The David Davis Mansion, also known as Clover Lawn, is a Gilded Age home in Bloomington,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

that was the residence of David Davis,

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justice (1862–1877) and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

from Illinois. The mansion has been a state museum since 1960. It was added to 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 1972 and was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1975. In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, David Davis Mansion was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

Illinois component (AIA Illinois). Set in a residential neighborhood on Bloomington's near-south-side, the three-story yellow brick mansion comprises 36 rooms in an

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villa style. The mansion's lot includes an 1872 wood house, a barn and stable, privies, a

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ing shed, carriage barn, and a flower and ornamental cutting garden. "Sarah's Garden", the Victorian cut

flower garden A flower garden or floral garden is any garden or part of a garden where plants that flower are grown and displayed. This normally refers mostly to herbaceous plants, rather than flowering woody plants, which dominate in the shrubbery and w ...

, with original

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s and

perennials A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also widel ...

began restoration in 2001.

History

Bloomington_Il_David_Davis_Mansion_HABS3

Clover Lawn was built between 1870 and 1872 and is where Justice Davis lived until his death in 1886. Davis commissioned French-born architect Alfred H. Piquenard to design the mansion, which combines

and

Second Empire Second Empire may refer to: * Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783 * Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396) * Second French Empire (1852–1870) ** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...

architectural features and is a model of Gilded Age style and taste. Piquenard was a prominent Midwest architect who designed the

State Capitol This is a list of state and territorial capitols in the United States, the building or complex of buildings from which the government of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and the organized territories of the United States, exercise its ...

in Springfield. The home was meant as a residence for Davis' wife, Sarah. David Davis himself spent most of his time there after his retirement from the U.S. Senate in 1883. The house remained in the Davis family until 1960, when it was donated to the state of Illinois, which operates it as a state historic site.

Tours

The home is open to the general public from Wednesday through Saturday. The home hosts many seasonal events including "The Glorious Garden Festival", "Christmas at the Mansions", "A Gilded Age Christmas", and several antique car shows. During the winter holiday season the mansion is lavishly decorated for the Christmas holiday.

References

External links

David Davis Mansion
- official site

David Davis Mansion
Property Information Report, ''

Illinois Historic Preservation Agency The Illinois Historic Preservation Division, formerly Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, is a governmental agency of the U.S. state of Illinois, and is a division of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. It is tasked with the duty of m ...

'', accessed August 31, 2008.
Illinois Great Places

David Davis MansionSociety of Architectural Historians SAH ARCHIPEDIA entry on the David Davis Mansion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, David, Mansion National Register of Historic Places in McLean County, Illinois Buildings and structures in Bloomington–Normal Houses in McLean County, Illinois National Historic Landmarks in Illinois Historic house museums in Illinois Illinois State Historic Sites Museums in McLean County, Illinois Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Tourist attractions in Bloomington–Normal Houses completed in 1872 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Italianate architecture in Illinois Victorian architecture in Illinois 1872 establishments in Illinois

History

Tours

References

Further reading

External links