Davenport City Council: Church says it can't rehab historic home
No one who has seen it or walked through it disputes that the century-old home at 2101 Main St. is an architectural gem.
Combining elements of the Craftsman and Frank Lloyd Wright design schools, the home built in 1906 is structurally sound and sits on its wooded lot close to Vander Veer Park.
But a debate waged by the Davenport City Council Wednesday night about finding balance between historical preservation and economic common sense will soon determine whether it is demolished.
The home was purchased nearly a year ago by St. Paul Lutheran Church for $160,000. The Rev. Peter Marty, the head pastor of St. Paul, said the home — which is on both the national and Iowa registers of historic places — was purchased partially to prevent it from becoming a rental property next to the church after the elderly owners moved out.
Church leaders hoped to renovate the home — designed and built by Davenport architects Dietrich Harfst and Gustav Hanssen — to use for housing graduate students that work on behalf of the church. But once they got a deeper look at the level of neglect, it became obvious the task would be cost
prohibitive.
In addition to needing a new roof, tuck pointing, stucco and windows, the electrical, plumbing and heating systems are all original, dating back to the turn of the century. The house is without any insulation, is “laden with asbestos” and has deteriorated lead paint.
Marty said estimates to renovate the house — obtained from local contractors who do that type of work — show it could cost more than $500,000 to make it livable. Even after that level of investment, the most the house would be worth is likely around $250,000.
“This home is in deplorable condition, both inside and out,” Marty told members of the Davenport City Council at Monday’s committee-of-the-whole meeting. “We have researched every imaginable grant in the state and the city. We even researched moving the house. But the costs are impossible.”
But the Davenport Historic Preservation Commission — which unanimously recommended denying the church’s demolition permit and asked that the house be placed on the city’s landmark list — disagrees that there is sufficient economic hardship.
“This property is worth saving,” said John Frueh, the commission’s chairman. “We voted 8-0 to save this house. We’re asking for the council to support our decision.”
Frueh noted that St. Paul officials have already demolished two other historic homes they purchased near the church. The home at 2101 Main is the last of a block of homes that were demolished between Main and Brady streets in the Vander Veer Historic District, he said.
City planning staff, which inspected the home, concurred with the commission’s findings.
“Overall, the dwelling is viewed as being a well-constructed dwelling that is suffering from deferred maintenance,” staff wrote in a report. “It is the opinion of the appraiser that the location
provides for an average to above-average market appeal but the condition of the dwelling substantially reduces potential market value. If there is an economic hardship it appears the hardship could be relieved simply by putting the house on the market and selling it.”
Aldermen and the mayor wrestled with the issue, and the council could vote to designate the property a city landmark and/or deny a demolition request at next Wednesday’s regular council meeting.
The most outspoken against demolition was Mayor Bill Gluba.
As a Realtor, Gluba said he’s been through hundreds if not thousands of older homes, and on a scale of 1 to 100 with 1 requiring demolition and 100 being in great shape, he’d rate 2101 Main a 75.
“I think it’s a shame the church hasn’t been able to find some sort of way to use this home,” he said. “We should either preserve historic properties or not have the ordinance.”
Second Ward Alderman Shawn Hamerlinck, however, said that just because the council has the power to deny the demolition doesn’t mean it’s obligated to wield it.
“The issue here is whether government can tell you to take your dollars and put them into a building,” he said. “The city would be forcing the church to take money from its congregation to preserve the property. This is an issue of basic private property rights.”
Alderman Bill Lynn, 5th Ward, agreed. “It’s easy for us to sit here and tell people what they can and can’t do,” he said. “But unless we are willing to cough up the bucks, this is really a form of condemnation.”
Lynn also pointed out that “dozens” of empty buildings designated “landmarks” across the city are slowly deteriorating.
But 3rd Ward Alderman Bill Boom, who lives in a renovated home in the Hamburg Historic District and has fought for preservation for decades, said church leaders know that buying historic properties carries additional requirements.
“When someone buys a property within a historic district, the understanding is you take on a certain responsibility because you are entrusted with a piece of historic Davenport,” he said. “I’ve seen properties in much worse shape that have been brought back.”
Tory Brecht can be contacted at (563) 383-2329 or tbrecht@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.