Davenport commission approves National Register amendment for Iowa Soldiers Orphan's Home

The Davenport Historic Preservation Commission on Jan. 13 approved an amendment to the National Register of Historic Places listing for the Iowa Soldiers Orphan's Home at 2800 Eastern Avenue, extending the property's period of significance to 1975 and designating the children's cottage as a contributing structure.

The commission's decision followed a presentation by Mason Martell of Heritage Consulting Group, who said the nomination updates the district record to reflect two recent demolitions and provides revised descriptions and photographs of the remaining resources. "This additional documentation amends the historic district to extend the period of significance to 1975 and change the status of the children's cottage to contribute to the historic significance of the district," Martell said.

Commission staff summarized the criteria for the amendment as affecting criteria A (social history), C (architecture), and D (archaeology). Commissioners asked whether a developer's plan to rebuild a previously demolished garage would affect the nomination; Martell said he had no details on that proposed new construction and could not assess its impact without plans.

A motion to approve the amendment was moved and seconded; Commissioner Gomez confirmed she seconded the motion. The commission took a roll-call vote, and the chair declared the motion passed. Following the vote, staff said the next procedural step is to forward the approved nomination to the mayor's office for review and concurrence.

The action is administrative and does not itself impose design controls on private redevelopment beyond the National Register documentation; the commission's staff noted that the previously approved Certificate of Appropriateness (COA) from June 10, 2025, was not affected by the nomination. The commission thanked Martell for preparing the updated documentation and closed discussion on the item.