727 19th Street

Designation

Rock Island Landmark, 1989; Broadway National Register District, 1998

Significance Statement

Square-towered Queen Anne with simple detailing.

Architectural Style

Queen Anne

Construction Date

1894

Architect / Builder

Collins Bros.

Tour Publications

Broadway; 19th Street

Early Owners

This simple Queen Anne style home was built in 1894 for Thomas M. Cook, a conductor for the Central, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. It was constructed by Collins Brothers for a cost of $3,200. Cook lived here only three years before selling the house to Reverend Robert G. Pearce, who was a Scottish immigrant.

Reverend Pearce united 1500 couples in marriage in his first 60 years of ministry. He became a pastor at the First Methodist Church in Rock Island in 1883, then left, only to return to the city in 1898 after retiring from the ministry, which is when he and wife Esther purchased this house. Rev. Pearce also served as deputy collector of customs for the federal government in Rock Island.

Architecture

The house has original wood clapboard and an uncommon square tower with an original iron finial and bellcast roof. The porch frieze also displays some of the delicate spindlework common on many Queen Anne style homes. The applied ornament on the porch gable is original.

Collins Bros.

The Collins Bros. were prolific contractors in Rock Island during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were contractors for the Rock Island Public Library. They also traveled, and were awarded contracts in Nebraska, to construct a kiln for a china factory; Arkansas, to construct 130 buildings along the rail line for the Rock Island Railroad; and El Reno, Oklahoma to construct a roundhouse for the CRI&P.

Location

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