216 Clarke
Clarke Manor, at 216 Clarke Drive, was built in the Italianate style by Dr. Clark c. 1854. The Roshek family, well known for their furrier business and department store, purchased the home in 1910. It is believed they engaged Chicago Architect Lawrence Buck to remodel the home in the arts and crafts style. Later changes included the removal of some of the 1910 details and the addition of metal work decoration on the exterior. The Esser family later owned the home and they, in turn, sold it to the Bertolini family of Mario’s Restaurant. Current owners utilize the home as a bed and breakfast. Inside are matching oak seats below leaded glass windows. The ceilings in the home are twelve feet high and the rooms are large and gracious. Both fireplaces, one with an Italian marble mantle and one with a carved wood mantle, are still in use. On each side of the home are sunrooms which once were exterior porches. Both the library and the dining room have quarter sawn oak panels. The remodeled kitchen has marble countertops and a butler’s pantry. There is a panoramic view from the breakfast room. Upstairs are three large bedrooms, several baths, and a separate servants quarters with another bath.
506 Clarke Drive
The house at 506 Clarke Drive is a late Victorian in the Queen Anne style.
Exterior features include classical columns and a Palladian window (a large window divided into three parts, the center section being larger than the two side sections, and usually arched).
Built in 1906, this home has had several owners. The house retains original light fixtures in the living room, parlor and the dining room.
An impressive wood mantle above an outmoded coal-burning fireplace is distinguished with a beveled mirror and its original tile surround.
The dining room features a floor to ceiling built-in china cabinet. The butler’s pantry, sandwiched between the kitchen and dining room, was converted into a full bathroom within the last few years.
The kitchen was recently renovated and equipped with modern appliances. It’s a quaint, nostalgic look in keeping with the antique character of the home.
At some point a three-season sun room and garage were added where a back entry of the house once was.
The home sits on a high point above West Locust Street, providing an impressive view of part of the Loras College campus.
The current owner has lovingly memorialized her great uncle, George William Heitkamp, who was a long time Loras College Professor, by naming her home after him.
486 Clarke Drive
The Yellow House at 486 Clarke Drive was built in 1907 by Fred Woodward, who would go on to become owner of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald newspaper.
The house is a similar but slightly smaller and a less ornate sibling house of its neighbor to the west which was built by a relative of the Woodwards.
It is best described as a late Victorian cruciform style though the interior shows elements of the transition to a Craftsman style.
The house may have been one of the earliest houses in Dubuque to be wired for electricity, though it also had gas lighting, evidence of which is visible in the upstairs master bedroom.
Woodward was well known for keeping people working through the Depression and added on to the house using scraps of wood and other material from the newspaper.
The home fell into disrepair over time but was bought and lovingly restored by Joe Ungs in the late 1990s.
Ungs tore off the Depression-era addition, which lacked frost footings, and replaced it with a beautifully tiled sunroom on the back side overlooking the valley.
Remnants of the area’s mining heritage show up in the tiered backyard where filled in mineshafts can still be seen.
An access road for miners used to run through the lower yard, supported by the lower retaining wall.
The house was recently bought by a young family who is enjoying their first experience with old house ownership.
440 Loras
The house at 440 Loras Boulevard was built in 1921 by Joseph and Elizabeth Chaloupka when Joseph retired after a thirty yearcareer as a railroad engineer.
The Chaloupkas and their two daughters lived here and when Elizabeth died, Joseph remarried. He and his second wife Zella stayed on until his death on December 17th, 1942 at the age of 77.
The architectural style shows influences of Queen Anne, combined with American foursquare.
Queen Anne features, such as the two fireplaces and the gracious entry hall, fortunately survived when the house became a duplex in the 1980s.
Purchased by the current homeowner in 1998, the original intention was to restore the home to its former glory and sell it.
However, after a lengthy remodel to turn it back into a single-family residence, its authentic charm, proximity to downtown and compact neighborhood became the unlikely backdrop in which to raise two boys.
Nicknamed the Honey House by the oldest son, the home continues to remain relevant in keeping with the flurry of modern life.
Upkeep and updating continue and recent projects include new marble tile in the bathroom and replacement of all door hardware throughout the upstairs with period appropriate locksets.
The home has also provided an ideal setting for a burgeoning art collection.
1335 Bluff
The native stone duplex at 1335-1337 Bluff Street was built in the 1850’s. The structure is about 4000 sq. ft. divided by a common wall and built for two distinct owners.
The style is a transitional one that bridges the Federal and the Italianate.
The building has an 18” thick cut-stone facade similar to the old Dubuque jail. The architect, builder, and original owners are all unknown.
The building was converted to a sixplex in the 1930’s and went through a severe design change to an art-deco style.
A large addition at the back was added, precipitating the removal of brackets from the cornice, which the current owner has replaced.
The window sizes were reduced and the exterior was completely stuccoed and painted a bright pink.
Restoration included removal of these inappropriate details and installation of historically appropriate windows.
The building stood vacant for about 10 years and fell into disrepair. Runoff from the bluff and structural modifications had destabilized the building, causing a large crack to open in the common wall.
The lot was excavated, the foundation was rebuilt, drainage systems were installed, and the grade was changed. Steel cables were installed (behind the star brick-ties) in a grid to tie the exterior walls together.
The exterior was rebuilt (a large channel had been chiselled into the north wall) and the south side unit interior was restored.
The north side unit interior is unfinished with a similar restoration planned.