April 20th is National Look Alike Day, and we’ve decided to share Davenport twins!
Downtown Davenport has two buildings with similar facades: the Putnam building at 215 Main and the M.L. Parker building at 104 W 2nd. Here are some facts about each building:
Putnam building
- Year built: 1910
- Address: 215 Main (2nd & Main)
- Size: 8 stories high, 60 ft X 140 ft.
- Use: Retail on 1st floor, the rest was an office building
- Architect: D.H. Burnham & Company, Chicago
- Developer: W.C. Putnam Estate
- Davenport’s first skyscraper
- Toilets: There were toilets for men on each floor. On the 8th floor there was a “special women’s toilet with a rest room”, which was a “new” feature in office buildings
The M.L. Parker building
- Year built: 1922
- Address: 104 W 2nd (NW corner of 2nd & Brady St.)
- Size: 7 stories, 108 ft X 142 ft
- Use: M.L. Parker department store on 1st floor, the rest was an office building
- Architect: Modified version of Burnham’s design
- Developer: W.C. Putnam Estate
- Built on the site of the LeClaire House Hotel
Not exactly alike, but definitely in the same family!
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