Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cathedral. 422 East 10th Street. , In 1856 Antoine LeClaire offered a parcel of land for the construction of a new Catholic Church in Davenport, which he eventually funded in total. This new church was to be built at the top of “Cork Hill,” an area between 6th and 13th Streets named for the many residents originating from County Cork, Ireland. Because so many Irish Catholic residents attended the church, it was often referred to as “Cork Hill Cathedral.” The formal name, however, was St. Marguerites, after Marguerite LeClaire, wife of Antoine LeClaire, and St. Margaret of Scotland. Three years after the construction of the church a parochial school was added to the parish block. St. Marguerites Church had been in operation for twenty five years when, in 1881, the first Bishop of the new diocese in the “Iowa Territory,” John McMullen, originally from County Down, Ireland, chose it as his cathedral. Eight years later, under advisement from Bishop Cosgrove, plans were approved for a new cathedral to be built on site. The contract was awarded to Walsh and Edwards of Davenport and the foundation was laid on July 24th, 1889. The new cathedral was built of Bedford Stone in authentic Gothic style and the church underwent a name change, becoming Sacred Heart of Jesus, the first cathedral in the United States to be so called. Pope Leo XIII permitted the name change providing a chapel be erected within the cathedral and dedicated to St. Margaret of Scotland. At the turn of the century an addition was made to the school, which operated in its present state from 1915 until 2004. It is here that St. Ambrose University of Davenport, Iowa had its beginning before moving to its present site.