QC Architecture: The Chicago Connection

Join the Scott County Historic Preservation Society (https://www.scottcountyiowa.gov/history/historic-preservation-society) for their November meeting featuring Ellen Shapley, an Iowa native, architectural historian, and a former guide for the Chicago Architecture Center and the Architectural Heritage Center in Portland, OR. She will be speaking about the connections between Quad Cities and Chicago architecture.

For over 150 years, celebrated Chicago architects brought their vision and creativity to our downtowns and neighborhoods. The architectural styles and trends that started in that city of big shoulders and spread across America are reflected in our cityscapes. Theatres, banks, office towers, department stores, churches, civic buildings, homes, clubs, and a cemetery are the legacies of the Chicago connection that helped create our sense of place.

Credit: Ellen Shapley


With loads of photos and many intriguing “untold” stories, Ellen Shapley will share the discoveries she’s made about her hometown area since returning six years ago.

They include a renowned Mid-Century modernist who, early in his career, designed a home in the QC; a versatile designer who created both houses of worship and churches of baseball; sibling architects who “saw the future” for the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair and later designed two QC homes; and a couple of 1950s Central High grads who “made it” in the lofty world of Chicago architecture.

You can find more QC stories at her Facebook page “ArchiTouring the Quad-Cities.” In the summer, sign-up for downtown Davenport walking tours with Ellen sponsored by the City of Davenport’s Historic Preservation Commission and the the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center at Davenport Public Library.


Credit: Ellen Shapley

This program is sponsored by the Scott County Historic Preservation Society in partnership with the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Center, and the German American Heritage Museum and Center.

This program is for all adults and teens.

Event details:

https://davenportlibrary.libcal.com/event/13301116

Date: Thursday, November 14, 2024

Time: 6:30pm – 7:30pm

Location: Meeting Room A, Eastern Branch, 6000 Eastern Ave, Davenport, IA 52807

(posted by Kathryn)

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