Landmark Designation: 1999

Architectural Style: French Eclectic

Construction Date: 1936

Nominated by: Suzanne Curry for Rock Island Preservation Society

This is the first house that was nominated and designated from Rock Island’s Hill Crest / Watch Hill area. The Eichelsdoerfer House was built in 1936 of concrete ashlar block and has a distinctive steeply pitched roof. The house has prominent quoins and sills and has an asymmetrical facade. It was constructed with architect Rudolph Sandberg’s girderless rib slab construction, which he invented. This unusual construction premiered in 1933's “House of the Future” at 2447 30th Street, Moline. Sandberg used it in many residences and other buildings in the 1930s and 1940s, including some University of Iowa buildings.

Sandberg designed an impressive number of well-known buildings in Rock Island, including St. Pius X Catholic Church (structural design), Lincoln School, Denkmann School, Thoms House, Quad City Coca Cola Bottling Plant (now MidAmerican Energy), Klockau House and many others. He is also credited with the magnificent terra cotta designs for the Fort Armstrong Theatre (Circa ‘21) and the Illinois Oil Products Building.

This house was built for Theodore P. Eichelsdoerfer, second director of the Regalia Manufacturing Company. Under the leadership of Mr. Eichelsdoerfer the company grew and prospered. He was well-known and admired for his knowledge of business law and talent for sales. He was associated with Regalia Manufacturing, which was founded by his mother, Lily Amelia, for 55 years. The company is still in operation under different ownership in Rock Island.