First National Bank of Davenport
About this property
The First National Bank of Davenport, also known as Brenton Bank and The Brenton, is a historic building located in central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. It is significant for its associations with the history of community planning and development, and as an important example of modernistic design. First National Bank of Davenport was a branch of Iowa's Brenton Bank network. It was the 14th bank in the Brenton Bank Group, which was established in 1881 in Dallas Center, Iowa. The First National Bank building was designed to harmonize with other Mid-century modern buildings in a larger commercial development known as Town Centre Village. As the city grew to the north commercial development followed, especially after the automobile became the dominant form of transportation. Town Centre Village was located on a three block parcel of land that had previously been single-family homes. It is located on the busy Harrison-Main-Brady corridor, which connected Downtown Davenport to the south with Interstate 80 to the north. The Brady and Locust Street intersection, where the development is located, was considered the busiest intersection in Iowa at that time. The Professional Arts Building, completed in 1963 (non-extant), was located on the north side of the development at Locust and Main Streets. The First National Bank of Davenport was initially located on the first floor of the building. The Town Centre building, a commercial building facing Main Street, and a permanent First National Bank building, facing Brady Street, were to be built to the south of the Professional Art Building in 1964. They would share surface and underground parking. To the south of them was to be a five-story Travelodge motel, with room for future expansion. However, plans changed, and the First National Bank of Davenport building was self-financed independently of its neighbors. In 1965, it acquired the property the motel, which was never realized, was to be built on. A Shell gas station was completed at Brady and Locust Streets. The three-story Mid-Town Plaza (extant) with an attached grocery store and drug store (non-extant), were later built between the Professional Arts Building and the First National Bank of Davenport. An Aldi grocery store replaced the older grocery/drug store building. Two newer commercial buildings and additional surface parking are located where the gas station and the Professional Arts Building were located. After the bank discontinued its operations, the building was acquired by the Davenport Community School District for its offices and other programs. In July 2018, the District moved its operations into a former school building across the street. Newbury Living of West Des Moines, Iowa then began converting the building into a mixed-use project. Their $6.7 million transformation into The Brenton, a block of thirty-eight apartments, was completed in 2020. The apartments are located on the second and third floors of the building; the first floor is an open public gathering space. What used to be the vault of the bank has been made into a gaming room.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was First National Bank of Davenport listed on the National Register?
First National Bank of Davenport was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 13, 2018.
What type of historic resource is First National Bank of Davenport?
First National Bank of Davenport is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for First National Bank of Davenport?
The period of significance for First National Bank of Davenport is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near First National Bank of Davenport?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near First National Bank of Davenport will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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