Iowa Reform Building
Encyclopedia
Iowa Reform Building is located in downtown Davenport, Iowa
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 Davenport Register of Historic Properties and 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...

.

History

The Iowa Reform was a newspaper that started publication in Davenport in 1884 by Adolph Petersen. The paper carried a strong Democratic point of view. It was a semi-weekly publication that served the German community of the Tri-City area, which is now known as the Quad Cities
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a group of five cities straddling the Mississippi River on the Iowa–Illinois boundary. These cities, Davenport and Bettendorf and Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline , are the center of the Quad Cities Metropolitan Area, which, as of 2010, had an estimated population of...

. Unlike other German publications it survived the anti-German sentiments that resulted from World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. However, it could not survive those same sentiments that resulted from World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and the paper folded in 1943.

The building itself was built for the Iowa Reform in the heart of the German commercial district on the west side of downtown Davenport that was centered on Washington Square. The building has housed various commercial enterprises since the newspaper folded.

Architecture

The Iowa Reform Building is a two-story structure that is built of brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...

 on a stone foundation. The storefront features cast-iron columns and two entrances that are accessed by iron steps and handrails. All are believed to be original to the building. The widows of the storefront were altered in a 1998 renovation. The buildings second floor is defined by the placement of stone banding above and below the windows. Above the top banding is the buildings cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...

. The bottom part of the cornice is built of brick and it is topped by a molded metal cornice that features an egg and dart pattern.

See also

Pages that reflect Davenport’s newspaper history:
  • Democrat Building
    Democrat Building
    Democrat Building is located at 407-411 Brady Street, Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-History:...

  • Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building
    Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building
    Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building was located at 528 Brady Street, Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was noted on the National Register of Historic Places in April, 1983 as Cook Memorial Library and listed in July 1983 under the "Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Bldg."...

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