Designing the QC: Untold and Unusual Stories Part 2

Architects, Trends and Styles that Created Our Unique Sense of Place

Part Two of Ellen Shapley’s series “Untold and Unusual Stories” stars three 20th century architects and one Hollywood “starlet,” all Davenport natives and all part of the QC’s rich architectural heritage. Our story starts in 1939 in McClelland Heights, weaves its way across Locust Street with a couple of stops along the way and then heads out toward the northern reaches of Brady Street in the 1940s. Next, we’ll make our way East to Chicago, then on to New York and Connecticut to follow the remarkable careers of our young architects. Finally, back in Davenport, we’ll catch up with the starlet turned prolific “femme fatale” of movies and TV for a delightful story of her visits with mom, Alma. Creative in her own right, some say Alma designed the star’s 1922 childhood home and the gardens that surrounded it.

Ellen is an architectural historian, enthusiast and sleuth who loves to explore our cities and share her observations. She’s created tours and given talks in Chicago, Portland and Hood River, Oregon, and, right here in the QC. Check out her Facebook page: ArchiTouring the Quad-Cities.

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