Area less than one acre Opened 1910 | Built 1910 Added to NRHP 28 May 2010 | |
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Location 627 Ripley St
Davenport, Iowa Architect Clausen & Clausen; et al. Architectural style Mission/Spanish Revival Part of Hamburg Historic District (#83003656) People also search for John W. Ballard House | ||
The Louis P. and Clara K. Best Residence and Auto House, also known as Grandview Apartments and The Alamo is located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa. It was listed as a contributing property in the Hamburg Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and it was individually listed on May 28, 2010.
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Louis P. and Clara K. Best
Louis P. Best was born in 1848 in present-day Osthofen, Germany and was educated in Stuttgart and Berlin. He came to the United States in 1869 and worked as a chemist in New York City. He moved to Davenport in 1874 to work for the Davenport Glucose Manufacturing Company. He eventually bought stock in the company to the point that he became one of their chief stockholders and became involved in the management of the company. He also had other business interests in the city including Davenport Machinery & Foundry Company, of which he was president, the Bettendorf Axle Company, Hawkeye Electric Company and Citizens National Bank. He later founded a glucose factory in Granite City, Illinois. In addition to his business interests he was a member of the local school board.
Best was married twice, first to Louise Heck in London in 1871 and they had a son. He later married Clara Krause and they had a son and a daughter.
Architecture
The Best home is one of the few examples of Mission Revival architecture in Davenport. The large home features a red tile roof and stucco walls. It was designed by the local firm Clausen & Clausen.