Decorah Woolen Mill

Last updated
Decorah Woolen Mill
Woolen Mill Decorah IA 071.jpg
USA Iowa location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location107 Court St.
Decorah, Iowa
Coordinates 43°18′16.5″N91°47′19″W / 43.304583°N 91.78861°W / 43.304583; -91.78861 Coordinates: 43°18′16.5″N91°47′19″W / 43.304583°N 91.78861°W / 43.304583; -91.78861
Arealess than one acre
Built1867, 1920
Part of Decorah Commercial Historic District (ID76000813)
NRHP reference No. 00001681 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 26, 2001

Decorah Woolen Mill, also known as the Meritol Building or Decorah Tire Service, is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The mill was originally constructed in 1867, and was operated by various owners in the years to come. They included the Decorah Glove and Mitten Works who operated in the building the same year, 1908, that it was struct by a tornado. [2] The third floor sustained damage, and they continued operations here. By 1919 they were no longer in business here and the American Drug and Press Association, the Meritol Company, bought the building and expanded it. They made pharmaceuticals and patent medicines, and went bankrupt in 1932. Various other companies operated from here until 1955 when Decorah Tire Service took over. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. [1] The property was developed into a 15-unit apartment building, which opened in 2002. [3] In 2017 it was included as a contributing property in the Decorah Commercial Historic District. [4]

The significance of this building is derived from its association with water-powered manufacturing in Decorah, and wool milling in Iowa and the Midwest in the 19th century. The Upper Iowa River, the source of its water power, flowed by the building until 1949 when the United States Army Corps of Engineers diverted it to the north as a flood prevention measure. [2]

Related Research Articles

Peace Dale, Rhode Island United States historic place

Peace Dale is a village in the town of South Kingstown, Rhode Island. Together with the village of Wakefield, it is treated by the U.S. Census as a component of the census-designated place identified as Wakefield-Peacedale, Rhode Island.

Crystal Lake Falls Historic District United States historic place

The Crystal Lake Falls Historic District, also known as the Brick Kingdom, is a historic industrial and residential area in Barton, Vermont, United States. It is located along Water Street and Main Street, roughly paralleling Willoughby Brook, whose waters powered the area's industries. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 7, 1994.

Wheelockville, Massachusetts Village in Massachusetts, United States

Wheelockville is a village in the town (township) of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the village centering on Mendon and Henry streets is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Wheelockville Historic District. Wheelockville appears on the Blackstone U.S. Geological Survey Map. The Village receives municipal services from Uxbridge, for fire, police, EMS, School district, public works, and other services. Worcester's Judicial District includes Uxbridge District Court. The geography of Wheelockville includes several other distinct mill villages, including: Hecla and Elmdale.

Marine Mill United States historic place

The Marine Mill, established in 1839, was the first commercial sawmill in what became the U.S. state of Minnesota. Now in ruins, it is currently a historic site managed by the city of Marine on St. Croix in partnership with the Minnesota Historical Society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Marine Mill Site in 1970 for having state-level significance in the themes of exploration/settlement, industry, and transportation. It was nominated for being the birthplace of the region's seminal industry—lumbering—and a major landing on its crucial transportation route, the St. Croix River. The site is also a contributing property to the Marine on St. Croix Historic District.

National Register of Historic Places listings in Albemarle County, Virginia

This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Albemarle County, Virginia.

Shields Woolen Mill United States historic place

Shields Woolen Mill is located along the edge of the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa, United States. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1983. The building has been repurposed as commercial and office space called One River Place.

Winooski Falls Mill District United States historic place

The Winooski Falls Mill District is located along the Winooski River in the cities of Winooski and Burlington, Vermont, in the United States of America. It encompasses a major industrial area that developed around two sets of falls on the river in the 19th century.

Meeks Flour Mill United States historic place

Meek's Flour Mill is a historic building located in Bonaparte, Iowa, United States. William Meek and Dr. R.N. Cresap laid out the town of Meek's Mill in 1837. Although the town was renamed Bonaparte in 1841, the Meek family had a central role in its development through the turn of the 20th-century. The present building is a three-story, gable roofed, rectangular structure that was built on a raised basement of ashlar limestone blocks. It was constructed in 1878 by William's son Robert, who had succeeded his father in running the family businesses. He was assisted by his brothers Isaiah and Joseph. It replaced the original 1844 mill, which had been destroyed in a fire. While built on the same site, it is unknown if any part of the present structure was a part of the original mill. Two other structures belonging to the Meek's family are located nearby: a woolen mill (1853), and a saw mill (1860).

Bonaparte Historic Riverfront District United States historic place

The Bonaparte Historic Riverfront District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Bonaparte, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. At the time of its nomination it contained 38 resources, which included 24 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, 11 non-contributing buildings, and two non-contributing structures. Three mill-related buildings near the Des Moines River are associated with the Meek's family who had a central role in the town's development from its founding through the turn of the 20th-century. They include the woolen mill (1863), the flour mill (1878), which is individually listed on the National Register, and the pants factory (1892). Eighteen commercial buildings are of brick construction. Of those, eight are two-story structures, and ten are single-story structures. The remaining three buildings are wood frame commercial buildings. The single historic structure is the stone lock in the city park, which is also individually listed on the National Register.

Sankot Motor Company United States historic place

The Sankot Motor Company, also known as the Sankot Garage, is a historic building located in Belle Plaine, Iowa, United States. The historical significance of this building is its association with the increase in all-season travel and the development of businesses to serve them along the Lincoln Highway, the United States's first transcontinental route. It is a brick front building with side walls of clay tile that was constructed on a concrete foundation. The west half of the building was added in 1927. It was operated by O.B. Charles and Sid Sankot until 1937. They also sold Chryslers. Gasoline was sold from 1920 to 1944. F.L. Sankot bought the business in 1937. In addition to vehicle repair he sold Case and Oliver tractors and implements. William and Jerry Sankot purchased the business in 1985, and limited it to passenger, commercial and agricultural vehicle repairs. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It was included as a contributing property in the Belle Plaine Main Street Historic District in 2013.

Steyer Opera House United States historic place

Steyer Opera House is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The three-story, brick commercial block was designed by F.G. Brant of Dubuque. Its original owner and namesake was Joseph Steyer, who emigrated from Luxembourg in 1852 and settled in Decorah in 1865. The building was built in 1870 and an additional three bays were added to the east side in 1875. The first floor houses retail space, the second floor historically housed apartments, and the auditorium is on the third floor. The walls and ceiling are covered with tin that is pressed in a variety of decorative patterns. Doorways flank the proscenium. They are framed by paneled pilasters and capped with a broad architrave. The balcony that rings the main floor on three sides of the auditorium was part of the 1875 renovation of the building. It is now part of the neighboring Hotel Winneshiek. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. In 2017 it was included as a contributing property in the Decorah Commercial Historic District.

Painter-Bernatz Mill United States historic place

Painter-Bernatz Mill, also known as the Old Stone Mill, is a historic building located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. The original part of the mill was constructed by William Painter in 1851, and it was expanded to its present size in the next year or two. A mill race was constructed from a dam on the Upper Iowa River, and it was routed beneath the building to power the turbine. It was the first of at least 15 mills that used this river as its source of power. The lower two floors are composed of native limestone. The original hip roof was removed sometime between 1874 and 1890 and the present gable roof was built giving the mill a large loft. Diesel power replaced water power in 1947. The building continued to operate as a mill until 1964. It became a part of the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in 1971, and houses exhibits on agriculture and industry. It is also a site in the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area. The former mill is the oldest building in Decorah. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

Koren Hall United States historic place

Koren Hall, formerly known as Koren Library, is located on the campus of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1921, it served as the college's library until 1969 when Preus Library opened. Koren Hall was officially dedicated on October 14, 1921. The building is named for Ulrik Vilhelm Koren, one of the college's founders and a long-time supporter. From 1969 to 1978 it housed the Spiritual Life Center as well as offices and classrooms. The former reading room was converted into a chapel. The building now houses classrooms and offices for the social sciences, the Anthropology Lab, and the Anthropology Collections. The two to three story brick building was designed in the Neoclassical style by the Minneapolis architectural firm of Magney & Tusler. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. In 2021, the building was included as a contributing property in the Luther College Campus Historic District.

White, Munger and Company Store United States historic place

The White, Munger and Company Store is a historic building located in Winterset, Iowa, United States. Built in 1861 by Evan V. Evans who owned the property the building sits on, it is an early example of a vernacular limestone commercial building. The two-story structure is composed of locally quarried ashlar and rubble stone. It features a false front that hides the gable roof, a parapet with a bracketed stone cornice and cornice return. The storefront has subsequently been altered. White, Munger and Company operated a woolen mill east of town, and this store was associated with the mill. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and it was included as a contributing property in the Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District in 2015.

Waverly Municipal Hydroelectric Powerhouse United States historic place

Waverly Municipal Hydroelectric Powerhouse is a historic building located in Waverly, Iowa, United States. Mills were established on both sides of the Cedar River from the earliest years of Waverly, and they created the dam across the river. The towns first electric plant was privately owned and was established in the 1880s. The city bought the water rights and the dam in 1890, a new privately operated power plant went into operation in 1896. In 1908 the power plant was destroyed in an explosion and fire. Waterloo, Iowa architect John G. Ralston in collaboration with the Fargo Engineering Company of Jackson, Michigan designed the new facility that was completed the following year. A large wing that housed three diesel electric generating units, and an office addition were completed in 1938. The red brick facility features Neoclassical details, and is located on the east bank of the Cedar River. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. It was included as a contributing property in the Waverly East Bremer Avenue Commercial Historic District in 2014.

The Fowler Company Building United States historic place

The Fowler Company Building is a historic building located in Waterloo, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1884 by the city's most successful grocery wholesale business. They continued to operate from here until 1937. The three-story brick structure is an example of Late Victorian commercial architecture with Queen Anne influences. The building features pilasters, corbeling, canted-brick courses, and contrasting stone trim around and between the windows and at the street level. It is capped with an ornate metal cornice that contains pilasters, finials, pediments, floral and circle imagery, and quilted surface textures. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. In 2011 it was included as a contributing property in the Waterloo East Commercial Historic District.

Lewis System Armored Car and Detective Service Building United States historic place

The Lewis System Armored Car and Detective Service Building, also known as the Bell Tire and Rubber Company and Sioux City Tent and Awning, is a historic building located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. F.A. Martin and Richard Nash, who owned the property, had this two-story brick commercial building constructed in 1929. KB Construction, who built the building, occupied the second floor. Bell Tire and Rubber Company was the first business located on the first floor from 1930 to 1933. A few other businesses occupied the space until Sioux City Tent and Awning was located here from 1937 to 1941. The following year Lewis System moved in and remained until 1969. The second floor was converted into apartments about 1950.

Lattner Auditorium Building United States historic place

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.

Decorah Commercial Historic District United States historic place

The Decorah Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Decorah, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017. At the time of its nomination it contained 126 resources, which included 85 contributing buildings, one contributing structure, and 40 non-contributing buildings. The historic district covers most of the city's central business district. Water Street, which is a major thoroughfare through the district was named after a millrace (non-extant) that rerouted water from the Upper Iowa River to serve the needs of the mills and the commercial district. The land here is relatively flat and allowed for a linear shopping area. The Broadway–Phelps Park Historic District is largely a residential area that is located to the south.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 David C. Anderson. "Decorah Woolen Mill". National Park Service . Retrieved 2016-07-10. with photos
  3. "The Decorah Woolen Mill ready for residents". Heartland Properties, Inc. Retrieved 2016-07-10.
  4. Jan Olive Full. "Decorah Commercial Historic District". City of Decorah. Retrieved 2018-08-27.