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Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
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Location	602 Harrison Street Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates	41°31′33″N 90°34′39″W / 41.52583°N 90.57750°W / 41.52583; -90.57750
Area	less than one acre
Built	1910
Architectural style	Classic Revival
MPS	Davenport MRA
NRHP reference No.	83002519
Added to NRHP	July 7, 1983

The Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph is a historic building located in a small-scale commercial area just north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.

History

Telephone service in the city of Davenport was initiated in 1878 when a private line was installed between the Davenport Water Company office and plant. The following year 36 subscribers in Davenport, Rock Island and Moline, Illinois were hooked up to a switchboard. That area was expanded to 41 towns along the Mississippi River by the Western Telephone Company in 1881. Iowa Telephone and Telegraph was organized the next year and started to serve Davenport residents. Union Electric Telephone and Telegraph entered the market in 1902 and they built this building in 1910. They had about 1,400 customers, but they ceased operations the following year. It was replaced by Tri-City Automatic Telephone Company in 1912, but it lasted only a few years. Scott County had more than 50 private telephone companies in 1910. By 1916 the Iowa Telephone Company, the parent of the modern day Bell system, was the only surviving company.

Architecture

The utility company built this building for its use on the corner of Harrison and Sixth Streets. It is a brick building on a stone foundation. The two-story structure sits on a raised basement. A staircase rises to the main entrance in the center of the main level. A decorative hood crowns the entrance. Four pilasters adorn the façade on the first and second levels. They are capped by Corinthian capitals. The façade is crowned with an imposing pediment. The window openings feature roman arched windows on the second floor that are capped with a hood and a decorative keystone. The glass block and industrial-type windows are a later addition, as is the addition to the north.

References

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ Svendsen, Marlys A.; Bowers, Martha H. (1982). Davenport where the Mississippi runs west: A Survey of Davenport History & Architecture. Davenport, Iowa: City of Davenport. p. 8-5.
3. ^ Martha Bowers; Marlys Svendsen-Roesler. "Union Electric Telephone & Telegraph". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-03-24. with photo

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 1910
• Neoclassical architecture in Iowa
• Buildings and structures in Davenport, Iowa
• Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa
• Telephone exchange buildings
• National Register of Historic Places in Davenport, Iowa
• Telecommunications buildings on the National Register of Historic Places