Built 1884 NRHP Reference # 84001338 Area 9,700 m² Added to NRHP 5 April 1984 | MPS Davenport MRA Opened 1884 Architectural style Italianate architecture | |
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Location 1416 Ripley St.
Davenport, Iowa Similar John Littig House, Lindsay Park, Pine Hill Cemetery, Rock Island Arsenal, Figge Art Museum | ||
The Davenport Water Co. Pumping Station No. 2 is located in central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984. It is also known as the Ripley Street Pumping Station No. 2. The historic building has subsequently been replaced in 1986 by a smaller plain structure on the same property facing West 14th Street.
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History
Unlike most other municipalities in Iowa, Davenport has always had a privately run water company. A waterworks was first proposed for the city in 1856. However, the Davenport Water Company was not formed until 1873 under the leadership of Michael P. Donahue, who was granted an exclusive franchise with the city. Initially, they installed 20 miles (32 km) of water mains and 245 hydrants throughout the city. The system was used to fight its first fire in 1874 and it was promoted as a way to fight cholera.
There were some problems with the new water system in Davenport. Water pressure was significantly lowered if the hydrants were used to fight a fire. In 1884 the company built the Ripley Street Pumping Station No. 2. The facility had a reservoir that can hold 5 million US gallons (19,000 m3) of water. The pumping system was operated by a vertical set of compound Clapp and Jones Pumps and a set of Duplex Gordon Steam Pumps.
By 1892 the company had expanded the water system to 37 miles (60 km) of water mains and 400 hydrants. A mechanical filtering system installed the previous year helped make the company’s product more saleable and more properties in the city were converted from private wells. Another pumping station was built around the turn of the 20th century along East River Drive near the Village of East Davenport.
This facility is significant because of its association with the development of the Davenport Water Company and the growth of the residential areas of the city above the bluff line in the period of 1880-1920. It was further enhanced by the building's continued original use and retaining most of its integrity.
Architecture
The exterior treatment of Pumping Station #2 was similar to many other late 19th century industrial buildings in Davenport. It featured brick construction, walls that were articulated as panels by pilasters and a simple corbel table. The use of buff colored brick for the window heads was less common. The building was also more ornate at one time. The two-story pavilion section had a crested, mansard roof. Until about 1890 only the three-panel south wing was in existence. The north wing and the extension of the south wing by two panels were later additions.