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Renwick Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district Contributing property
Davenport Register of Historic Properties No. 34
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Location	324 Brady Street Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates	41°31′24″N 90°34′27″W / 41.52333°N 90.57417°W / 41.52333; -90.57417
Area	less than one acre
Built	1897
Built by	C.E. Osborn John Peters
Architect	Clausen & Burrows
Architectural style	Early Commercial
Part of	Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District (ID100005546)
MPS	Davenport MRA
NRHP reference No.	83002491
DRHP No.	34
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	July 7, 1983
Designated DRHP	February 2, 2000

The Renwick Building is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties since 2000. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District. It is known locally for the large painted sign on the north side of the building depicting the Bix 7 Road Race.

History

The building was rebuilt in 1901 to replace the original 1893 structure that was destroyed by fire, and was commissioned by sisters Margaret and Rebecca Renwick. It is frequently (but wrongly) attributed to their brother William Renwick, who was a prosperous area industrialist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Two of the family's Davenport houses are also on the National Register of Historic Places, the Renwick House on Brady Street and the Renwick Mansion, which is a contributing property in the St. Katherine's Historic District. The reconstructed building contained 40,000 square feet of combined retail and warehouse space and was designed for tenant Drake Furniture & Carpet Co.; it continued to house various successor furniture stores over the years. The storefront was modernized in the 1930s. The building sat empty until 2012 when Restoration St. Louis, who also renovated the Forrest Block and the Hotel Blackhawk, began a $4.5 million renovation of the building. The upper floors house 18 loft-style apartments and commercial space on the main floor.

Architecture

The Renwick Building is a steel frame and red brick commercial building. The four-story building is an outstanding example of the Chicago Commercial Style. It was designed by the Danish architect Frederick G. Clausen and his firm Clausen & Burrows, and constructed by Davenport contractors C.E. Osborn and John Peters. The brick façade acts as the building's skin around the steel frame, which supports the structure. This approach allowed a greater expanse of windows, which are found in this building. Decorative elements are found at the top of the building. Romanesque Revival arched windows in a tri-partite configuration line the fourth floor on the facade, and the building is topped with a heavy ornate cornice.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Historic Preservation Commission. "Davenport Register of Historic Properties and Local Landmarks". City of Davenport. Retrieved 2023-03-21. (Click on "Historic Preservation Commission" and then click on "Davenport Register of Historic Properties and Local Landmarks.")
3. ^ Jennifer Irsfeld James. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District" (PDF). Downtown Davenport, Iowa. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
4. ^ "Renwick Building" (PDF). Davenport Public Library. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
5. Martha Bowers; Marlys Svendsen-Roesler. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Renwick Building". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-10-02. with photo
6. Kurt Allemeier (January 24, 2012). "Renwick Building's $4.5M renovation begins". Quad-City Times. Davenport. Retrieved 2012-06-09.

v t e Historic buildings and structures in Davenport, Iowa
Apartment buildings	Argyle Flats Ferdinand Ewert Building Hiller Building Linden Flats Old City Hall Roslyn Flats Walsh Flats/Langworth Building Warner Apartment Building Washington Flats
Civic buildings	Davenport City Hall Davenport Public Library Scott County Courthouse Scott County Jail United States Post Office and Court House
Clubhouses	Hauschild's Hall Hibernia Hall Lend-A-Hand Club Northwest Davenport Turner Society Hall Outing Club Saengerfest Halle Wupperman Block/I.O.O.F. Hall
Commercial buildings	Henry Berg Building Brammer Grocery Store Building at 202 W. Third Street Building at 813–815 W. Second Street Building at 1119–1121 W. Third Street Central Office Building City Market Democrat Building Donahue Building Ficke Block Finley Guy Building Forrest Block Frick's Tavern Hoffman Building Iowa Reform Building Kahl Building Koch Drug Store Koenig Building Nicholas Koester Building Meiser Drug Store Miller Building Mueller Lumber Company Peters' Barber Shop J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store J.H.C. Petersen's Sons Wholesale Building Prien Building Priester Building Putnam-Parker Block Charles F. Ranzow and Sons Building Jacob Raphael Building Renwick Building Riepe Drug Store/G. Ott Block Schmidt Block Schroeder Bros. Meat Market Rudolph H. Sitz Building Washington Gardens Werthman Grocery Wolters Filling Station Col. Joseph Young Block
Financial buildings	Davenport Bank and Trust First Federal Savings and Loan Association Building First National Bank Building First National Bank of Davenport Northwest Davenport Savings Bank Union Savings Bank and Trust
Fire houses	Central Fire Station Hose Station No. 1 Hose Station No. 3 Hose Station No. 4 Hose Station No. 6 Hose Station No. 7
Hotels	Burtis–Kimball House Hotel Clifton-Metropolitan Hotel Davenport Hotel Germania-Miller/Standard Hotel Blackhawk Hotel Hotel Mississippi-RKO Orpheum Theater Schauder Hotel
Industrial	Davenport Bag and Paper Company Building The Linograph Company Building Littig Brothers/Mengel & Klindt/Eagle Brewery Schick's Express and Transfer Co. Shields Woolen Mill Woeber Carriage Works Zoller Bros-Independent Malting Co.
Structures	Dillon Memorial W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion Soldier's Monument
Transportation	Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Freight House SAINTE GENEVIEVE (dredge) Union Station and Burlington Freight House
Utilities	American Telephone & Telegraph Co. Building Davenport Water Co. Pumping Station No. 2 Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph WOC Broadcasting Center
Miscellaneous	Clarissa C. Cook Library/Blue Ribbon News Building Clarissa Cook Home for the Friendless Davenport Crematorium St. Luke's Hospital
Davenport Register of Historic Properties National Register of Historic Places listings in Davenport, Iowa

• Commercial buildings completed in 1897
• Commercial architecture in Iowa
• Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
• Buildings and structures in Davenport, Iowa
• National Register of Historic Places in Davenport, Iowa
• Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Iowa
• Davenport Register of Historic Properties