Van Allen Store
United States historic place in Clinton, Iowa. Built 1913 by Louis Sullivan. Added to the National Register in 1976, and a National Historic Landmark.
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What it is
The Van Allen Building, also known as Van Allen and Company Department Store, is a historic commercial building at Fifth Avenue and South Second Street in Clinton, Iowa. The four-story building was designed by Louis Sullivan and commissioned by John Delbert Van Allen. Constructed 1912–1914 as a department store, it now has upper floor apartments with ground floor commercial space. The exterior has brick spandrels and piers over the structural steel skeletal frame. Terra cotta is used for horizontal accent banding and for three slender, vertical applied mullion medallions on the front facade running through three stories, from ornate corbels at the second-floor level to huge outbursts of vivid green terra cotta foliage in the attic. There is a very slight cornice. Black marble facing is used around the glass show windows on the first floor. The walls are made of long thin bricks in a burnt gray color with a tinge of purple. Above the ground floor all the windows are framed by a light gray terra cotta. The tile panels in Dutch blue and white pay tribute to Mr. Van Allen's Dutch heritage of which he was quite proud. The Van Allen Building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976 for its architecture.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 5th Ave. and S. 2nd St., Clinton, IA |
| County | Clinton County |
| Listed | Jan 7, 1976 |
| Listed for | Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Also known as | Van Allen and Son Department Store; John D. Van Allen and Son |
| Reference number | 76000753 |
| Built | 1913 · more from the 1910s |
| Architect | Louis Sullivan |
| Type of place | department store |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
| Standing | Yes |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 5th Ave. and S. 2nd St., Clinton, IA |
| Coordinates | 41.8414° N, 90.1886° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Clinton | 17 listed places in Clinton → |
| Nearest national park unit | Herbert Hoover National Historic Site · 61 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Bulger'S Hollow Recreation Area 6 miles · Thomson Causeway 9 miles · Fishermans Corner 21 miles |
Explore
Drawings & photographs
Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 4 records ↗
Map
Nearby in Clinton County
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Local history books for Clinton
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Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Iowa
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Van Allen Store listed on the National Register?
Jan 7, 1976. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
When was Van Allen Store built?
1913, designed by Louis Sullivan.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Van Allen Store?
5th Ave. and S. 2nd St., Clinton, Clinton County, Iowa. The nearest national park unit is Herbert Hoover National Historic Site, 61 miles away.
Are there historic photographs or drawings of Van Allen Store?
Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.
Source: Library of Congress
Where is the nomination form for Van Allen Store?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Van Allen Store?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Bulger'S Hollow Recreation Area, 6 miles away. Thomson Causeway is 9 miles away, and Fishermans Corner is 21 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Van Allen Store?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 76000753. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.