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Welcome to

Gordon-Van Tine Lofts Apartments

736 Federal Street Davenport, IA

An Exceptional Way of Living

Elevate your lifestyle with amenities you’ll love

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Amenities

  • Rooftop Pool
  • Pet-Friendly Community
  • 24/7 Fitness Center
  • Security Deposit Free Living
  • Climate Controlled Storage Units
  • Easy On-Site Parking
  • 24/7 Secured Access
  • Stainless Steel Appliances
  • In-Unit Washer/Dryer
  • Granite Countertops
  • Private Patios (Select Units)
  • Outdoor Grills
  • Game Room
  • Rooftop Lounge
  • Maintenance-Free Lifestyle
  • Discounts with Local Businesses

The Floorplans

Homes designed with you in mind

bedroom
1BR, 1BA
Starting at

$950/Month

Starting at More Info
bedroom
2BR, 2BA
Starting at

$1,305/Month

Starting at More Info
bedroom
3BR, 2BA
Starting at

$1,670/Month

Starting at More Info

Gordon-Van Tine (GVT) Lofts
A History

The Gordon-Van Tine Lofts are an outgrowth of earlier lumber and millwork industries that made 19th century Davenport an economic powerhouse. Gordon-Van Tine was an early proponent of ‘direct to consumer’ housing.

building
1907

U.N. ROBERTS INCORPORATES GORDON-VAN TINE

U.N. Roberts, a successful lumber company, forms Gordon-Van Tine and expands its company headquarters at what it is now the GVT Lofts site.

1916

GORDON-VAN TINE ENTERS READY-CUT HOUSING MARKET

Already selling attractive house plans, Gordon-Van Tine launches the sale of direct to consumer "Ready-Cut" home kits. The kits, including everything from studs to sinks, lowers the cost of homeownership for a growing middle-class.

1926

GORDON-VAN TINE HITS ITS STRIDE

Gordon-Van Tine becomes lowa's largest advertiser (26M magazines distributed nationally) with an estimated $7M in annual revenue (worth $121M in 2023).

Gordon-Van Tine was one of the top manufacturers of ready-cut houses, providing materials, and, in some cases, complete housing packages (design, marketing, materials, instructions, and price) to other companies, including Sears Roebuck and Montgomery-Ward. In addition to their Davenport facilities, they had facilities in St. Louis, Missouri, Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Chehalis, Washington, and shipped throughout the United States and Canada.

1929-1946

DECLINE OF PRE-CUT HOUSING MARKET

Gordon-Van Tine survives the depression, but the Federal Housing Authority deems ready-cut homes to be of "poor quality" and World War II rationing makes ready-cut housing manufacturing unprofitable.

1947

HORACE ROBERTS, THE LAST FAMILY MEMBER, SELLS THE BUSINESS

Horace Roberts, the lone family member in the business, sells the business to Oliver Rose, a businessman out of Cincinnati, who then closes the company.

Had Horace Roberts been able to hold on a little longer, the Gordon-Van Tine Company might have achieved incredible success during the post World War II economic and housing boom. Gordon-Van Tine created over 105,000 mail order homes under its brand and others, the most in the industry during the 20th century. Gordon-Van Tine houses have been identified in lowa, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Oregon.

2019

Y&J PROPERTIES RE-DEVELOPS BUILDING FOR MULTI-FAMILY USE

Y&J Properties re-develops the Gordon-Van Tine buildings and opens in 2019. The GVT Lofts boasts 113 residential apartments and 10 commercial units with a rooftop pool, fitness center, and community room. Many apartments and spaces retain elements from the building’s ready-cut housing days.