College Square Historic District
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College Square Historic District
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Kemper Hall
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Brady, Main, Harrison, 11th, and 15th Sts., Davenport, Iowa |
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| Coordinates | 41°31′56″N 90°34′33″W / 41.53222°N 90.57583°WCoordinates: 41°31′56″N 90°34′33″W / 41.53222°N 90.57583°W |
| Area | 31 acres (13 ha) |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| MPS | Davenport MRA |
| NRHP reference # | 83003628 |
| Added to NRHP | November 18, 1983 |
College Square Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located on a bluff north of downtown Davenport, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. The district was the location of two different colleges in the 19th century.
Iowa College was founded in 1846 by members of the Congregational Church on Western Avenue in Davenport. The land was donated by Antoine LeClaire, one of the city's founders. The school started as a college preparatory school and eventually added a collegiate department. The city decided to extend Western Avenue through the campus so the school moved further east in 1855 to where Central High School is now located. It was at that time that property was first called College Square. That year they built a new stone building and boarding house for $22,000. Once again the city council voted to extend Main Street through the campus and in 1858 the trustees decided to move to Grinnell, Iowa in 1859 where the school was renamed Grinnell College.
The following year the school property was purchased by Henry Washington Lee, the first bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa for $36,000. He established Griswold College on the west side of the property. It too contained preparatory and collegiate divisions as well as a seminary department. The college started well at the beginning, but began to have financial problems as a result of the panic of 1872 and started to decline. Kemper Hall, a college preparatory school for boys, was founded on the property. By the end of the 19th century, the schools were officially closed by the diocese. On the east side of the property, Bishop Lee built Grace Cathedral, which is now known as Trinity Episcopal Cathedral.
The diocese sold the property on the west side of Main Street to the Davenport Board of Education for $53,000. They built Davenport High School on the property between 1904-1907. The north part of the district is largely occupied by houses that were built largely in the two decades following the American Civil War. In the middle of the district is the city's Civil War soldier's monument. Also adjacent to the historic district is Palmer College of Chiropractic.
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