Iowa City Downtown Historic District | |
Location | South Clinton to South Gilbert Sts., Iowa Ave. to alley south of East College St., Iowa City, Iowa |
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Coordinates | 41°39′36″N91°31′56″W / 41.66000°N 91.53222°W Coordinates: 41°39′36″N91°31′56″W / 41.66000°N 91.53222°W |
Area | 25 acres (10 ha) |
NRHP reference No. | 100006609 [1] |
Added to NRHP | May 27, 2021 |
The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. [1] At the time of its nomination it consisted of 102 resources, which included 73 contributing buildings, one contributing site, one contributing object, 21 non-contributing buildings, and seven non-contributing objects. [2] Eight buildings that were previously listed on the National Register are also included in the district. Iowa City's central business district developed adjacent to the Iowa Old Capitol Building and the main campus of the University of Iowa. This juxtaposition gives the area its energy with the overlap of university staff and students and the local community. [2] The district was significantly altered in the 1970s by the city's urban renewal effort that brought about the Ped Mall (City Plaza), which transformed two blocks of College Street from Clinton Street to Linn Street and Dubuque Street from Burlington Street to Washington Street. It is the contributing site and the large planters/retaining walls that are original to the project are counted together as the contributing object. There are also several freestanding, limestone planters, five contemporary sculptures, and a playground area are the non-contributing objects.
The district mainly contains commercial buildings that were built in the Early Classical Revival, the revival styles of the Late Victorian era, the Chicago Commercial Style, Art Deco, and the Art Moderne styles. [2] Modern architecture was introduced in the urban renewal years when new buildings were constructed and storefronts renovated. Architects of regional and local importance with buildings in the district include Chauncey Lovelace, Iowa City; Proudfoot & Bird and their successor firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson, Des Moines; Dieman & Fiske, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen, Des Moines; Vorse, Kraetsch & Kraetsch, Des Moines; H.L. Stevens & Company, Chicago; Kruse and Klein of Davenport, Iowa; and J. Bradley Rust, Iowa City. The Franklin Printing House (1856), Trinity Episcopal Church (1871), College Block Building (1883), Boerner-Fry Company/Davis Hotel (1899), Old Post Office (1904, 1931), Paul–Helen Building (1910), Englert Theatre (1912), and Johnson County Savings Bank (1912) are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Masonic Temple of Des Moines is a historic Beaux Arts style building located in Des Moines, Iowa. Constructed in 1913, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1997.
The Jasper County Courthouse is located in Newton, Iowa, United States, and was built from 1909 to 1911. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. In 2014 it was included as a contributing property in the Newton Downtown Historic District.
Trinity United Methodist Church is located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998 as Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, which was its previous name.
Proudfoot & Bird et al. was an American architectural firm or partnership that designed many buildings in the U.S. Midwest. Partners included Willis Thomas Proudfoot (1860–1928) and George Washington Bird (1854–1953) and Harry Dustan Rawson (1872–1934). At times it was known as Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson, Proudfoot, Rawson & Souers, Proudfoot, Rawson, Souers & Thomas,Monheim, Bird & Proudfoot, Proudfoot, Rawson Brooks & Borg, Brooks - Borg Architects - Engineers, Brooks Borg and Skiles Architects Engineers, and finally BBS Architects|Engineers.
The Des Moines City Hall in Des Moines, Iowa, United States was built in 1909-1910. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 10, 1977 as the Municipal Building, and became a contributing property in the Civic Center Historic District in 1988. The building serves as the seat for the government of the city of Des Moines. Beginning April 7, 2016, City Hall offices were temporarily relocated while the building underwent renovation. The construction was necessary to install modern heating, cooling, and sprinkler systems while preserving the historic character of the building. The project was expected to take 18–24 months. During that time, City Hall was closed to the public, and City offices moved to other nearby locations. Between February 26, 2018 and April 9, 2018, City offices moved back to City Hall.
Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen was an architectural firm in the U.S. state of Iowa. Their Kromer Flats was built in 1905. It designed a number of buildings that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
The Teachout Building is an historic building located in the East Village of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 2019 the building was included as a contributing property in the East Des Moines Commercial Historic District.
The Owl's Head Historic District is a residential area located on the west side of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Among its 50 buildings is the former Iowa governor's mansion. The district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.
The Prospect Park Second Plat Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in the north-central section of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The residential area contained middle to upper class housing that was developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the suburb of North Des Moines. It has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998. It is part of the Towards a Greater Des Moines MPS.
The Sherman Hill Historic District is located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. It is one of the oldest residential suburbs in Des Moines. Single-family houses were constructed beginning around 1880 and multi-family dwellings were built between 1900 and 1920. The district encompasses 80 acres (0.32 km2) and 210 buildings and is bounded by 15th Street to the East, High Street to the South, Martin Luther King Parkway on the West, and School Street to the North. The historic district has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.
The D.S. Chamberlain Building, also known as the L. W. Taylor Motor Company and Payne Motor Company Building, is a historic building located in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The two-story brick structure was designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson. Completed in 1917, it features elongated Chicago-style windows on the upper floors and simple geometric details on the cornice level that reflect the Collegiate Gothic style. The building was built as a speculative venture by Davis S. Chamberlain, who was one of the founders of his family's drug manufacturing company. It is located in the city's "Motor Row" or "Auto Row" on the west side of downtown. In 1916 there were 111 motor related firms in Des Moines that was valued at $12 million in annual trade. Both the Taylor Motor Company and the Payne Motor Company were housed in the double storefront building for many years. Other car dealerships followed. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The Herring Motor Car Company Building, also known as 10th Street Lofts, is a historic building located in downtown Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The building is a six-story brick structure that rises 90 feet (27 m) above the ground. It was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson in the Classical Revival style. Clyde L. Herring had the building built in 1912 and it was completed the following year. It was originally a four-story building and two more floors were added 18 months after it was originally built. By 1915 the company was building 32 Ford automobiles a day, and had delivered “more automobiles than any other one automobile agency in the United States”. Along with the neighboring Standard Glass and Paint Company Building it is part of the same loft apartment complex. The National Biscuit Company Building on the other side of the building has also been converted into an apartment building. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
The Foster/Bell House is an historic building located in Ottumwa, Iowa, United States. The original house on the property was the home of Judge H.B. Hendershott built in 1862. He sold the property to Thomas D. Foster in early 1890s. He was the chairman and general manager of the meat packing firm John Morrell & Company from 1893 to 1915. Foster hired architect Ernest Koch to design the present residence. It was originally a frame and stone house in the Neoclassical style that was completed in 1893. The house passed to Foster's daughter Ellen Foster Bell who hired the Des Moines architectural firm of Kraetsch and Kraetsch. They redesigned the exterior to its present Tudor Revival style in 1923. The architectural firm of Tinsley, McBroom & Higgins made significant changes to the interior in 1929. It features Sioux Falls red granite on the main floor.
Hallett & Rawson was an architectural partnership in Iowa. George E. Hallett and Harry Rawson were partners. Brooks, Borg & Skiles is the continuing, successor firm; its archives hold plans of the original Hallett & Rawson firm. Works by the individual architects and the firm include a number that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Downtown Commercial Historic District encompasses most of the central business district of Burlington, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. The historic district includes 65 properties that were part of a 2012 to 2013 survey of the area. It also includes as contributing properties the buildings in the West Jefferson Street Historic District and three buildings in the Manufacturing and Wholesale Historic District that were previously listed on the National Register. All total there are 122 resources within the district, which includes 108 contributing and 14 non-contributing properties.
The John H. Herman House is a historic house located at 711 South Story Street in Boone, Iowa.
The August H. Bergman House is a historic building located in Newton, Iowa, United States. Bergman was an investor in several washing machine companies, including Maytag. He was also a member of the Iowa Senate between 1922 and 1930. While there he was responsible for establishing the gasoline tax to support upgrading and paving the roads in the state. This is the only known example of a Mission Revival house designed by the prominent Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot & Bird. It was built by R. P. Rasmussen for $17,000 in 1909. It features a hipped red tile roof, stucco walls, stone trim, belvedere, Mission-shaped dormers, broad eaves, and a full-length single-story porch with a pergola.
Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. Additional documentation for the district was approved by the National Park Service on January 4, 2019. At the time of its nomination it contained 177 resources, which included 100 contributing buildings, one contributing site, one contributing structure, five contributing objects, 64 non-contributing buildings, three non-contributing structures, and three non-contributing objects. The district covers the city's central business district, mainly along Central Avenue, but also along the adjoining streets as well. Commercial development in the district began with the city's original plat in 1854 and continued through the opening of the Crossroads Mall in 1964. Webster County Courthouse (1902), First National Bank Building (1908), and the Wahkonsa Hotel (1910) are all located in the district and are individually listed on the National Register.
The Mason City Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. At the time of its nomination it contained 93 resources, which included 63 contributing buildings, one contributing site, four objects, 22 non-contributing buildings, and three non-contributing objects. Platted in 1855, Mason City is a commercial and industrial center for north central Iowa. It was also a railroad center, but the tracks bypassed the central business district in order to serve the industries located on the north side of town and the wholesale enterprises on the south side. Central Park, a public square, was part of the city's original plat and is the contributing site.
The Jefferson Street Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 39 resources, which included 36 contributing buildings and three non-contributing buildings. This section of the city started to develop to its present form in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this period the neighborhood was transformed from residential to include churches and buildings associated with the University of Iowa and its hospitals. Both professionals and business owners lived here, along with working-class people. Graduate students, especially those associated with the medical professions, resided in apartment buildings here. Four architecturally significant churches, along with their attendant buildings, are located in the district.