“A Great Treasure in Rock Island: The Hauberg Estate" at the German American Heritage Center -- May 18.
Sunday, May 18, 2 p.m.
German American Heritage Center, 712 West Second Street, Davenport IA
Presented as part of the Davenport venue's popular “Kaffee und Kuchen” series, the German American Center's May 18 program A Great Treasure in Rock Island: The Hauberg Estate will explore how, in 1956, the family of Denkmann-Weyerhauser lumber company heiress Susanne Denkmann and her husband John Hauberg gifted their home to the City of Rock Island, with presenter Annette LeZotte offering insight into the past, present, and future of this magnificent Quad Cities civic center.
The Prairie-style Hauberg Estate home was designed by Robert C. Spencer, a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright. He was known for blending the more modern Prairie style with historical elements, such as the half-timbering that is found on this house. he tulip, which was Mrs. Hauberg's favorite flower, is featured stylistically throughout the exterior and interior of the structure. Spencer adapted the tulip to decorative elements such as stone insets, plaster molding, wood organ screens, fixtures and decorative tiles. Chicago landscape architect Jens Jensen laid out the 10-acre property to appear as a Wisconsin woodland. A winding path and stone bridge from Jensen's design remain on the west side of the house. It was In 1956 that Susanne Denkmann and her husband John Hauberg gifted their home to the City of Rock Island to be used as a civic center, and 60 years later, the non-profit Friends of the Hauberg Civic Center Foundation was organized to oversee the preservation and sustainability of the house and grounds.
Serving as program presenter for the German American Heritage Center's latest "Kaffee und Kuchen" event, Annette LeZotte received her PhD in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin, her MA in Art History from Florida State University, and her BA in Art History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She spent 20 years in Kansas working as Associate Professor of Art History at Wichita State University, Education Curator at the Wichita Art Museum, and Director/Curator of Kauffman Museum at Bethel College. Dr. LeZotte has completed a number of professional programs including the Smithsonian Museum/George Washington University “21st Century Museum Leadership Seminar,” the New York Museum of Modern Art’s “Meet Me at MoMA” curriculum addressing art accessibility for those with Alzheimer’s and dementia, and a fellowship in the scientific examination and restoration of paintings at the Toledo Museum of Art sponsored by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation. She returned to the state of Illinois in 2021 to care for her aging parents and now teaches Art History classes for Professional and Continuing Education at Black Hawk College, serves as a docent for the Hauberg Estate in Rock Island, and sits on the City of Moline Historic Preservation Commission.
A Great Treasure in Rock Island: The Hauberg Estate will be presented at Davenport's German American Heritage Center on May 18, with refreshments for this “Kaffee und Kuchen” event served at 1:30 p.m. and Annette LeZotts's program beginning at 2 p.m. Admission is free for Heritage Center members and $8 for non-members, and more information is available by calling (563)322-8844 and visiting GAHC.org.
