Henry Lischer House | |
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| Location | 624 W. 6th St. Davenport, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 41°31′33″N90°34′56″W / 41.52583°N 90.58222°W /41.52583; -90.58222 |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | c. 1870 |
| Built by | Frank Kurk Frank Noe |
| Architect | W.L. Carroll |
| Architectural style | Italian Villa |
| Part of | Hamburg Historic District (ID83003656[2]) |
| MPS | Davenport MRA |
| DRHP No. | 6[1] |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | November 18, 1983 |
| Designated DRHP | January 6, 1993 |
TheHenry Lischer House is a historic building located in theHamburg Historic District inDavenport, Iowa, United States. The district was added to theNational Register of Historic Places in 1983.[2] The house was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1993.[1][2]
The home is associated with Henry Lischer, the owner and publisher of one of Davenport's German-language newspapers,Der Demokrat. The paper was founded by Theodor Gülich in November 1851.[3] Lischer and his partner, Theodor Olshausen, bought the paper in 1856. Both were German immigrants who became newspapermen inSt. Louis, Missouri.[4] At its inception the paper was aligned with the political philosophy, and financial support, of theDemocratic Party. However, it was a “free paper” that was not beholden to party doctrines and supported the right of freedom and human rights.[3] It began to support the positions of theRepublican Party. It was opposed to slavery and printed a supportive obituary to abolitionistJohn Brown. Lischer and Olshausen left Davenport in 1860 to return to St. Louis where they took over theWestliche Post. The new owners ofDer Demokrat experienced financial problems as a result of their radical views and the economic downturn as a result of theAmerican Civil War. Lischer, who still had a financial interest in the paper, returned to Davenport and became its sole owner for the next 40 years. After the Civil War, editorials in the paper fought the prohibition of alcohol, which was supported by the Republican Party. Even after the state of Iowa successfully passed prohibition laws in 1882,Scott County remained defiant with the support of the paper. Lischer's sons continued their father's work after his death.[5]
TheItalian Villa style house was designed by Davenport architect W.L. Carroll.[6] Contracts for construction were let in 1868 to Frank Kurk as the contractor and Frank Noe for thebrickwork. It sits high on a bluff above the street. In 1874 Lischer and his son-in-law and next door neighborFrederick G. Clausen built the stone wall and the staircases that led from the sidewalk to their respective residences.[7]
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 German-Americans in Scott County, Iowa | ||
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