Saluting Selma's house

In 1902, Davenport lumber magnate Lorenzo Schricker built a large yellow brick home on a bluff overlooking Davenport for his daughter Selma.

The Georgian-Federal-Revival-style home wasdesigned by the noted architectural firm of Clausen and Burrows, and it featured a large, semicircular portico and over-sized dormers.

Selma lived in the home at 1430 Clay St. until she died there in September 1931 at the age of 50. She never married and is buried with her sister and half-brother in the first mausoleum built in Davenport's Oakdale Cemetery.

After she died, the home was acquired by the Diocese of Davenport, and four bishops lived in the home over the years. The last resident was Bishop Emeritus William Franklin, who moved out in the mid-1990s.

The home wassoldin 1996 and then again in November 2000 toMark and Judy Westrom.

Over the course of several years, the Westroms did a lot of work, including the replacement of all 39 windows and battling back from a roof fire in November 2010.

For their efforts, they arereceiving a preservation award from the Scott County Historical Society.

The Westroms say the house appears to have undergone various renovations through the years, and in some areasthe original configuration or use is unclear.

The original drawingsare no longer in the archive of SGGM Architects & Interior Designers, the successor to Clausen and Burrows.

Happily, though, original woodwork, stained glass and other architectural elements were preserved, "and we believe the overall flavor of the house remains intact," Judy Westrom said.

The rest is here:
Saluting Selma's house