Cedar Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, United States. The population was 137,710 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Iowa. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, 20 miles (32 km) north of Iowa City and 128 miles (206 km) northeast of Des Moines, the state's capital.
Grant DeVolson Wood was an American artist and representative of Regionalism, best known for his paintings depicting the rural American Midwest. He is particularly well known for American Gothic (1930), which has become an iconic example of early 20th-century American art.
The Paramount Theatre is a 1,693-seat theater in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 2015 it was included as a contributing property in the Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District.
The Mother Mosque of America, once known as The Rose of Fraternity Lodge, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States, is the oldest standing purpose-built mosque in the United States, having been completed in 1934. The Al-Sadiq Mosque in Chicago and the Powers Street Mosque are older by a decade but were converted from existing buildings to be used as a Muslim house of worship.
May's Island is a small island on the Cedar River, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Functioning as a civic center much like the Île de la Cité, it is the site of the Memorial Building, the Linn County Courthouse, and the county jail. The island plus an adjacent block was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. The congregation was established in either 1870 or 1871, which makes this the oldest historically African American church in the city. It had 23 pastors from its inception to 1928, which followed the African Methodist Episcopal Church's practice of itinerant pastors. The congregation grew slowly over this same period. Many African Americans came to Cedar Rapids after the coal industry in Southern Iowa began to collapse. The Rev. Benjamin Horace Lucas, who became pastor here in 1928, was also a catalyst for growth in the congregation. Completed in 1931, this brick Colonial Revival structure replaced a wood-frame structure from 1876. Since its completion, it has served the social and religious needs of the community. It is one of the few surviving links to Cedar Rapid's early African American community as this neighborhood has been nearly obliterated by the development of Mercy Medical Center. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway (BCR&N) was a railroad that operated in the United States from 1876 to 1903. It was formed to take over the operations of the bankrupt Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Minnesota Railway, which was, in turn, the result of merging several predecessor lines, the construction of which began in 1869. The corporate headquarters were in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and it had operations in Iowa and in Minnesota. It was succeeded by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway.
The Veteran's Memorial Building is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The building served as the Cedar Rapids City Hall until it was damaged in the Flood of 2008. The Building underwent a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark its official re-opening April 15, 2014.
The William and Sue Damour House is a historic house located at 1844 Second Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
The Lattner Auditorium Building is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. Paul Lattner, who owned Cedar Rapids Auto & Supply Company, had this building constructed for his business in 1910. The first floor was an automobile showroom, the second floor was used for auto storage, and the third floor housed a neighborhood dance hall. Because this is an early example of an automobile related business, the dance hall/auditorium may have been included to ensure the building's economic viability given the nature of the automobile business at that time. Various auto-related businesses continued to occupy the building until 1935.
The James W. and Ida G. Bowman House is a historic building located in Marion, Iowa, United States. The Bowmans hired the Cedar Rapids architectural firm of Dieman & Fiske, and specifically partner Charles Dieman, to design this two-story wood-frame house that combines American Craftsman and Prairie School influences. Local contractor Charles I. Wilson completed construction in 1910 in a neighborhood populated by prominent citizens. The wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafter ends reflects the Craftsman style, while the square massing and horizontal emphasis of the siding and roofline of the porch are typical of the Prairie School style. The house was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. At the same time it was included as a contributing property in the Pucker Street Historic District.
William J. Brown was an American architect based in Cedar Rapids in the U.S. state of Iowa. Brown practiced architecture from 1910 until shortly before his death in 1970.
The Second and Third Avenue Historic District is located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 186 resources, which included 176 contributing buildings, and 10 non-contributing buildings. This area was developed as a streetcar suburb at the turn of the 20th century. It includes single-family dwellings, apartment buildings, and two churches. The upper part of the district is called the Sampson Heights Addition. It was developed by Ellen Bever Blake and realtor/developer Malcolm Bolton. Blake's brothers James and George Bever developed the lower part of the district that they called the Bever Park Addition. The family members were in litigation for four years over the development as the two Bever sisters maintained that the three brothers received a disproportionate share of the property in their father's estate, and that they never paid for their stock in the Bever Land Company. In the end, their father's will was set aside and the five children agreed to divide the estate equally.
The Redmond Park-Grande Avenue Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 196 resources, which included 193 contributing buildings, one contributing site, and two non-contributing buildings. This area was developed as a streetcar suburb at the turn of the 20th century. It includes single-family dwellings, two churches, and an apartment building. The southern part of the district, known as the Bever Park additions, was developed by brothers James and George Bever. The northern part of the district, known as Grande Avenue Place Addition, was developed by several developers, including the Bevers. The people who lived here were middle and upper income households. Local business leaders and professional people lived alongside salesmen and railroad workers.
The B Avenue NE Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 210 resources, which included 167 contributing buildings, and 43 non-contributing buildings. This is a working and middle-class neighborhood northeast of the campus of Coe College. It includes single-family dwellings, a church, and a school. The buildings are representative of various architectural styles and vernacular building forms popular from c. 1875 to 1963. The oldest house was built in 1873 and moved here in the early 20th century. Bungalow, Craftsman, and American Foursquare houses are dominant. A simple side-tower church, originally Central Park Presbyterian Church, was built in 1904. For the most part, architect-designed buildings are a rarity here. The houses are designs from pattern books. Cedar Rapids architect William J. Brown designed Benjamin Franklin Junior High School (1923).
The Cedar Rapids 2nd Avenue SE. Automobile Row Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 24 resources, which included 17 contributing buildings, two contributing sites, four non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure. This is a collection of commercial buildings that were built along the old Lincoln Highway between 1912 and 1953 to house automobile dealerships. They feature broad fronts with large display windows and open interiors. Auto repair shops were generally located at the rear of a dealership, but some were located in their own utilitarian buildings. Some of the corner lots were taken up by small gas stations. In later years, sales lots were placed adjacent to dealerships in order to display a larger number of cars. Other lots were occupied by used car lots. Prior to being converted into an automobile-centric commercial area, the district was a Victorian-era residential neighborhood. The multi-family dwelling at 309 8th St. SE remains as a reminder of that era, and it is one of the contributing properties.
The Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 60 resources, which included 46 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, 12 non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure. Cedar Rapids was platted on the east bank of the Cedar River as Rapids City in 1841, and it was incorporated under the same name in 1849. Kingston was established on the west bank of the river in 1852. The two smaller communities consolidated in 1870 as Cedar Rapids. The streets were laid out parallel and perpendicular to the river, which flowed from the northwest to the southeast. The Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad was the first to arrive in the community in 1859 and the tracks were laid on Fourth Street on the eastern edge of the central business district. The first bridge across the river was built at Third Avenue in 1871.
The Monroe Elementary School Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 10 resources, which included one contributing building, one contributing site, three contributing objects, two non-contributing buildings, and three non-contributing objects. The school building was completed in 1961 in a neighborhood of small ranch-style houses from the same era. Designed by the Cedar Rapids architectural firm of Brown & Healey, it was one of seven schools built as a result of a bond referendum in 1959. It was necessitated by a roughly 70% increase in enrollment between 1950 and 1960. The single story, brick building features long and wide corridors, low ceiling heights, extensive use of glazing, exposed trusses, and deep overhangs. The building retains historical integrity, while the other school buildings built at this time in Cedar Rapids do not. Two basketball hoops and a fire engine-shaped piece of playground equipment are the contributing objects. The non-contributing buildings are two temporary classrooms, three pieces of playground equipment are the non-contributing objects. It ceased being a school building in 2011.
The Dr. Percy and Lileah Harris House is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021.
The Historic Ely Elevator, also known as the Woitishek-King-Krob Elevator and Feed Mill, is an "iron-clad" wood-cribbed grain elevator, located in Ely, Iowa. The Historic Ely Elevator was built in 1900 along the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway. It is a contributing property of the Dows Street Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
