Nicholas J. Kuhnen House

Nicholas J. Kuhnen House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	702 Perry Street, Davenport, Iowa
Coordinates:	41°31′39″N 90°34′22″W / 41.5275°N 90.57278°W / 41.5275; -90.57278Coordinates: 41°31′39″N 90°34′22″W / 41.5275°N 90.57278°W / 41.5275; -90.57278
Built:	1887
Architect:	John Ross
Architectural style:	Italianate
Governing body:	Private
MPS:	Davenport MRA
NRHP Reference#:	83002462[1]
Added to NRHP:	July 7, 1983

The Nicholas J. Kuhnen House is located in central Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983.^[1]

Nicholas J. Kuhnen

Nicholas Kuhnen was born in Prussia and immigrated to the United States in the 19th century, settling in Davenport. He set up a small tobacco shop in 1854. Prior to the American Civil War he expanded his business to include cigar wholesaling and manufacturing. He became one of four cigar manufacturers in the city. In the 1860s he distributed free tobacco seeds to area farmers in the hopes of acquiring a reliable local supply of tobacco.^[2] By the 1880s he had the largest cigar factory north of St. Louis, Missouri and west of Chicago and at times employed 500 people.^[2]

He had to deal with two labor strikes in the 1880s. The workers were protesting low pay, poor working conditions and long hours. The first strike ended after a short time because of the workers' fear of the management. The second strike had the assistance of the International Cigar Makers Union under the leadership of Peter Knickrehm, a cigar maker himself and a Socialist. It weakened the company financially, but Kuhnen emerged from the strike victorious and the company continued in business until 1915.

Architecture

Unlike many German immigrants to Davenport who lived on the west side of town, especially in what is now known as the Hamburg Historic District, Kuhnen built his home on the east side of town. It is a two story Italianate structure that features bracketed eaves, a central pavilion that protrudes from the main façade, a porch that covers two-thirds of the front of the building and a bay of windows on the right side of the front of the house, as well as on the sides of the house.

The house was designed by architect John Ross.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Svendsen, Marls A., Bowers, Martha H (1982). Davenport where the Mississippi runs west: A Survey of Davenport History & Architecture. Davenport, Iowa: City of Davenport. pp. 4–13.