Frederick George "Fritz" (Friedrich Georg) Clausen (1848–1940) was a Danish-born

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who came to the United States in 1869 and founded an architectural practice in

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 ...

. The firm that he founded, presently named Studio 483 Architects, is still in business today, the oldest firm in continuous practice in the state of Iowa. Clausen has been termed the "premier 19th century architect" of Davenport, Iowa.

Personal life

F. G. Clausen was born in

Eckernförde Eckernförde ( da, Egernførde, sometimes also , nds, Eckernför, sometimes also ) () is a German town in Schleswig-Holstein, Rendsburg-Eckernförde, on the coast of the Baltic Sea approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel. The population is ...

, Schleswig, Denmark on 13 February 1848 or 1 May 1848.Find A Grave: ''Frederick George „Fritz“ Clausen''
/ref> His official name in Eckernförde was: ''Fritz Georg Martin Clausen''. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1869, but put his emigration request in Germany (''Kreis Eckernförde'') until 1871. He was a Fellow of the Western Association of Architects (WAA) from 1885 to 1889. Following the incorporation of WAA into 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 ...

(AIA) in 1889, he became a Member of AIA, continuing that membership until his retirement in 1914. In addition to his architecture practice, Clausen was an alderman of the city of Davenport, and was instrumental in setting up the Davenport paid

fire department A fire department (American English) or fire brigade (Commonwealth English), also known as a fire authority, fire district, fire and rescue, or fire service in some areas, is an organization that provides fire prevention and fire suppression se ...

in 1882, with three new fire appliances.

Company history

After his arrival in America, Clausen initially worked as a draftsman for Thomas W. McClelland a local architect of some note. He opened his own firm - F.G. Clausen - in Davenport in 1871, working alone until 1896, and then partnered with Parke Burrows until 1904. When Burrows left, Clausen's son Rudolph J. Clausen, joined the company, which then became known as Clausen & Clausen. Clausen retired in 1914, and his son continued in business as Clausen & Kruse with Walter O. "Stub" Kruse; and from 1925 with Carrol Klein as the head of interior design, forming Clausen, Kruse & Klein.

Notable buildings

1871-1896 (F.G. Clausen)

* Davenport Crematorium, 3902 Rockingham Rd. Davenport, IA (1891) NRHP-listed *The

Forrest Block The Forrest Block is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Dow ...

, 401 Brady St. Davenport, IA (1875) NRHP-listed ''(pages 1-30 of PDF document)'' ''Northwest and north-central Davenport, the Fulton Addition, and McClellan Heights (pages 30-69 of PDF document)'' * Hibernia Hall, 421 Brady St, Davenport, IA (1891) NRHP-listed *

Henry Lischer House The Henry Lischer House is a historic building located in the Hamburg Historic District in Davenport, Iowa, United States. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The house was individually listed on the Dave ...

, 624 W. 6th St., Davenport, IA (1871)

Italianate style The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian R ...

design, built for the publisher of ''Der Demokrat'' and vice president of the German Savings Bank.http://www.davenportgoldcoast.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/2009-WalkingTour-Nonbooklet.pdf

Contributing property 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 distri ...

in the Hamburg Historic District * Dr. George McLelland Middleton House and Garage, 1221 Scott St. Davenport, IA (1903) NRHP-listed * Christian and Elfrieda Mueller home, 530 Ripley St. Davenport, IA (c. 1885) Designed by Clausen and built for a local dry goods merchant as an anniversary present for his wife. Contributing property in the Hamburg Historic District *

Northwest Davenport Turner Society Hall The Northwest Davenport Turner Society Hall is a historic building located in the old northwest side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. The Northwest Davenport Turner Socie ...

, 1602 Washington St. Davenport, IA (1882) NRHP-listed *

J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store The J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Store also known as the Petersen Harned-Von Maur Store Building and the Redstone Building, is a historic building in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Prope ...

, 123-131 W. 2nd St. Davenport, IA (1892) NRHP-listed *

Max Petersen House The Max Petersen House, also known as the Petersen Mansion, is a historic building located on the west side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979. In 2004 it was ...

, 1607 W. 12th St. Davenport, IA (1888) NRHP-listed * School Number 6, 1420 W. 16th St. Davenport, IA (1893, 1902) NRHP-listed * Scott County Jail, 428 Ripley St. Davenport, IA (1897) NRHP-listed

1896-1904 (Clausen & Burrows)

* Argyle Flats, 732 Brady St. Davenport, IA (1900) NRHP-listed *

Buchanan School Buchanan School, also known as The Naval Station, is a historic building located in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Since 2019 the building has housed a senior liv ...

, 2104 W. 6th St. Davenport, IA, NRHP-listed * Davenport Central High School, 1120 Main St, Davenport, IA, NRHP-contributing property *

Saengerfest Halle The Col Ballroom is a historic building located in the West End of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties as the Saengerfest Halle. (Click on "H ...

, 1012 W. 4th St. Davenport, IA, NRHP-listed *

St. John's United Methodist Church St. John's United Methodist Church may refer to: * St. John's United Methodist Church (Davenport, Iowa) * St. John's Methodist Church (Shelbyville, Kentucky) {{disambiguation ...

, 1325-1329 Brady St. Davenport, IA, NRHP-listed *Buildings in the St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church Complex, 516, 519, 522, and 525 Fillmore St. Davenport, IA, NRHP-listed * Renwick Building, 324 Brady St. Davenport, IA, NRHP-listed * Taylor School, 1400 Warren St. Davenport, IA, NRHP-listed *

Robert Wagner House The Robert Wagner House is an historic building located in Rock Island, Illinois. It was designated as a Rock Island Landmark in 1984, individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, and became part of the Broadway Hist ...

, 904 23rd St.,

Rock Island, IL Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. Located on t ...

, NRHP-listed

1904-1914 (Clausen & Clausen)

* Best Building, 1701–1703 2nd Ave.

(1908) NRHP-listed *

Louis P. and Clara K. Best Residence and Auto House The Louis P. and Clara K. Best Residence and Auto House, also known as Grandview Apartments and The Alamo, is a historic building located in the central part of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was included as a contributing property in the ...

, 627 Ripley St. Davenport, IA (1910) NRHP-listed * Bethel AME Church, 325 W. 11th St. Davenport, IA (1909) NRHP-listed * Smith Wildman and Jennie (Hearne) Brookhart House, 1203 East Washington Washington, IA (1910) NRHP-listed * Central Office Building, 230 W. 3rd St. Davenport, IA (1904 & 1906) NRHP-listed * First Church of Christ, Scientist, 636 Kirkwood Blvd. Davenport, IA (1912) NRHP-listed * Hillside, 1 Prospect Dr. Davenport, IA (1906) NRHP-listed * J.H.C. Petersen's Sons' Wholesale Building, 122-124 W. River Dr. Davenport, IA (1910) NRHP-listed *One or more houses in the

Riverview Terrace Historic District The Riverview Terrace Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district in Davenport, Iowa, United States, that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It was listed on the Davenport Register of ...

, Roughly Riverview Terrace, Clay and Marquette Streets, Davenport, IA NRHP-listed * Schick's Express and Transfer Co., 118-120 W. River Dr. Davenport, IA (1905) NRHP-listed * John Schricker House, 5418 Chapel Hill Rd. Davenport, IA (1910) NRHP-listed

Post 1914

Ewert and Richter Express and Storage Co

These buildings were designed by Rudolph J. Clausen after Frederick's retirement: *One or more buildings in the

Crescent Warehouse Historic District The Crescent Warehouse Historic District is a historic district (United States), historic district in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The district is a collection of multi-story brick structures that formerly housed warehouses and fact ...

, portions of E. 4th St., E. 5th St., Iowa St. and Pershing Ave. Davenport, IA (Clausen & Kruse), NRHP-listed *One or more buildings in the

Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District The Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located on the eastern edge of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019. At t ...

, River Dr., 2nd & 3rd Sts. between Perry & Iowa Sts. Davenport, IA (Clausen & Kruse), NRHP-listed * Dr. Kuno Struck House, 1645 W. 12th St. Davenport, IA (1911; Clausen & Kruse), NRHP-listed * Building at 202 W. Third Street, Davenport, IA (1916; Clausen & Kruse), NRHP-listed *

Democrat Building Democrat Building is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Dow ...

, 407-411 Brady St. Davenport, IA (1923: Rudolph J. Clausen), NRHP-listed * Lend-A-Hand Club, 105 Main St. Davenport, IA (1922; Frederick G. Clausen), NRHP-listed *

The Linograph Company Building The Linograph Company Building, also known as the Englehart Manufacturing Company Building and RiverWalk Lofts , is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properti ...

, 420 W. River Dr. Davenport, IA (1919; Clausen & Kruse), NRHP-listed *An addition to the

, 1602 Washington St. Davenport, IA (Clausen, Kruse & Klein), NRHP-listed *

W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion The W.D. Petersen Memorial Music Pavilion, commonly referred to as the LeClaire Park Bandshell, is located on Beiderbecke Drive in LeClaire Park, Davenport, Iowa. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and on the Davenpo ...

, LeClaire Park, Davenport, IA (1924; Rudolph J. Clausen), NRHP-listed *W.D. Petersen mausoleum,

Oakdale Memorial Gardens Oakdale Memorial Gardens, formerly Oakdale Cemetery, is located in east-central Davenport, Iowa. It contains a section for the burial of pets called the Love of Animals Petland. In 2015, the cemetery was listed as an historic district on the Nat ...

, Davenport, IA (1921; Clausen & Kruse), contributing building in Oakdale Cemetery Historic District, NRHP-listed *

Rockford Morning Star Building The Rockford Morning Star Building, located at 127 N. Wyman St. in Rockford, Illinois, Rockford, Illinois, is a historic building originally used by the ''Rockford Register Star, Rockford Morning Star''. Architecture Built in 1927–28, the build ...

, 127 N. Wyman St.

Rockford, IL Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

(1927; Clausen, Kruse & Klein), NRHP-listed * Municipal Inn, LeClaire Park, Davenport, IA (1929; Clausen, Kruse & Klein), Davenport Register of Historic Properties * Royal Neighbors of America National Home, 4760 Rockingham Rd. Davenport, IA (1931; Clausen, Kruse and Klein), NRHP-listed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clausen, Frederick G. 1856 births 1940 deaths Architects from Iowa Iowa city council members People from Davenport, Iowa People from Eckernförde