Homeowner presents restored Victorian gazebo at 1234 E. River Drive to Davenport preservation commission

Homeowner Chris Rogers presented a restoration report to the Davenport City Historic Preservation Commission on Dec. 10, describing the reconstruction of a Victorian gazebo on the front bluff of his property at 1234 East River Drive.

Rogers said the gazebo had been in severe disrepair; he and his contractor team located firms able to reproduce damaged elements, rebuilt the roof framing and repaired plaster and stone details. He credited production manager Nathan Hawkins and local staff for coordinating custom‑made replacement pieces and for painstaking on-site work to splice and repair brittle plaster and fractured stone elements. Rogers said the project took roughly 14 months and significant private investment; some specialty mold work was sourced from an out-of-state firm to replicate historic ornaments.

Commissioners praised the restoration and suggested Rogers consider entering the project for recognition at the Preserve Iowa conference. Staff noted that some preservation-award criteria give preference to projects that used grant funding; Rogers said his work had been privately funded and he appreciated staff support in identifying tax-credit professionals and other resources.

Commissioners also discussed using the project as a local example of preservation success and suggested compiling a list of top preservation challenges and successes to present to the city council as part of next year’s work plan.

The commission thanked Rogers and the team for the investment and workmanship and encouraged staff to follow up on preservation-award options and visibility for the project.