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Posted online: August 20, 2005 8:27 PM
Print publication date: August 21, 05
Davenport couple sees beauty in rebuilding historic Davenport
By Janeé Jackson, jacksonj@qconline.com
DAVENPORT -- Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Gateway Redevelopment Group president Jack Haberman sees beauty in restoring a former grocery store to its former glory.
The non-profit corporation is turning the building into the Architectural Rescue Shop at the Jipp, a shop that will recycle and sell vintage woodwork, windows, cabinets and other antique building materials.
Scheduled to open in late fall, the shop at 732 Gaines St. will save materials the often go to the landfill. Proceeds will benefit preserving and restoring older Davenport homes.
And the donations keep coming. Mr. Haberman is storing the donations in a house he and his wife, WQAD-TV president and general manager, Marion Meginnis, own on West 8th Street until the shop is completed.
Gary Krambeck
Jack Haberman, president of Gateway Redevelopment Group stands in front of the future Architectural Rescue Shop
at the Jipp located at 732 Gaines street in Davenport.
The former store will become a store that sells and recycles old parts from torn down or worn homes.
From tile and wood paneling to fireplace mantles, customers will find anything for their home rehab needs.
The shop is named after German immigrant Christian Jipp, who built a grocery store at the corner in 1868. Mr. Jipp, his wife, Henrietta, and their three children, Ella, Rhoda and Meta, lived in the back of the store until their home was built in 1878.
Rhoda managed the home until her death in 1948, Mr. Haberman said.
Over the years, the building changed, converting to a laundromat in 1958 before it became a pool house and afterwards, a drug house, Mr. Haberman said.
Abandonment and building wear and tear caused the city of Davenport to approve demolishing the structure in June 1989. But Mr. Haberman, then president of the Hamburg Historic District Homeowners Association (HHDHA) was not ready to let it go.
The couple has lived in the Hamburg Historic District -- which runs from West 5th to West 9th streets and from Ripley to Vine streets -- for eight years. Mr. Haberman wanted to restore the Jipp property because "the store really reflects the neighborhood.
"It is in the middle of our neighborhood," Mr. Haberman said. "It's definitely a gateway into the city."
In 1997, the HHDHA bought both buildings for $4,000. In the later '90s, the Hamburg Historic District Homeowners Association and Friends of the Gold Coast merged into the Gold Coast and Hamburg District Association, Ms. Meginnis said.
At the same time, Gateway Redevelopment Group was formed to deal with the challenges facing those trying to restore a historic building, Ms. Meginnis said.
In 2004, Gateway began Phase One of restoration of the building, which included clearing out and stabilizing the structure, Mr. Haberman said.
Volunteers clocked in more than 800 hours, and area business donated materials to help with cleanup efforts. With $15,000 in raised funds, Gateway completed Phase One in November 2004 -- for less than $13,000.
Thanks to their efforts, the city removed the building from the demolition list that December.
"They were very nice to us about the work we've done," Mr. Haberman said. "We really accomplished a lot."
With $70,000 raised so far, the group is hard at work on Phase Two, which includes installing new windows, rebuilding the loading dock, and a complete interior restoration.
The Jipp home will feature a museum on the first floor to showcase Davenport and the family's history. It also will include feature a one-bedroom apartment upstairs.
Architectural Rescue Shop
The Architectural Rescue Shop at the Jipp recycles woodwork, light fixtures, vintage doors, windows, hardware and other antique building materials. Volunteers will safely remove the items for free. To donate building materials, call Mr. Haberman at (563) 326-3290.
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