Cathedral Historic District is a nationally recognized

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1985. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 124 resources, which included 96

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, one contributing site, one

contributing structure In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

and 26 non-contributing buildings. with The district was the first residential area in Dubuque, and developed into a tightly knit neighborhood. It is located west of the original commercial district and below the bluffs of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

that rise steeply to the west. Although its original structures no longer stand, its historic buildings are largely from the mid to late 19th century. St. Raphael's Cathedral complex, from which the district receives its name, was important in serving immigrants, including most of the Irish immigrants to the city, and in building ties. In 1985, the district was deemed to have retained "most of its original character and fabric" from the late 1800s. Washington Park (contributing site), J.H. Thedinga House (1855),

Fenelon Place Elevator The Fenelon Place Elevator (also known as the Fourth Street Elevator) is a narrow gauge funicular railway located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.Stewart, Connie (2011-11-05)Rai ...

(1882; contributing structure), and Redstone (1888) are all individually listed on the National Register.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, Iowa Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Federal architecture in Iowa Italianate architecture in Iowa Historic districts in Dubuque, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{DubuqueCountyIA-NRHP-stub