Dr. Kuno Struck House

The Dr. Kuno Struck House, also known as Clifton Manor, is a historic building located in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1996. The house, along with its garage, became a part of the Marycrest College campus and they were both listed as contributing properties in the Marycrest College Historic District in 2004.[3]

Dr. Kuno Struck House
Location1645 W. 12th St.
Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates41°31′50″N 90°36′1″W
Area2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built1911
ArchitectClausen & Kruse
Architectural styleJacobean Revival
Part ofMarycrest College Historic District (ID04000341)
MPSDavenport MRA
NRHP reference No.84001567[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 27, 1984
Designated DRHPAugust 7, 1996[2]

Dr. Kuno Struck

Kuno Struck was born in Davenport in 1883 to Henry C. and Johanna (Wessel) Struck. He graduated from the local schools and received a medical degree from the State University of Iowa. He specialized in bacteriology and pathology. He started a practice in Davenport after a year with his cousin in Moline, Illinois, Dr. Arp.[4] Dr. Struck married Norma Petersen, the daughter of Max D. Petersen who was one of the owners of the J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store. However, Struck stopped practicing medicine shortly after his marriage to Norma. While he spent most of his time traveling, he also served as a vice president at Davenport Bank and Trust and on the boards of a variety of local organizations.[5][6] Struck had interests in painting, playing the violin, ornithology, and wild flowers.

History

The house was designed by the Davenport architectural firm of Clausen & Kruse in the Jacobean Revival style. It is the only house built in this architectural style in the city.[3] The house was completed in 1911 and called Clifton Manor. Norma's family home Clifton Hill was on the property next door. Dr. Struck lived here until his death in 1947. Norma, and their only child Dorothy and her husband, continued to live in the house. Dorothy was married at least twice, to William Mundy and James H. Bell. A gardener and chauffeur were also a part of the household. Lavish parties were held in the house in the 1950s and the 1960s.[6] Norma died in 1973.

The family sold the house before it became a part of Marycrest College in 1978 and served the college as a community center. It also housed a variety of offices for the school in subsequent years. In 1984 area designers transformed the house for a Decorators' Show House fundraiser for the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. After the college closed the rest of the campus was converted into Marycrest Senior Living, but the Struck House has remained separate from that development. It was sold to Marlene and Donald Talbot in 2005 and to Randy and Mary McDonald in 2018.

Architecture
Garage

The house is 2½-stories and follows a rectangular plan. The main façades are on the long sides of the structure, and it is capped with a hipped roof. The north façade is asymmetrical while the south façade follows a symmetrical plan with gabled end pavilions that flank a semi-circular terrace. The exterior is covered in a pink-red brick and a rock-faced stone that is smoothly dressed.[5] The interior features a grand central staircase in the foyer, a large living room with a stone fireplace, a dining room with a honeycombed ceiling, and a solarium with curved walls and arched, colored glass windows.[6] The walls are covered with patterned cloth wallpaper. Leaded glass windows with some colored glass are located throughout the house. Kuno Struck considered it pretentious to display one of his paintings in his home, but the owners who began a restoration project in 2019 displayed a reproduction of one of his paintings in the living room.[7]

The house is situated on a large lot with a circular drive that connects it to West Twelfth Street. The single-story garage sits to the northeast of the house. It is composed of brick and features both double and single car bays of the south side of the structure.[3]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Historic Preservation Commission. "Davenport Register of Historic Properties" (PDF). City of Davenport. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-11. Retrieved 2017-02-10.
  3. Marlys A. Svendsen. "Marycrest College Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-05-04.
  4. Harry E. Downer. "History of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa". The Internet Archive. Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  5. Martha Bowers; Marlys Svendsen. "Dr. Kuno Struck House". National Park Service. Retrieved 2014-11-17. with photos
  6. Alma Gaul (October 20, 2018). "Davenport mansion is still magnificent, after all these years". Quad-City Times. Davenport. Retrieved 2018-10-20.
  7. Alma Gaul (October 12, 2019). "'This home deserved to be restored': Couple infuses Davenport mansion with new life". Quad-City Times. Davenport. Retrieved 2019-10-15.

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