Kattenbracher House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Kattenbracker House
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1125 S. 2nd St. Le Claire, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1860 |
| MPS | Houses of Mississippi River Men TR |
| NRHP reference No. | 79003701 |
| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1979 |
The Kattenbracker House is an old and important building located in Le Claire, Iowa, United States. It's special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. This means it's recognized as a place worth saving for its history. The house is part of a group of homes called the Houses of Mississippi River Men Thematic Resource. These homes belonged to men from Le Claire who worked on the mighty Mississippi River, like riverboat captains, pilots, and boat builders.
The Story of the Kattenbracker House
The Kattenbracker family were immigrants from Germany. They started a special workshop called the C. Kattenbracher & Son foundry. This foundry was in the original town of Parkhurst, which later became part of Le Claire.
The foundry made and fixed metal parts for boats. They often helped the Le Claire Marine Railway boatyards, which were run by J.W. Van Sant. The Kattenbracker family built this house in 1860.
What Does the House Look Like?
The Kattenbracker House is a two-story building, meaning it has two floors. It's shaped like a rectangle and is made of brick. The house sits on a strong stone foundation.
Long ago, the house was covered with a smooth coating called stucco. But over time, this stucco has peeled off, showing the original bricks underneath. The front of the house, called the main facade, has three sections. The main door is right in the middle.
The windows have flat frames around them. Above the windows are shallow, triangular shapes called pediments. The house has a low, gently sloping roof called a hipped roof. It also has wide, decorative edges under the roof called eaves, which are supported by small brackets and blocks called modillions.
On the southeast corner of the house, there's a part that sticks out. This is a rectangular bay window, which lets in lots of light. A smaller, single-story addition was built on the north side of the house. This part has a pointed roof, known as a gable roof. Today, the main entrance to the house is through this addition.
