Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
IRON FENCES
IRON FENCES. Decorative use of wrought iron found near the Ryan House and several ROWHOUSES on Main Street. Wrought iron used in architecture was first developed in New Orleans by the Spanish. The use of wrought iron was brought up the MISSISSIPPI RIVER by the French who first used the material in decorative work sometime around 1800.
Gothic designs in iron fences reflect the use of a pointed arch. Geometric patterns were inspired by GEORGIAN ARCHITECTURE of the early 1800s. Original designs reflecting a loose and flowing use of space developed during the flamboyant Art Nouveau period at the start of the nineteenth century.