Lock and Dam No. 11 Historic District

The story

Written by AI from this property's National Register nomination and the record above; every sentence is checked against its sources before it appears here. Corrections: privacy@treealive.com

The Lock and Dam No. 11 Historic District is a navigation complex at 11 Lime St. in Dubuque, Dubuque County, listed in the National Register in 2004. It was designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Rock Island District and built between 1934 and 1948.

Why it's listed

It was listed under criteria A and C, with state-level significance in transportation, engineering, maritime history, social history and commerce. Its period of significance runs from 1934 to 1948, when the main features were built from 1934 to 1937 as a relief project, with further construction through 1948. In 1937 the complex entered continuous use as part of the Upper Mississippi River 9-Foot Navigation Project, continuing through 1998.

Physical character

The complex's concrete walls rest on timber pile foundations, and steel gates, among them 13 Tainter gates and 3 submersible roller gates, control its dam and lift lock. A control station, four pier houses, a workshop and a visitors center built on the esplanade in 1987-1988 make up the complex's buildings. The station was rehabilitated in 1985, and the workshop gained a lean-to addition between 1988 and 1998.

Historical context

The complex reached its mature configuration by 1948, when its slough impoundment was completed, and it changed very little through 1970. After 1970 the esplanade changed, its lockmaster's and assistant lockmaster's residences removed around 1975, and the pre-1934 Eagle Point Bridge demolished in 1982.