In June, the State Historical Society of Iowa awarded $538,000 in Historical Resource Development Program grants for projects to preserve museum collections and country schools, invest in communities through historic preservation, and promote Iowa history. Here are a few examples: The Taylor County Historical Society in Bedford received $50,000 to hire an architect, engineer and… Read more »
The Most Endangered Properties program started in 1995 to educate Iowans about the special buildings, sites, and structures that are slowly and gradually slipping away from us. The Most Endangered Properties program provides an excellent resource for media coverage and introduces owners of an endangered property to preservation advocacy and resources that can help preserve… Read more »
During the 2019 Preserve Iowa Summit in Newton, the State Historical Society, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, presented its annual Preservation Project of Merit Awards to historic properties in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Northwood and Waterloo. The awards recognize projects that exemplify the best practices of historic preservation, meet the U.S…. Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Large Commercial The 1909 Wilkins Department Store building was the first reinforced concrete building in Des Moines. In 1924 it was annexed to the newly constructed Younkers Building. Following Younkers’ closure in the early 2000s, the building sat vacant for 10 years before a developer began rehabilitation. In 2014, a… Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Small/Medium Commercial The Daniels Brothers Super Service Station opened in 1929 as the third outlet for the Des Moines-based auto supply and service chain founded in 1919. This brick-and-stone-accented service station with Tudor Revival touches is an auto-row property described as “a department store for vehicles.” Owner/developer RE3, architect Goche… Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Multifamily Residential The L. Harbach and Sons factory complex, consisting of two functionally related 5-story brick buildings separated by a paved courtyard, is a rare surviving warehouse-factory complex from early 20th century Des Moines. Kent Mauck Encore Properties, the current owner of the 1906 complex, rehabilitated the two buildings as… Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Adaptive Reuse Four Oaks and ASK Studio/AKAY Consulting transformed vacated Monroe Elementary School in Cedar Rapids into 19 multi-family apartments called Monroe Place. With its original footprint and many of architectural features still in place, the 1961 building’s historic use is immediately apparent even now that it serves as modern… Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Community Effort The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District in Sioux City is a 30-acre site that contains surviving structures, foundations, buildings, and a rail yard from the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad shops. The district is home to one of seven surviving roundhouse terminal landscapes in the nation…. Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Special Project The Woodbury Court House in Sioux City is one of the finest examples of Prairie Architecture in the United States. It is a National Landmark and listed on the National Register. To commemorate the building’s 100th anniversary, the Woodbury County Supervisors appointed a committee to plan a week-long… Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Sustainability in Preservation Fort Des Moines is a symbol of Iowa’s civil right leadership. As the home of the first African American officer training program, in 1917, and the nation’s first Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, during World War II, the fort’s buildings are visible reminders of Iowa’s progressive past. Blackbird… Read more »
