1 Van Allen Building (Petersen-Harned-Von Maur,
Inc.), 200 5th Avenue South; 1913-1915; Louis Sullivan, Architect,
of Chicago; Daniel Haring, Contractor. The Van Allen Building
consists of four floors plus basement and attic. The exterior has
brick spandrels and piers over the structural steel skeletal frame.
Terra cotta is used for horizontal accent banding and for three
vertical applied mullion medallions on the front façade. Marble
facing is used around the glass show windows on the first floor. In
1976, Phil Feddersen, Architect, of Clinton, established a
rehabilitation program for the building. The deteriorated Luxor
Prism windows above the first-floor show windows were replaced by
solar bronze sheet glass. The entry doors of aluminum, which
replaced the original wood doors, were in turn replaced by glass and
mahogany doors. The building is an excellent and important work if
Architect Louis Sullivan. The building design is dignified, with
emphasis on the modern expression of the steel skeletal frame. At
the same time, some terra cotta ornamentation is applied in
Sullivan's unique style of Floral inspiration design.
2 Ankeny Building, 201-211 5th Avenue South; 1930; Harold Holmes,
Architect, of Chicago; Daniel Haring, Contractor. Two stories in
height, the building street facades are clad with cream-colored
terra cotta panels. Upper story windows are steel and lass in a
stylized "Chicago window" expression. Signs and some storefront
revisions are the only changed to the original architecture. The
building is a good local example of the so-called "Modernistic
Style" or Art Deco Style. The terra cotta ornament is expressive of
the Art Deco movement.
3 Wilson Building (J. C. Penney/Wilson Building), 217 5th Avenue
South, 1812-1914; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton; Daniel
Haring, Contractor. The building is the tallest one downtown and is
a major landmark. The front façade is of white terra cotta. The
vertical lines are accented in the typical "skyscraper" fashion of
Sullivan. Horizontal spandrels of terra cotta claddings and ornament
over the structural beams are suppressed so that the vertical piers
can de dominant. Changes from the original construction include
removal of a heavy, projecting cornice at the roof line, replacement
of the double-hung windows, and ground-floor storefront alterations.
The building is a good local example of the Commercial Style which
was originally derived from the "Chicago School of Architecture".
The front façade is richly textured, patterned and
ornamented—yet, the major lines of the structure still retain
definition and appropriateness.
4 1st National Bank (vacant), 226-228 5th Avenue South; 191101912;
John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton; Daniel Haring,
Contractor. This bank building, now vacant, is two stories high and
fifty feet wide. The front façade is of dressed stone and is
distinguished by a central portical of flanking, fluted ionic
columns which support a pediment. The facade is marred by a metal
marquee and sign. However, the building is still a good local
example of the Neo-Classical Revival Style of the early 20th
Century.
5 Allen's Tea Room (vacant), 230 5th Avenue South; c. 1870. This
vacant commercial building is of brick, with segmented arches at the
upper-story window heads. The facade is of simplified Italianate
Style. The building is intact except for the first-floor storefront
which has been drastically altered. For years, a well-known tea room
was located here. The restaurant interior is reportedly intact and
preserved, with historic finishes.
6 Jacobsen Building/The Lamb Block & Masonic Temple (F. W.
Woolworth/Jacobsen Building), 242-246 5th Avenue South; 1886; Josiah
L. Rice, Arhitect, of Clinton. A large, three-story building of red
brick with stone "flat-arched" windows. It has street facades in
relief with fluted piers and string courses. The ground-floor
storefronts have been "modernized" and the easterly frontage of the
building has been rebuilt and reclad. Highly eclectic in design, the
building combines elements of the Second Empire Style (such as the
mansard roof and cornice treatment); the High Victorian Gothic Style
(such as the fluted pilasters with vertical emphasis and window head
treatment). In addition, the Chateauesque Style influence is evident
with the double window grouping and general freedom of organization.
7 U. S. Post Office, 301 5th Avenue South; 1901-1902; James Knox
Taylor, Supervising Architect, U. S. Treasury Department; Louis
Simon, Architect; M. Yeager & Son, Contractor. A large, one and
one-half story building, the Post Office is clad with stone and has
a flat roof. An addition of similar style was built to the rear in
1934 by John Redding, contractor, of Whiting, Indiana with Henry
Hines as Construction Engineer. The entry steps on the east were a
1966 revision as designed by the GSA Design and construction
Division, Region 6, Kansas City, Missouri. The Building is highly
eclectic in design derivation. The massiveness, monumentality, use
of Ionic column capitals, and other classical elements are of
Neo-Classical Revival Style, while the emphasis on raked horizontal
joints of the stonework and window head work suggests a
rustification and scale of Renaissance Style-inspired design.
8 Charles F. Curtis Coach House, (rear) 417 5th Avenue South; c.
1885; Josiah L. Rice, Architect, of Clinton. This is the coach house
for the Charles Curtis mansion. It is located at the rear of the
wide side yard and east of the mansion. The coach house is of brick
with a steeply pitched roof. The building was remodeled in 1965 with
apartments constructed. Alterations include removal of a centrally
located cupola from the roof ridge and installation of aluminum
storm windows. Like the mansion, the design of the coach house is of
Queen Anne Style; however, it is more reserved in the variety of
materials employed, and makes use of symmetry. Charles F. Curtis
House (Fifth Avenue Realty Apartments), 417 5th Avenue South; c.
1885; John Fegan, Builder. This Mansion is of brick with stone trim.
A corner turret, which formerly had a conical roof, anchors the
northeast corner of the building and acts as a pivot between the
wide side yard and the front yard. The building has now been
converted to apartment use. In the mode of the Queen Anne Style, the
design of the mansion employs a variety of materials, textures,
colors, and patterns. Very opulent and extravagant with material
usage, the building was a showcase of one of the co-owners of the
Curtis Company woodworking factory of Clinton. George M. Curtis
Coach House ("Carriage House Community Theater"), 420 5th Avenue
South (rear); c. 1885; Josiah L. Rice, Architect, of Clinton. The
Coach House has a brick lower story, wood shingle upper story, and
newer asphalt shingle gabled roof. The building has been converted
to a theater for the Clinton Community Theater. Like the mansion,
the building is of Queen Anne Style but is more quiet in design,
with symmetrical composition and fewer diverse forms and materials
than the mansion. This approach, however, it appropriate and the two
buildings together create a pleasant setting of historic
architecture.
9 George M. Curtis House (The Clinton Woman's Club), 420 5th Avenue
South; c. 1880. A large. two and one-half story brick veneer
mansion, the building makes sumptuous use of materials—especially
brick—and a variety of roof planes and windows. The original, lacy
wood porch has been replaced by the present semicircular in plan,
was removed in the 1940's. The building is now used for the Clinton
Woman's Club, which purchased the house in 1925. The mansion is a
good example of the Queen Anne Style. An important house for an
important industrialist in the history of Clinton, the building is
notable—a fact that is recognized by the state in its approval of
the building for National Register status.
10 A. G. Smith House (Clinton Manor Nursing Home—vacant), 421 5th
Avenue South; 1914-1915; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton;
Haring Brothers, Builder. A two-story brick mansion with hip roof,
the building was converted to an elderly care facility but now is
vacant and for sale. Rectilinear and symmetrical, the building
design suggests a Classical Revival Style influence. However, it
also show a Prairie School Style influence in the use of warm
colored brick and a horizontal emphasis, as expressed in the trim
and broad, hip roof with paired brackets. The building design was
progressive for its time.
11 Oscar Klein House (St. John's Episcopal Church parsonage). 503
5th Avenue South; 1918. A two-story brick house with stone trim, it
has a broad, overhanging hip roof. The building has an enclosed
one-story "sun porch" on the east and an entry porch with flanking
brick piers on the north. The design of the building was obviously
influenced by the Prairie School Style movement. This influence is
exhibited by the general building massing, grouping of windows, the
strong horizontal lines defined by the hip roof eave lines, and the
stone string course at the line of the second-floor window sills.
Concessions to traditional design include the use of double-hung
windows and chimney set to the side, instead of centralized
position.
12 H. W. Seaman House (James Hass Apartments), 516 5th Avenue South;
1904; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton; Daniel Haring,
Builder. The house makes use of warm-hued brick, terra cotta, store
trim, and tiled hip roof. The former mansion has been converted to
twelve apartments. The design of the building is eclectic with use
of symmetry and rustification of the lower-story "base" in the
Renaissance Revival Style. The design also freely borrows from the
Georgian Revival Style. This influence includes the front porch
Ionic columns and the stylized Palladian window motif above the
porch. In addition, the hip roof and horizontal emphasis suggests
and awareness of Prairie School Style development in Chicago.
13 VFW/Iowa National Guard (Iowa National Guard), 213 6th Avenue
South; c. 1947; Walter E. Bort, Architect, of Clinton; Daniel
Haring, Contractor. A two-story building approximately 45 feet wide,
it is faced with marble. Originally designed for the VFW (Veterans
of Foreign Wars), its ownership changed during construction and it
was converted to a National Guard Armory. A vehicular entrance, with
garage door, is centered on the first floor. The Armory stands on
the site of the Clinton Theater and is a rare Clinton example of
so-called "Modernistic" Style. The clean, simple lines of the
building and the stylized figure reliefs as ornamental features are
characteristically Modernistic.
14 Wilcox/George L. Curtis House, 402 6th Avenue South; c. 1869,
1880. A two-story brick house with a to-story wraparound front
porch, the building incorporated an earlier structure built in 1869.
It was rebuilt in 1880 for the Wilcox family and again in 1906 for
George Curtis. The two-story wood porches were constructed c. 1907.
The building, of eclectic design, can perhaps be most closely
identified with Renaissance Revival Style. Altered by successive
influential industrialists, the house is a handsome reminder of the
past in Clinton.
15 A. F. Hopkins House, 430 7th Avenue South; c. 1886; Josiah L.
Roce, Architect, of Clinton. Once a fine residence, the house has
been converted to a four-unit apartment building. The building has
stone foundation walls, wood siding, upper-story wood shingles, and
stucco panels with wood trim at the gables. A corner turret and
arched window in the roof gable are the same brown color, the house
design has been improved by the quieting of the original busy
detailing of the Queen Anne Style.
16 Francis Power House, 444 7th Avenue South; c. 1870. The house is
of frame construction with foundation walls of stone. It is a good
local example of an early adaptation of the Renaissance Revival
Style. The wide, overhanging hip roof with brackets and the
cast-iron railing atop the roof of the later, Queen Anne Style
inspired porch are the major features of interest.
17 Union Iron Works' Iowa Machine Works & Foundry, 106 8th Avenue
South; c. 1856. An early brick industrial building, it has a gable
roof with a "false front" of a high, stepped parapet for the major,
street façade. Engaged brick pilasters on the front divide the
façade into two equal bays. The large, west door has been altered
and raised to allow struck service while the east door in the main
façade retains the segmented-arch, original appearance.
Twentieth-century additions flank and extend the rear of the
original building. Simple and utilitarian but warm and handsome in
appearance, the building is a good example of functional vernacular
design of early industrial architecture in Iowa.
18 Public Library, 306 8th Avenue South 1903-1904; Patton & Miller,
Architects, of Chicago; Daniel Haring, Builder. A two-story building
with basement, the library has exterior walls of cut and dressed
limestone. A matching addition to the rear houses the main two-level
stack area. Other exterior changes include a "modern" canopy and
entry at grade level to the basement. The main doors to the library
have been replaced with modern aluminum ones, and pipe railing have
been added to the entry steps. Of eclectic design in the Beaux Arts
Classicism Style manner, the library has a monumental entry with
professional steps and flanking, paired columns. Symemetry of design
and borrowing of Greek and Roman—inspired elements complete the
composition. The design was the work of Chicago architects, Patton
and Miller. They designed many Carnegie libraries in the Midwest in
the early part of this century, including the old library at Mason
City, Iowa (which is very similar in design to Clinton's) and the
library in Charles City, Iowa.
19 Lafayette Lamb House (YWCA/Gateway YWCA), 317 7th Avenue South;
1877, rebuilt 1906; W. W. Sanborn, Architect, of Clinton; J. C.
Clausen, Superintendent of Construction. Built in 1877 with red
brick, mansard rood, and turreted tower, the wood stud-framed
building was rebuilt in 1906. The original brick veneer was removed
and the gray cement brick of the Iowa Granite Brick company
installed. The roof was rebuilt as a flat roof and the tower was
removed. Built as the mansion of a lumber baron, the house was
donated to the YWCA in 1920. Subsequently, many alterations were
made and additions built. The Lafayette Lamb mansion, as originally
built, was of Second Empire Style but the 1906 "modernization'
resulted in a building that more closely resembles Georgian Revival
Style. The sheer bulk of such a large, brick veneer building,
combined with its association with the Lamb and Carpenter families,
contribute to the significance of the building. The building has
been approved on the state level for National Register status.
20 St. Mary's Church, 520 9th Avenue South; 1884-1888; Josiah L.
Rice, Architect, of Clinton. A large church structure of brick with
extensive use of stone trim, the building has a simple gable roof,
imposing corner tower, and pointed, arched windows. Although
designed by Rice with a tall, pointed steeple, the building was
completed with the tower terminated just above the eaveline of the
main gable roof. After 1904, some of the tower was added with brick
and a belfrey of dressed stone. The entry doors are recent
replacements of aluminum and glass. Of imposing scale, the church is
a good local example of Gothic Revival Style design.
21 St. Mary's Rectory, 516 9th Avenue South; 1896; Josiah L. Rice,
architect, of Clinton. A large, two and one-half story rectory, the
building has brick exterior walls with stone window lintels. A
corner tower with turret and wraparound wood front porch are notable
features of the design. Of Queen Anne Style with Romanesque Style
overtones, the design—through simple handling of the walls, window
openings and use of brick-creates a handsome, imposing yet warm and
humanly scaled structure that is appropriate for a church rectory.
22 C&NW Railroad Station (Old Railroad Station/flea Market), 317
11th Avenue South; 1915-1917. A long, one-story red brick building,
it was a railroad passenger station but now houses a flea market.
The higher section of the building has large, arched window
openings. The entire building is hip-roofed, except for a dominant
gable roof, on cross axis, to identify the major entrance. All of
the roofing is of red tile. The building is a handsome design that
is influenced by the Italian Romanesque Style.
23 First Presbyterian Church, 410 5th Avenue South; 1927-1929;
Coolidge & Hodgdon, Architects, of Chicago; Daniel Haring,
contractor. A sprawling church complex, the sanctuary "anchors" the
corner at the 5th Avenue South-South 4th Street intersection. The
educational wing and parish hall extend around the rear and opposite
property line to form an open courtyard. The "open" street side of
the court was originally designed to be closed by a two-story manse
and tower. The church is an excellent example of the late Gothic
Revival Style. It utilizes a simple forms and picturesque massing
with emphasis on richly textured stone walls.
24 Universalist/Apostolic Church of God/Sacred Heart (Sacred Heart
Catholic Church), 316 South 4th Street; c. 1870; W. Pashley,
Architect/Builder. Built c. 1870 as a frame structure, the church
was extensively remodeled c. 1893. Brick veneer was added over the
wood siding; the entry doors were relocated from the tower base to a
centralized position which required alternation of a large window;
and, a rosette window in the gable was replaced by brick and a stone
cross. Lancet windows were created below and flanking the cross. In
addition, an open, Gothic Revival Style belfry was added above the
tower. A series of small dormers in the roof have been eliminated.
Recent alterations include; re-siding the portion of the original
wood tower that was retained, and replacing the school built to the
north in 1893 with a new school building. The church is an example
of Gothic Revival Style. Built as a Universalist sanctuary. The
building was occupied about 1875 by the Apostolic Church of God, and
anti-Catholic congregation; in 1891, the building was purchased for
an outlying mission of St. Boniface in Lyons. Then in 1893, Sacred
Heart Roman Catholic Church obtained individual identity. Note: Date
on building is 1891, which is the year Sacred Heart Church began,
not the construction date of the building.
25 St. John's Episcopal Church, 240 4th Avenue South; 1898; Josiah
L. Rice. Architect, of Clinton; John Lake, Builder. The building is
constructed of Anomosa limestone with Bedford limestone trim. The
interior woodwork is of native red oak. The interior changes include
the addition of a wall of mosaics behind the altar in 1910-11 and
replacement of the original "cathedral" stained glass windows with
new art glass designs in 1977-79. Exterior changes include a parish
hall addition 1948, designed by James Loftus of Omaha, Nebraska, and
built by Ole Jorgensen and Sons in 1953. The church, designed in
Gothic Revival Style, conveys a feeling of strength and solidarity
through the use of stone as the major building material. At the same
time, a sense of warmth and human scale is achieved—mainly by
means of the highly textured wall surfaces of quarry faced stone.
26 Whitney Merkley House/C. C. Fay House (American Federal Savings &
Loan Association), 331 4th Avenue South; 1884. A two and one-half
story brick structure with corner turret and wide front porch, the
building has been successfully converted from residential to
commercial use. This conversion, done with sympathy and with minimal
change to the house, has successfully preserved an architectural
piece of the past. Rich in textures and patterns of the Queen Anne
Style, the former mansion is now the home of American Federal
Savings and Loan.
27 Johnson/Huston House, 500 4th Avenue South; 1871. This fine
residence has a wide, overhanging hip roof. A "widow's walk" atop
the roof and original front and side porches have been removed.
Although of Italianate Style influence, the house appearance is more
restrained and refined than that usually associated with the style.
The red-hued brickwork is excellently done and creates a humanly
scaled and textured setting of warmth and invitation. The house was
built for the Johnson family; the Dunns are recorded to have
acquired the property in 1886; and, the Huston acquisition was in
1893.
28 Ed J. Kreiger Apartments (Dalton/Proffer/Krueger Apartments),
503-505 3rd Avenue South; 1919; Ed Krieger, Contractor. A large,
rectilinear building with broad, overhanging hip roof and arched
window openings, it has exterior wall surfaces of richly textured,
cream-colored stucco with lower wall surfaces of red brick. Terra
cotta, richly ornamented and colored in blue and white glazes,
decorates the entry arch supports. The building has a uniquely
original design that combines a Mediterranean Style approach with
the horizontal lines, brick base, hip roof, and terra cotta ornament
of the Prairie School Style.
29 Leander Sisco House, 505 10th Avenue South; c. 1868. This
two-story brick house is hip-roofed with soffit brackets. Windows
with arched "eyebrows" and quoined corners are other distinguishing
features. The broad front porch is a later addition. The house is a
good local and intact example of the Italianate Style.
30 Edward Andrew House, 535 10th Avenue South; 1867; Polk and Bacon,
Builders. A frame house with wood lap siding and gable roof of
asphalt shingles, it is well-maintained with integrity. The house is
of simple vernacular construction with some Renaissance Revival
Style influence as exhibited by the window head detailing.
31 Weston House (Snodgrass/Utroska Property), 538-540 10th Avenue
South; c. 1869. A two and one-half story house, it is of frame
construction has mansard roofs. Alterations include; conversion to
apartments, re-siding, porch reconstruction, and entry stoop
replacement. The house was built with fifteen rooms, colored marble
in the vestibule, and handsome, inlaid wooden floors. Although
altered and therefore lacking integrity of design, the building
still is a good local example of the Second Empire Style. The
scalloped roofing shingles, roof forms, and tower metalwork are of
special significance. The house was built for John Copeland Weston.
32 Messer House (Long/Teachout Property), 550 10th Avenue South; c.
1858. Now converted to apartments, the house is two stories high
with attic and gable roof. The front wraparound porch is a later
addition with the eave work probably altered at the same time. The
brick walls and stone lintels over the windows have been painted. An
ornate chandelier from the house is now in the house located at 2314
North 2nd Street. An early mansion in Clinton, this house design is
of simple vernacular style with Federal style influence.
33 Henry Gerhart Property (Carstensen Storage Warehouse), 5160519
South 1st Street; c. 1855. Originally a three-story brick commercial
building, it unfortunately has had additions of the fourth story and
an expansion to the north. The ground-floor storefront is of cast
iron and glass. Although altered by the addition of another floor
and expansion, the building is significant with the retention of the
cast iron ground-floor storefront and window pediments. This
integrity of the lower stories is rare. The building is an excellent
example of early river front commercial architecture that was once
common-especially in St. Louis—and is now almost entirely
demolished. The original building facade was an interpretation of
Renaissance Revival Style.
34 Memorial Flag Pole, Riverview Park—East end of 5th Avenue south
at river Levee; 1930; Leonard Crunelle, Sculptor; Cast by A. M. Art
Bronze Foundry, Jules Berchem & Son, Chicago. The Memorial Flag Pole
has a sculptured base of cast bronze human figures. The original
flag pole of wood has been replaced with one of aluminum. Originally
located on axis with 5th Avenue South and in a formal setting, the
flag pole was relocated and a new setting designed by VISTA for the
Corps of Engineers, together with construction required for the new
levee. The flag pole base incorporates heroic statues commemorating
the Veterans of World War I. The new retaining walls and siting are
a separate memorial to Veterans of World War II, the Korean War, and
the Viet Nam War.
35 Lighthouses, Riverview Park at River Levee; c. 1935; Leo P.
Hannager, Designer; WPA, Builder. Three decorative towers, with the
appearance of lighthouses, stand on the levee and mark the edge of
the Mississippi River. Each tower is octagonal in plan. The masonry
shaft of each tower tapers inward as it rises. Sheet metal roofing
covers the small, stylized domes which are over the "open" work of
the platform atop the shaft. The lighthouses have been symbols and
identifying markers along the river in Riverview Park ever since
their construction by the WPA.
36 Municipal Swimming Pool, Riverview Park; 1929; Walter E, Bort,
Architect, of Clinton; Clinton Engineering Company, Contractor. When
built, the pool cost $90,000 and was the largest swimming pool in
the midwest at that time. The bathouse is of Spanish Colonial
Revival Style, with stucco-finished exterior walls. The window
openings in the bathhouse are, generally, fully arched.
37 Moeszinger-Marquis Hardware Company (C. E. Armstrong & Sons), 721
South 2nd Street; 1912; Josiah L. Rice, Architect, of Clinton. A
massive three-story brick warehouse, it was an addition to an
original five-bay building adjacent on the north and now demolished.
The original building was built c. 1898. The existing building is a
good local example of Romanesque Style. C. E. Armstrong and Company,
established in 1878 and wholesalers of hardware, plumbing, heating,
and mill supplies, have occupied the building since 1932.
38 Jen's Tap and Kurtz Glass 706-710 South 2nd Street; 1969. The
upper story of each store is brick (the north bay has been painted)
with cast iron window "lintels" and tin cornice. Except for the
altered ground floors, the buildings are good local examples of
Renaissance Revival buildings. This building, when combined together
with other buildings in the 700 block of south 2nd Street, Is part
of a minor district of historic architecture.
39 RJS Electronics/Golden Horse Tavern/The Corner Tavern 700-704
South 2ndt street; 1869. These three parcels of storefronts comprise
one brick building that is two stories high. The parapet has a
pattern of corbeled brick. The ground-floor storefronts have been
altered. The Italianate Style building comprises part of a
two-building street façade of approximately 115 feet on the west
side of the 700 block of South 2nd Street.
40 Clinton National Bank (Henry's/Reynold's Lounge),518-522 South
2nd Street; 1868. A three-story commercial building, the structure
is of brick; however, 23 feet of façade on the corner is clad in
stone. The ground-floor columns are of cast iron. The upper-story
windows have round-arched openings and many of the windows have been
replaced or covered over. Despite offensive ground-floor
remodelings, the building is a handsome example of the Italianate
Style. The corner store was the second home of the Clinton National
Bank, formed May 1, 1865.
41. Casa Duran Restaurant 516 South 2nd Street; c. 1868. A small
commercial building of two stories, it has brick walls with arched
second Floor windows. A projecting cornice and intricate brickwork
ornament the upper Story, while the ground floor has been remodeled
for the restaurant housed within. The building's upper story is a
good example of period architecture featuring adaptation of the
Italianate Style.
42. Charles Koons' Building/Snow White Drug Store (Vogue), 512 South
2nd Street; c. 1919. A small commercial building of two stories in
height, the walls of the structure are of Brick. The front façade
utilizes white glazed face brick punctuated with white terra cotta
ornament. The wall is capped with a white terra cotta copng. The
original upper-story, double-hung wood windows have been replaced
with fixed tinted sheet glass. The ground floor was altered several
years ago. The building is a good example of "Sullivanesque Style".
This so-called style emphasizes the simplicity of building form with
applied decorative accents based on original ornaments floral
designs derived by Louis Sullivan. Sullivan's influence is readily
apparent in the building with the ornament usage.
43. Donlan-Redden Company (vacant/Old Montgomery Ward), 503-511
South 2nd Street; 1914; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton;
Daniel Haring, Builder. This building is a two-story commercial
building with skeletal framing clad over with brick. The front
façade is of face brick with decorative accents of terra cotta
ornamentation. The brick piers between the windows on the upper
story have been painted and the windows have been clad over. The
ground-floor storefront has been altered. The building is a simple
but handsome statement in the modern vein of the so-called
Commercial Style (based on the innovative "Chicago School of
Architecture" of the late nineteenth century.
44. Howes Block (Line's Department Store), 419-425 South 2nd Street;
1900; John Lake, Builder. A large, four-story commercial building,
the exterior street facades of the building are of red face brick
with decorative accents of red terra cotta. The ground-floor
storefront and the upper-story windows have been altered and
modernized. This building is of highly eclectic design with the
major influence that of the Renaissance Revival Style, as evident in
the use of engaged pilasters with lonic capitals.
45. Pahl Building (Chris S. Martensen Building), 402-406 south 2nd
Street; c. 1916; Gus Ladehoff, Builder (and also, Designer). This
building is two stories high with a street façade of white glazed
terra cotta. Exuberant ornamentation of white glazed terra otta
provides decoraive accents to the upper façade. The ground floor
has been altered. The street façade is a significant architectural
interest with the use of Sullivanesque terra cotta ornamentation.
This Louis Sullivan-inspired ornament if highlighted by the
placement of the pieces in a neutral field of plain white terra
cotta. Although marred somewhat by alterations, the main façade
still achieves a simple grace of composition and subtle delight.
46. Roehl/Phillips Furniture, 308 South 2nd Street; rebuilt 1960;
Phil Feddersen, Architect, of Clinton. The front façade of face
brick is relieved by two vertical strip of louvers. Integrated into
these strips are casement windows with copper roof projections and
"balconies) of stucco facing. The ground-floor store windows are
recessed to form an arcade. The design by Clinton architect Phil
Feddersen can best be described as "Wrightian". Based upon
compositional and design elements familiar to the work of Frank
Lloyd Wright, Feddersen created a building of warmth, human scale,
and aesthetic appeal. The integration of the signage into the design
is especially notable.
47. C&NW Railroad Freight Station (Old C&NW Freight House/Bennett
Box Pallet Company), 823 South 3rd Street; 1917; Haring Bros.,
Contractor. Built as a freight house for the C&NW railroad, the
building is now used as a warehouse. The front façade of the
two-story building has a grand, Romanesque arch which has been
filled in with wood siding. The face brick of the front facade has a
beautiful range of reds and is lain in exquisite patterns. The
building design, without a strong reliance on historic styles,
creates a strong image nevertheless, by the use of handsome brick
and patterns.
48. First United Methodist Church, 621 South 3rd Street; 1902-1903;
Sidney J. Osgood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Architect; John Lake &
Son, Builder. This brick church has a stone watertable and terra
cotta string courses; the arch framing is also of terra cotta.
Atlerations include the removal of a "lantern" at the peak of the
peak of the main hip roof, closing of the arched clerestory window
on the south, and new entry doors. The church building has an
interesting variety of massing and play of forms. Highly eclectic in
design approach, the handling of the building design elements most
closely follows the Romanesque Style, although there is also some
influence of the Second Renaissance Revival Style. The first stone
for the church was laid in August 1902; the cornerstone was laid
October 5, 1902; and, the dedication was held on September 13, 1903.
49. First Nation Bank, 405 South 3rd Street; 1975-76; Expression
Inc. with Phil Feddersen, Associated Architects. A modern bank
building, it is built of concrete with glass and concrete block
exterior surfaces. The concrete block has a "corduroy" texture with
the horizontal joints struck smooth to emphasize the textured
surface of the block. Much of the bank is raised over the drive-in
facilities. A bank of recent and modern design, it is of statewide
interest with its progressive architecture and unique conceptual
approach.
50. 1st Baptist Church/Norwegian & Danish church/Church of Jesus
Christ Latter Day Saints (Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints).
311 South 3rd Street; 1958. A small, frame, one-story church, it has
a new foundation of concrete blocks. The exterior siding and asphalt
roofing shingles are also new. The building was moved to this
location in 1869 from 620 South 4th Street. Although moved, altered,
vacant and with new exterior finishes, the church still exhibits
Gothic Revival Style features such as the pointed arched windows.
The building was the church for the 1st Baptist congregation from
1858 to 1874, it then became the home of a succession of
denominations, starting in 1874--and the Norwegian Lutherans alone
after 1876. It became the house of worship for the Church of Jesus
Christ Latter Day Saints in 1905.
51. Bethel A. M. E. Church, 303 South 3rd Street; 1884 The building
was erected on land deeded by the Iowa Land Company. The building is
a one-story brick church with basement. In the early 1900's, the
church superstructure was jacked up and a "new" foundation
constructed of concrete block with simulated stone facing. The
church building is handsome with a simple grace and dignity of
design. Although simplicity of construction suggests a label of
"vernacular", the round-arched windows may have been inspired by the
Romanesque Style. The African M. E. Church was organized in 1868
with the assistance of J. H. Young and other members of the First
Methodist Church.
52. Henry Property (The Fun House), 814 South 4th Street; c. 1888.
The brick commercial building has an ornate tin cornice and a
reasonably intact ground-floor storefront of cast iron columns,
sheet tin, and wood. The second-floor windows at the front of the
building have been rebuilt. The Italianate Style features,
especially the tin cornice, and the integrity of the storefront
combine to provide architectural interest in the building.
53. Nickel and Paddock Property (Thomas Burnett Property and Carroll
Johnson Property), 800-804 South 4th Street. The exterior walls of
the building are of brick with a rich, red brick used as the
predominant color, in contrast to the buff-colored brick used to
define pilasters and cornice line. All of the upper-story windows
are "eye-browed" with horizontal window lintels on the front façade
and segmented arched windows on the other street façade. A tin
cornice caps the street facades and each storefront is also
identified by a tin pediment atop the cornice line. Early
alterations include the addition of a second-floor bay window on the
7th Avenue South Street (north) façade. Recent alterations include
the metal awning on the north façade and the storefronts. The
building is an excellent example of the Italianate Style as applied
to a commercial building. The upper-story is especially noteworthy.
Unfortunately, the ground-floor alterations compromise the integrity
of the historic architecture.
54. 1st Baptist Church, 620 South 4th Street; 1870 and 1887; Josiah
L. Rice, Architect, of Clinton. Originally built in 1870, the
building was badly damaged by fire on July 27, 1887. The exterior
brick walls were left standing and were retained and incorporated
into a four -months' long reconstruction of the building. The
shingled belfry was part of the reconstruction designed by Josiah L.
Rice. A "recent" one-story addition to the south has a shallow,
pitched shed roof behind a wall of the front façade. Another more
recent one-story addition is attached on the north side of the
building. The building is a handsome brick adaptation of the
Romanesque Revival Style that was especially popular for
ecclesiastical architecture in this country from about 1855 to 1870.
Including the reconstruction, this building was the third church on
this site. The first church was a small, frame building that was
moved c. 1869 to 311 South 3rd Street, and which is still standing.
55. Clinton High School/Roosevelt School (School District
Offices-Board of Education), 600 South 4th Street; 1888-1889; Josiah
L. Rice, Architect, of Clinton. A large, two and one-half story
building, it has a stone foundation and exterior walls of brick with
stone sills, string courses, arches and trim. The major exterior
changes of the building include; installation of new and smaller
windows with infill panels above the window head; boarding up the
window openings above the roof cornice line; and, the addition of a
steel fire escape on the north wall. An installation of a sprinkler
system in 1959 allowed the interior of the building to remain much
as originally built, including open stair-wells and wood wainscot.
The building is a massive structure of Romanesque Style design. It
was built and served as the Clinton High School until 1921. It later
became Roosevelt Elementary School and is now used for the offices
of the Board of Education, Clinton community School District.
56. Zion Evangelical/Evangelical United Brethren Church (Clinton
Head Start Center), 300 South 4th Street; 1873. A frame church with
gable roof and centrally located tower and entry. The building
retains use of wood siding and wood details. Exterior alterations
are minimal with the major one being the removal of the steeple
roof. The sentry steps are also an addition. The church, eclectic in
design, most closely follows Renaissance Revival Style. Originally a
German Evangelical church, Zion Evangelical became Evangelical
United Brethren in 1951 and, in 1968, merged with the United
Methodist congregation, which resulted in the building of a new
church. The building now houses the Clinton Head Start Center.
57. Mt. Pleasant Park/Mississippi Valley Spiritualist Association;
Mt. Pleasant Park (access from South Bluff Boulevard); 1882. A large
tract with many small cottages of various styles, materials, and
ages, the property if the home of the Mississippi Valley
Spiritualist Association. The site is a hilly and tree-studded
landscape. Numerous small cottages line the narrow, quaint lanes
that loop vaguely through, up, and down the site. Mt. Pleasant Park
is a district of distinct place and setting. The park was the site
for a Chautauqua that started 1883 and convened every season for
many years.
58. H. A. Kelly House (B. C. Hass Apartments), 740 5th Avenue South;
1910; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton. This is a
three-story brick house with a hip roof. Except for the porch
railing and steps, the exterior appearance is much the same as
originally built; however, the interior has been altered with
conversion to six apartment units. The house is similar in
composition to the H. W. Seaman House at 516 5th Avenue South, butt
is of smaller scale and greatly simlified in design approach.
Symetry is retained; however, the wall surfaces are subdued, windows
are grouped, and horizontal lines are emphasized. The result is a
more modern design based more upon Prairie School principles. Only
the limited use of lonic columns suggests an eclectic influence.
59. Sherman Seaman House/ W. H. Roehl House, 746 5th Avenue South;
1909. A two-story stucco house with wood trim, the building is
irregular in plan. It has a hip roof of wide, over-hanging eaves
with a flat soffit of wood, and a large, full-width front porch. The
building has many of the characteristics of the Prairie School
Style. With simplicity of form, stress on the repose of the
horizontal line, and absence of traditional stylistic elements, the
house exhibits the design approach of the Frank Lloyd Wright-led
Prairie School movement. The front porch, use of double-hung
windows, and small chimney (although centrally located) are
concessions to traditional construction.
60. T. J. Hudson House, 823 5th Avenue South; 1914; John Morrell &
Son, Architects, of Clinton. A two-story stucco house with hip roof.
It has a full-width front porch and also a side entry porch. The
house exhibits many of the principles of the Midwest-originated
Prairie School Style. The house has horizontal lines and grouping of
windows with some panelization of the wall. The treatment stresses
the wall as a screening element rather than as a traditional,
massive, load-bearing wall. The porch column is, proportion, and
shape were probably inspired by the designs of George Maher, a
Chicago Prairie School architect.
61. Fred Van Allen House (Halsrud Apartments), 844 5th Avenue South;
1911; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of Clinton. A large,
three-story house, it has exterior materials of stucco, wood trim,
and tile-clad hip roof. The house has been converted in six
apartment units; however, the exterior is much the same as
originally built, except for the addition of aluminum storm windows.
The handsome house has suggestions of the Renaissance Revival Style
with the use of symmetry and compositional massing; however, the
architectural features, materials, and detailing are simplified in
the modern approach of the Prairie School Style.
62. A. Walsh House, 915 5th Avenue South; 1893-1897; g. L. LeVeille,
Builder (first contractor). A large, two and one-half story house,
it now has been converted to multi-family use. The house design
epitomizes the exuberance of the Queen Anne Style with a variety of
materials, texture, and massing. The house construction was started
by contractor G. L. LeVeille for his own home. LeVeille was the
contractor of the County Court House, and used the same kind of
stone for both the court house and his own home. However, LeVeille
had difficulties with the construction of the court house, and he
abandoned that project along with his own house; it was said that he
fled to Canada. The unfinished house was sold later to A. Walsh.
63. Washington Junior High School (Washington Middle School), 751
2nd Avenue South; 1933-1935; Karl Keffer & Earl E. Jones,
Architects, of Des Moines with A. H. Morrell, Associate Architect;
Ringland-Johnson Company, Contractor. A large, two-story school, the
building exterior is of brick with stone trim and accent panels.
Additions to the rear (south) were done in 1952 and in 1972. For
Iowa, the building is an excellent example of the so-called
"Modernistic" or Art Deco Style. The entry treatment is of special
interest with its play in relief of geometric designs.
64. Mullet House, 726 9th Avenue South; c. 1870. The two-story brick
house has a simple gable roof and bay window on the west at the
ground floor. Now converted to a three-apartment building, the
structure's exterior revisions include the porch and eave treatment.
The house is a simple but handsome vernacular style with some traces
of influence from the Greek Revival Style in massing and from the
Italianate Style with the use of segmented arched windows.
65. John Deolin House (Farwell Realty Property), 715 10th Avenue
South; 1914. The house is a builder's interpretation of the Prairie
School Style. Prairie School influences include the use of stucco,
and a horizontal emphasis by use of wood stripping and hip roof. Use
of double-hung windows, the front porch, and chimney locations to
the side deviated from the usual Prairie School practice.
66. George C. Smith House, 636 11th Avenue South; 1873. This brick
house, now converted to apartments, is two stories high and has a
tower. Alterations include removal of the original shutters, removal
of the front porch, and construction of an entry stoop. An original
iron fence atop the stone retaining wall also has been removed.
Although deterioration and alterations have changed the appearance
of the old mansion, it still remains an excellent local example of
the Italian Villa Style.
67. Walter E. Bort's Stone Tower Studio, 722-732 South 12th Street;
c. 1923 through 1953; Walter Bort, Architect, of Clinton. The
complex occupies about one-half acre in a built-up residential area
not very far from downtown. The grounds are beautiful and lushly
landscaped. The studio/residence was started about 1923 and
incorporated an old brick farmhouse, of unknown date, that stood on
the property. The farmhouse has been engulfed by expansion wings
built of stone at various dates. The stone used throughout is native
limestone laid in coursed rubble pattern with quarry face. The
complex was expanded over the years to include scattered apartments.
The buildings are all of unified design and recede into the
landscape. Of natural materials and colors, the complex is in
harmony with nature and the enviroment. The complex, like a small
village in appearance, seem romantically and eclectically inspired
by English countryside villages.
68. George T. Smith House, 700 South Bluff Boulevard; c, 1914- 1917.
A one and one-half story wood bungalow on a wooded site, the
building has gable roofs with a hipped-roof front porch. There are
soffit brackets at the gable ends of the roof and exposed soffit
roof joists at the eave. The wood siding of the house is dark brown
with contrasting white trim. A good example of the Bungalow Style,
it puts emphasis on the "stick" character of wood construction and
harmony with nature.
69. Agatha Hospital ("Old" Jane Lamb Hospital), 638 South Bluff
Boulevard; 1923; Schmidt, Garden & Martin, Architects, of Chicago;
Haring Bros., contractor. This hospital building, built in 1923,
prompted the change in name from Agatha Hospital to Jane Lamb
Memorial Hospital. This building was designed by Chicago architects,
Richard E. Schmitt, Garden and Martin; construction was by Haring
Brothers of Clinton, Iowa. In 1928, the building was lenthened by an
addition along South Bluff Boulevard with construction by Jorgensen
Construction to a design by A. H. Morrell, Architect, of Clinton.
The building desing is eclectic with Tudor Gothic Style as the major
source of influence.
70. John New/ C. Aikin House, 325 South Bluff Boulevard; c. 1837. A
one-story house with basement, the structure if os local limestone.
The roof is hipped and one wing has a gable roof. Roofing is now of
asphalt shingles instead of original wood shakes. Other alterations
include the Frame construction of a room as infill of an original
porch. At the rear of the building is a one-story gabled roofed
frame addition. The entry to the house has had trelliswork
constructed above the door. Shutters have been removed and the
windows replaced. The house if the oldest known structure in Clinton
still standing. The house was a station on the underground railroad
before the Civil War.
71. Dr. J. B Charlton House/George W. Dulay House/C. A. Armstrong
House, 1100 Woodlawn; 1910; John Morrell & Son, Architects, of
Clinton. A one-story bungalow of dark brown wood siding with white
trim, it has a hip roof and a gable-roofed porch. The porch, once
open, has been enclosed with window walls between the original, wood
Doric columns. The house is a good example of the Bungalow Style
with a porch inspired by the Classical Style.
72. Eugene J. Curtis House, Hillcrest Street; 1921; Trowbridge &
Ackerman, Architects, of Boston, Massachusetts; Haring Bros.,
Contractors. This two-story "country" house has a steeply pitched
hip roof with dormers. The first-Floor exterior walls are of brick
and the upper story is covered with shingles of muted colors.
Casement windows and large, bow windows are used in the exterior
walls. The house is of highly eclectic design with influences from
Georgian, American Shingle, and Tudor Gothic Styles. Whatever the
inspiration and derivation of styles, the building design is
handsome with play of pattern and color, yet, at the same, it
projects a sense of repose and dignity. Designed by a prominent
architectural firm, the house was one of two similar designs on
adjacent sites for the two Curtis brothers. The home of G. L.
Curtis, however, was destroyed by fire in 1967 and only this house,
originally built for Eugene J. Curtis, survives.
73. Curtis Stables/Harold Kirck House, 5 Heather Lane; 1921 and
1969. Built in 1921 as a stable for the Curtis families, the
building was converted to a house in 1968. "L-shape" in plan, the
house has two wings which radiate from a centralized form, octagonal
in plan and with a steeply pitched roof capped wit a cupola. The
house is a good example of adaptive use. Although altered and
modernized the building retains the aura or atmosphere of the
"gracious country living" that the Curtis family enjoyed.
74. Brice Oakley Home, 1 Heather Lane; 1970; Al Mugasis of Prout,
Mugasis and Johnson, Architects, of Clinton; Vald Kristensen & Sons,
Builder. This is a long, low, one-story building with clerestory and
shed roofs. The exterior materials are wood siding and wood shingle
roofing. The house is of modern design and has an interesting
combination of roof forms and massing.
75. Riverview Stadium, 6th Avenue North and Riverview Park;
1936-1937; A. H. Morrell, Architect, of Clinton; WPA, Builder with
Fred N. Grumstrup, Superintendent of Construction. The exterior of
the stadium is attractively designed with a pattern and play of
forms in brick and stucco. The design style is "Moderne" or Art
Deco. The baseball stadium is a good example of this style applied
to an un-common type of structure. The stadium the home of the
Clinton Dodgers, a farm team affiliated with the Los Angeles
Dodgers.
76. Omar (Rhododendron Show Boat), Riverview Park-River Levee; 1936.
The Omar was a coal-fired towboat that operated on the Ohio River.
The West Virginia Centennial Commission purchased the boat and
renovated it. A 250-seat theater was ceated and a third level added.
After purchase by the Clinton Park Commissioners, it operated out of
Clinton until 1975. It was placed on the levee berm in June of 1977.
It is to be renovated again and is scheduled to return to operartion
in May, 1980. Work in progress or to be includes; re-siding,
painting, paddlewheel re-construction, electrical service and sewage
system installation.
77. St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 240 4th Avenue North; 1905. The
church is constructed of Gladbrook red pressed brick for the
exterior walls with Portage Entry red sand-stone trim and
watertable. The foundation is of sawed Bedford stone and the
original roofing was Black Bangor slate. This large church serves as
a landmark for the near north side neighborhood. Eclectic is design,
the church exhibits forms, motifs, and derivations from Italian
Romanesque and Gothic Styles.
78. St. Patrick's Rectory, 238 4th Avenue North; 1905; built at the
same time and of the same materials as the adjacent church to the
west, the rectory utilizes red face brick with red sandstone trim
and Bedford stone for the foundation. The rectory is of Romanesque
Style with an Italian influence in detailing, although it is not as
exuberant in design as the church structure.
79 & 80. Clinton County Court House, 612 North 2nd Street;
1892-1897; G. Stanley Mansfield, Architect, of Freeport, Illinois
and Josiah L. Rice, Supervising Architect, of Clinton. The County
Court House if a landmark building of three stories with a central
tower. The exterior walls are of red sandstone and granite and the
tower is of copper cladding which has weathered to a bright green
color. The exterior appearance is much the same as originally built;
however, the interior has undergone almost continuous change,
including the addition of an elevator in the center of the building.
The building replaced the first court house of frame construction
that stood on Block 8. That building was designed by Architect W. W.
Sandborn and was built in 1869 by L. P. Haradon in just 23 days
after the county seat was moved to Clinton from DeWitt. In March of
1982, the voters of the County approved construction of a new court
house to a budget of $100,000. A design by G. Stanley Mansfield,
Architect, of Freeport, Illinois was selected. G. L. LeVeille of
Omaha, Nebraska was awarded the construction contract and
construction began in 1892. However, because of the swampy nature of
the site, the foundations were inadequate and construction was
halted. After another election was held, which resulted in
disapproval of an additional $35,000 to carry the foundations down
another five feet, LeVeille was discharged and later sued for
damages by the County Board of Supervisors. J. L. Rice of Clinton
was then appointed Supervising Architect in 1893. The court house
stood unfinished for some time with just the stonework in place.
Finally, in June 1896, additional funds were approved and the court
house was finished at a total of $168,000. It was dedicated in
August of 1897. Many subcontractors were responsible for completion
of the building. Among these were" W. G. Andrews who decorated the
interior in Empire and Rococo Styles; George W. Parke of Lyons who
had the copper work and slate roofing contracts for the building;
and, John F. Schmidt who had the contract for the interior wood
finishes. The design of the exterior of the building is most likely
the work of Mansfield; however, the tower of copper was different
from Mansfield's original drawings and was probably a change
designed by J. L. Rice. The structure, despite problems during
construction and changes in design, is an imposing, rugged, and
handsome building of Romanesque Style. It is an excellent example of
its style, period and building type. Clinton County and City Law
Enforcement Center, 241 7th Avenue North; 1970; Durrant, Deininger,
Dommer, Kramer, Gordon, Architects of Dubuque, Iowa; V & E
Construction Company of Galena, Illinois. A two-story reinforced
concrete building of 19,574 square feet, it houses the city police
on the south side of the first floor while the sheriff occupies the
other half of the floor. This level has an earth berm against much
of the perimeter wall with a continuous horizontal window above. The
jail is on the upper floor. It is cantilevered with beams at the
exterior and has small, vertical slot windows in the precast
concrete wall. The building, of contemporary design and "Wrightian"
is expression, won an architectural design award when built in 1970.
The building replaced a jail structure built in 1883 on the site and
is the fourth county jail in the history of Clinton County.
81. Schall's Candy Company (Hagge Building/Valley Pattern
Broadcasting-KLNT/KLNQ), 501 North 2nd Street; 1917; Haring Bros.,
Contractors. A large, two and one-half story building, it was built
as the office and factory for the Shall'' Candy Company. It now
houses the broadcasting studios and offices for the Pattern
Broadcasting Company (Radio Station KLNT and KLNQ). The brick
exterior walls are enlivened by the application of terra cotta
medallions, projecting string courses, and general ornamentation.
Although the clutter of signs and the window alterations are
disturbing, the building still retains the important Sullivanesque
appearance as originally built. Inspired by the ornamentation
designed by Louis Sullivan (who was the architect for the Van Allen
Building at 5th Avenue South and South 2nd Street), the terra cotta
work on the building is exuberant and delightful-especially the
large motif above the main entrance. The building is a good example
of a creative and highly American design period in architecture.
82. Hawthorne School, 10th avenue North at North 3rd Street; 1898.
The brick building is a good example of the simplified and more
modern approach to school design that was evolving at that time from
the direction indicated by the Romanesque Style.
83. Iten Biscuit Company (W. Atlee Burpee Company of Philadelphia),
615-619 North 2nd Street; 1905. A large, three-story
industrial/warehouse and office building, it has exterior walls of
brick. The brick is a light buff color and was manufactured by the
Iowa Granite Brick Company of Clinton. The building was built in
stages. The first stage was a two-bay-wide frontage on North 2nd
Street and was only two stories high. A five-bay, three-story
expansion followed. Subsequently, a third story was added on the
north portion and, later, an addition to the south was constructed
to finish the complex into a united whole. A tin cornice helps unify
the building with a strong horizontal emphasis. The building is a
good example of commercial/industrial vernacular of the period with
a minimun of historic emphasis; however, the entry arch is a
dominant feature and suggests Romanesque Style influence. The
building was built for L. Iten & Son's "Snow White Bakery"-later the
Iten Biscuit Company. In 1928, the National Biscuit Company bought
Iten. In 1941, W. Atlee Burpee (Seed) Company bought the building
and, in 1943, started operations in Clinton.
84. Mt. St. Clare Jr. College/Sisters of St. Francis (Mt. St. Clare
Jr. College), 400 North Bluff Boulevard; 1910-1911; J. B. McGorrick,
Architect, of Des Moines; Lightner Bros., Builder. The main building
was opened in September of 1911 as a girl's school and home for the
Sisters of the Order of St. Francis. Mt. St. Clare was originally
located in Clinton at the "Judge Chase Home", 262 North Bluff
Boulevard, in 1893. In 1899, the estate, "Evergreen", of Dr. J. S.
Corbin at 400 North Bluff Boulevard, became the site for the girls'
school and the college was formed in 1928. The main building of 1911
is a prominent landmark atop the ridge immediately west of Bluff
Boulevard. The building design is eclectic in derivation, but the
sitting, overall massing, and especially the warm reds of brick
walls and tile roofs, suggests an Italian monastery or hill town.
The building was the nucleus structure for the Mt. St. Clare Jr.
College. The building, except for aluminum replacements windows and
main entry relocated to orient to the vehicular drive on the west,
appears much the same as originally built. The top floor was used as
a convent until a new one was built on the campus. The campus has
changed in appearance with the construction of many new buildings in
the late 1950's and early 1960's.
85. Dorothea A. McGauvran House, 405 Oakhurst Drive; 1963; Phil
Feddersen, Architect, of Clinton. The building is a one-story
rambling house of brick and wood. It is of modern design, inspired
by the later "Usonian" designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. Emphasis is on
horizontal lines to suggest repose and the use of natural materials
to harmonize with nature.
86. Dwight Lamb House, 453 Woodlands Drive; c. 1887 (re-located
1902). A 26-room mansion of frame construction, it was moved in 1902
by Crowe Brothers of Chicago, building moving contactors, from a
site at 6th Avenue South and South 5th Street to the present site
atop an eight-foot-hill. It took three months to move the house
eleven blocks and up the hill. The house was altered at that time,
resulting in an eclectic design. The Queen Anne Style was the major
influence in guiding the massing and overall composition, while many
details and ornamental features are of Second Renaissance Revival
Style derivation.
87. Robert E. Evans House, 551 Woodlands Drive; 1974-1976; William
Nowysc, Architect, of Iowa City, Iowa; Fuller Brothers Construction,
Contractors. The house consists of two wings with a "lantern" that
marks their intersection. Retaining walls of treated wood contain a
pool deck that nestles between the embracing "arms" of the house.
The house is a good local example of contemporary architectural
design. Of natural wood and stone materials and concern for the
site, the house fittingly adapts to its environment. At the same
time, and consistent with the most recent fashion in architectural
design, the composition is not static. The diagonal line is
important in the composition and is expressed by shed roofs,
diagonal wood siding, and angled wings in plan, as well as by the
slope of the site.
88. Marvin J. Gates House (Oakhurst Apartments; Oakhurst East), 500
Oakhurst Drive; 1902-1903. A large mansion, it had cinder stucco
exterior wall finish and red tile roofs. Converted to eleven
dwelling units in 1865 by the Clinton Investment Corporation, the
building has been altered. Asphalt shingle roofing, re-built soffits
that eliminated the original brackets, and white painted stucco are
among the changes. A detached caretaker's house is located across
Oakhurst Drive to the west. The building design is of Spanish
Colonial revival Style. This mansion inspired construction of other
buildings of similar style in Clinton. The stylized gables of the
Gates House can be seen in silhouette on other structures about
town.
89. Russell B. McCoy/D. D. Collis House (Breezy Point Manor), 520
Breezy Point Drive; 1903. The house is an excellent adaptation of
Tudor Gothic Style. The rambling mansion was the focus of Russell B.
McCoy's 100 acre estate. Although the mansion has been converted
into five apartments/condominiums and the grounds have been dotted
with new multi-family buildings, the residence and immediate grounds
are still handsome.
90. Russell B. McCoy Stable House (Breezy Point), 520 Oakhurst at
Breezy Point; 1903. Originally the stable house of the Russell B.
McCoy estate, the large building was converted to apartment use in
the late 1930's to a design by Walter E. Bort, Clinton architect.
The exterior appears much as originally built, however, with brick
walls, massive chimneys, and dark stain for wood siding on the
dormers, trim, and porches.
91. Stumbaugh & McPherson Warehouse/M. A. Disbrow Warehouse (Dale
Bott Trucking, Inc. Warehouse), 2115 Grant Street; c. 1845. Located
on the riverfront, the building is of native limestone laid in
uncoursed rubble pattern. The openings in the walls are framed with
lintels of wood timbers. Alterations include bricking-up of a window
in the gable of the west wall and a frame addition with a variety of
sidings on the south. The structure is an excellent and now rare
example of an early warehouse of native stone and vernacular
construction still standing in Clinton.
92. Philip Deeds Property/David Joyce Property, 2202 McKinley
Street; c. 1860. A two-story brick house with basement, it has a
gable roof with a chimney at each end gable. A full-width front
porch has been replaced with a small entry porch. With symmetry and
simplicity of composition, the design of the house appears to have
been influenced by the American Federal Style as well as
Germanic-influenced vernacular construction (examples of which are
in other river cities such as St. Louis).
93. George Leedham/Sarah Boardman House (Douglas Bennett Rental
Property), 2119 Garfield Street; 1888; Josiah L. Rice, Architect, of
Clinton. The frame house is an excellent Clinton example of the
Eastlake Style. Only the awnings on the front façade detract from
the historic integrity exhibited in the house. The house has a
decorative wood porch, barge boards, and gable treatment consistent
with the style. The front porch is especially distinctive as it is
festooned with curved brackets, spindles, circular perforations, and
other wood ornamental features. The upper-story porch on the south
side is also noteworthy.
94. Michael Williams House, 2208 Garfield Street; c. 1898; Josiah L.
Rice, Architect, of Clinton. This is a large, two and one-half story
frame house with a basement and stone foundation walls. The roof
gables have pent roofs and scallop shingle siding with wood trim.
The windows in the front gable are new. Highly eclectic in
derivation, the design by Josiah Rice has influences of the "Stick"
and Queen Anne Styles.
95. Willis L. Parker House/Thomas Leedham House, 2209 Garfield
Street; 1959; J. Kingsten, Architect; John Sanford, Builder. This
two-story house is built with two kinds of brick-red brick for the
walls and buff brick for the corner quoins, window arches, and trim.
The gable roof has paired soffit brackets. In the 1940's, the house
was converted to two apartments, and, in 1968, the attic was
converted to a third apartment. The roofing was replaced in 1975 and
a wood shingle found bearing the names of the architect and builder.
The house is an excellent example to create a handsome building that
attracts and delights.
96. George Conley House, 2211 Garfield Street; 1869; A two-story
frame house, it has wood window caps, roof brackets, and hip roof. A
wraparound porch is an addition, the house is of simplified
Renaissance Revival Style.
97. James Hazlett House, 2216 Garfield Street; 1860. Distinguishing
architectural characteristics include; pairs of brackets at the roof
soffits, segmented arched windows, corner pilasters of brick, and
projecting window sills with brackets. The full-width front porch
and columns with composite capitals are additions. A stable with
roof cupola, is at the rear of the property. Built for a lawyer and
merchant, this is a handsome Italianate Style house. Its design and
mint condition make this 1860 house a good example of historic
architecture.
98. Robert Rand House, 2219 Garfield Street; 1867. The house is of
simple vernacular style with some evidence of style influence of the
Italianate and the earlier Federal Styles. Built for a banker, the
house has a good sense of human scale and warmth. This is achieved
by use of simple forms, and the color and texture of the old brick.
99. Dennis Warren House, 224 Garfield Street; 1874-1875. This house
has two storied. Stucco over stone foundation, brick walls, gable
roof, and segmented arch windows. Alterations appear to include
rebuilt eaves and porch replacement with a smaller one. The house
design, of Italianate Style influence, works well with other
structures in the vicinity and results in a unified district
environment.
100. James H. Barum/Caleb B. McDowell House, 2113 Roosevelt Street;
c. 1865; J. H. Barnum, Builder. The building is a good example of an
early brick vernacular house modified and enhanced with later Queen
Anne Style additions. J. H. Barnum, an owner of a lumber yard in
Lyons, who was also a builder and a developer, built this house for
his own home. The additions were probably done later, when Jacob
Peters owned the house. These were; an addition on the south and a
porch (c. 1895) and the picture window bay.
101. John Dierks/Meta Nacre House, 2228 Roosevelt Street; 1926. This
is a bungalow with brick veneer and wood shingle wall surfaces. The
gable roofs have wide overhangs with exposed rafters and brackets
reminiscent of "Stick" Style. The house, with natural materials ands
"stick" expression, is a good Clinton example of the Bungaloid
Style. Bungaloid design, with its emphasis on craftsmanship and
harmony with nature, was an original American style based upon few
antecedents.
102. Grace Episcopal Church, 2100 North 2nd Street; 1856. The church
has a corner tower and gable roof (now with asphalt shingles). The
exterior bearing walls are of local quarry-faced limestone with
dressed stone for the quoins at the corners. The exterior side walls
have pointed arched windows and engaged buttresses. The stone nave
was originally four bays with stone to match existing. At the same
time, a choir room was added to the north. In 1904, the interior
ceiling was removed and open timber construction exposed. The church
is an excellent example of Gothic Revival Style and was intended to
be patterned after St. Martin's at Canterbury, England.
103. Lyons United Methodist church, 2118 North 2nd Street; 1983. The
church building, of brick with stone trim, is an example of
Romanesque Style design. The front façade was the result of an 1893
reconstruction after a fire on October 23, 1892 destroyed the
original church; the side walls appear to be partial retentions of
the 1856 building. Recent alterations include; the removal of
Romanesque arched window in the upper gable and the opening infilled
with brick and glass block in the shape of a cross; and, lowering
the bell tower and the bell placed in the yard.
104. W. W. Sanborn House, 2203 North 2nd Street; 1869; W. W.
Sanborn, Architect, of Clinton. The first residence of W. W. Sanborn
in Lyons, it is a small, one and one-half story frame cottage. It
has stone foundation walls and gable roof with barge boards; the
walls have been re-sided. The cottage is a good Clinton example of
Gothic Revival Style.
105. Polly D. Ball House//David Batchelder House (Camelot
Restaurant), 2204 North 2nd Street; 1866. Well-preserved, the house
is an excellent example of Italianate Style. David Batchelder, a
lumber baron, bought the house in 1881 for $9000. Of brick
construction, the house has arched windows with caps, a cornice, and
a porch with iron railing. There is an ornate iron fence in the
yard. The house was expanded, c. 1881, by and addition of a family
kitchen with servants' quarters upstairs. Later, a summer kitchen
was added. The house was remodeled in 1968 for conversion to a
restaurant.
106. Schneider Property, 2234 Pershing Boulevard; 1882. The house is
a transitional design that combines aesthetics from several styles
that were popular in the 1880's. The "Stick Style" seems most
pervasive with upper-story wall surfaces of horizontal wood siding
that contrasts with vertical boards extended from the window jambs
that create a panelized effect. At the same time, the gable
treatment, with scalloped wood shingles, and overall massing
suggests a Queen Anne Style influence. Finally, the Eastlake Style
is suggested by the porch treatment of lathe-turned dowels and
spindles.
107. Lyons Female College/Our Lady of Angels Seminary (North Side
Church of God), 407 22nd Avenue North; 1858. With spacious grounds
and beautiful siting, the complex is an excellent example of early
academic architecture in Iowa. The original building, with its brick
massing and unique, centrally located cupola and dome, is an
exceptional example of pre-Civil War institutional building. Highly
eclectic in design, this building combines features of the Gothic
Revival and Italianate Styles. The southern-most building of brick
is a combination of Romanesque and Queen Anne stylistic features.
The original building is 3 ½ stories high and has a roof cupola
topped with a bulbous-style dome. This brick building was expanded
with matching additions extending to the north, south, and west. The
original porch on the east was replaced by a new one. The original
wood of the pediments. Cupola, and eaves of the gable roof have been
clad over with aluminum siding and trim. The original pointed arched
windows on the cupola have been altered. The 2 ½ story brick
building on the south replaced an earlier two-story Gothic Revival
Style building. The boiler plant and secondary building are to the
rear (west) of the original building. In August 1979, an educational
building was under construction close by and to the north of the
original building. It was reported that the interiors of the
original building are being gutted and demolished piecemeal by the
congregation members. This is apparently being done in advance of
total clearance of the site for a new church. The complex, of
architectural and historical significance, dates to 1858. The large
"original" building, flanked by two smaller ones, comprised the
campus of the Lyons Female College, a Presbyterian school dedicated
and opened in September 15, 1858; it was the first institution of
higher learning in Clinton County. The school was sold in September
1872 to the Sisters of Charity, a Catholic order in Clinton headed
by Sister Mary Anastasia. Out Lady of Angels Academy, a boarding
school, was dedicated on October 2, 1872. In 1966, the school was
closed and the premises were vacated. The North Side Church of God
purchased the property in 1973 and have indicated that the existing
buildings are not suitable for their needs. Unfortunately, this
important architectural grouping may not remain much longer.
108. Philip Roe House, 1604 North 3rd Street; c. 1874. This is a
two-story frame house with a low-pitched gable roof and a wraparound
front porch. The house was probably moved to this location about
1874 and the porch added at that time. The house itself was probably
built earlier (c. 1860). The house, meticulously maintained, is a
good example of vernacular frame construction.
109. William Joyce House/Beatric C. Joyce, 181 North 3rd Street;
1887. A large house of frame construction with stone foundation, it
has a variety of roof forms, dormers, and turrets. An engaged round
tower with conical rood anchors the northeast corner of the house.
Rounded glass follows the curvature of this tower wall. The wall
surfaces are characterized by wood board inlays, like string
courses, that give a subtle horizontal counterplay to the vertical
emphasis of the major architectural forms. Ornate dormers on the
tower roof and a second-story porch have been removed. A porch, c.
1914, replaced the original. The structure is an excellent example
of a frame construction mansion of the 1880's period. Originally of
Eastlake Style because of the proliferation of wood ornament as a
product of the chisel, gouge and lathe, the stripping of these
decorative features has quieted and simplified the exterior. Now the
building design more closely resembles Queen Anne Style. These
alterations have not diminished the architectural significance of
the house. Atop a beautifully landscaped knoll, the house is a
handsome and imposing structure, representative of a period of
lavish lifestyle and accompanying appropriate architecture. William
Joyce, one of the early lumber barons of Clinton had the house
built. It remained in the Joyce family until 1974. William Joyce was
the son of David Joyce, who founded the Joyce Lumber Company in
1869. The Joyces also owned what is now Eagle Point Park and the
Clinton Street Railway. It is now the home of Dwain Walters, Mayor
of Clinton.
110. Judge Aylett R. Cotton House, 316 18th Avenue North; 1853.
Except for the roof, the house is a good example of Gothic Revival
Style. The design is sometimes called Steamboat Gothic because of
the exuberance exhibited with wood ornamentation, pointed arched
windows, and emphasis on verticality. The gable roof of the house,
originally very steeply pitched, was rebuilt with a gambrel roof
after a 1943 attic fire. The exterior wall of the house, however,
appear much the same as originally built, with vertical board and
batten wood siding. The windows also remain with pointed arches and
wood tracery. A ballroom wing was added by Judge Cotton, thereby
completing the composition as a twelve-room house.
111. William Holmes House/Art Holmes House, 1510 North 4th Street;
c. 1873. A two-story frame house, it has gable roofs and a tower
(addition), with a mansard roof of convex slope. The tower has roof
brackets, a rosette window, and an entry door as a later revision.
Many of the window openings have wooden "arched" window heads. The
house combines an Italianate Style influence on the vernacular frame
construction of the house proper with a tower of Second Empire
Style.
112. William Lyall House, 516 22nd Avenue North; 1854. A two-story
brick house with hip roof, it has a one-story, gable-roofed or brick
wing and porch added on the east. An attached summer kitchen to the
rear has been removed and the front porch screened in. The entry way
is a revision. The house is an early, simplified example of
Italianate Style.
113. M. A. Disbrow & Company Office (Knight of Columbus), 2301
McKinley Street; 1878. A two-story, brick veneer building, it has
engaged pilasters and segmented arched window openings. Alterations
include a wood vestibule on the front façade, glass block
substituted for some windows, and rebuilding of the chimneys. An
example of brick commercial vernacular construction, the building,
built in 1878, was the office for the M. A. Disbrow Company. Disbrow
& Company, manufacturers of sash, windows, and trim, was established
in 1856 in Lyons. William Disbrow donated the office building to the
Lyons' Ex-Servicemen's Post No, 1 and they sold it to the Knights of
Columbus in 1968.
114. Lyons High School (Nee-Hi Hall), 96 Main Avenue; 1905. A two
and on-half story school building with attic, the structure's
exterior is of brick and stone. Of eclectic design, the building is
derived from Second Renaissance and Georgian Revival Styles. The
building served as the Lyons High School. In 1951 it became Baldwin
School and was used until 1971 when a new school was built
elsewhere. The building now is a club house.
115. Iowa State Savings Bank, 122 Main Avenue; 1914; Harry R.
Harbeck, Architect, From Illinois. This two-story bank building is
of brick with terra cotta ornamentation and cut stone water table.
In 1931, an expansion of the bank was undertaken with a one and
one-half story, addition of similar design added to the rear. A rear
entrance in the original building was relocated to the addition. In
1967, a major expansion and remodeling program was implemented. A
one and one-half story brick addition, with arches for the main
entrance, was constructed adjacent on the east. The entrance in the
original building was removed and the opening was patched to match
existing materials. The ground-floor windows were replaced with
sheet glass in bronze-colored frames. A projecting, revolving sign
was added to the original building at the corner. The design of the
building was strongly influenced by the work of Louis Sullivan, an
early exponent of modern architecture. Sullivan had a highly
personalized design philosophy and style. He utilized ornamentation
derived creatively from floral motifs and fluid lines to decorate
his buildings. Sullivan was imitated successfully and creatively in
this bank design by Harry Harbeck, an architect who lived in the
Chicago area. The building design and ornamentation is an
exceptional example of the so-called Sullivanesque Style. This
important building was built at approximately the same time as Louis
Sullivan's Van Allen Building (which is listed on the National
Register) in downtown Clinton. The Iowa State Savings Bank was
founded in 1905 and was located from 1907 to 1914 in what is now the
Masonic Temple on Main Avenue.
116. Buell Block, 200 Main Avenue; 1890-1891. This is a large,
two-story commercial building of brick with ornate tin cornice. The
ground floor store-front has been modernized. Upper-story windows
have been replaced and panels installed above the window heads. The
building is a good example of an 1890's commercial building with an
interpretation of Italianate Style.
117. Hazlett & Durlin Coal and Wood Dealers (McEleney Motors
Storage), 2410 Harding; c. 1858. Built on the riverfront, the
warehouse is a good example of brick vernacular construction. The
corbeled brickwork at the eave suggests an influence of Romanesque
Revival Style. The segmented arched window openings have been close
with sheet plywood and the stone foundation has been covered with
stucco above the grade.
118. Nora Albright House, 2521 McKinley Street; c. 1855. A rare
Clinton example of early Greek Revival Style, the cottage, despite
inappropriate siding and alterations, retains many of the Greek
Revival characteristics. The small, frame cottage was probably moved
to this site. The building has a low-pitched gable roof with eave
returns and symmetry of the Greek Revival Style.
119. Christian Moeszinger House, 2424 Garfield Street; c. 1855. A
house of frame construction, it has a gable roof with eave returns
and a central front porch. A balcony railing on the porch roof has
been removed and additions to the rear have extended the house
westward. The building, re-sided with imitation brick asphalt
siding, is of Greek Revival Style inspiration and was considered a
fancy house for its period. It was the home of a prominent
industrialist, Christian Moeszinger, and his family. Moeszinger, who
came to Lyons in 1855, owned a foundry.
120. Henry Krough Property (Campbell & Jacobsen Property), 109 25th
Avenue North; c. 1860. Two storied high with basement and attic, the
brick building has a gable roof with asphalt shingles. Stucco has
been used to cover the basement walls and for patching the
brickwork. Built as a market hall, the building is an example of
brick vernacular design and construction.
121. H. E. Gates House/Ezra Baldwin House, 2714 Roosevelt Street;
1865. A small brick house, it has a hip roof with soffit brackets.
The rear, two-room addition and porch were added c. 1880. The entry
door has been rebuilt and widened, and the original entry porch
removed. The house is a simplified Renaissance Revival Style. It was
the home of Ezra Baldwin, a hardware dealer, who lived there until
his death in 1871. A son later lived there and Baldwin School was
named after him.
122. Pennsylvania House/Washington House, 2425-2433 North 2nd
Street/ 121-123 25th Avenue North; c. 1855. Sited on a corner lot
tight to the streets, the building is an example of vernacular
design and brick construction, as well as an illustration of early
building type-a hotel and tavern. The exterior brick walls have been
covered over with stucco in recent years. Aluminum storm windows and
gabled entry canopies are also later revisions. A large loft
opening, with timber lintel, in the south end gable has been closed
with brick and a small pair of windows created. The building housed
a succession of hotels and boarding houses, including Nic Conrad's
Pennsylvania House and, after 1874, the D. Brown Boarding House.
Later, it was the Washington Boarding House. It also was used as an
office building (Fidelity Life) and is an apartment building with 13
units.
123. William Leedham House, 2502 North 2nd Street; 1854. A one and
one-half story house of frame construction, it has been expanded
with additions to the rear and south (all in the nineteenth
century). The house is a good example of early frame vernacular
construction.
124. Silas Gardiner House, 2700 North 2nd Street; c. 1880. A large,
frame house of eclectic design, it was the home of Silas Gardiner,
one of the lumber barons of Lyons and Clinton. The house has
influences of the Queen Anne and Tudor Gothic Styles. The upper
story has been resided and other alterations include; the addition
of a porch across the front, cutback of the roof above the entry
door, and rebuilding of the roof eave.
125. Carney House, 2730 North 2nd Street' 1857 and 1869. The house
is a good example of Italianate Style design adapted to frame
construction. It has first-floor windows with arched wood caps and
second-floor stylized window caps. The house incorporates an earlier
construction of 1857. The front porch posts were replaced in 1979
with new wood ones. Well maintained, renovation work has not
compromised the architectural integrity adversely. The old iron
fence enhances the historic architecture. The property was bought by
Justus Lund in 1885; Lund later moved across the street to 2804
North 2nd Street in 1895.
126. Justus Lund House, 2804 North 2nd Street; 1895. The house is a
handsome eclectic design, strongly influenced by Queen Anne Style. A
large, frame house with full attic and gable roofs, it has a
wraparound front porch with circular corner. The corners of the
building walls are "clipped" and the roof eaves complete the
rectangular form. The exterior surfaces of the house are the
original materials, including wood lap siding and textured gables of
wood shingles.
127. St. Irenaeus Catholic Church, 2811 North 2nd Street; 1864-1865.
Sited on a hillside, the church is of landmark stature. It is an
exceptional example of Local limestone construction and design using
Gothic Revival Style. The building Is constructed of limestone
quarried from bluffs along the river north of town. The Stone was
floated down the river on barges and hauled by horse carts to the
site. The cornerstone was laid in 1864 by Bishop Smyth. The church
design was inspired by the cathedral in the parish priest's (Father
Frederick C. Jean) native home of Lyons, France. St. Irenaeus has
twin towers with wood spire construction and engaged stone
buttresses on the nave walls. The south and north spires are 166
feet and 136 feet high, respectively. The window arches are pointed
and there is a rosette window in the front gable on the east. The
main entrance in the church was originally on the east and the main
entry level was reached via an exterior wood stair and porch. In
1906, the entry was relocated to the west façade where the site
slope allowed the main level to coincide with grade. The nearby
rectory was built in 1874 but now is altered in appearance. The
church building was constructed on the site of a frame church that
was built in 1856 and which had replaced an original 1852 church of
brick. The original brick building was the first Catholic church in
Clinton County.
128. Ceddy House, 92 28th Avenue North; 1869. This small, frame
house is a rare Clinton example of Egyptian Revival Style. The
first-floor window enframements that narrow upward are the most
obvious features of the original style. The house has a hip roof
topped with a cupola. There are lean-to additions to the rear and
side of vernacular design, as well as an enclosed front porch
addition.
129. John Tolson House, 3001 Garfield Street; 1849. A small, one and
one-half story house, it is an example of early vernacular
architecture in Lyons. The original construction was of one room
with loft. Additions to the north and east expanded the house and a
porch was added but has now been removed. The exterior walls are nor
covered with stucco.
130. Gardiner, Batchelder & Welles Lumber Company, 86 31st Avenue
North; 1880 A one and one-half story building, it has stone
foundations and brick walls with stone trim. The original porch was
replaced by the present small one. Most of the windows have been
replaced with brick infill to drop window heads to present height.
Now vacant, the building was constructed as the office for the
Gardiner, Batchelder and Welles Lumber Company and is of Queen Anne
Style. The lumber mill went out of business in 1894 and the building
served as the post office for subsequent businesses, including the
Clinton Lock Company and the Pennsylvania Tire Company. Clinton Lock
Company (Pennsylvania Tire Company), 78 31st Avenue North; c. 1896.
Built on the site of the Gardiner, Batchelder and Welles Lumber
Company, the Clinton Lock Company added several buildings in 1896,
including this two-story brick building plus foundry and secondary
building of brick with gable roofs and monitor clerestories. This
brick building, fronting on 31st Avenue North, is a typical mill
building of heavy timber and brick pier construction. About 1910, an
addition was built, attached to the west. The complex is typical of
turn-of-the-century industrial construction. The Clinton Lock
Company was formed in 1896 and acquired the property of the
Gardiner, Batchelder and Welles Lumber Company after the lumber mill
closed in 1894. The Clinton Lock Company closed about 1960 and the
Pennsylvania Tire Company occupied the premises until 1978. The
complex of buildings is now vacant.
131. William Black House/ M. D. Madden House, 265 33rd Avenue North;
1873; William Black, Builder. This frame house of Gothic Revival
Style crowns the top of the hill at the end of North Second Street.
A reservoir of the water company in Lyons once also shared the hill.
A small, frame barn with hip roof and cupola sits to the rear of the
property. Porches on the south side of the house have been removed.
William Black, a contractor who also built steamboats, built this
structure for his home.
132. George Fahey House (Carl M. Bengston House) and John Fahey
House, 2424 and 1430 Pershing Boulevard; 1881. These two brick
houses mirror each other in composition. They are identical in
original design except that the plans are reversed. Alterations are
minor, with the enclosure and front porch changes on the
northernmost house as the major revision. Although each house is
separate and detached, the two work together to forma a unified
setting.
133. St. Boniface Catholic Church, 2500 Pershing Boulevard; 1908;
Martin Heer, Architect, of Dubuque, Iowa; Anton Zwack, Contractor,
of Dubuque. A large church, it is 56 feet wide,, 116 feet long and
has 124-foot high twin towers on the front that flank the gable
nave. Above the foundation, the exterior walls and buttresses are of
red, pressed brick trimmed in blue Bedford stone. The church is a
good example of Second Gothic Revival Style and is a major landmark
in the Lyons area of Clinton. The stained glass windows were the
work of the Munic Studio of Chicago, Illinois. The Gothic altar was
installed in September, 1910 and was the work of B. Ferring of
Chicago. The 1929 interior renovation was done by Ambross Voss and
the gold leaf work was by Ernest Maketin of Chicago. The cornerstone
was laid June 5, 1908 and the church was dedicated November 27,
1908.
134. St. Boniface Rectory, 2516 Pershing Boulevard; 1873 A two-story
rectory, it has a hip roof topped by a "widow's walk" with
decorative wrought iron railing. The eaves have soffit brackets. The
brickwork is of two colors-red and cream. The lighter color brick is
used to form quoins at the corners of the building and to form
arched "eyebrows" above the window openings. The building is a good
example of Italianate Style and the excellent condition of the
historic architectural fabric makes the building doubly important.
135. Lyons Presbyterian Church/St. Bonifacius Romische Katolische
Kirche (St. Boniface Hall), 2518 Pershing Boulevard; 1858. The
building was an excellent example of Romanesque Style. Built as a
Presbyterian church in 1858, the building was acquired by German
Catholics in late 1861. In January, 1863, St. Bonifaceius Kirche:
had its first services in the building. After a new church was
built, in 1908, the building was converted to a parish hall and
school. Set atop a knoll, this brick building had a front façade of
engaged pilasters and rhythmic progression of corbelled brick arches
under the roof eave. The window openings were fully arched. An
original bell tower of wood on the ridge of the roof and near the
front was removed in 1908. In 1912, a two-story addition was built
at the rear and extended to connect to the 1880 school building to
the north. Unfortunately, these buildings do not exist anymore as on
August 27, 1979. The old church and school buildings were
demolished. St. Bonifacius Schulthaus (St. Boniface School), 2520
Pershing Boulevard; 1880. The building was of brick vernacular
design with some influence of the Italianate Style. A belfrey was
located on the ridge and was later removed. A rear wing was built in
1912 and connected this building to the original 1858 church
structure to the south. The building was demolished on August 17,
1979.
136. Buell Property/Mary Eaton House, 2602 North 3rd Street; 1849
and 1859. The handsome brick structure, simple in composition and
execution, perhaps can best be called vernacular design, although
there is a suggestion of both the Federal and Italianate Styles. The
two-story house has segmented, arched window openings and a
low-pitched gable roof with wide overhangs supported by soffit
brackets. The house, built in 1859, incorporates an 1849 structure;
later additions included a small, one-story, frame wing and a
wraparound front porch.
137. Schick General Hospital, Department of Army (Root Park/The
Village), 25th Avenue North at 5th and 6th Streets; 1942-1943; U. S.
Army Corps of Engineers. This is a large acreage that contains row
upon row of two-story, brick, barracks-like structures that were
built to house the Schick General Hospital, Department of the Army.
Almost all of the buildings have gable roofs, factory-type roofs
with clerestories. And enclosed corridor system, with flat roofs,
connects any of the buildings. Built rapidly and for a utilitarian
purpose, the buildings are simple, plain, and generally devoid of
any major attempts to achieve and architectural style. However, the
Georgian Style is suggested by a few decorative features. The site
plan also suggest an arrangement based upon Georgian models. The
hospital was built on park-owned land in a war emergency situation.
Named for the first medical officer to die in World War ll, William
R. Schick, the hospital had a designed bed capacity of 2,014 beds,
although there were 3,120 patients at its peak period in August,
1945. The hospital was under the Department of Army from March 9,
1943 to February 21, 1946. From 1948-1965, it served as a Domicilary
of the Veterans Administration in 1966, the Job Corps occupied the
facility as a training center. The federally owned facility was
reverted back to local ownership and the property has been
"parcelized".
138. CB&Q Railroad Freight Depot, 10th Avenue South at South 2nd
Street; c. 1885. Used as a railroad freight depot, it is now vacant
and abandoned. The building has stone foundation walls, brick
superstructure, and bracketed gable roof. The openings in the brick
walls are formed by segmented arches.
139. C&NW Railroad Bridge, C&NW Railroad right-of-way and the
Mississippi River; 1909. This is a double-tracked railroad swing
bridge with steel trusses spanning between stone piers. There is a
swing section adjacent to the Iowa shore to allow boat passage in
the main channel of the Mississippi River. Fixed spans are to the
east and traverse Little Rock Island, completing the bridge link to
the Illinois side of the river. The bridge replaced an iron railroad
bridge, built in 1870, which, in turn, had replaced the first
railroad bridge at Clinton. The first bridge was a wood "Howe
Truss"-type built in 1864-1865.
140. C. Lamb & Sons Office Building/Eclipse Lumber Company,
1104-1106 South 2nd Street; 1879; W. W. Sanborn, Architect, of
Clinton. The building has exterior walls of stucco over masonry.
Severely altered, the building's only remaining historic
architectural features are the window caps and sills. The parapet
has been rebuilt and all of the original Gothic Revival Style
detailing has been removed. Lower-story window openings have been
closed in and upper-story windows replaced. The structure was once
an elegant and stylish office building for the C. Lamb & Sons Lumber
Mill. In 1910, George Dulany purchased it for the Eclipse Lumber
Company.
141. Old Curtis Property, 2nd Street South at 12th Avenue South; c.
1878. This was the office building for Curtis Brothers and Company
in the late nineteenth century. The Curtis Company, manufacturers of
wood sash and doors, was founded in 1866 by Charles F. Curtis,
George M. Curtis, and Judson E. Carpenter. The building's main
entrance and entry steps on the east, front façade have been
removed. Many of the windows have been closed over. An addition of
the same style was added on the west. A massive, three-story
building was attached on the south. These buildings west of South
2nd Street are now vacant and are expected to be demolished. Old
Curtis Property, 114 12th Avenue South; most. C. 1920. This is the
vacant plant of the Curtis Company. Curtis, a woodworking plant, was
a national leader in quality wood construction components such as
door, sash, fireplace mantels, entryways, trim, and kitchen
cabinets. In 1966, 100 years after its founding, the Curtis Company
went out of the business.
142. Lamb Boat and Engine Company/Climax Company/ Climax Engine &
Pump Company (Waukesha Clinton Plant of Dresser Industries, Inc.),
1812 South 4th Street; 1901. Some of the brick buildings of the
plant date back to the early 20th century. They are generally good
examples of typical industrial architecture of the period. Common
use of materials, forms, and expression f window openings create a
unified setting. Founded by G. E. Lamb, the Lamb Boat and Engine
company became the Climax Company in 1916. In 1952, the name was
changed to Climax Engine & Pump Company, Division of Eversharp, Inc.
It is now Waukesha (a division of Dresser Industries, Inc.).
143. C &NW Railroad Car Shops, 1501 Camanche Avenue; c. 1910. The
Chicago and Northwestern Railroad car shops form a major industrial
complex in Clinton. This location was developed about 1910. Earlier
car shops (located near 8th Avenue South and the river) had become
obsolete, forcing relocation of the facility. Some of the early shop
buildings are good examples of early twentieth-century industrial
architecture. Most of the buildings have exterior walls of common
brick. A variety of roof types are used, including gable, flat, and
"saw-tooth" roofs. Most of these buildings were constructed about
1910 or after, and are located along Camanche Avenue. Some new shop
buildings, most with metal skins, have been built south of the
original complex.
144. Clinton Country Club, 1501 Harrison Drive; 1922. Although
altered considerably through expansions, the clubhouse is still a
handsome, sprawling building that, because of the wood trim
panelization of the stucco-covered gables and walls, takes on a
Tudor Style feeling. At the same time, Prairie School influence on
the design is suggested, especially in the horizontal emphasis of
the building.
145. Wartburg College (Glendale Apartments), 1900 Glendale Road;
1893-1894. Wartburg College, a Lutheran school founded in 1868,
developed a major campus in Clinton in 1893. H. W. Seaman of Clinton
and the Reverend O. Hartman, pastor of a local Lutheran church, were
instrumental in persuading Wartburg College to locate in Clinton. C.
E. Lamb sold 57 acres of land to the college of which seventeen were
retained for the campus and the remainder sold for residential
development to help finance the college. The major building was
started in 1893 and completed in time for the college to open in the
fall of 1894. The Romanesque Style building with its centrally
located tower is a major landmark in the southwestern-western part
of the city. It has exterior walls of red brick with stone trim.
Designed to house up to two hundred students, it contained
classrooms, a chapel, museum, library, kitchen and dining hall. The
house behind the main building was built c. 1906. In 1935, Wartburg
closed its Clinton campus and the Waverly campus became the
college's major facility in Iowa. In April of 1944, the building was
converted to 68 apartment units. The main entry was abandoned and
the arched opening filled in.
146. Cotta Haus ("Drews Cotta Haus"), 1850 Glendale Road; 1922-1923.
A two and one-half story brick building, it was built as a dormitory
for Wartburg College, but has been converted to an apartment house
with nineteen units. The building is a good Clinton example of the
so-called "Collegiate Gothic" style, popular in the 1920's for
educational buildings.
147. William Thomas House ("Old Stone House"). 850 South Bluff
Boulevard; 1838. The house is the second oldest (some say it is the
oldest) structure still standing in Clinton. It is of vernacular
construction with modern, recent-day additions, in the 1840's, the
Old Stone House was an overnight stopping point for pony mail riders
and for other travelers. The one-story stone house, built in
1836-1838, consisted originally of one room with fireplace and a
sleeping loft above. Later, another room was added. Stone quarried
on the site was used for the walls, and wood materials came from
oaks felled nearby. In the 1930's, the house was enlarged and
modernized by E. I. Troeger. Expansion consisted of three bedrooms,
kitchen, laundry, and partial basement built with stone from a
Princeton, Iowa quarry. In 1956, the Peterson family had the kitchen
modernized and added a family room, garage, and new entryway of
vertical board and batten wood siding.
148. Judge Chase House/Mt. St. Clair/Mt. Alverno (Jannan Apartment),
262 North Bluff Boulevard; 1859 and 1869. The building is a good
local example of the Second Empire Style. Built in 1869 as the house
for Judge C. W. Chase, it incorporated an earlier structure of 1859.
In 1893, the building was purchased for use as a school, Mt. St.
Clair. With relocation of the school to 400 North Bluff Boulevard,
the building became a home for the aged. It was sold to a private
party in 1971, and converted to apartments. A tower is centrally
located in the east façade to denote the main entrance.
Architectural features of note on the brick building include roof
soffit brackets and stylized arched windows. Later alterations
include a rear addition and a modern aluminum entry canopy, now
badly damaged, on the east.
149. W. J. Young Tomb, Springdale Cemetery; 1896. The design of the
tomb utilizes the Romanesque Style and makes a simple but powerful
architectural statement. As W. J. Young's mansion has been torn down
for a super market site, the tomb is a single architectural
remembrance of one of Clinton's historic "lumber barons". The tomb
is constructed of massive, rough-hewn gray granite stone. Short
columns of polished granite flank the portal. The tomb is sited atop
a grassy knoll and is composed on axis with several drives. These
drives divert and encircle the parcel of land on which the tomb is
centered.
150. Lyman A. Ellis: "Park Hill Place" (Parkhill Place/Kreiter's) A
large, two-story country house, it has brick exterior walls with two
colors of brick. The walls are of red brick contrasted with
cream-colored brick for quoined corners and window arches. The roof
eaves have paired soffit brackets. The house is a good example of
Italianate Style. Combined with a spacious and well landscaped site,
the architecture retains a historic image of gracious living.
151. "Old Stage Coach Stop"/First and Last Tavern (Charles Horner
Property), 1337 Main Avenue; c. 1848. The building is an example of
indigenous construction for its locality and historic period. It
formerly was a tavern and is said to have been a stage coach stop.
The cellar of the building is of local limestone. It is set into a
low hillside and exposed on the street side. The two-story
superstructure is of frame construction with recent asbestos siding.
The roof is gabled and there is a shed-roofed addition attached on
the west. The building is now vacant.
152. Dr. A. L. Ankeny House/Lindmeier ("Cherrybank"), 1720 Main
Avenue; 1870-1871; Dennis Warren, Builder. Two stories high, the
building has walls of red brick with buff0colored brick used for
quoins at the corners and for the window arches. A cornice, hip
roof, and widow's walk cap the building. Changes to the building
include removal of the front porch in the 1920's. The building is a
good example of a fashionable period mansion of Italianate Style.
Dennis Warren built the house, intended for his favorite nephew;
but, instead, the house was sold and first occupied by Dr. Ankeny.
153. Castle Terrace District, Terrance Drive and Caroline Avenue; c.
1926; Curtis Company Service Bureau with E. E. Green,
Architect-in-Charge. Originally platted in 1892, the Castle Terrace
district was developed about 1926 by the Curtis Service Bureau of
the Curtis Company, woodwork manufacturers of Clinton. The project
was a promotional effort to show developers, architects, and
builders the application and product of the Curtis Company. The
development was on eleven lots in the area bounded by 8th Avenue
South and South 14th Street. The architectural design of Castle
Terrace hoses was highly eclectic with Tudor Gothic the primary
style utilized. Utility lines were put underground and trees,
curving streets, and spacious lawns created a village atmosphere.
154. Vandiren House, 3800 Lakewood Drive; 1961; Phil Feddersen,
Architect, of Clinton. The one-story house had a hip roof and walls
of squared stone masonry and wood. The design of the house is based
on Frank Lloyd Wright's modern house designs called "Usonion". This
design approach was also called "organic". Emphasis was placed on
nature, on the use of natural materials and, in theory and more
importantly, on and no part can be removed without destroying the
composition.
155. Karl Broman House, 8th Street NW, RR 3; 1839. The house is an
example of vernacular construction of the early settlement period in
Clinton and Lyons. It is a two-story masonry building covered over
with stucco and has a low-pitched gable roof. The building has
one-story frame additions with shed roofs to the front and side, and
window replacements. Among the out-buildings is a stone smoke house.
156. Stone Lookout Tower, Eagle Point Park; 1937; WPA. This stone
lookout tower is circular in plan. Lancet windows pierce the outside
wall to permit natural light into the winding stair on the interior.
Designed and built by WPA, the tower is a romantic architectural
element and a major landmark in Eagle Point Park. The design of the
tower seems to have been inspired by Norman fortress architecture.
157. Footbridge-Eagle Point Park, Eagle Point Park , Eagle Point
Park; c. 1913 and c. 1935; WPA Spanning a small ravine, the
footbridge is built of local limestone in an uncoursed rubble
pattern. The walking surface is concrete. The footbridge, with the
texture of the stone rubble and with the flowing lines, is a
romantic design and pleasing addition to the park setting.
158. Lodge-Joyce's Park (Lodge-Eagle Point Park), Eagle Point Park;
c. 1913 and c 1935; WPA rebuilt c. 1935. Originally built as a
pavilion for Joyce's Park, the building had an arcade around the
perimeter. The building was completely rebuilt about 1935 by the
WPA. A platform was built with stone walls for the lodge. The lodge
has wood siding in log cabin fashion and stone piers. Alterations in
1967 to the lodge included; construction of an entrance canopy,
designed by Clinton architect, Phil Feddersen, and replacement of
the pavilion windows with casements of redwood. There was also
interior alterations including new toilet rooms. In a rustic
architectural style, compatible to it natural setting, the handsome
building serves appropriately as the lodge for the park. With
respect for nature and with a prominent location overlooking the
Mississippi River, the building forms an image and focus ideally
suited for the beautiful Eagle Point Park.
159. 100 BLOCK OF SOUTH 4TH STREET The west side of the 100 block of
South 4th Street is a built-up frontage, tight to the street, that
is an example of late nineteenth-and early twentieth-century
commercial architecture. The integrity of the west side of this
block is good, with only one building intrusion and some
ground-floor storefront alterations, although the east side of the
street in non-descript with mixed building types and uses. Recorded
buildings within the district are identified as 159a through 159e
and are shown on Map No. 4. Descriptions follow: a) P. C. Wulf
Property (Clausen Hardware), 122 South 4th Street; 1910-1911; N. P.
Work, Architect, of Clinton; Ed Krieger, Builder. A two-story brick
building, it is twenty-three feet wide and occupies a corner site.
The upper-story windows have stone sills and lintels; a tin cornice
caps the exterior walls. The South 4th Street storefront has been
altered and a new, one-story addition built to the north.
b) The Flower Shoppe, 118 South 4th Street; c. 1895. A two-story
commercial building. It has a brick veneer front with rolled asphalt
siding on the visible party wall. The front has a tin cornice,
window cap, and bay window. The ground-floor storefront has been
altered.
c) W.T.O. Counselling, 116 South 4th Street; c. 1874. Built of
brick, the building has three windows of segmented, arched openings
on the upper story of the front façade. A cornice is formed by
intricate brickwork at the parapet. The ground-floor storefont has
been altered.
d) D. J. Siding and independent Optical, 108-110 South 4th Street;
c. 1889. The building has brick exterior walls with stone window
sills, string courses, and trim. The front façade is divided into
two storefronts. These have been altered recently and an
asphalt-shingled canopy constructed. The building design was
influenced by the Romanesque Style.
e) Peter C. Wulf Hardware/Thomas Peterson Grocery and Peterson's
Hall (Union Supply Company), 100-102 South 4th Street; 1892. The
upper story of the brick building utilizes tin for window caps and
roof cornice. The ground floor has recently been altered with stone
cladding and the addition of a large, full-length sigh. The
upper-story windows have also been replaced and panels installed.
The building is of eclectic design with the Renaissance Revival
Style as the major design source.
160. 900 and 1000 BLOCK OF SOUTH 4TH STREET Approximately one and
one-half blocks of the west side of South 4th Street (from addresses
914 through 1020) comprise a continuous frontage of architecturally
significant commercial buildings. All except one (160b), built in
1912, pre-date the 1900's. The east side of the street is an
unfortunate intrusion with no continuity or integrity. Gas stations,
several residential structures, and a pornography shop comprise this
frontage. However, the west side of the street, north from 11th
Avenue South for about one and on-half blocks, has two- and
three-story structures that front on the street and create a long,
unified wall of brick, commercial buildings. Except for some
ground-floor storefront alterations, the buildings retain
considerable integrity of historic architecture. This "preservation"
is due to neglect rather than to a conscious effort to retain
authenticity. This west-side frontage of the street serves as a
neighborhood convenience cent for the adjacent neighborhood, while
the east side of the street mainly serves the non-resident motorists
on highways 67 and 30 that route on South 4th Street here. The 900
and 1000 blocks of South 4th Street are indicated on Map No. 4 and
are identified as 160a through 160h. Descriptions follow: a) Smith
Brothers' General Store, 1014-1020 South 4th Street; c. 1874 and c.
1885. This assemblage of four storefronts converted into one
building for one occupancy is unique from several aspects; the
common use of brick; similar architectural features and details;
and, more importantly, the integrity of the complex, by way of the
turn-of-the -century appearance. There is little in the way of
modernization to detract from the historic, visual aspects of the
buildings(s). The building style may be best described as commercial
vernacular. The occupant of the building, Smith Brothers' General
Store, is itself a unique, old-time operation. The traditional
methods of display and merchandising, as well as the building
exterior, combine to create a wide appeal for this "old-fashioned"
general store.
b) Red Shield Store. 1010-1012 South 4th Street; 1912. A large,
three -story commercial brick building, it has two colors of face
brick on the front façade. The ground-floor storefront has been
altered. A tin cornice on the street façade and a two-story bay
window above the alley are the major architectural features of
interest.
c) Seaman Block, 1004-1008 South 4th Street; c. 1885. The building
is handsome with the simple but exquisite use of warm, red brick.
Although of Italianate Style influence, the building design is
probably better described as commercial vernacular. The ground-floor
storefronts have been altered. Cast-iron columns and high store
windows have been replaced with brick, of compatible color and
pattern, to create new storefronts. The simplicity and directness of
the design creates a tasteful and seemingly modern street façade
for the building.
d) Seaman Building (Calnan Hardware), 1002 South 4th Street; c.
1885. The front façade of the building has an upper story of brick
with stone string course, a cornice formed by corbeled brick, and a
pair of two-sided bay windows. Two slender, cast-iron columns, with
Corinthian capitals, flank the entry steps and doorway. The building
is of eclectic design influence and has an interesting composition
of architectural features, such as the two-sided bays. In addition,
the building is an excellent example of period commercial
architecture, with considerable integrity of original construction
and appearance retained.
e) S. C. Seaman Groceries (Easy Wash Laundromat), 1000 South 4th
Street; 1874. A brick building of simplified Italianate Style, the
structure has considerable historic integrity. The ground-floor
storefront is of cast iron and wood. The clerestory portion of the
storefront windows has been altered by the addition of panels and
louvers.
f) Pierson Block, 920-926 South 4th Street; 1888 The tin cornice is
a dominating and spectacular architectural feature of the building.
With cornice, handsome brickwork, and remodeled but compatible
store-fronts, the building is an excellent Clinton example of a
large, Victorian-era commercial building of Italianate Style
influence.
g) R. Barton Building (Earl Bachelder Property/Fourth Street Café),
916-918 South 4th Street; 1875. Of Italianate Style influence, the
building has a handsome upper-story façade that features extensive
use of brick with segmented arches and cornice-like parapet. The
ground-floor storefront has been drastically altered by the addition
of stone veneer, canopy, and modern aluminum windows. The upper
stories of the north, 22-foot frontage have had the windows replaced
with in-fill panels and new windows.
h) Haywood and Son's Bank (Lucille Hawk Property), 914 South 4th
Street; The Italianate Style building once housed a bank. Although
the upper story of the front façade, with its two contrasting
colors of face brick is generally intact, the windows and
ground-floor storefront have been drastically altered with new
siding and aluminum with the creation of four apartment units.
161. 100-200 BLOCKS OF SOUTH 2ND STREET The west side of South 2nd
Street has two, block-long frontages of late nineteenth-century and
early twentieth-century commercial structures. The buildings are of
brick and are two stories high, except for a single, frame,
one-story building. With the exception of many storefront changes
and some upper-story revisions, building integrity is preserved. The
east side of the street, unfortunately, bears little resemblance to
the district frontage as new construction and alterations have
changed the total street character. Nevertheless, the west side of
the street exhibits a continuity of material, height, scale, and
usage to define a district of commercial architecture. The buildings
of the district are identified as 161a through 161n and appear on
Map No. 4. Descriptions follow: a) Eagles Lodge Hall/Hall's
Appliance Center, 218-222 South 2nd Street; 1929. This commercial
vernacular building has brick exterior walls devoid of ornamental
features except for a continuous stone string course and corbeled
brickwork. The ground floor has an altered storefront.
b) The Hair Stable, 216 South 2nd Street; 1905. The narrow
commercial building, which has only a twenty-foot frontage, is brick
with a tin cornice and bay window. The storefront is intact with a
wide expanse of glass and a slender, round, cast-iron colum. c)
Chris Martensen Property, 214 South 2nd Street; c. 1864. A
twenty-foot wide, commercial building, it has a ground-floor
storefront that is still intact, with cast iron, wood, and glass.
The upper story is brick with segmented, arched window openings and
corbeled brick-work at the parapet.
d) Carlson Paint, 212 south 2nd Street; 1899. This commercial
building is brick on the upper story, with a tin cornice and bay
window. The ground-floor store front has been altered and
modernized.
e) James Hass Property, 201-210 South 2nd Street; 1893-1894. A
two-story brick for the upper exterior walls. The parapet has been
rebuilt and now has a stone coping. A major change consists of an
addition of corrugated siding for sign panels above the storefront
windows.
f) Douglass H. Lass Property, 200-202 South 2nd Street; 1885. The
ground-floor storefronts of the building have been changed and some
of the window openings have been altered with raised sills. Despite
alterations, the building retains much of the original design intent
of the Italianate Style adaptation.
g) Hass Grocery (Hass and Son Grocery), 122 South 2nd Street, 1890.
A two-story commercial building, it has exterior walls of brick with
a tin cornice. The window heads of the upper story have been altered
and major portions of the south exterior well have been rebuilt. The
building is of commercial vernacular design with some detailing of
the tin cornice. Jurgen Hass started the grocery in this building in
1890 and the business is still run by the Hass family
h) James Hass Property, 118-120 South 2nd Street; 1892. This
commercial building has a cast-iron storefront which retains its
original appearance. Alterations include glass block as replacement
for two-upper-story windows and upper parapet brickwork rebuilding.
i) James Hass Property/Congressman Tom Tauke Office, 1892. A
two-story brick building of simple lines and design, it has been
considerable altered, but the overall massing, materials, and forms
of the building are harmonious and compatible with other buildings
in the district.
j) Kamp Building (G & D Electric compan7), 114 South 2nd Street; c.
1895. The small commercial building has a main façade of brick with
tin cornice, tin-clad bay window, and a ground-floor storefront of
cast-iron columns, wood, and glass. Except for the addition of a
sign panel, the building retains much of its original appearance and
integrity.
k) Sharon's Beauty Shop, 112 South 2nd Street; 1913. A brick
commercial building, it has a main façade comprised of segmented,
arched window openings and a tin cornice. The storefront has been
"modernized" with vertical wood siding and asphalt-shingled canopy
roof. The north wall facing the alley has been stuccoed over.
l) Bassler Shoe Shop, 110 South 2nd Street; c. 1874. This is a very
small, one-story commercial building of frame construction. It has a
gable roof and a false front of wood siding. The south side wall is
sided with rolled asphalt. The storefront has new finishes of wood
siding and glass. The building was bought in 1912 and remodeled into
a shoe shop. The building was moved from across the street to this
site in 1919.
m) KROS and KSAY Radio Station, 106-108 South 2nd Street; 1908. The
brick building houses a radio station. A tin cornice is the most
distinguishing characteristic of the commercial vernacular building.
Alterations include the modernized ground-floor storefront.
n) Horace Anthony Property/Koetter Brothers (Mickel's; Goddard's;
Ehlers Tru-Value Hardware), 100-104 South 2nd Street; 1889. A
tow-story brick building, it consists of three narrow storefronts.
The Ground-floor storefronts are of wood, glass, and cast iron.
Additions of signs and sign panels are the major changes from the
original appearance of the building.
162. 400 BLOCK OF NORTH 2ND STREET Although not a district in the
usual sense, four buildings on the west side of the 400 block of
North 2nd Street define a unified commercial frontage of period
architecture. These buildings are identified as number 162a through
162d, and appear on Map No. 4. Description follow:
a) Edwin Old's Building (Petersen's: The Maple Shop), 410-412 North
2nd Street; 1892. A two-story commercial building, it has a front
façade of brick with tin cornice and ornate window heads. The party
wall have been clad over with aluminum siding and the ground-floor
storefront has been altered. The design of the building is eclectic
with the Italianate Style the most influential source of
inspiration.
b) Jack's Tavern/ H & R Block, 420-422 North 2nd Street; 1894-1895.
This commercial building, of Italianate Style inspiration, has an
upper-story façade of brick with a tin cornice and window
"eyebrows". The ground-floor storefronts have been drastically
altered.
c) Buelow's T. V. Service, 424 North 2nd Street; c. 1900. The
building is one of the few in Clinton to utilize sheet tin as a wall
surface material. The pattern on the sheet tin was intended to
simulate masonry. The design of the building can best be described
as eclectic with some lingering influences of the Italianate Style,
as exhibited by the cornice treatment, while the use of the bay
window can be attributed to the popularity of the Queen Anne Style.
d) J. Q. Jefferies Real Estate, 426 North 2nd Street; c. 1895. The
building is a commercial structure of two stories. The north wall is
of brick with "punched-in" windows, capped with segmented arches.
The east façade on the upper story has been altered with new
windows and vertical wood siding. The ground-floor storefront has
had some alterations but the original feeling has basically been
retained.
163. MAIN AVENUE Main Avenue, east of North 3rd Street, is the
shopping and commercial center for the Lyons area. It once was the
major downtown street for the town of Lyons but now fills a
neighborhood convenience/service function. A one and one-half block
frontage of Main Avenue, east of Roosevelt Street, is the heart of
the historic downtown and is of architectural significance. The
buildings are two stories high except for several one-and
three-story buildings; all front directly on the public
right-of-way. The Main Avenue historic district limit on the west is
the public square at Roosevelt Street; and the district extends east
to include about a one and one-half block frontage on the north side
of Main Avenue. Some of the more important old buildings along the
avenue, including the three-story Gage Building, built in 1861, are
within this short frontage. On the whole, the district retains
enough historic buildings and integrity to create a well-defined,
pleasant shopping district that has importance as an example of
nineteenth-century commercial architecture. Buildings in the
district are identified as numbers 163a through 163g and appear on
Map No. 4. Descriptions follow: a) Silver Dollar Tavern, 76 Main
Avenue; c. 1865. This is a two-story commercial building of brick
with cornice and window caps. The ground-floor store-front has been
rebuilt and clad with stone veneer. The building, of Italianate
Style, is a good Clinton example of nineteenth-century commercial
construction and design.
b) Reter Building (Mar Gee Plastics), 80 Main Avenue; c. 1874.
Similar in appearance and detailing to the 75-59 Main Avenue
building across the street, this Italianate Style building uses two
colors of brick to accent the corbelled and relief patterns of the
brickwork. The ground-floor storefront has been rebuilt in a fashion
of "historicism".
c) Miller and Schumm (Helen's Tap Tavern), 84 Main Avenue; c. 1874.
Similar to 80 Main Avenue next door, this 26-foot wide store makes
use of red and cream-colored brick to emphasize the projecting and
intricate brickwork on the front façade. Although maintenance is
lacking, the building seemingly retains its historic features.
d) J. P. Gage Union Hall (Gage Building/E. Z. Does It/Davis Studio),
86-88 Main Avenue; 1861. A large, three-story commercial structure
of painted brick, the building has corbeled brick under the
projecting cornice on the front façade. The J. P. Gage Union Hall
is an excellent example of early Italianate Style. It is the highest
and most visually important building along the Main Avenue
commercial frontage; and, except for the ground-floor storefronts,
it has historic integrity with retention of most of its significant
architectural components.
e) William H. Gode (Pete Glass Co.), 90 Main Avenue; 1870. A
twenty-two foot wide and two-story high brick commercial building.
It has a small cornice with a series of small arches formed by
corbeled brick under the cornice. The ground-floor storefront has
been altered. The eclectic building design exhibits influences of
Italian Romanesque Style. The building is of harmonious design and
consistent material with the J. P. Gage Union Hall next door. f)
Dreesen Building (Jack Soesbe Barber Shop), 92 Main Avenue; c. 1870.
The front façade has a "false" front with high parapet, a cornice
with brackets, and siding which appears to be salvaged and applied
from another building. The building was remodeled, does not detract
seriously from the historic integrity of the building. The major
architectural significance of this structure is the use of
Renaissance Revival Style and its interpretation in fame
construction for a commercial building. This contrasts with the
other, old, commercial structures of masonry construction in the
Main Avenue district.
g) 1st Nation Bank of Lyons (Lyons Masonic Tenple), 94 Main Avenue;
1907. This former bank building has brick party walls with cut and
dressed limestone on the front façade. The windows of the front
façade have been altered with re-placement by glass block and
corrugated metal siding between the ground floor and upper-story
windows, The design of the bank exterior is very eclectic with
strong influences from the Second Renaissance and Classical Revival
Styles which were popular in the early twentieth century in America.
©2017 Nettie Mae Lucas & IAGenWeb