Davenport Downtown Commercial 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 the time of its nomination it consisted of 28 resources, which included 21 contributing buildings, one contributing site, one contributing structure, and five non-contributing buildings. The area was previously a part of the notorious Bucktown, a district of saloons, beer gardens, brothels, billiard parlors, gambling establishments, and theaters. Davenport licensed prostitution in 1893, gambling in 1904, and failed to enforce Iowa prohibition laws during this period. A crusade against vice by Davenport's Catholic bishop, Henry Cosgrove, and reforms by state leaders led to the district's transformation in the early 20th century into a light industrial area. The city's automobile industry settled here beginning in the 1910s. They stayed until the mid-20th century when Interstate 80 was completed on the north side of the city and they moved to the suburban areas. U.S. Route 32 and its successor U.S. Route 6 passed through the district on East Second Street from 1926 to 1937. The Government Bridge (1896), which for years was the city's only bridge across the Mississippi River, is immediately adjacent to the district.The district can be divided into two sections based on building usage. On the south side between River Drive and East Second Street are the manufacturing, jobbing, and warehousing buildings. The location of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific rail siding was in the alley, now known as Emerson Place. The alley is the contributing site. To the north between East Second and Third Streets is the location for the automobile industry buildings. These include gas and service stations, auto dealerships, tire and auto parts service and stores, an implement dealership, and a taxi company garage. The elevated rail bridge at East Third and Iowa Streets is the contributing structure. Hose Station No. 1 (1877), which housed automotive uses on its first floor from the 1930s to the 1950s, and the Davenport Bag and Paper Company Building (1907) are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A block north of this historic district is the Crescent Warehouse Historic District, another former light industrial area. The Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District, a larger commercial district, is immediately to the west.

The Hotel Blackhawk is an eleven-story brick and terra cotta building located in Downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It is a Marriott Autograph Collection property. The hotel is connected to the north building of the RiverCenter, Davenport's convention center, and across the street from the RiverCenter south building. The hotel is just down the street from the Adler Theatre. The Blackhawk has been host to several high-profile people including Presidents Barack Obama, Herbert Hoover, Richard Nixon, writer Carl Sandburg, and boxer Jack Dempsey. Actor Cary Grant was staying at the Blackhawk Hotel when he died in Davenport. The hotel named rooms 412–414 the "Nixon Suite". Big bands such as Guy Lombardo and Stan Kenton played at the Blackhawk on many occasions. It has been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Blackhawk Hotel since 1983. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.

QC Anime-zing! is an anime convention organized in the Quad Cities. The convention offers anime screenings, video games, a dealers room, guest panels, fan panels, cosplay competitions, and many other events typical of an anime convention. It was first held at The Lodge Hotel in Bettendorf, IA from June 18–20, 2010. Guests for the 2010 convention were Johnny Yong Bosch, Robert Axelrod, Spike Spencer, Eyeshine, and The Man Power. The 2011 convention will be held June 17–19, 2011 at The RiverCenter in Davenport, Iowa.

The Burtis–Kimball House Hotel and the Burtis Opera House were located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It has since been torn down and it was delisted from the National Register in 2008. The theatre building has been significantly altered since a fire in the 1920s. Both, however, remain important to the history of the city of Davenport.

The Davenport Bag and Paper Company Building, also known as the Peterson Bag and Paper Building, is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 2012. In 2018 it was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2019 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District.

Bucktown is a historic area in the eastern end of downtown Davenport, Iowa, along the Mississippi River. Settled by many German immigrants, it was known in the early 20th century during the Prohibition era for its numerous speakeasies. Bucktown garnered national media headlines as a red-light district and the "wickedest city in America."

The Hose Station No. 1 is a historic building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 and on the Davenport Register of Historic Properties in 1999. In 2019 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Motor Row and Industrial Historic District.

The United States Courthouse, also known as the Federal Building, is a historic building located in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has historically housed a post office, courthouse, and other offices of the United States government. The building now serves only as a federal courthouse, housing operations of the eastern division of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa. In 2018, the operations of the Rock Island division of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois were also moved there.

The Edward S. Barrows House, also known as the Capital Apartments, is a historic building located just north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. The nomination form and the National Register erroneously attribute the house to Edward S. Barrows, as all other sources give his first name as Egbert.

The John R. Boyle House was a historic building located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and has subsequently been torn down.

The J.W. Stewart House is a historic building located on the east side of Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. J.W. Stewart, a partner in the law firm of Stewart and White, had this house built in 1865. The house was constructed in the Italianate style, but it has been substantially altered in the intervening years. It is now missing its front porch, which ran the width of the main elevation. It was dated from the early 20th-century. It is also missing a pair of short columns on high pedestals and an arched corbel table that framed the arched window on the second floor above the entrance. The round-arch entry way and the windows have also been altered.

The Union Arcade is an apartment building located in downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983 by its original name Union Savings Bank and Trust. Originally, the building was built to house a bank and other professional offices. Although it was not the city's largest bank, and it was not in existence all that long, the building is still associated with Davenport's financial prosperity between 1900 and 1930. From 2014 to 2015 the building was renovated into apartments and it is now known as Union Arcade Apartments. In 2020 it was included as a contributing property in the Davenport Downtown Commercial Historic District.