Davenport Cinema

The first attempt to established a crematorium in Davenport occurred in 1880, four years after the first crematorium opened in the United States. There was little to show for this effort until 1885 when the Northwestern Cremation Society, later renamed the Davenport Cremation Society, was established. The society sold stock to raise funds and in 1889 commissioned prominent local architect, Frederick G. Clausen, to design a building. The following year they purchased land from the West Davenport Cemetery Association, now known as Fairmount Cemetery. The facility opened in 1891 and the first cremation was that of Otto Kochert on May 15 of that year. The crematorium was the first in the state…

The 1½-story brick structure was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. It rests on a base composed of rubble-squared stone blocks over a partially raised, full basement. A hipped, cross gabled roof caps the building. Its exterior ornamentation is found in the round-arch doorway with stained glass sidelights and transom; lintels and bands created from carved stone; and gables trimmed in stone containing round-arch windows; and brick corbelling near the roofline. The main floor of the interior features a chapel, waiting area, and office space. The cremation retorts (incinerators) and holding room are in the basement.