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John Bell Block

Buildings and structures in Dubuque, IowaCommercial buildings completed in 1887Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in IowaGerman-American culture in IowaIowa building and structure stubs
Italianate architecture in IowaNational Register of Historic Places in Dubuque, IowaSoutheast Iowa Registered Historic Place stubs
The John Bell Block
The John Bell Block

The John Bell Block, also known as the German Bank & Trust Building, is a historic building located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. The three-story brick commercial Italianate building was constructed by local businessman John Bell in 1886. Its location on the north side of the central business district meant that it housed several businesses owned by the city's German immigrant population. Chief among them was the German Trust and Savings Bank. It became a tenant when the building was completed and it remained until it built its own building in 1922. In 1918 anti-German sentiments that resulted from World War I forced the bank to change its name to Union Trust and Savings Bank. It remained in operation until 1932 when a run on its deposits as a result of the Great Depression forced it to fail. Its building was taken over by Dubuque Bank and Trust. Three prominent Dubuque professionals also had offices on the second floor of the building. German-born architect Martin Heer had offices beginning in 1888. He partnered with another German-born architect, Guido Beck, from 1889 to 1895. Beck was noted for his commercial blocks and churches. Contractor Anton Zwack had offices here from 1911 to c. 1965. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. An early tenant was Baumgartner and Kleih Hardware store

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article John Bell Block (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

John Bell Block
West 13th Street, Dubuque

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 42.505666666667 ° E -90.667638888889 °
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Address

Dubuque City Hall

West 13th Street 50
52001 Dubuque
Iowa, United States
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Phone number
City of Dubuque

call+15635894100

Website
cityofdubuque.org

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The John Bell Block
The John Bell Block
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Nearby Places

Upper Central Avenue Commercial Historic District
Upper Central Avenue Commercial Historic District

The Upper Central Avenue Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 65 resources, which included 56 contributing buildings, one contributing site and eight non-contributing buildings. This six block section of Central Avenue is located on the north side of the central business district. The largely linear district includes a jog at 18th Street. Below the jog the street was originally named Clay Street and above it Couler Avenue. It was also the dividing line where all commerce used the German language exclusively to the north. At one time the street featured a streetcar route and it was a significant farm-to-market route and a gateway into the city from the north. The period of significance for the district covers the years 1856 to 1919, but its historic commercial development occurred during the 1870s and 1880s. The buildings were constructed in brick and are largely two to three stories tall. There are also several single-story buildings and one that is four stories tall. The Italianate and the Queen Anne are dominant. Nine of the buildings are major commercial blocks. In addition to the commercial buildings, there is the two-story, brick, former Fire Engine House Number 1 that faces south at the jog in the street. The buildings in the district are considered some of the best examples of late-19th-century commercial designs in the city.