: A Report Prepared For The Dubuque
County Historic Preserva~on Commission, July 31, 1991.
Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers U.S. Arm? To The Secretary of War For The Year 1876, Washington; U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1876.
Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers U.S. Army To The Secretary of War For The Year 1885, Wash'mgton; U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1885.
Annual Report of the Chief of Engineers U.S. Army To The Secretary of War For The Year 1886, Wastfmgtun; U.S.
Government Printing Office, 1886.
Attitudes And Opinions Toward Dubuque, Iowa, Cedar Rapids; Frank N. Magid Associates, February 1966.
Audubon Elementary School, "Discovering The History In Our Own Backyard," Dubuque: Chapbooks.Com (editors
Jeanne Anderson, Ed Glaser, writers Sixth Graders, Audubon School), 1999-2000.
Auge, Dr. Thomas, "Comparison of 1850 & 1860 Census, Dubuque County, Iowa," Dubuque; typed manuscript, Loras
College, History Department, c. 1980
Blanchard, B. W., Dubuque~Its Manufacturing And Commercial Facilities Together With Its Railroads, Public
Buildings, Business Growth and Future Prospects, Dubuque; The Times Company Publishers and Printers, 1886
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]2
OMB Approval NO. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, t 837-1955 Dubuque Cotmtv, Iowa
Name of Property County and State
Bulkow, Helen, Dubuque In The Civil War Period, Evanston; M.A. Thesis, Department of History, Northwestern
University, May 1941 (Center for Dubuque History, Civil War, F-2)
Burns, William, "Dubuque Doorways," Dubuque; typed manuscript, April 4, 1959 (Center for Dubuque History,
Architecture F-2)
Callahan, Thomas J., "A History of St. Raphael's Church," B.A. Thesis, Loras College, 1965.
Carey, Sister Helen, The Irish Element In Iowa Up To 1865, Washington; Catholic University of America, Masters of
Arts Thesis, 1944 (Center for Dubuque History)
Chamber of Commerce/Dubuque Industrial Bureau, "Business In Dubuque, Iowa: A Profile of Trends In...," Dubuque;
n.p., 1971
Chamber of Commerce, Dubuque Businesses, Vol. 2, Nos. 1-12, February 1930-January 1931 (Carnegie-Stout Library)
Chamber of Commerce, Dubuque, Iowa: Descriptive Survey of Dubuque, Dubuque; Chamber of Commerce, 1911.
Chamber of Commerce, "168 Projects Started, Furthered, Accomplished," Dubuque; Chamber of Commerce, February 1,
1923 (Center for Dubuque History, Chamber of Commerce, F-I)
Chamber of Commerce, The Dubuquer, Dubuque; np., June 1923 and December 1924
Childs, , The History of Dubuque County, Iowa, Chicago; Western Historical Company, 1880.
"City of Dubuque, Iowa," Ballou's Pictorial Drawing Room Companion, Vol. 13 (31 October t 857) pp. 260-62
"City of Dubuque [Showing the Spirit] Comprehensive Plan Phase I," Dubuque, n.p., Adopted March 21, 1994
Commercial Club, Dubuque Iowa On The Mississippi, Dubuque; h.p., 1913 (photocopy, gray box series, Center for
Dubuque History, original in possession of Leslie Sawvel, 1253 Washington Street)
"Commercial Report of the Business Transactions At The City of Dubuque, Iowa In 1854 & 1855," (.printed excerpt from
unidentified source, Dubuque County Historical Society).
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1981
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Descriptive Survey of Dubuque, 1911. Need complete citation.
NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]3
OMB,Approval No. 102~0018
The A~chitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State
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Publishers, 1902.
Dubuque And Dubuque County Directory 1915, Dubuque; The Telegraph-Herald Publishers, 1915
Dubuque And East Dubuque City Directory 1925, Dubuque; The Telegraph-Herald Publishers, 1915
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Dubuque; Quebeco Books, 1998 (Volume 2).
Dubuque Business, A Magazine of Civic Progress, Dubuque; Dubuque Chamber of Commerce, 1929-31 (Volumes 1-3
published, August 1929 through final issue July 1931).
Dubuque City Directory (Including East Dubuque, Illinois) 1934, Dubuque; McCoy Directory Company, Compilers, The
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"Dubuque Facets and Facts 1964; Iowa's Second Largest City On The Mississippi: An Economic Opportunity Survey,"
Dubuque; h.p., 1964
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Churches and Many Fine Residences..., Dubuque; n.p., n.d. (same as above? Center for Dubuque History)
NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. 8-86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]4__
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Properly
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
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FHWA-Iowa EIS 78-01-F Dubuque North-West Arterial--Final Environmental Impact Statement, U.S. Department of
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NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 315
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
Hennagir, Richard, "Dubuque Chamber of Commerce," Dubuque; Loras College, typed manuscript, March23, 1955.
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A Northern CiW, Iowa City; Ph.D. thesis, University of Iowa, May 1996 (two volumes, Center for Dubuque History).
NPS Fo~m 10-9C0-a
(Rev. 8 86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]6
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque CoanW, Iowa
County and State .......
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Klein, Robert F., Dubuque: Frontier River City, *need citation.
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Kwasky, Albert, The Old Lady in Dubuque's Other Son, New York: Vantage Press, 1984.
Kwasky, Albert, The Old Lady in Dubuque's Town, New York: Vantage Press, 1991.
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Lyon, Randolph W., Dubuque; The Encyclopedia, Dubuque; First National Bank of Dubuque, 1991.
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NPS Form 10-900-a
{Rev. P~86}
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]7
OMB Approval No. I024-G018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .......
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NPS Form 10 900~a
IRev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]$
OMB Approval No. I024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955
Name of Property
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
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NPS Fo~m 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 3]9
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Property County and State .....
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NPS Form 10-900-e
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 320__
OMBApp~oval No, 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Propcu~ty County and State .......
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NPS Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 32]
OMB Approval No. 1024-0018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
Name of Propeity County and State .......
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NP$ Form 10-900-a
(Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 322
OMB Approval NO. 1024-$018
The Architectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque Count, t, Iowa
Name of Property County and State ......
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NPS Form 10~900-a
{Rev. 8-86)
United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
Continuation Sheet
Section number I Page 323__
The Architecan'al and Itistorical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, t837-1955
Name of Propexty
Dubuque County, Iowa
County and State .......
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United States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
National Register of Historic Places
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The Arclxitectural and Historical Resources of Dubuque, Iowa, 1837-1955 Dubuque County, Iowa
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Dubuque County Historical Society
Center for Dubuque l-Iisto~y, Loras College, Dubuque