2000 Featured Homes Original Tour Brochure
972 University
This comfortable turn-of-the-century foursquare was built in 1909 with additions of the butler's pantry and east-facing sunroom possibly added in the 1920s. The first floor woodwork and flooring are oak, with a storage bench built into the entry. The living room displays an extensive collection of authentic Victorian toys. The sideboard and dining table, set with Haviland china, are from Dubuque. Slightly altering the original first floor plan, a dining room wall was moved to accommodate the addition of the powder room. The kitchen was redesigned for more efficient use of space and to accommodate access to the stairs. On the second floor are three bedrooms trimmed in painted fir. Floors and doors are pine. The master suite contains a desk made in Dyersville and two dressers manufactured in Dubuque. A third floor, decorated like a northwoods lodge, has two bedrooms and a bath.
Interesting aspects of this home which testify to the owners' industry and creativity are the tiles, bathroom fixtures, and bath accessories. The custom hand-painted tiles, plumbing fixtures, and accessories found in the kitchen and baths were designed and produced by the Kings' specialty company, Design Line Porcelain Art. The Kings operate their company in conjunction with the Helen Burkart Studio, localed in Dubuque.
440 Loras Boulevard
In 1921, Joseph and Elizabeth Chaloupka built this house when he retired at fifty-five after a thirty-year career as a railroad engineer. The land was part of a subdivision, owned by Barton Calpenter, which dates back to 1843. The Chaloopas and their two daughters lived here and when Elizabeth died, Joseph remarried. He and his second wife Zelia stayed on until his death on December 17,1942 at the age of 77. The architectural style shows influences of Queen Anne, combined wilh American foursquare. Queen Anne features, such as the two fireplaces and the impressive entry hall, fortunately survived when the house became a duplex in the 1980s.
The home was purchased by the Ecks in May of 1998. Their love of old houses inspired them to return the house to a single-family residence, and they have done all the work themselves. The kitchen and bath were totally gutted. At the time of purchase, the bathroom floor was completely rotted away! Partitions dividing the front hall were eliminated. It was necessary to carpet the floors in the dining room and front room, as they were totally ruined by abuse. Angela is an interior designer, and has ragged the walls in the master bedroom and spongepainted those in the office. The upslairs is still under renovalion. The Ecks plan to remove the remainder of the siding. Their restoration of the properly is a positive asset to lhe Loras neighborhood.
1339 Alta Vista
This dignified example of a Colonial Revival house, built (c. 1908) in the Levens Addition to Dubuque, was constructed of the best woods, with the exterior finished in four-inch cedar clapboard siding and painted in a three-color traditional theme. The rectilinear, symmetrical shape of the house is borrowed from the Georgian style popular in the eighteenth century. Copper gutters highlight the roof. Other colonial details include the multi-light window sash, pilasters which frame the front entrance, a steep roof, and heavy shutters. Previous owners of the home include the Lattners, the Joseph Meyer family (1915-1946), Dr. and Mrs. James McKay, and Dr. Jack and Laura Dolehide. You enter the home to an oak- paneled formal foyer with a curved grand staircase. In the parlor, the c1assically detailed cornice is of carved wood. The dining room has a built-in china cupboard, and the table is set with examples of British, German, and Japanese china patterns. The study retains its original built-in cabinels, green tiled fireplace, and the elaborate ceiling cornice.
The owners have acquired an art collection while on their world travels and have furnished their home with Dubuque antiques and memorabilia. Dubuque pieces include the chair in the foyer and two sidechairs in the parlor. The sideboard in the dining room was purchased at Sinsinawa.
1595 Montrose Terrace
Plain Roman columns of this Georgian Revival support three porticos which overlook the city and river from the bluff area once known as Uptown, above Jackson Park. Andrew A. Loetscher, a Swiss-born banker, built the 6,O00 square foot, three-story mansion in 1900, using fine woods offered by Farley and Loetscher. The trademark of the company, a craftsman's square, is found throughout the house on doors and woodwork. As vice-president of one of the world's 1argest millworks, Loetscher chose quarter-sawn oak for the foyer's paneled walls, the staircase, main living room, and the double set of pocket doors. Cherry, maple, birch, mahogany, and walnut are also featured in the home. The simplicity of the Arts and Crafts movement is displayed in the clean lines of the four fireplaces, the oak beams with exposed light fiXrures in the living and dining roorm, the narrow oak flooring on the first and second f1oors, and the beveled glass doors. A stylized "L" can be seen in the sail of the boat in the stained glass window on the second floor landing and in the mosaic lile in the entryway.
After the Loetschers, the house was known as the Trausch home in the twenlies and thirties, served as the residence of the Archdiocese of Dubuque's auxiliary bishop Edward Fitzgerald, in the forties, and was home to the Rhombergs in the fifties and sixties. Mary Lynn and Jim purchased the six bedroom, six bath former guest house in 1994. In addition to remodeling the kitchen and replacing the roof, the tan stucco was painted navy blue with white trim, and asbestos shingles were replaced with shakes. Imterior and exterior projects are still in progress.
1209 Prairie
Henry S. and Sarah Hill Hetherington built the original part of this house in 1854 after purchasing the land from Alfred McDaniel. Hetherington was once mayor of Dubuque. The home and carriage house are both shown on the Sanborn fire insurance maps. The carriage house has a large apartment. Originally, the house sat on four acres of land. The north wing, which includes the kitchen, butler's pantry, dining room, and bedrooms above, was added in the 1880s. A large room provides linen and china storage on the north side of the dining room, where the floor alternates strips of walnut and white oak. The original part of the structure contains a library and music room. There are two fireplaces, seven bedrooms, and six baths in the home.
When the McDonalds purchased the property in 1913, the home went through a major renovation designed by architect John Spencer. East and south porches were added and the two original parlors were changed to one large room. Built-ins were added to the third floor cupola. The kitchen was remodeled in 1954. An unusual feature of the house is a built-in central vacuum system which worked without electricity. The construction book for this appliance is dated 1894! The windows have interior cranks which open and close shutters from the inside. A secret panel in a bedroom closet hides a storage area.
Blueprints of the home are displayed on the south porch. The Breitbachs have replaced the roof, furnace, and miles of Wallpaper in the four years lhey have lived here.