Category: News

Endangered: White House Bathing Palace, Le Mars

Preservation Iowa’s Most Endangered 2018: White House Bathing Palace, Le Mars, Plymouth County The White House Bathing Palace first appears on the 1907 Sanborn map as containing a public bath house. Primary customers were railroad passengers stopping in Le Mars, but with the spread of indoor plumbing, its use as a public bath house diminished…. Read more »

Endangered: Jackson County Jail, Andrew

Preservation Iowa’s Most Endangered 2018: Jackson County Jail, Andrew (Jackson County) The Andrew Jail was constructed in 1871 of locally quarried Niagara limestone and is the only structural reminder that Andrew once served as the Jackson County seat (1841-1851 and 1861-1873). Even after the county seat moved to Maquoketa in 1873, the jail at Andrew… Read more »

Endangered: Thomas D. Murphy Co., Red Oak

Preservation Iowa’s Most Endangered 2018: Thomas D. Murphy Co., Red Oak (Montgomery County) The oldest section of this three-story brick factory was built in 1905 to house the world renowned Thomas D. Murphy Co., at one-time one of the nation’s largest makers of advertising art calendars. Designed by Omaha architect Harry Lawrie, the building was… Read more »

Endangered: Dr. J.W. Smith Building, Charles City

Preservation Iowa’s Most Endangered 2018: Dr. J.W. Smith Building, Charles City (Floyd County) The Dr. J.W. Smith Building at 201-203 N. Main was built in 1866 by Dr. Joel Washington Smith, one of the first physicians to move to what was then St. Charles and open a practice. For many years the building housed a… Read more »

Preservation Iowa Newsletter – Winter 2018

President’s Letter Last year was a dramatic year for the national preservation community. After months of advocacy, the 20 percent federal historic tax credit (FHTC) survived a significant rewrite of the tax code. Preservation Iowa partnered with Main Street Iowa, Smart Growth, and the National Trust to successfully convince Iowa’s congressional delegation that incentivizing the rehabilitation… Read more »

Attend a National Preservation Conference Without Leaving the State!

Join us in Des Moines for FORUM 2018! The National Alliance of Preservation Commissions (NAPC) is bringing the biennial FORUM to Des Moines, from July 18 to 22, 2018.  FORUM 2018 will feature dozens of educational sessions and discussion panels on topics ranging from the preservation of historic streetscapes, archaeology in historic districts, preservation zoning and… Read more »

Tornado Spurs McGregor City Hall Facade Restoration

Contributed by Duane Boelman, Deputy City Clerk and Economic Development Director at the City of McGregor.  The McGregor City Hall was constructed in 1917 as a Christian Science Church.  After the church closed in the 1970s, it served as a private residence, doctor’s office, and a Masonic Lodge before becoming the McGregor City Hall in… Read more »

Iowa Dept of Cultural Affairs Survey

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs would like to hear from you. You are invited to respond to a brief survey about the Department and its three divisions – the Iowa Arts Council, State Historical Society of Iowa and Produce Iowa, the State Office of Media Production. The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes and your response… Read more »

Study: Historic Tax Credit program is an Economic Driver for Iowa

Preservation promotes prosperity in communities across Iowa, according to a recently released economic impact study commissioned by Smart Growth Development – an Iowa bi-partisan non-profit coalition which advocates for policies promoting smart growth practices and historic rehabilitation. Heritage Works, a Dubuque-based nonprofit organization, specializing as a comprehensive resource for those engaged in preservation and redevelopment… Read more »

Section 1: Preservation Curriculum for Teachers

Find Your Preservation Story – Welcome! We’re delighted you want to bring the stories of Iowa’s historic buildings into your classroom.  To get you started we want to provide you with as many helpful, exciting educational resources as possible. In this packet, you’ll find: Guided lesson plans and literature recommendations for learning Activity ideas for… Read more »