J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store facts for kids
|
J. H. C. Petersen's Sons' Store
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
 |
|
 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 123-131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Frederick G. Clausen |
| Architectural style | Commercial Romanesque |
| Part of | Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District (ID100005546) |
| MPS | Davenport MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002483 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
|
| Added to NRHP | July 07, 1983 |
The J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store is a famous old building in Davenport, Iowa. It's also known as the Petersen Harned-Von Maur Store Building or the Redstone Building. This building is so important that it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's a special landmark. It used to be a big department store, and its design was inspired by the Rookery Building in Chicago.
History of the Store
J.H.C. Petersen came to America from Schleswig, which is now part of Germany. He worked on a farm and in a match factory. In 1872, he and his three sons, Max, Henry, and William, opened a dry goods store. They sold many different items.
By 1875, they were selling goods from Chicago to other businesses and directly to customers. They even opened more stores in Clinton, Iowa and Geneseo, Illinois in the 1880s.
The main J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store building was built in Downtown Davenport in 1892. A German architect named Frederick G. Clausen designed it. The store was very modern for its time, with different sections for different types of products, all under one roof.
J.H.C.'s three sons took over running the store. Other big stores also opened in Davenport around this time. J.H.C. passed away in 1910, and his sons Max and Henry died in 1915. The next year, William sold the store to a competing company called Harned and Von Maur Co.
In 1928, the J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' store joined with the Petersen-Harned-Von Maur Store. The building kept the Petersen name until 1989. The department store chain later became known simply as Von Maur and grew to have stores in many Midwest states.
What's Inside Today?
Today, the Redstone Building is still a busy place. In June 2004, the River Music Experience opened there. This is a special museum that celebrates music, especially jazz and blues, which are inspired by the river.
A few years after it opened, the River Music Experience started focusing more on live music shows. They hold these concerts on the second floor. The River Music Experience also helps put on a big music festival every summer called River Roots Live. This festival happens in Downtown Davenport along with Ribfest.
Besides the music center, the building also has Mojo's coffee shop, a restaurant, and office spaces.
Building Design
The Petersen's Sons Store building is a smaller version of the famous Rookery Building in Chicago. It's a great example of how department stores were designed in the late 1800s.
The building is four stories tall and made of stone, sitting on a brick base. It has round arches around groups of tall windows. The store's name is decorated in terracotta (a type of baked clay) above the main entrance.
Between the windows, you can see patterns called diaperwork spandrels. At the very top, the building has fancy parapets with large decorations called finials. There's also a traditional brick cornice at the roofline. The storefronts on the first floor were changed over time but have now been restored to their original look.
