LeClaire Park Bandshell facts for kids
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W.D. Petersen Memorial
Music Pavilion |
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | Beiderbecke Drive (LeClaire Park) Davenport, Iowa |
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| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | Rudolph J. Clausen |
| Architectural style | Mission/Spanish Revival |
| MPS | Davenport MRA |
| NRHP reference No. | 83002485 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 7, 1983 |
The LeClaire Park Bandshell, also known as the W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion, is a cool outdoor stage located in LeClaire Park in Davenport, Iowa. It's a special spot that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Later, in 1993, it was also listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties.
Contents
A Special Place for Music and Events
A Look Back: How it Started
Back in 1911, the city of Davenport began to improve its riverfront. This project lasted for about twenty years. Mayor Alfred Mueller and William D. Petersen led these efforts. A group called the Levee Improvement Commission was formed the same year. This group was in charge of making the city's riverfront better.
Between 1912 and 1914, LeClaire Park got a big makeover. The goal was to have a riverfront that was good for businesses, factories, and fun activities. The music pavilion was built in 1924 as part of these plans to make the area beautiful. It was named after William D. Petersen.
Davenport had many people from Germany who loved music. Because of this, the city used to have several band shells in different parks. These included Fejervary Park, Vander Veer Botanical Park, and Schuetzen Park. The W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion is the only one left today. It was built in 1924, making it one of the two oldest band shells in Iowa. The other one is the East Park Band Shell in Mason City, which was also built in 1924.
What Happens There Now?
The music pavilion is still a busy place today. It hosts many public events throughout the year. Some popular annual events include the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival and the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival. The Quad City Symphony Orchestra also holds its Riverfront Pops Concert there every year.
Important people have even spoken from the pavilion. President George W. Bush gave a speech there in 2004 when he was running for re-election. Senator Barack Obama also spoke there in 2007 when he was campaigning for president before the 2008 Iowa Caucuses.
How it Looks: The Design
The pavilion was designed by Rudolph Clausen. He was from an architecture company called Clausen & Kruse. This company also designed other famous buildings in Davenport. Some of these include the Democrat Building and Modern Woodmen Park. The music pavilion is located right next to Modern Woodmen Park, along the river.
The design of the pavilion was inspired by a similar music pavilion in San Diego. That one was called the Spreckels Music Pavilion, built in 1915. The Petersen Pavilion has a similar overall shape. It features flame-shaped decorations at the top and detailed designs along the roofline and side openings.
Cool Details of the Pavilion
The music pavilion is made of concrete and sits on a raised stone platform. It has a rectangular shape with a peaked roof. The roof flattens out towards the north and south walls. The building has many unique decorative parts. These include tall, thin columns with twisted rope designs. There are also tower-like decorations on the roof and windows with iron grates.
You can see complex patterns along the roofline. Many of these decorations are painted in bright colors like blue, green, and gold. These colors stand out against the natural color of the stone. The front of the pavilion faces east. In front of it is an outdoor area with seating. To the north of the pavilion, there is a statue of Bix Beiderbecke. He was a famous jazz musician from Davenport.
