The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today announced $600,000 in grants for historic preservation projects in or near Creston, Decorah, Elkader, Keokuk and Muscatine. Iowa’s Rural Heritage Revitalization Grants will help rural communities preserve their history and foster economic development through the preservation of historic properties. The grants are funded by the U.S. Department of… Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Rural Preservation: Worth Brewing Company Northwood—a town with about 2000 residents—had problem that many small towns in rural Iowa face—a vacant building in the historic downtown. In this case, it was The Oddfellows-Erickson building. This two-story brick structure in the Italianate style was designed by J.L. Rood of St. Paul,… Read more »
2015 Preservation at its Best, Rural Preservation: Priester Building and Opera House Bloomfield has about 2600 residents and is the county seat of Davis County. A key defining characteristic of many rural communities is the courthouse square surrounded on all sides by small storefronts. Unfortunately, many communities have several missing buildings—even entire missing blocks–surrounding their… Read more »
Preservation Iowa’s 2012 Most Endangered Buildings: Nelson Brothers Hardware Store (Orient, Adair County) The Nelson Brothers Hardware Store building was built in 1902, originally C.I. Wiley Hardware. From there, the building was a constant mainstay of Orient’s commercial district. The building is still known today by the small, rural community as Nelson Brothers Hardware Store–which was… Read more »
