Mason City is the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 28,079 in the 2010 census, a decline from 29,172 in the 2000 census. The Mason City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Cerro Gordo and Worth counties. It is commonly referred to as the "River City", as the city grew up centered on the Winnebago River.
The former First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 23 3rd Street, N.W. in Mason City, Iowa, is an historic structure that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and as a contributing property in the Mason City Downtown Historic District in 2005. It was designed by Minneapolis architect Clyde W. Smith and was deemed significant as a notable example of 1920s architectural eclecticism. It includes elements of Romanesque and Gothic Revival styles. Further, according to its NRHP nomination: "The design of the building reflects the propensity of Christian Scientists to break with traditional church planning and design. The building features no symbols, icons or other typical religious ornamentation that would be representative of a religious hall. Instead it reflects an 'advance design' exhibited in the highest quality construction techniques and standards of the era."
The Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank are two adjacent commercial buildings located in downtown Mason City, Iowa, United States which were designed in the Prairie School style by the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Completed in 1910, the Park Inn Hotel is the last remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed hotel in the world, of the six for which he was the architect of record. The City National Bank is one of only two remaining Frank Lloyd Wright-designed banks in the world. It was the first Frank Lloyd Wright-designed project in the state of Iowa, and today carries both major architectural and historical significance. In 1999, the Park Inn Hotel was named on the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance's Most Endangered Properties List.
The Dr. G.C. Stockman House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1908 for Dr. George C. and Eleanor Stockman in Mason City, Iowa. The home was originally located at 311 1st St. SE, but was moved to 530 1st St. NE to avoid demolition. It has been fully restored as a public museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It features numerous authentic period furnishings and reproduction pieces.
Frederick A. Henninger (1865–1944), commonly known as F. A. Henninger, was a leading architect of Omaha, Nebraska. He was born in 1865 at Albia, Iowa, and attended the Chicago Art Institute. He moved from Chicago to Lincoln, Nebraska, and in 1891 to Omaha. He worked as a draftsman for an architect in 1895 and purchased the practice in 1896. He worked as an architect in Omaha until his retirement in 1937. After retiring, he moved to Pasadena, California and died there in 1944.
The C.F. Franke House is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Built in 1916, the exterior of the two-story structure is covered with stucco. It utilizes the Mason City variant of the Prairie School style to stucco over corbelled masonry to form the wall panels for visual effect. Although the eaves on the second story were cut back almost flush with the walls, the house maintains its horizontal emphasis, including the grouping of the casement windows. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The E.R. Gibson House is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Built in 1915, this two-story stucco structure exhibits a strong Prairie School influence. It features a wide eaves, hip roof, a central chimney, and casement windows of leaded glass. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Lippert House is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Built in 1923, this two-story duplex is significant for its C-shaped plan and strong Prairie School influences. It features brick on the first floor, stucco on the second, wide eaves, broad hip roof, and a common utility wall. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The F.M. Norris House, also known as the Patton House and the Gerard Photography Studio, was a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Fred Magee Norris (1864-1938) served two terms as the mayor of the city. He was married to Elizabeth (Atkinson) Norris (1866-1933). They had Chris Rye build this Prairie School house for them. While Rye built some of Walter Burley Griffin's designs, it is possible that he designed this house himself. It featured a horizontal emphasis, wide eaves, broad hip roof, and stucco walls. The building was altered by Jerome J. Gerard (1913-2010) for his photography studio. In addition to his photographic work, he wrote for the magazine Popular Photography for 20 years. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It has subsequently been torn down.
The George Romey House, also known as the Bruce Girton House, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. George A. Romey was a local realtor who worked in partnership with William L. Patton. He had Fred Lippert design this Prairie School house, which was built by J.M. Felt & Company in 1920. Bruce Girton, the later owner, operated the family feed business. The two-story brick house features wide eaves, broad hip roof, and groups of casement windows. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Chris Rye House is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Rye was a local contractor who built this Prairie School influenced house for his family. He may have designed it as well. Rye was responsible for constructing many of Walter Burley Griffin's houses in the Rock Crest – Rock Glen development, as well as other buildings in north-central Iowa. The exterior of the two-story house is a unique combination of brick and stucco, and it's capped with a hip roof. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The Charles Seney House, also known as the Van Heel Residence, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. This house is attributed to local architect Einar Broaten and built by Sivert Rivedal, a native of Norway. It utilizes the Mason City variant of the Prairie School style to stucco over corbelled masonry to form the wall panels for visual effect. The two-story house, completed in 1913, is capped with a hip roof. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The C.P. Shipley House was a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Clinton Pardes Shipley (1851-1936) was a native of Baltimore County, Maryland. He married Margaret A. McMillin (1853-1940) in Mason City on November 17, 1875. The two-story Prairie School house, completed in 1913, had a stucco exterior, a broad hip roof and overhanging eaves. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The house has subsequently been torn down. The Globe Gazette building is now on the property.
The Curtis Yelland House is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Frank Lloyd Wright associate William Drummond designed this Prairie School style house, completed in 1910. The house features a strong horizontal emphasis, broad hip roofs, board-and-batten siding, stucco on the upper-story, and a centrally located fireplace and chimney round which the open plan interior revolves. The main entry is on the side of the house. The only entry to the front porch is from the living room. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The house suffered a devastating fire in 2008, and was almost torn down. However, developer Jeff Tierney bought the property and restored the house in 2010.
The Kirk is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1903, this was the city's first luxury apartment building. Horace P Kirk, who owned and managed the building, was a Mason City businessman, photographer, and civic leader. He built two other buildings here and to the north that were destroyed in a fire in 1902. This building was built on the site of Kirkland Flats, and parts of its stone foundation and north wall may be from the H.P. Kirk wholesale building that had been built in 1892. Originally The Kirk supplied heat, light, and water for the apartments with its own steam generating plant. It has subsequently acquired city utilities. The building features an eclectic design that is organized into horizontal and vertical elements. The horizontal is realized in wide brick bands on the floors. The vertical is realized in the copper-clad oriel windows that tie the second and third floors to the cornice. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and as a contributing property in the Mason City Downtown Historic District in 2005.
The First National Bank of Mason City, also known as Norwest Bank Building and City Center of Mason City, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. It was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen, and it was the only Mason City commission for this firm. Completed in 1911, it was constructed by C.E. Atkinson of Webster City, Iowa who had built several other H.F. Liebbe designs. The 6½-story building follows the Early Commercial style. It features modestly decorated main floor and attic level with five floors of rather plain brick construction in between. The bank occupied most of the first floor and some of the office space above, while the other office space was taken up by professional offices. By the 1960s the bank occupied the whole building. John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson, John Hamilton and Tommy Carroll robbed the bank on March 13,1934 and stole about $50,000. Dillinger was wounded in an exchange of gunfire during the heist. The building to the north of the bank was torn down in 1982 and a two-story annex to the bank replaced it. The bank building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and as a contributing property in the Mason City Downtown Historic District in 2005. City Center of Mason City Inc. bought the building in 1995, and remodeled it into apartments and offices.
Parker's Opera House, also known as Opera House Store, Woolworth's and Parker Place, is a historic building located in Mason City, Iowa, United States. It was designed by the prominent Des Moines architect William Foster. Cousins H.G. and A.T. Parker built this structure as an opera house, which was the first one in the community. While it initially filled a need in Mason City, it was replaced by more modern theatres around the turn of the 20th century. The third floor was created in the building in 1909 when it was placed across the middle of the auditorium. The first floor initially housed a clothing store, and F. W. Woolworth Company occupied it beginning in the mid-1920s, and the upper floors housed the local offices of the Standard Oil Company at the same time. The two-story addition in the rear was built in the 1960s. The first floor was redesigned in 1997 for Central Park Dentistry. The upper floors were converted into apartments in 2013.
The Rock Crest–Rock Glen 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 1979. At the time of its nomination it contained 10 resources, which included eight contributing buildings, one contributing site, and one non-contributing building. All of the buildings are houses designed in the Prairie School style, and are a part of a planned development. Joshua Melson, a local developer, bought the property along Willow Creek between 1902 and 1908. Initially, there were only going to be 10 houses built, but the number grew to 16. While only half the houses planned were actually constructed, it is still the largest cluster of Prairie School houses in the country. The one non-contributing house is the 1959 McNider House, a Modern movement structure that was built where one of the planned houses was to be built, but never was. The architects who contributed to the district include Walter Burley Griffin, who provided the initial plan for the development; Barry Byrne, who took over from Griffin; Marion Mahony Griffin, Walter Griffin's wife and an architect in her own right; and Einar Broaten. Frank Lloyd Wright had a design that was never built here. The plans were used to build the Isabel Roberts House in River Forest, Illinois instead.
The Sioux City Central High School and Central Annex, also known as the Castle on the Hill, are historic buildings located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. The high school building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The annex was added to the historic designation in 2016.
The Davidson Building is a historic building located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. It was constructed by local businessmen and real estate developers Ben and Dave Davidson. They saw the need for an upscale office building for professionals. They hired prominent local architect William L. Steele to design the Early Commercial-style structure. It was built by the leading contractor in the city, Lytle Construction Company. Completed in 1913, it was Sioux City's first office building. The exterior of the L-shaped, six-story building is composed of terra cotta panels separated by vertical bands of Roman style brick, and capped with an ornate cornice. It is Sullivanesque in its design. Commercial space is located on the first floor, and office space occupies the upper floors. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. In 2016 plans were unveiled to convert the building and the adjacent Warrior Hotel into a boutique hotel and apartments. The Davidson Building houses The Warrior Apartments, as well as 56 guest rooms for The Warrior Hotel on its second, third and fourth floors.
