B.J. Palmer House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
B.J. Palmer House
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 808 Brady St. Davenport, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1874 |
| Architectural style | Second Empire |
| MPS | Davenport MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 84001497 |
| Added to NRHP | July 27, 1984 |
The B.J. Palmer House, also known as the Palmer Family Residence, is a super cool historic building. You can find it on the Brady Street Hill in Davenport, Iowa, in the United States. It's part of the Palmer College of Chiropractic campus. This house has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. The college even offers tours of the first floor, so you can see inside!
Who Was B.J. Palmer?
Bartlett Joshua Palmer (1882–1961) was a very important person. He was the son of Daniel David Palmer, who started the practice of chiropractic. B.J. Palmer helped convince his father to open a school for chiropractic in Davenport.
In the early 1900s, B.J. Palmer bought several large houses on Brady Street for the school. He became the president of Palmer College. Many people say he helped chiropractic become what it is today.
B.J. Palmer also loved radio! In 1922, he bought a small radio station in Rock Island, Illinois. He moved it near the college campus. This station became WOC. It was actually the second commercial radio station in the whole United States. It was also the very first one west of the Mississippi River! Palmer built a huge communication business. He even bought another big radio station, WHO, in Des Moines in 1930.
The Palmer Family Home
The Palmer Family Residence was built in 1874. It was designed in the Second Empire style. A local lumber mill owner named Louis C. Dessaint built it.
Over the years, the house had a few different owners. In 1895, William D. Petersen bought it. His family owned a big department store downtown called Von Maur. The Petersen family updated the house in 1905. They added beautiful parquet floors, fancy plaster moldings, and Italian marble fireplaces. B.J. Palmer bought the house in 1912.
Around 1921-1922, Palmer added a huge, 140-foot (43 m) enclosed porch around the house. This created a large room perfect for parties and events. This big change showed Palmer's unique personality. The porch has cool features like beveled glass. The first studio for WOC radio was even on this porch!
The house has an amazing Aeolian player pipe organ. The Palmers bought it for a lot of money. B.J. Palmer's favorite room was called the "rustic room." It had real tree trunks and branches inside! These came from oak trees cut down for a new classroom building. Some logs are even wrapped in belts from World War I student uniforms.
There's also a cool sunken solarium. Its ceiling looks like a circus wagon, painted in bright yellow, green, orange, and red. The white wicker furniture in this room came from a prison in the Philippines. The house is full of unique items. You can see a humidor and umbrella stand made from elephants’ feet. There's also a kangaroo from Australia! You might spot a bird of paradise on a Bodhisattva from India. This sits on a cabinet from Korea, placed on Native American rugs. There's even a shrine from the Philippines with a Hindu idol and African art. The collection also includes a figure from Italy, a Buddha from Siam, Japanese lanterns, and a Buddhist monk's umbrella turned into a light.
The kitchen in the house looks just like it did in the 1950s. The floor is covered in many different colored tiles. Palmer got these from a local merchant. The merchant saved one tile from every batch he sold. Soon, the kitchen floor was covered in unique tiles! The kitchen also has an old Roper stove and a Kelvinator Foodarama refrigerator/freezer. The walls are painted in bright circus colors. The butler's pantry still has dishes with the Palmer family crest.
A Little Bit O’ Heaven Garden
In 1924, Palmer started building a special garden. It was along the north side of the house. He called it "A Little Bit O’ Heaven." This garden was filled with art and artifacts. B.J. Palmer and his wife, Mabel Heath Palmer, collected these on their trips to Asia and Europe. Some of their collection was also kept on the porch.
The garden had a courtyard with totem poles. There were statues of deer, birds, and even the birth of Venus. A rock-lined path called “purgatory” led to the main part of the exhibit. This included a large greenhouse with a 40 feet (12 m) waterfall. There was also a pond with tropical fish, alligators, and Oriental art.
The site also had what Palmer said was the smallest chapel in the world. It was only 8 square feet (0.74 m2) big! Thousands of people got married there. For a small fee, anyone could visit the garden. It became one of the most popular places to visit in Davenport.
After B.J. Palmer passed away in 1961, A Little Bit O’ Heaven started to get run down. It closed to the public in 1981 and was taken apart in 1983.
Over their lives, the Palmers gathered a huge collection of items. These decorated their house and A Little Bit O’ Heaven. When Mabel died, half of the collection went to their son, David. When B.J. died, half of what was left went to the Putnam Museum in Davenport. The rest went to the Palmers' three granddaughters. Whatever was left after that is still in the house today. The house is still part of Palmer College. The old courtyard is now a patio for students.
Images for kids
-
The B.J. Palmer House on the Palmer College campus.
-
B.J. Palmer, a key figure in chiropractic and radio.
-
The entrance to "A Little Bit O' Heaven" garden.
