2001 Featured Homes Original Tour Brochure
1155 Locust
Freemasonry took root in Dubuque when Dubuque Lodge No. 3 was organized in 1842. It flourished and grew and many additional organizations made it evident that there was a need for a larger building. In October of 1929, the largest and swiftest two-day financial campaign of its kind was held to raise over $200,000 from the members of the Masonic bodies to build a new Masonic Temple where the Dubuque Fraternal Masonic organizations would be housed.
Ground was broken on November 10, 1930 and the cornerstone was laid on April 4, 1931. The building was completed and dedicated on March 15, 1932. The cost of this architectural treasure was only $325,000 in 1932 but today is valued at several million dollars.
The impressive exterior of the building is faced with stone quarried at Lannon, Wisconsin and is laid in the random ashlar pattern. The entrance doors are of bronze.
As you enter the Grand Foyer you note the massive beamed structure of the ceiling, which is a detail present in many of the other rooms throughout the building.
A board of directors manages the building and every attempt is made to maintain the building in its original form. Standing on the corner of 12th and Locust Streets, it is a dominant structure in keeping with Dubuque's historical treasures. The rooms have the original furniture of the design prevalent in the period of the construction. The architectural style of the interior demonstrates an example of the massive construction.
261 Main
261-269 Main Street was purchased in 1838 by Ezekiel and Nancy Lockwood from the Miners Bank of Dubuque. It was kept by their family and heirs until its sale in 1878 to James Watters and Thomas Coates. It remianed as a commercial building with three storefronts on the first floor and second and third floor used as housing for "pensioners." In 1903 the builing was sold to William Lawther who kept his real estate business in the southerly storefront. At this time Lawther added the tin ceiling and the walk-in safe. The building stayed in the Lawther family and heirs until 1960, when Edmund and Odelia Gartner purchased the property. Mr. Gartner had his printing business there until the late sixties, when he expanded and moved to Central Avenue. Rob McCoy moved his jewelry store in 261 Main Street in 1973, attracted by the tin ceiling and the security of the walk-in safe. After leasing for five years, McCoy purchased the property from the Gartners. In February of 1983 he renovated the fa�ade of the building and the first floor, expanding McCoy Jewelers into the middle storefront and used the north storefront as rental property.
In 1993 McCoy began gutting and renovatng the third floor. He decided to make this space his apartment and designed it to fit his needs and personality. He added the exterior stairwell and decks, as well as the study and screened-in porch.
In 1999 McCoy began gutting the second floor and is now renovating it and the two north storefronts for a fine dining establishment. McCoy Jewelers is downsizing to the 261 Main space and will again be occupying the area he first rented 1n 1973. I guess it took Rob twenty-eight years to go full circle.
160 South Grandview
The home was built in 1924 by Tobias Ben and Nellie Loetscher. The cost was $45,000. Mr. Loetscher was the cost department manager of the Farley-Loetscher Co., which, was at one time the world's largest millwork operations. Samples of this exquisite millwork can be seen throughout the home today. Especially dramatic is the quarter-sawed oak stairway, with one wall filled with twenty-five beveled glass mirrors separated by wooden mullions. The cove moldings in the foyer and living room are made of beech wood and cherry trim prevails on the second floor. Outside, the ornamentation over the windows is the highest grade of Bedford limestone, not native to this area.
The architect was Casimir Ignatius Krajewski. This was one of five prestigious homes in Dubuque he designed. The general contractor was John "Hans" G. Kuehnle. He was the builder of all of the Loetscher family homes in Dubuque.
The current owners are the fourth family to live in the home since T. Ben Loetscher's death in 1974. They purchased the home in 1987 and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 by Helen A. Mercer. A major addition to the home in l995-96 included a larger kitchen/dining area; two additional bedrooms, a main floor laundry room; a four seasons sun room; and a third garage.
In 1996 the owners were given a Historic Preservation Award by the Dubuque County Historical Society in recognition of matching an addition to a historic structure and maintaining the architectural integrity.
154 North Grandview
This comfortable family home was built in the vernacular style in 1916. Platting of the land dates to 1848 during the presidential administration of James C. Polk. Mining rights to the property were sold in 1854. The long, narrow backyard is almost an acre, so the property has been assessed for street improvements on Douglas and Parkway Streets at the rear of the property. Leonard and Tyra Kutsch purchased the home from Tyra's, parents George and Audrey Henson, in 1984. The home has now been in her family for over thirty-eight years. In 1994 an additional 1,500 square feet of living space was built on the back, replacing a two-story porch. The addition was designed to maintain the architectural integrity of the home and provide for a second floor sitting room and bath, first floor family room and breakfast area, and a two-car garage.
Distinctive features include a built-in storage bench in the front hall and piano windows on the main floor. The openness of the first floor accommodates the entertaining lifestyle of the owners. A decorating theme of Dubuque architecture in pictures and miniatures is displayed in the living and dining rooms. On the second floor, overlooking the backyard, the master suite contains a sitting room, bath with whirlpool and two large walk-in closets. The third floor has a study and several large storage areas.
410 Raymond Place
One Andrew Harrison purchased this area of the bluff in 1845. It eventually sold to prominent Dubuque banker, J. K. Graves in 1887 and then to the Fenelon Elevator Company in 1895 when the Fenelon Place elevator was built.
The property at 410 Raymond was divided off from the elevator property in 1910 and sold to the Upton family, owners of the Upton laundry in Dubuque. The home was then build by Samuel and Marjorie Upton in 1910-11 and the Upton family members continued to live in the house until 1957.
Joseph and Virginia Kelly bought the house in 1957 and it was then sold to a group of Dubuque investors in 1967 who then sold it to Wayne and Kay Norman in 1971.
The Norman's undertook extensive remodeling in 1971-72 including: removing the porch and adding a deck; adding the front fence and playhouse; converting the attic to living space; modifying the entry space and adding a bay area to the dining room. Also, the clapboard was replaced by shingle siding at that time.
Paul G. and Nancy Pechous purchased the property in 1990. In 1993 they remodeled the kitchen and then proceeded with a complete interior remodeling in 1996 including the two story addition built on the river side of the house; excavating between the fenced area near the street; adding off-street parking; central air-conditioning and many extras.