Cork Hill District
Encyclopedia
The Cork Hill District is located on a bluff northeast of downtown Davenport, Iowa
, United States
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1984. The historic district covers 18.7 acres (7.6 ha) and stretches from the campus of Palmer College of Chiropractic
on the west to the Sacred Heart Cathedral Complex on the east. It is the western half of a neighborhood of the same name. When listed, the district included 12 contributing buildings. It includes Greek Revival
, Italianate
, and Victorian
architecture. The property was covered in a 1982 study of Davenport MRA and/or its 1983 follow-on.
. It was a large non-German neighborhood on the east side of town. LeClaire himself built his home
in the Reserve in 1855 and St. Margaret’s Church, later renamed Sacred Heart, was built in 1856. Other promenate families, such as the French’s, also moved to the area. The family of industrialists were also patrons of the arts and literature in the city. Alice French
, whose pen name
was Octave Thanet, was known as the first Iowa
author with a national reputation. The Irish started moving to Davenport after the Great Famine in Ireland
of the 1840s and 1850s. Because large numbers of Irish settled around St. Margaret’s the area became known as Cork Hill.
, which is located on the bluff to the west. The contrast shows how the various styles were adapted to suit different income levels and tastes. The earliest houses on Cork Hill were built in the Greek Revival style that was popular in early Davenport architecture and continued as the city matured. The Italianate style started to appear in the 1850s. It was followed by the Queen Anne
and Gothic Revival styles. As the 19th century came to a close the Colonial Revival style became more popular, as did the Craftsman
style. A couple of houses were also influenced by the Prairie School
. While most of the homes were built as single family structures, there is also a significant number of double houses on Cork Hill.
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1984. The historic district covers 18.7 acres (7.6 ha) and stretches from the campus of Palmer College of Chiropractic
Palmer College of Chiropractic
Palmer College of Chiropractic is a chiropractic school located in Davenport, Iowa. It was established in 1897 by Daniel David Palmer and is considered "The Fountainhead" as it was the first school of chiropractic in the world. For many years, Palmer College of Chiropractic was the world's largest...
on the west to the Sacred Heart Cathedral Complex on the east. It is the western half of a neighborhood of the same name. When listed, the district included 12 contributing buildings. It includes Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
, Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
, and Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
architecture. The property was covered in a 1982 study of Davenport MRA and/or its 1983 follow-on.
History
Cork Hill itself is the western section of a larger area of Davenport known as the LeClaire Reserve, named after the landowner and city founder Antoine LeClaireAntoine LeClaire
Antoine LeClaire was a US Army interpreter, landowner in Scott County, Iowa and Rock Island County, Illinois, businessman, philanthropist and principal founder of Davenport, Iowa-Early life:...
. It was a large non-German neighborhood on the east side of town. LeClaire himself built his home
Antoine LeClaire House
The Antoine LeClaire House, located at 630 East 7th Street Davenport, Iowa, United States, is a community center that was built as a private home by one of the founders of city of Davenport. The home was constructed in 1855...
in the Reserve in 1855 and St. Margaret’s Church, later renamed Sacred Heart, was built in 1856. Other promenate families, such as the French’s, also moved to the area. The family of industrialists were also patrons of the arts and literature in the city. Alice French
Alice French
Alice French , better known as Octave Thanet, was an American novelist.She was born at Andover, Massachusetts, a daughter of George Henry and Frances Wood French. She graduated from Abbot Academy in Andover, in 1868...
, whose pen name
Pen name
A pen name, nom de plume, or literary double, is a pseudonym adopted by an author. A pen name may be used to make the author's name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her works, to protect the author from retribution for his or her...
was Octave Thanet, was known as the first Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
author with a national reputation. The Irish started moving to Davenport after the Great Famine in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
of the 1840s and 1850s. Because large numbers of Irish settled around St. Margaret’s the area became known as Cork Hill.
Architecture
The homes built in the Cork Hill District reflect most of the major architectural styles of the 19th century. They are, however, simpler than the homes found in the Hamburg Historic DistrictHamburg Historic District (Davenport, Iowa)
Hamburg Historic District is located on a bluff north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties and on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic district is where the city’s middle and upper income German community lived...
, which is located on the bluff to the west. The contrast shows how the various styles were adapted to suit different income levels and tastes. The earliest houses on Cork Hill were built in the Greek Revival style that was popular in early Davenport architecture and continued as the city matured. The Italianate style started to appear in the 1850s. It was followed by the Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
and Gothic Revival styles. As the 19th century came to a close the Colonial Revival style became more popular, as did the Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
style. A couple of houses were also influenced by the Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
. While most of the homes were built as single family structures, there is also a significant number of double houses on Cork Hill.