David Davis Mansion
{{short description|Historic house in Illinois, United States}}
{{distinguish|text=the David Davis III & IV House, two blocks away}}
{{redirect|Clover Lawn|the lawn|Clover lawn}}
{{For|the locality|Leduc County}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = David Davis House
| nrhp_type = nhl
| designated_other1 =
| designated_other1_name = Illinois State Historic Site
| designated_other1_abbr = ISHS
| designated_other1_color = cornflowerBlue
| designated_other1_link =
| image = Bloomington Il David Davis Mansion3.JPG
| caption = The David Davis Mansion is a National Historic Landmark.
| location = 1000 E. Monroe Dr., Bloomington, Illinois
| coordinates = {{coord|40|28|56|N|88|58|47|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Illinois#USA
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker = building
| mapframe-zoom = 12
|mapframe-caption = Interactive map showing the location for the Davis Mansion
| built = 1870-1872
| architect = Alfred H. Piquenard
| architecture = Victorian, Italianate
| added = October 18, 1972
| area = {{convert|4.5|acre}}
| refnum = 72001479{{NRISref|version=2010a}}
}}
The David Davis Mansion, also known as Clover Lawn, is a Gilded Age home in Bloomington, Illinois that was the residence of David Davis, Supreme Court justice (1862–1877) and U.S. Senator from Illinois. The mansion has been a state museum since 1960. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975.
Set in a residential neighborhood on Bloomington's near-south-side, the three-story yellow brick mansion comprises 36 rooms in an Italianate villa style.
The mansion's lot includes an 1872 wood house, a barn and stable, privies, a foaling shed, carriage barn, and a flower and ornamental cutting garden."Sarah's Garden", the Victorian cut flower garden, with original heirloom roses and perennials began restoration in 2001.{{Cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1295&ResourceType=Building |title=National Historic Landmarks Program |access-date=2006-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080103060305/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1295&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=2008-01-03 |url-status=dead }}
History
File:Bloomington_Il_David_Davis_Mansion_HABS3.jpgClover Lawn was built between 1870 and 1872 and is where Justice Davis lived until his death in 1886. Davis commissioned French-born architect Alfred H. Piquenard to design the mansion, which combines Italianate and Second Empire architectural features and is a model of Gilded Age style and taste. Piquenard was a prominent Midwest architect who designed the State Capitol in Springfield. The home was meant as a residence for Davis' wife, Sarah. David spent most of his time there after retiring from the U.S. Senate in 1883. The house remained with the Davis family until 1960, when it was donated to the state of Illinois, which operates it as a state historic site.
In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, the mansion was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places {{cite news |last=Waldinger |first=Mike |date=January 30, 2018 |title=The proud history of architecture in Illinois |url=https://springfieldbusinessjournal.com/2018/01/the-proud-history-of-architecture-in-illinois/ |accessdate=30 January 2018 |newspaper=Springfield Business Journal}} by the American Institute of Architects Illinois component (AIA Illinois).
Tours
The home is open to the general public from Wednesday through Saturday. Many seasonal events are held at the house, including "The Glorious Garden Festival", "Christmas at the Mansions", "A Gilded Age Christmas", and several antique car shows. The mansion is lavishly decorated during the winter holiday season for Christmas.
References
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Keene, John T. [http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/PDFs/200754.pdf David Davis Mansion], National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form, December 15, 1971, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed August 31, 2008.
External links
{{Commons category|David Davis Mansion}}
{{wikinews|Illinois budget cuts to close historic sites and parks}}
- [http://daviddavismansion.org/ David Davis Mansion] - official site
- [http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/david_davis.htm Illinois State Preservation Agency: David Davis Mansion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925224443/http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/david_Davis.htm |date=September 25, 2006 }}
- [http://gis.hpa.state.il.us/hargis/Reports/Reports.aspx?RefNumVariable=200754&FormType=Short David Davis Mansion]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, Property Information Report, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, accessed August 31, 2008.
- [http://www.illinoisgreatplaces.com/#welcome Illinois Great Places] - [http://www.illinoisgreatplaces.com/#detail/david_davis_house-002/city=bloomington David Davis Mansion]
- [http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/IL-01-167-0088 Society of Architectural Historians SAH ARCHIPEDIA entry on the David Davis Mansion]
{{Registered Historic Places}}
{{Protected areas of Illinois}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, David, Mansion}}
Category:National Register of Historic Places in McLean County, Illinois
Category:Buildings and structures in Bloomington–Normal
Category:Houses in McLean County, Illinois
Category:National Historic Landmarks in Illinois
Category:Historic house museums in Illinois
Category:Illinois State Historic Sites
Category:Museums in McLean County, Illinois
Category:Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area
Category:Tourist attractions in Bloomington–Normal
Category:Houses completed in 1872
Category:Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois
Category:Italianate architecture in Illinois