Clifton-Metropolitan Hotel was a historic building located in downtown

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and a ...

, United States. The property 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 1983. It has since been torn down and it was delisted from the National Register in 1997. The site on the corner of Main Street and River Drive, along with the neighboring site of the former Schauder Hotel, is now a public parking structure.

History

The building was originally the G.L. Davenport store, which began business there in 1841. It was later the location of the Clifton-Metropolitan Hotel. The Clifton was part of the second phase of hotel construction and expansion in the city of Davenport, which lasted from about the time of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

until the early 20th-century. It was in business for several decades and lasted longer than most of its contemporaries. There is some evidence that the building may have housed a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

after its service as a hotel. It was located on the edge of the city's notorious Bucktown District. Eventually, it became part of the Petersen Harned and Von Maur Department Store complex, where it was used for storage. The property passed to the President Riverboat Casino, who had plans for the building that never materialized.

Demolition

The President Riverboat Casino planned to demolish the building in 1995 and threatened to sue if the preservationists voted to save the building. At the time it was torn down, to make way for the parking structure, it was the oldest commercial building in the city. The city ultimately rejected landmark status 8-to-1 and the building was demolished in November 1995.

References

{{Historic Davenport structures Commercial buildings completed in 1841 Former buildings and structures in Davenport, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Davenport, Iowa Hotel buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Former National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Greek Revival architecture in Iowa Demolished buildings and structures in Iowa Buildings and structures demolished in 1995