Overview Mansion, 1901 Georgian Colonial Revival in Davenport, Iowa

This house has sold, but I still wanted to share it because it is a stunning structure and I've become a bit obsessed with the amazing homes in Davenport, Iowa. I found several websites with information and photos that date back to 2008 and throughout this home's long time on the market. My hope is that I will be able to find updates on the restoration progress to add and share. If you have any information to add to the history or any older photos or updates to this home, please comment below. 

LISTING DETAILS

Seize the opportunity own the "Overview" Mansion. Old description: High upon the Mississippi bluff sits A.E. Steffen's all brick, Georgian Colonial Revival mansion, "Overview", designed by Clausen & Burrows. Many original architectural details abound, as well as sweeping downtown & river views from almost every room. New geo thermal system. Chef's kit. w/ hand-made Amish cherry cabinetry, heated terrazzo floors, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances. New plumbing, wiring. Clay tile roof reset, re-laid, and new felt. This is your chance to own one of Davenport's most iconic mansions and finish the restoration to your liking. You will not find anything quite like this home! Original details and quality built.

EFFECTIVE 12/12/2014: Serious and qualified buyers only. Must show pre-approval letter or proof of funds prior to showing, no exceptions. Buyer to assume HAPPEN Grant currently on property. Home cannot be used for commercial use. Sold "as-is", no warranties expressed or implied. This is not a distressed property. Not habitable at this time. Will either have to be financed w/ a construction loan or cash. Lots of updates including Geo Thermal heating & air, plumbing, wiring, and restored clay tile roof shingles w/ new felt underneath.

HISTORY
Adapted from Quad City Times article (2008, link below):

One of the largest, finest, most view-commanding mansions in Davenport’s historic Gold Coast neighborhood, Overview Mansion is a 6,000-square-foot, Georgian-Colonial Revival-style structure made of brick with a signature “swan’s neck” pediment at the top of the red clay tile roof and four white pillars flanked by perfectly symmetrical, curved window bays. The home was built in the early 1900s by August Steffen Jr. and designed by noted Davenport architect Frederick George Claussen.

Steffen was a dry goods merchant, director of Davenport Savings Bank and vice president of First National Bank; his Overview was perhaps the pinnacle of home building and wealth in the neighborhood. After Steffen’s death in 1932, his sons continued to live in the home, dividing it exactly down the middle by building a floor-to-ceiling wall from the front vestibule, straight ahead up the grand staircase to the second floor. Because the house is so symmetrical, the division left nearly equal rooms on either side with ornate, tiled fireplaces and enameled walls.

“There’s a neighborhood legend that they (the Steffens) divided the house because they didn’t like each other, but that’s not true,” said Marion Meginnis, a neighbor and member of the Gold Coast & Hamburg Historic District Association. "The real story is that they both needed a place to live and the house was large enough to accommodate the two of them", she said.
 

The Steffens sold the house in the 1940s to Alex Berger, who moved his family into the east side and converted the west side into an up-down apartment, said Berger’s son, Paul, of Davenport. Paul lived in the house until 1963 and remembers the massive built-in china hutch in the dining room as one of its striking features. He also recalls that the home still retained much of the original furniture that was custom-built for it. His mother occupied the home until the late 1970s; it was sold around that time to a woman who gutted many of the rooms and then left, Berger said.

After that, the home had two buyers before it was acquired in late 2000 by Troy and Beverly Smith, who were very active in the neighborhood as well as the Village of East Davenport. Beverly died in 2006, and Troy now works in Ohio.

FOR SALE  $339,900   $325,000   $299,000   $265,000  SOLD 
412 W 6th St, Davenport, IA 52803
4 beds  |  4 baths  |  6238 sqft  |  .55 acres

LINKS:
Listing Agent, Zillow, Realtor, Video, Old House Dreams, Article from Quad City Times, Gold Coast and Hamburg Historic District Association,

Video:

  

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