State Historical Society of Iowa Page 1 SITE DESCRIPTION The Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre is located on Lots 1, 2 & 3, Block 57 of LeClaire s 2 nd Addition. The building is sited on the northeast corner of the intersection of Brady and East Third Streets; its primary facades face south and west. The Mississippi Hotel is bound on the east by a modern commercial structure of a more diminutive size. An east-west alley bisects the block on the north side of the building. A public sidewalk provides access to the building s entrances on Brady and East Third Streets. PROPERTY DESCRIPTION The Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre, a ten-story brick structure, was built to accommodate a hotel, a theater and multiple storefronts. The visual identity of the building is defined by its overall sense of verticality; an identity established through the use of vertically aligned windows, which are separated and given definition by the careful placement of decorative panels. In addition, the building exhibits a very modern character by using a simplified form, stripping the façade of excessive ornament, and using a decorative style (Art Deco) clearly allied with the technological age in which the building was constructed. The stylistic details of the Art Deco are applied to the Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre using terra cotta panels. This technology lends itself to a wide variety of expression. In this building the material has been molded into decorative details, which rely on the stylized geometry indicative of the Art Deco. Particularly noteworthy is the decorative detail of the horizontal banding employed to define the tenth floor. This technique is interesting as a departure from the more traditional use of a classically inspired cornice to define the top of the building. Decorative terra cotta panels with a similar Deco motif are also used to define the mezzanine level of the lower stories. The Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre cuts a dominant profile in the streetscape of Third Street. Its location at the intersection of Third and Brady Streets is of particular importance given that Brady Street is now, as it has been historically, a primary north-south thoroughfare. Condition Generally speaking, the Mississippi Hotel/ RKO Theatre retains a very high level of historic integrity. This is due in large part to the retention of the building s original form and its upper story fenestration. The continued existence and use of the theater is also important to the building s significance, as the functional relationship between the hotel and the theater is integral to the understanding of its history. It should be noted that the windows of the building s storefronts have all been replaced with modern materials and transoms covered. While this does detract from the overall character, the loss is diminished by the overwhelming impact of the structure as a whole. Given the scale of the Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre, any reasonable assessment of the building s condition is outside the scope of this survey. However, there is visual evidence, observable from street level, of joint loss in several areas, as well as missing panes from multiple upper story windows. The wooden sash of the upper story fenestration remain intact, but are in serious need of paint; in their present condition they are vulnerable to water infiltration, leading to wood rot.
State Historical Society of Iowa Page 2 PROPERTY HISTORY The Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of A.S. Graven, and constructed in 1931 to house the Mississippi Hotel and RKO Theatre. Prior to its construction, the Davenport Block (constructed by city founder Col. Davenport) was located on the site. As noted in the 1983 survey and MRA completed by Marlys Svendsen and Martha Bowers, the Mississippi Hotel was the last of the large-scale hotels built in downtown Davenport, having followed on the heels of, first the Davenport Hotel (1909), and then Hotel Blackhawk (1915/1920). Credit for its construction during a period of economic decline, is given to developer George Bechtel, who had the means to secure its completion. The RKO Orpheum Theater (now Adler Theater) of the Mississippi Hotel is a 2,700-seat theater, which was restored in 1985-1986; it currently functions as part of the adjacent River Center complex. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The Mississippi Hotel/RKO Orpheum Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. Then, as now, the building was considered significant under Criterion A in its association with the final phase of the hotel boom in downtown Davenport, a reflection of the general economic prosperity of the city. In addition, the building is considered significant under Criterion C as an important expression of the Art Deco in hotel architecture.
State Historical Society of Iowa Page 3 View of East Third Street, looking west from near Perry Street, with the Mississippi Hotel and RKO Theatre located at mid-right. (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting November 2004)
State Historical Society of Iowa Page 4 View of the primary (south) elevation, looking northwest across East Third Street. (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting November 2004)
State Historical Society of Iowa Page 5 View of the rear (north) elevation, looking southeast from near the intersection of West Fourth and Brady Streets. (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting November 2004)
Page 6 Detail view of the upper story; south elevation. (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting November 2004)
Page 7 Detail view of the upper story (south elevation) fenestration with terra cotta ornamental panel headers of the mezzanine level windows (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting November 2004)
Page 8 Detail view of the entrance to the RKO Theatre (now the Adler Theatre). (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting November 2004)
Page 9 This postcard image documents the New Mississippi Hotel and Theatre Building shortly after its 1931 construction. The image also provides a glimpse of the structures that once adjoined the hotel. (SOURCE: AKAY Consulting Postcard Collection: Image #08172-020811)
Page 10 Judging from the automobiles parked on the street, this undated historic image of the Hotel Mississippi documents the structure within a few years of its 1931 construction. (SOURCE: Image courtesy of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections of the Davenport Public Library)
State Historical Society of Iowa Page 11 This undated (late 1800s) historic image documents the site of the Hotel Mississippi/RKO building, which replaced the turreted building (seen at left) in 1930-1931. (SOURCE: Image courtesy of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections of the Davenport Public Library)
Page 12 This c.1915 streetscape of 3 rd Street, looking east from Brady Street, shows the site (turreted building at left) of the present Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre. Also of note are the earlier incarnations of the Union Savings Bank & Trust at right and the first construction phase of the Blackhawk Hotel (background, at left.) (SOURCE: Image courtesy of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections of the Davenport Public Library)
Page 13 This c.1935 streetscape of 3 rd Street, looking east from near Brady Street, documents the new Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre as well as the addition of the upper stories to the Union Savings Bank & Trust (at right) and to the Blackhawk Hotel (background, at left.) (SOURCE: Image courtesy of the Richardson-Sloane Special Collections of the Davenport Public Library)
Page 14 The arrow indicates the location of the Mississippi Hotel/RKO Theatre. (SOURCE: City of Davenport Planning Department 1/2005) State Historical Society of Iowa
Page 15 BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES Special Collections Davenport Public Library; Richardson-Sloane Special Collections Davenport City Directory Collection 1890-1940 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map Collection Quad Cities Photograph Collection AKAY Consulting Postcard Collection. Boone, Iowa. Local Publications Svendsen, Marlys. Davenport, Where the River Runs West: A Survey of Davenport History & Architecture. ND Internet Resources www.scottcountyiowa.com/assessor. Scott County Assessor.