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Tour of Homes 2002
The home depicted above by Broadway Historic District Association resident and artist Stacey Replinger is one of the five featured homes on this year's Mother's Day Tour of Homes. It is located at 842 20th Street. The Broadway Historic District in Rock Island, Illinois has been opening the doors of their wonderful Victorian homes to the public on Mother’s Day now for ten years. To many, Mother’s Day wouldn’t be the same without a stroll through the Rock Island’s premier historic neighborhood and the pleasure of a step back in time. Tours of five restored homes in the neighborhood draw Moms and families back to Broadway each year. The tradition started as an effort to bring Quad-Citians back to the once blighted neighborhood and allow them to experience the quality craftsmanship and delightful interiors that are the hallmark of these homes. The Broadway Historic District Association, a grassroots neighborhood group has worked hard to educate visitors about the historic and architectural significance of the area. They have also worked to establish pride of home in the neighborhood, as well as share practical historic homeownership skills. Their efforts were rewarded when Broadway was included in the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Special features of this year’s tour were the costumed actors who portrayed each homes original owner. “Broadway Square” located at 20th Street and 8th Avenue offered refreshments, live music, and a shady resting area. Featured Homes
The Alexander Steel House, 725 19th Street (Circa 1880 Italianate) It was not unusual in Victorian times and in this neighborhood for different generations of the same family to share a home, often by maintaining separate living spaces under the same roof. In this home Tom Hughes, patriarch of the local Hughes Clan, has his living quarters in what was originally the front parlor and dining room of the home. His great-niece and her family, Cara and Gary Garcia, have renovated and live in the rest of the home. The spacious circa 1880 brick Italianate house, with its multi-colored paint scheme, easily accommodate the three generations. Victorians were known for the richness and beauty of their décor. Cara calls upon that tradition and mixes it with contemporary materials. The newly renovated kitchen mixes harlequin patterned tile work and jewels. The bath features hand-painted clay tiles and arched shower, tub and vanity surrounds. Windows have professionally designed drapery in the Victorian vein with artistic detailing that highlight the rich wall treatments.
The Lucy Reynolds Channon House, 1710 Lincoln Court (1915 Craftsman) As the city of Rock Island expanded in the early 20th century, residential construction climbed the hillsides away from the river valley where the downtown is located. Just as construction moved away from the riverfront, the styles of homes moved away from ornate Victorian. This Craftsman home was built in 1915 on the hillside overlooking the Mississippi River valley. A unique setting in Rock Island, the homes of Lincoln Court face a large central circular boulevard. This large greenspace allows an unobstructed view of both downtown Rock Island and Davenport, Iowa. The view is especially pretty at night when the lights of the Centennial Bridge, a Quad City landmark, shine over the Mississippi. Diane began the renovation of her home by participating in The Great Unveiling in 1997, a springtime event in Broadway. Neighbors and volunteers gather on a Saturday morning and remove replacement siding that obscures the original siding, giving the homeowner a jumpstart on exterior restoration. The character of this Craftsman home had been drastically altered over time. The front porch had been enclosed and then the entire home was entombed in aluminum siding. Fortunately the original balustrade was found under the porch enclosure when the porch was uncovered and inspired a full restoration. Now the front porch again serves as an outdoor room to enjoy the incomparable view. Over the last year the house was painted in period appropriate colors of pale yellow with blue, gold, and cream detailing. In addition, terracing of the steeply sloping front yard created new gardens. A period style coach house replaced a single car garage.
The George Oscar White House, 603 23rd Street (1872 Italianate) This 1872 Italianate home had an inauspicious beginning. Though a substantial brick structure, it was built and used as rental property for the first 30 years of its life. It lacked many of the ornate features – wide eaves, decorative brackets, and curved top windows- common to Italianate architecture. In 1903, it was sold to George Oscar White who lived there and used the small building on the adjacent property to manufacture products for the Geo. White Buggy Company. The buggy company eventually evolved into a leading automobile appliance manufacturing company. George gave new stature to his home with the addition of a large Palladian window on the north and a Colonial Revival porch across the front. By the 1990s the house was close to being condemned. Pat Berg, who lived next door and was renovating her own Queen Anne home, purchased it in order to prevent its demolition. After her marriage to Bob Yapp, producer of PBS’s home restoration program About Your House with Bob Yapp, the home became a regular on the program. The extreme deterioration of the home provided ample opportunities for Yapp to utilize the property for examples of restoration techniques. The restoration combined museum quality restoration with modern conveniences and technology. Donna Rogers moved to Broadway in 1999 where she and her lovely antiques found the perfect home. Her collections of Abraham Lincoln and Civil War memorabilia – including a cannon that takes aim from under the curving main staircase – are especially poignant given her home’s close proximity to the Confederate Cemetery and the National Cemetery on nearby Arsenal Island. Donna’s home is warm and welcoming, and filled with beautiful antiques, flea market “finds” and family heirlooms.
The Leopold Simon-William Sharp McCombs House, 842 19th Street (C.1885 Free Classic Queen Anne)
The Albert Dietrich Huesing House, 842 20th Street (Circa 1885 Italianate) Mr. Albert Dietrich Huesing and his wife Charlotte built this home in 1885 shortly after they wed and spent their lives together in the home, raising their family of two sons and daughter. Mr. Huesing was a well-known businessman and city alderman with interests in many enterprises – banking, insurance, and bottling, to name a few. His name is still familiar in the region today through a bottling business he founded that retains his name, the A.D. Huesing Company, distributors of Pepsi products. The home is an Italianate but its’ front façade greatly changed in the early part of the 20th century with the addition of a large wrap-around porch. The brick columns and two levels of balustrades add Craftsman-style detail to the home. The highly detailed home that Huesing built became into an uninteresting, boxy shadow of itself with the mid-century application of aluminum siding and enclosure of the porch. Deb and Paul Magnuson participated in the 1999 Great Unveiling, beginning the exterior restoration of their home, which included the landscaping of the yard and gardens. The project was completed in 2001 with the pouring of walkways and the drive to the carriage house with stained and patterned concrete. The home, located in the heart of Broadway, once again is a gracious and eye-catching architectural gem. The Magnusons lavished the interior of the home too with their energies and eye for detail. The renovated kitchen retains a vintage feel, and the rest of the home blends contemporary comfort with Victorian ambiance. Their unusual collection of Native American antiques and collectibles make their home unique among the Victorian homes of Broadway. Mother's Day Tour of Homes 2001 |
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