FRANK LEUTE-543-563 W. 17TH

Two front doors suggest the use of this handsome stone home as a duplex. Photo in 2011.

FRANK LEUTE HOME. One of the oldest stone buildings in Dubuque, the house at 543-563 W. 17th was purchased in 1856 by Frank Leute, a carpenter, for $800. This would suggest that a house already existed on the 50 x 100 foot lot. The building was believed to have been converted into a duplex between 1880 and 1890. Boarders may have lived in the basement which in the 1990s still had a wooden floor, on the first floor, and on the second floor. At one time a shoe repair business was operated from the building. The dwelling remained in the ownership of a Leute relative until 1986. In 1990 the home was purchased by Raymond McDonald III.

"Sonny" McDonald has been responsible for saving one of Dubuque's oldest homes and recovering over many years wooden and metal artifacts from destruction.

Ray "Sonny" McDonald owned the property in 2011. He had helped renovate the home until the untimely death of his son. A concrete floor was poured in the basement to replace the wooden floor. The easterly wall of the home which had bulged dangerously was gradually straightened, and the stucco which had covered the home was removed to reveal the stone. Tuckpointing and the replacement of several lintels by McDonald in addition to the other renovations had returned the dwelling to fine condition given its years of existence. Interior work remained.

The iron pin on this exterior wall was an early reinforcement technique on exterior walls.

---

Source:

Ray McDonald