The Gold Coast & Hamburg Historic District Association Home Tour, “Built to Last: Jewels of the Gold Coast”,  is slated for Sept. 24-25, 2011.  Five lovely renovated historic homes as well as the German American Heritage Center, the Jipp Center and Cafe d’Marie will be open on Saturday, Sept. 24 from 11 am-4 pm and Sunday, Sept. 25 from 1-4 pm.  2011 is also the year the City of Davenport is celebrating 175 years of life on the Mississippi.

The historic neighborhood association has been hosting home tours starting in 1990, and area homeowners have opened their historic homes to the public since that time.   The five homes on the 2011 home tour are as follows:  The Henning J. Witt Home at 604 Gaines St. was built circa 1894 and is an excellent example of Queen Anne style.  The Henry Struck Home, 614 W. 5th St. is the first of Struck’s homes built circa 1877 and is a vernacular Italianate/Greek Revival style.  The Hans Stoltenberg Home is at 911 W. 7th St. and built circe 1870.  This is a vernacular transitional form of Federal and Italianate styles.  In circa 1870 the Peter Bindschaedel Home was built at 927 W. 8th St.  This McClelland Style Davenport 2 1/2  was also the home and studio of local artists John & Isabel Bloom.  The Peter & Eliza Goldschmidt Home at 625 Scott St., built circa 1882, was also the home of German emigrant Charles Voss.  This is an early gabled Italianate style modernized with Colonial details and a large wrap around porch.

The German American Heritage Center at 712 W. 2nd St.  is located in the original Germania House and will also be open to the public.  Also open is the Jipp Center, circa 1868, at 730 Gaines St. which now houses the Architectural Rescue Shop. Cafe d’Marie , housed in the 1877 Henry Struck home at 614 W. 5th St. will also be open for the event.

Ticket costs for the event are $10 for adults and free for children under 12 accompanied by adults.  Tickets may be purchased at any of the tour homes.  Profits from the event will help sponsor special projects and maintain the responsibilities of the GC&HHDA such as the Gold Coast Park and the historic decorative lights throughout the neighborhood.  Current project money will be used for an entry and iron railing at the top of Scott St. steps to be installed in 2011.

Check this web site for further updates.  For more information contact, [email protected].