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Donahue Building

Coordinates: 41°31′26″N 90°34′26″W / 41.52389°N 90.57389°W / 41.52389; -90.57389
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Donahue Building
Donahue Building is located in Iowa
Donahue Building
Donahue Building is located in the United States
Donahue Building
Location114 W. 3rd St.
Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates41°31′26″N 90°34′26″W / 41.52389°N 90.57389°W / 41.52389; -90.57389
Arealess than one acre
Builtc. 1880
Architectural styleRenaissance Revival
Part ofDavenport Downtown Commercial Historic District (ID100005546)
MPSDavenport MRA
NRHP reference No.83002423[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 7, 1983

The Donahue Building is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.[1] In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.[2]

History

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The Donahue Building was built around 1880 to house the Ed H. Gifford steam laundry.[3] By 1892 the Sanborn Fire Insurance Company lists the property as a Turkish Bath. It was at this time that the Davenport Water Company moved into the building. Michael Donahue organized the company and the building is named for him. By 1912 the Walsh-Kahl Construction Company occupied the building. They were known nationally for their work building railroads. They built Union Station in Buffalo, New York, Penn Station in South Bend, Indiana, and Union Station in Erie, Pennsylvania.[4] Locally, they constructed the Kahl Building and Davenport Bank and Trust. Today it houses Boozies Bar and Grille.

Architecture

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The Donahue Building is a three-story structure that is built on top of a raised basement. Both the building and its basement are constructed of brick. When the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places it was considered an excellent example of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was re-evaluated in 2005 as an excellent example of the Italian Renaissance Revival, which is found in the tall narrow windows with the Roman arch windows and the central projecting pavilion.[3] It is also a rare example in the state of Iowa of a basement level storefront.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Jennifer Irsfeld James. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District" (PDF). Downtown Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  3. ^ a b c "Donahue Building" (PDF). Davenport Public Library. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
  4. ^ Martha Bowers; Marlys Svendsen-Roesler. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Donahue Building". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-04-16. with photo