Union Station, also known as Union Station and Burlington Freight House, is located along the riverfront 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. It is 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 ...

. The buildings are in a section of downtown with several historic structures. Across Ripley Street to the west is the

Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Freight House The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Freight House, known locally as The Freight House, is a historic building in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. History This Fre ...

, and to the east across Harrison Street is the

Dillon Memorial The Dillon Memorial is a historic structure located in LeClaire Park, near downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1983 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 199 ...

. On River Drive northwest from the Burlington Freight House is

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 ...

. Across Beiderbecke Drive to the south are the

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 ...

and 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 ...

History

Union Station and Burlington Freight House

Rail service through Davenport was being discussed and planned to start in 1842. Up to this point, however, the

had never been crossed by a bridge anywhere. That was accomplished by 1856 when the first railroad bridge was built between Davenport and

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Rock Island Arsenal, Arsenal Island. The popul ...

, and the city's rail history began. By 1895 several rail lines already passed through Davenport when Frank Blair organized the Davenport, Rock Island and North Western Railway (DRI & NW). In five years the company completed its route to

Clinton, Iowa Clinton is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Iowa, United States. The population was 24,469 as of 2020. Clinton, along with DeWitt (also located in Clinton County), was named in honor of the sixth governor of New York, DeWitt Cl ...

and the

Crescent Bridge Crescent Bridge (also known as the Bridge 6) is a bridge over the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. It is in Crescent, New York, a hamlet in the town of Halfmoon in southern Saratoga County on the northern side of the Mohawk River. The Crescent B ...

(1899) across the Mississippi between Davenport and Rock Island. The bridge is downstream from the site of the first railroad bridge that crossed the river. In 1901, the DRI & NW was purchased by the

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), often referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986. The company experienced ...

and the

Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad was a railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States. Commonly referred to as the Burlington Route, the Burlington, or as the Q, it operated extensive trackage in the states of Colorado, Illin ...

(CBQ). The Milwaukee Road already operated in Davenport while the CBQ did not, this purchase brought its operations to the city. The three railroads each had a station in Davenport and in 1916 plans were made to build a

union station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

on the riverfront. with They were revised in 1923 and the following year the DRI & NW and its parent companies built Union Station on the levee grounds. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

passenger service started to fade until it was discontinued in the 1950s. The building eventually became a

Trailways The Trailways Transportation System is an American network of approximately 70 independent bus companies that have entered into a brand licensing agreement. The company is headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia. History The predecessor to Trailwa ...

bus station. The main floor of the station was used as a visitor's center from the 1990s to 2017. The upper floors and the freight house are office space. A $450,000 renovation of the facility was completed in 2009. It is the only passenger train station remaining in Davenport.

Architecture

Union Station and the Burlington Freight House are two separate buildings that are joined by a wood post and beam shelter. The station has twin facades. The rail side faces south and the north side faces a parking lot on River Drive. Similarly, the freight house was built with docks on the north and south sides of the building in order to facilitate the transfer of cargo. The station is a two-story,

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...

, tan brick building. It is built on a concrete foundation. The building features a stylized Greek temple front on the north and south elevations, which emphasizes the building's entrances. The temple features four columns that are attached to the building with tapered, square shafts and stylized capitals. The columns support a Classical

entablature An entablature (; nativization of Italian , from "in" and "table") is the superstructure of moldings and bands which lies horizontally above columns, resting on their capitals. Entablatures are major elements of classical architecture, and ...

that includes

dentils A dentil (from Lat. ''dens'', a tooth) is a small block used as a repeating ornament in the bedmould of a cornice. Dentils are found in ancient Greek and Roman architecture, and also in later styles such as Neoclassical, Federal, Georgian Reviv ...

, round medallions, and stepped

fascia A fascia (; plural fasciae or fascias; adjective fascial; from Latin: "band") is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that attaches to, stabilizes, encloses, and separates muscles and other internal organs. ...

. A heavy

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

crowns the perimeter of the building. The building features rectangular windows on both floors, but the first-floor windows are framed with arches. Keystones made of concrete highlight the windows. Deep

awning An awning or overhang is a secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building. It is typically composed of canvas woven of acrylic, cotton or polyester yarn, or vinyl laminated to polyester fabric that is stretched tightly over a lig ...

s are above the primary entrances. The Burlington Freight House is a single-story building that is constructed with the same materials as Union Station. As mentioned above the building featured docks, with oversized doors on both the north and the south sides of the building. The south dock, however, has been removed to accommodate an access ramp. The architectural style is the same as that of the station. The decorative details on the freight house are limited to a horizontal band of concrete at the cornice level and concrete window sills.

References

{{Davenport Railway stations in the United States opened in 1924 Georgian Revival architecture in Iowa Buildings and structures in Davenport, Iowa Former railway stations in Iowa Railway stations on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Railway freight houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Davenport, Iowa

Davenport Davenport may refer to: Places Australia *Davenport, Northern Territory, a locality * Hundred of Davenport, cadastral unit in South Australia **Davenport, South Australia, suburb of Port Augusta **District Council of Davenport, former local govern ...

Transportation buildings and structures in Scott County, Iowa