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Ball–Waterman House facts for kids

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Ball–Waterman House
Ball-Waterman House.JPG
Ball–Waterman House is located in Iowa
Ball–Waterman House
Location in Iowa
Ball–Waterman House is located in the United States
Ball–Waterman House
Location in the United States
Location 616 Kirkwood Boulevard
Davenport, Iowa
Area less than one acre
Built c. 1880
Architectural style Late Victorian
Tudor Revival
MPS Davenport MRA
NRHP reference No. 84001315
Added to NRHP July 27, 1984

The Ball–Waterman House is a really old and special house in Davenport, Iowa. It's so important that it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. This means it's a building worth protecting because of its history and unique design.

A Look Back in Time: The Ball–Waterman House History

This house was likely built around 1880 by someone named J.W. Ball. In 1893, a man named C. M. Waterman bought the house. He was a judge at the time.

Later, in 1898, Mr. Waterman became an important judge on the Iowa Supreme Court. This court is the highest court in the state of Iowa. In 1902, he joined a well-known law firm called Lane & Waterman. The Waterman family lived in this house until the 1920s.

What Makes the Ball–Waterman House Special?

The Ball–Waterman House is a two-and-a-half-story building. It is made of wood and sits on a strong stone base. The house has an interesting shape with many different roof sections. These sections are called gables. It also has a tall tower.

Architectural Styles: Queen Anne and Tudor Revival

These features, like the many gables and the tower, are typical of the Queen Anne style. This was a very popular way to design houses back then. You can also see fancy iron decorations on the tower and along the top of the roof.

Another cool part is a rounded window area that sticks out. It sits under a roof section that hangs over it. The front of the house has a large porch, called a veranda. This porch has stone supports.

Some parts of the house, like the upper sections of the gables, look like they have wood beams on the outside. This style is called half-timbered. The arches on the porch also have a similar look. These details are from the Tudor Revival style.

A Unique Mix of Styles

The Tudor Revival style became popular in Davenport in the 1890s. It is thought that the Waterman family added these Tudor Revival features after they bought the house. This is a bit unusual for the time.

Normally, when a Queen Anne house in Davenport was updated, people would add features from the Neoclassical style. But the Waterman House is special because it mixed Queen Anne with Tudor Revival instead!

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