National Register of Historic Places

Priester Building, The

Davenport, Scott County, Iowa
Listed
January 17, 2017
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
100000493

About this property

The Priester Building is a historic building located just north of Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The low-rise office building was built for the headquarters of Priester Construction Company, and its real estate division, in 1958. The well-preserved structure is significant as an excellent example of the late International Style. It was designed by San Francisco architect John ("Jack") W. Kruse, formerly of Davenport, and the local architectural firm of Parish and Richardson. That firm has its roots in the architectural practice of prominent Davenport architect Frederick G. Clausen. It is believed that this was the first modernistic commercial design in Davenport, and it brought West Coast cutting-edge architecture to the Midwest. It is also noteworthy for its location in the side of a hill and the difficulties that presented for construction, and the first-ever use of a plastic shell for winter-time construction in the city. The T-shaped building rises three-stories to the height of 39.29 feet (11.98 m). It features perimeter landscaping, a curved mosaic wall on the west elevation to deflect traffic noise from Brady Street, views to the south and west that reflected weather and sun conditions on design and operating conditions, and it is fully air conditioned. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. A plan has been developed by Newbury Living of West Des Moines, Iowa to convert the building from office space into a 33-unit apartment building.

Location

601 Brady St.
Davenport, Scott County, Iowa
41.52606, -90.57313

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
Sources

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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Nearby Historic Sites

Kimball-Stevenson House
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0 mi
Stewart, J. W., House
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Cook, Clarissa C., Library/Blue Ribbon News Bldg.
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Old City Hall
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0.1 mi
United States Post Office and Court House
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Rock Island Rapids
1814Early Republic
0.4 mi
Battle of Rock Island 1814
1814Early Republic
1 mi
Battle of the Rock Island Rapids
1814Early Republic
1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Priester Building, The listed on the National Register?

Priester Building, The was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 17, 2017.

What type of historic resource is Priester Building, The?

Priester Building, The is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Priester Building, The?

The period of significance for Priester Building, The is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Priester Building, The?

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