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Home My WebLink AboutHPC Agenda Packet 1.14.2021 Thursday January14, 2021 5:30 p.m. Electronic Zoom Meeting Platform IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION Thursday, January 14, 2021 Electronic Meeting – 5:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting Platform Agenda A) Call to Order B) Roll Call C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda D) Public Hearing Local Landmark Designation – 2525 Highlander Place – Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center E) National Register Nomination – Iowa City Central Business District F) Report on Certificates issued by Chair and Staff Minor Review –Staff review 315 Brown Street – Brown Street Historic District (deteriorated sash replacement) G) Consideration of Minutes for December 10, 2020 H) Commission Discussion 319 Van Buren Street I) Commission Information J) Adjournment If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jessica Bristow, Urban Planning, at 319-356-5243 or at jessica-bristow@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public presented by COVID-19. You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by going to https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0pcO-tqD0jGde1HXYObH9t75PwWKMhUiMS to visit the Zoom meeting’s registration page and submit the required information. After registering, you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. If you have no computer or smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you can call in by phone by dialing (312) 626-6799 and entering the meeting ID 994 7656 6933 when prompted. Providing comment in person is not an option. Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission City Hall, 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City. IA. 52240 Memorandum Date:January 7, 2021 To:Historic Preservation Commission From:Jessica Bristow, Historic Preservation Planner Re:2525 Highlander Place, Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center The applicant, property owner Angela Harrington, has requested that the property at 2525 Highlander Place be designated as an Iowa City Historic Landmark. Designation of the property as an Iowa City Historic Landmark will require Commission approval of any significant changes to the exterior of the building. Landmark status will also make the property eligible for special exceptions that would allow the Board of Adjustment to waive or modify certain zoning requirements and for State Tax Credit funding of rehabilitation work. As described in the attached Site Inventory Form, the Highlander Supper Club was built in 1967 and the convention center, a part of the original concept, was added in 1973. The original Supper Club is a single-story building to the west end of the complex. The Convention Center addition includes the central section with ballroom, two wings of rooms to the east and the pool and courtyard between them. The brown brick-clad Supper Club features a mansard cornice and stone entry wall. Four steel columns that were original canopy supports also remain. The Convention Center addition is clad in similar brick with a heavy cornice band and a rhythm of large glass sections separated by brick pilasters. The lobby vestibule is clad in the same stone as the entry wall on the earlier Supper Club. The hotel wings have a similar treatment with the lower portion of the wall also clad in brick and the pattern encompassing two stories. The original windows have been replaced. The pool addition has an operable glass wall opening on to a grass courtyard between the hotel wings. A two-story café and penthouse open onto the west end of the pool area as do some of the hotel rooms. This site inventory form evaluates the property according to the National Register criteria as required by the state. Since this property includes the Convention Center as a contributing portion of the building, and it is less than 50 years old, Criteria Consideration G, for properties less than 50 years old, is included in the discussion of the building’s significance. The justification outlined is that the Convention Center was part of the original development project and while it was not built at the same time, it was built soon after. The Convention Center was a necessary addition to continue the viability of the supper club business and was designed to work with the original design. While the local landmark process does not include similar Criteria Considerations, this discussion provides appropriate documentation for the Commission to consider the eligibility of the building as a whole instead of excluding the Convention Center. Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission City Hall, 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City. IA. 52240 The Commission should determine if the property meets criterion A. and B. and at least one of the criteria C., D., E., or F. for local designation listed below: a. Significant to American and/or Iowa City history, architecture, archaeology and culture; b. Possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship; c. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; d. Associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; e. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction; or represents the work of a master; or possesses high artistic values; or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; f. Has yielded or may likely yield information important in prehistory or history. The Site Inventory Form summarizes the cultural importance of the supper club to the Iowa City community and the University of Iowa. These relationships illustrate the importance of the super club in our culture’s recent history. While there have been changes, primarily to the interior finishes, much of the exterior maintains its architectural integrity either visibly or beneath recent alterations which can be reversed. For these reasons, staff finds that this building meets criteria A and B for local landmark designation. The detailed discussion of the development project that resulted in the construction of the Supper Club and the later addition are an example of the inventiveness of late 1960s design and engineering tied to consumerism and the mid-west, middle-class culture of recreation and vehicular travel. Because of this part of the building’s complex history, staff finds that it meets criteria C for local landmark designation. In addition, the use of modern construction materials such as light steel and haydite block, with large expanses of glass, and the entry design of thin columns supporting a heavy canopy all combine to embody the late 1960s design aesthetic. While the west canopy is missing (except for the columns) and the south canopy is obscured beneath modern materials, the changes could be reversed. Interior construction innovations such as the Glu-Lam timbers in the Supper Club and the early enclosed pool remain intact. Because of the integrity of the contemporary design innovations, staff finds that the building meets criteria E for local landmark designation. Based on the information provided in the Site Inventory Form, staff finds that the property meets criteria A, B, C, and E and therefore qualifies as an Iowa City Historic Landmark. Recommended Motion: Move to approve the designation of 2525 Highlander Place (Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center) as an Iowa City Historic Landmark based on the following criteria for local designation: criteria A, B, C, and E. STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE IOWA SITE INVENTORY 600 East Locust Street | Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-8742 | Fax: (515) 282-0502 www.iowahistory.org/historicpreservation July 2014 JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM 1 OF 3 State Inventory Number: __________________________________ New Supplemental 'LJLW6+325HYLHZDQG&RPSOLDQFH5 &1XPEHU ______________________________ 1RQ([WDQW<HDU ______________________ IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM Read the Iowa Site Inventory Form Instructions carefully, to ensure accuracy and completeness before completing this form. The instructions are available at KWWSZZZLRZDKLVWRU\RUJKLVWRULFSUHVHUYDWLRQVWDWHZLGHLQYHQWRU\DQGFROOHFWLRQVLRZDVLWHLQYHQWRU\IRUPKWPO Basic Information Historic Building Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Other Names: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________ Vicinity County: _____________________ State: _________________ZIP: ____________________________ LEGAL DESCRIPTION Rural Urban Township Name: ______________________________________________ Subdivision: ________________________________________________________________ Township No.: ________________________________________________ Block(s): ___________________________________________________________________ Range No.: ___________________________________________________ Lot(s): ____________________________________________________________________ Section: _____________________________________________________ Quarter: _______________________ of __________________________ &ODVVLȴFDWLRQ A. PROPERTY CATEGORY: B. NUMBER OF RESOURCES (WITHIN PROPERTY): Building(s)If eligible property, enter number of: If non-eligible property, enter number of: District Contributing Noncontributing Site Buildings Buildings Structure Sites Sites Object Structures Structures Objects Objects Total Total C. STATUS OF PROPERTIES LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES Listed 'HOLVWHG NHL NPS DOE D. FOR PROPERTIES WITHIN A HISTORIC DISTRICT 3URSHUW\FRQWULEXWHVWRD1DWLRQDO5HJLVWHURUORFDOFHUWLȴHGKLVWRULFGLVWULFW Property contributes to a potential historic district, based on professional historic/architectural survey and evaluation. Property does not contribute to the historic district in which it is located. Historic District Name: ________________________________________________ Historic District Site Number: ____________________________________________________ E. NAME OF RELATED PROJECT REPORT OR MULTIPLE PROPERTY STUDY (if applicable) MPD Title: _________________________________________________________ Historical Architectural Database No. ______________________________________________ Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center 2525 Highlander Place Iowa City Johnson Iowa 52245-1111 1 1 1 4 61 JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM 2 OF 3 Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________________________________________________ County: _______________________________________________ Site Number: ____________________________________________________________________________ District Number: _________________________________________ Function or Use Enter categories (codes and terms) from the Iowa Site Inventory Form Instructions A. HISTORIC FUNCTIONS B. CURRENT FUNCTIONS Description A. ARCHITECTURAL CLASSIFICATION B. MATERIALS _________________________________________________________________________ Foundation (visible exterior): _______________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Walls (visible exterior): ___________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Roof: _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________ Other: ________________________________________________________ C. NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION 5 See continuation sheets which must be completed. 6WDWHPHQWRI6LJQLȴFDQFH A. APPLICABLE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CRITERIA (mark your opinion of eligibility after applying relevant National Register criteria) &ULWHULRQ$3URSHUW\LVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKVLJQLȴFDQWHYHQWV Yes No More research recommended &ULWHULRQ%3URSHUW\LVDVVRFLDWHGZLWKWKHOLYHVRIVLJQLȴFDQWSHUVRQV Yes No More research recommended Criterion C: Property has distinctive architectural characteristics. Yes No More research recommended &ULWHULRQ'3URSHUW\\LHOGVVLJQLȴFDQWLQIRUPDWLRQLQDUFKDHRORJ\KLVWRU\ Yes No More research recommended B. SPECIAL CRITERIA CONSIDERATIONS (mark any special considerations; leave blank if none) A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure. B. Removed from its original location. F. A commemorative property. C. A birthplace or grave. *3URSHUW\OHVVWKDQ\HDUVRISDJHRUDFKLHYHGVLJQLȴFDQFHZLWKLQWKHSDVW\HDUV D. A cemetery C. AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (enter categories from instructions) D. PERIOD(S) OF SIGNIFICANCE ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ E. SIGNIFICANT DATES F. SIGNIFICANT PERSON (complete if Criterion B is marked above) Construction Date: _________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ Other Dates (including renovations): ___________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ G. CULTURAL AFFILIATION (complete if Criterion D is marked above) H. ARCHITECT/BUILDER ________________________________________________________________ Architect: __________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Builder/Contractor: __________________________________________________ I. NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 5 See continuation sheets which must be completed. 2525 Highlander Place Iowa City Johnson 01-Domestic 01D-Transitory Housing 01D01-inn 02G-Restaurant 01-Domestic 01D-Transitory Housing 01D01-inn 09F08-Roadside Commercial 10-concrete 03 Brick 15-Synthetics ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ 02 Architecture 1967-1973 1967, 1973 *** David C. Moore, Drew McNamara & Asso. Thompson Construction, Selzer Construction JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM 3 OF 3 Address: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________________________________________________ County: _______________________________________________ Site Number: ____________________________________________________________________________ District Number: _________________________________________ Bibliography 5 See continuation sheets for the list research sources used in preparing this form. Geographic Data OPTIONAL UTM REFERENCES See continuation sheet for additional UTM or comments Zone Easting Northing NAD 1. 2. 3. 4. Form Preparation Name and Title: _________________________________________________________________________________________________Date: ___________________________ Organization/Firm: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street Address: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________________________________________________________ State: _________________ZIP: ____________________________ Email: _________________________________________________________________________________ Telephone: _____________________________________________ Additional Documentation A. FOR ALL PROPERTIES, ATTACH THE FOLLOWING, AS SPECIFIED IN THE IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM INSTRUCTIONS 1. Map of property’s location within the community. *ORVV\FRORU[SKRWRVODEHOHGRQEDFNZLWKSURSHUW\EXLOGLQJQDPHDGGUHVVGDWHWDNHQYLHZVKRZQDQGXQLTXHSKRWRQXPEHU 3KRWRNH\VKRZLQJHDFKSKRWRQXPEHURQDPDSDQGRUȵRRUSODQXVLQJDUURZVQH[WWRSHDFKSKRWRQXPEHUWRLQGLFDWHWKHORFDWLRQDQGGLUHFWLRQDOYLHZRIHDFKSKRWRJUDSK 4. Site plan of buildings/structures on site, identifying boundaries, public roads, and building/structure footprints. B. FOR ALL STATE HISTORIC TAX CREDIT PART 1 APPLICATIONS, HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND FARMSTEADS, AND BARNS See lists of special requirements and attachments in the Iowa Site Inventory Form Instructions. 6WDWH+LVWRULF3UHVHUYDWLRQ2ɝFH6+328VH2QO\ The SHPO has reviewed the Site Inventory and concurs with above survey opinion on National Register eligibility: Yes No More research recommended This is a locally designated property or part of a locally designated district. Comments: SHPO Authorized Signature:______________________________________________________________________________Date: ___________________________________ 2525 Highlander Place Iowa City Johnson 15 652128 4616354 15 625324 4616330 15 625296 4616190 15 625138 4616208 James E. Jacobsen September 3, 2020 Des Moines Iowa 50312 historypays@gmail.com 515-274-3625 JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM OF STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE IOWA SITE INVENTORY 600 East Locust Street | Des Moines, IA 50319 (515) 281-8742 | Fax: (515) 282-0502 www.iowahistory.org/historicpreservation July 2014 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM – CONTINUATION SHEET Name of Property: ________________________________________________________________________________ Site Number: __________________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________________________________ Related District Number: _________________ City: ____________________________________________________ County: _______________________________ Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center 2525 Highlander Place Iowa City Johnson Refer to continuation sheets, attached. 1 Highland Inn Continuation Pages Description: The Highlander Inn is a substantial motel complex that is located at the intersection of State Highway #1 with Interstate 80, just northeast of Iowa City proper. The building is centered on a nine-acre level site in the northeast corner of that intersection and consists of a mix of one and two-story steel and concrete construction. The original supper club component with a half-basement, occupies the west one-third of the plan, while the more substantial motel addition, consisting of lower-profile ball room, meeting rooms, hallways and support areas with an east end pair of two-story motel rooms is to the east. The wings frame an open-plan enclosed pool area on the west end. The building exterior is brick veneered. The supper club component has a mansard cornice and a stone-faced west entry with remnant portico columns. The current south entrance features an oversized square-cut portico entrance. Paved parking surrounds the building to the north west and south. The courtyard and the property to the east of it are grassed. Figure 7-1: Johnson County Assessor’s property sketch, 2020 Figure 1 depicts the building layout and scale. The extreme western section (83 feet by 105 feet) is the original supper club and its southern plan half is the only basement area (housing one large meeting room, mechanicals and a kitchen area that links upstairs via a dumb waiter). The rest of the building comprises the motel addition. The easternmost portions (BLDG 1 and 2 and ADDN 1) are two stories in height. ADDN 1 contains the pool/court and a two-story west end office area, now a kitchen on the first floor. All of the motel rooms are contained within the twin east wings. The inner rooms of west portions of each of these wings are contained within the pool/courtyard. The exterior building profile is both elongated and low-level in appearance despite the two-story wings. Much of the west half of the building exterior is un-fenestrated and this is particularly the case along the northwest back of the building where kitchens and other support spaces are set opposite the exterior walls. This exterior is wood surfaced. The motel expanses have the expected unbroken cadence of window bands on both floor levels. The only interruption is corner and mid-point exit/entrances. There are two architectural entrance 2 points. The current south entrance consists of a rather blocky portico with substantial-appearing square-cut brick column supports. Here the building exterior is fully glassed on both sides of the entry. The west end entrance, no longer in use has lost its portico but retains its four support columns and its patio surface and what was the original entrance, which is stone-veneered. The east motel end walls are un-fenestrated save for hall windows on each level that are centered on the plan. Within the courtyard, the interior walls of the two wings are banded with window openings on the upper floor, and have paired doors and side windows below. Each room bay front is recessed slightly behind pilasters and an overhanging roof. The east pool/court wall is mostly glass, consisting of operable end overhead doors and two mid-wall inoperable overhead door sections. The building roof profile is rather complex apart from the differing floor levels. Most notably the south entrance, a central hall and the main ball room area have an elevated roof level as does the core of the former west-end supper club. The pool/court roof level is higher than the motel wings. Figure 7-2: Rooftop view of the building looking north (Johnson County Assessor, 2020) (note that the west canopy beams are still in place, pergola-like) Inside, the building layout is both rather straight forward but in some support areas it is a virtual labyrinth of support areas. Figure 7-3 is a largely current summation of the major rom arrangement. All of the kitchen areas are located in the north part of the west end of the plan and this includes space in the basement. The ballroom is the very large area that is north of the south entrance. There is a central hall that is flanked by offices and restrooms (to the east). There is an elongated open plan area in the southeast corner of the west end of the plan. Offices to the east of the south entrance now consist of a small lobby and one office on the east end (the west wall is inscribed with notable guests and entertainers there since 1974). The pool/court is the large rectangle to the right of plan center. The courtyard is to the east of it. 3 Figure 7-3: Building thumbprint plan (Building plans) The structural system is that of thin (four-inch thick) concrete block walls and webbed steel trusses with galvanized steel roofing. The motel wings are roofed using pre-cast concrete slabs (see construction photos, Section 8) All interior ceilings are steel joist framed and perimeter walls are of concrete block construction with exterior brick veneer. Figures 7-4, 7-5: Images showing the ceiling truss system and roofing, 1990 images (Owner scrapbook) The motel rooms are all identical in plan with corner bathrooms set against the halls and paired as shown in Figure 7-3. Some rooms have connective interior doors. Pool/court units have side doors on the ground floor while upper level rooms have doors that lead out to a balcony. 4 Figure 7-6: Dance floor supper club space, looking north (Owner scrapbook) The building material of special interest in the former supper club area is the use of “Glu-Lam” timbers to frame the higher ceiling. All of the heavy structure of the 1966 original building used composite beams but the ceiling open trusses allowed for the open headroom depicted in Figure 7-6. Still in use today, Douglas Fir is a preferred wood type. Haydite block, a light-weight alternative to concrete block, was used in the walls of the original building at least. Figure 7-7: Wall profiles, 1966 plan showing footings (Building plans) 5 Figure 7-8: Profile of Glu-Lam beams, looking north (original plans) The motel addition used Travertine stone to cover the sides of the lobby vestibule and the same stone was observed used as a cladding for the south portico. The current portico might retain this material beneath its existing EFIS covering. Alterations: The alteration history of this building is a complex one given its enlargement and repurposing over time. At the same time, a multi-use building of this type is particularly prone to continual cosmetic make-overs necessary to curry public favor. For this building, the successive re-branding by three national motel chains translated into substantial make-overs. The latter changes have occurred at such a scale as to substantially reduce the chances of retained original finishes and in some instances original room layouts. The integrity section will treat this matter but the bottom line is that integrity will reside largely in the building exterior, massing, exterior and structural materials and systems and in the more monumental interior spaces. The original supper club had three uniquely designed dining rooms and a Banquet Room, Party Room and a cocktail lounge. The convention center added a dining room, the ballroom, a poolside lounge and contained meeting rooms that could suit parties of five to two hundred. The ballroom could serve 750 to 900 in banquet or theater style. Table I: Alterations Summary Date Description Source October 1964 Complete complex conceptual design Site plan, Hansen Lind and Associates Undated Motel and restaurant plans Plan, Hansen, Lind and Meyer Associates July 1966 Original design and construction, Plans, David C. Moore, architect, Black Watch Supper Club July 15, 1966 Plan for Iowa Steel and Iron Works, Cedar Rapids, Thompson Construction Company Jan. 28, 1971 Cocktail lounge addition, not built Plans, Drew McNamara & Associates Nov. 15, 1971 Initial plans, motel addition Plans, Drew McNamara & Associates Dec. 1973 Kitchen enlargement plans ME Engineering & Associates, Bouse, Bradley & Hynes, Cedar Rapids 1973 Plan for a pool house at east end of the courtyard with a triangle-shaped lounge at the west end of the open court Plans, Drew McNamara & Associates Feb. 9, 1975 Outside pool plan (not used) Plans, FPC Equipment Planner, Inc. Memphis 6 Date Description Source Oct. 30, 1979 Remodel dining hall Plans, H. R. Lubben Company May 1980 Main lobby remodel Plans, H. R. Lubben Company June 2, 1981 Supper club south wall bump-out and skylight for lounge, not built Plans Aug. 24, 1982 Hot tub pool addition Plans, Selzer Construction Co., Iowa City Oct. 28, 1982 Remodel supper club, bar area, vaulted ceiling, bar area apparently constructed April 14, 1983, May 18, 1984 Amana display area and poolside “band stand” Plans, J. Pink Oct. 10, 1983 Lobby hallway remodel, construct stained glass interior dome (non-extant) Plans, Selzer Construction Co., Iowa City May 1986 Remodel lobby, bar Dec. 10, 1987 Remodel south pool and bar entrance Plans, Selzer Construction Co., Iowa City 1994 Motel room renovation to a contemporary style with valences, wallpaper, carpet, in-room coffee makers “Main Course”, March 1995 1996 Need for more convention space, eateries reduced to new Prime Grille, new “west ballroom” in former supper club, no more formal dining, chairs on casters, use of more natural light, “casually elegant” dining “Main Course”, Fall 1996 Nov. 14, 1997 Radisson transformation of south entry and interior Plans, Cowetta Seward Asso. Inc. 1998 Automatic door south entry, enlarged lobby, new Italian tile foyer, new mahogany service desk and remodeled lobby, remodeled guest rooms with electronic room locks, larger desks, irons and ironing boards, data ports, voice mail, ballroom given new look with wall coverings, adjustable lighting, room divider to split space, exercise room adjacent to the pool, garden courtyard landscaped with native plants, McGurk’s Pub to east of pool “Main Course”, Fall 1998; Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998 1999 Just two eateries, McGurk’s Pub and the Prime Grille, return of “old menu.” “Main Course”, Spring 1999 Jan. 3, 2000 $10,000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor July 31, 2000 $,60000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor Feb. 12, 2003 $3,000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor May 24, 2006 $82,676 expenditure Johnson County Assessor Oct. 13, 2008 Quality Inn & Suites remodel, replace pool court east windows Plans, Wilkerson Construction Nov. 26, 2008 $12,000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor April 30, 2009 $7,417 expenditure Johnson County Assessor Jan. 15, 2011 Promised Clarion Motels $250,000 renovation Clarion motel chain, Cedar Rapids Gazette Aug. 31, 2011 $6,000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor Oct. 20, 2011 $25,000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor Oct. 24, 2013 $25,000 expenditure Johnson County Assessor 7 Date Description Source Dec. 2019 Current remodeling, replace pool court east windows, remove bandstand/pergola, eliminate service desk, remodel bar area August 10, 2020 Derecho wind damage removes supper club roof and causes extensive interior water damage Integrity Evaluation: The historical integrity of this building is predominantly expressed by the building massing and exterior brickwork and its entrances. Given the ever-evolving nature of its interior main room remodeling’s, the same is true of its key surviving components, the pool area and motel wings, the ballroom, the original supper club space, the basement Garden Room, the main hallway, south main hall, and the kitchen areas. Its integrity of location is strong given not been moved and it retains the commercial aspects of its site. Integrity of design is good, the original exterior design remaining intact and visually accessible. The original supper club exterior is very much intact, having lost only its wood shingle mansard cladding and the roof portion of its original portico (the four columns curiously survive). The south portico survives though altered in its lower massing but the overall building lines and massing survive. Exterior brickwork and the fenestration patterns on the motel wings survive although the windows have been replaced with inappropriate multi-paned lights. Integrity of setting is strong with the retention of oversized paved parking in three directions and the retention of a mixed retail/office commercial mix of buildings to the east, north and west. The physical proximity of the interstate highway and state highway is retained although tree growth now substantially obscures what was an open exposure. Integrity of materials is good, with the exterior brickwork and mortar being very well preserved, as are the structural components of the whole complex. The original concrete pool survives as does much of the 1973 pool area wall treatment. The more substantial losses are the motel wing windows and the original reception desk. Integrity of workmanship is good, the most visible examples being the brickwork, the supper club ceiling beams, pool, and the building’s structural system. Integrity of feeling is strong given the retention of the building massing, roof lines, points of entry, and key interior spaces (kitchens, pool area, ballroom, halls, motel wings, supper club interior, basement Garden Room). Integrity of association is good to moderate. A former guest or employee could readily find the building, see it as recognizable in its current appearance and find the same feel relative to adjacent properties, and open ground. 8 Historical Significance Evaluation and Recommendation: The Highlander Supper Club and its later iterations is individually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places on the local level. It is architecturally significant (Criterion C) as a well-preserved example of its type, the post-World War II supper club. The original building represented the architectural zenith of the building type inasmuch as this was a purpose-built club having a unified theme throughout its history. Its design employed state-of-the-art building materials to realize the vision of its developers. Haydite block was used as a thinner and lighter wall block. Glu-lam beams were used to form the supper club raised roof and Behlen steel was used to achieve the necessary clear spans across the plan. The motel expansion employed one of the earliest enclosed pools. It is historically significant for its long-term successful operation as an interstate highway-based supper club that combined substantial local community support (including sustained associations with the University of Iowa sports programs) with serving as an area entertainment venue. The period of significance is 1967-1973 with the key dates of 1968 and 1973. The supper club and its expanded convention center and motel facilities represented the completion of the original vision of its founders. The added capacity allowed the supper club to survive for decades and made possible a scale of operations that similarly made the business a success as well as a local and regional destination point. The post-expansion history lies outside of the period of significance but it is a testament to the public memory of the Highlander. The convention center-motel-supper club became “one of the most popular venues in the state for meetings, conferences, weddings and just dining out.” For 30 years it hosted the University of Iowa I-Club pre-football home game breakfast events and it was an entertainment venue for a broad range of notable singers. It developed a cooperative working relationship with the nearby Herbert Hoover National Historic Site at West Branch. A three-day series of seminars were held there in early August 1974 as “the Presidency of Herbert Hoover” involving 14 sponsoring colleges and universities. Former president, Gerald Ford participated in a reception in October 1989 as part of another seminar “The Public Life of Former Presidents: Personal Reflections” held at the historic site. An office wall in the motel office was dedicated to serving as a signatory space for notable entertainers, sports figures (primarily golfers) and other luminaries.1 Figure 8-1 summarizes the reaction of locating a supper club a good distance from anywhere, out in the boonies so to speak. Even proximity to the interstate highway was yet to be seen as a locational advantage. Most early supper clubs were rurally located, some distance from yet in proximity to an urban center. Robert McGurk obviously saw what others, even his banker did not, that the finished club/convention center would become a draw in its own right. It would also drive commercial development at the highway intersection in the long term, and that development would provide additional customers to his business. As will be seen, the final pool design was long in coming and a number of alternatives were explored, both inside and outside. Finally, it was decided to build the existing pool complex, doubling what became the pool lounge single-story building and incorporating it into the pool structural system. 1 Cedar Rapids Gazette, August 10, 1974 and National Archives and Records Administration, News from The Archives, Summer 1989, p. 6 9 Figure 8-1: An all-season enclosed pool is the saving factor (Pool News, January 20, 1975) Figure 8-2 explains how the contractor solved the problem of designing an enclosed pool complex that didn’t chlorinate the adjacent motel rooms or melt hairdos with a constant high humidity. The pool structural system, consisting of two steel deck levels separated by four feet, allowed for the installation of HVAC equipment between the roof levels to solve those problems. That same structural system, absent the dual-level component, allowed for the creation of the immense clear span ballroom and other major open areas within the convention center plan. With the exception of the ballroom, these spaces could be readily altered with demising walls and ornamental features as the spatial needs changed.2 2 The Behlen Construction Company, Columbus, Nebraska, first used its double-panel roofing system in October 1959 and trademarked it on July 11, 1961, renewing the registration in 1981. The “dubl panl” trademark continues in use today and can safely 10 Figure 8-2: Behlen Double-Panel (“Dubl-Panl”) steel roof system makes the pool area possible (Behlen Manufacturing Company Spaces Newsletter, page 3, ca.1974) Supper Club Planning and Construction: create clear-spans of 288 feet. The two layers of corrugated steel roofing are braced using light-weight bracing (https://uspto.report/TM/72084507). 11 Figure 8-3: Highland Supper Club location (Building plans) M. Dean Jones (1909-2004) was a landowner whose holdings included much of a developing interstate highway interchange (21.8 acres) that was located just outside of the built-up northeast portion of Iowa City, the county seat of Johnson County. The site was outside of the city when the supper club was built, and it was zoned as residential land when the city annexed it. The inn was grandfathered as a pre-existing “non- conforming use.” A commercial rezoning request wasn’t apparently needed until the operation was expanded to include a motel in 1972. John M. Stevens and Jones partnered in the idea of building a restaurant-supper club and they needed a partner-manager so they recruited John J. “Bob” McGurk (1936-1988). McGurk was involved with operating the Lark Supper Club at Tiffin, in Cedar County, located west of Iowa City, also on Interstate 80. His expertise was actually in bar management and he had co-owned Ted’s Happy Time bar in the early 1950’s in Cedar Rapids prior to his moving to the Tiffin club.3 Supper clubs were the domain of the successful middle class. Akin to private clubs it is noteworthy that the design for the new supper club allowed for no exterior windows. It was a closeted sanctuary. The Highlander also combined prominence with locational privacy. While placed on a visible plateau from the highway and interstate perspective, it was reached by means of a fairly long winding private road. So, it very much resembled a private club siting and architecture. The club entrance did orient west (slightly northwest) towards its highway access and it was positioned on the west end of a slightly raised plateau (Figure 8-3). The initial branding also bespoke both tradition and respectability. The original name was the Black Watch Supper Club., a name that honored the military legacy of a noted Scottish infantry regiment. This name was never publicly promulgated beyond the design table of the first architectural drawings and it was finally replaced with the Highlander name. Sheila Ann McGurk Boyd recalled: I don’t believe either Jones or Stevens had any Scottish roots, but the agreement for dad to come to be a part of the plan was struck on the golf course. All three had a love for golf, so I believe that’s where the Scottish theme started. The Black Watch was a tartan plaid I think what 3 Iowa City Press Citizen, January 10, 1972; Email, Sheila Boyd to James Jacobsen, September 8, 2020. Ellen Dean played a key role in the interior design and designed a waitress uniform that included a tartan sash with broach and a special hat. 12 something they liked so there came the name. However, the 60’s unrest it was decided that that name might be offensive to some, so it changed. The story goes that the land where the supper club was being built was on “high land” and that too was a tartan plaid, so the name was changed. The Black Watch is a basic tartan mix of grouped squares and intersecting lines (akin to a downtown streetscape) that comes in a range of color combinations but greens and blues are the most common.4 Figure 8-4: An example of the Black Watch tartan pattern The developing concept dated back to as early as October 1964 when Iowa City architects Hansen & Lind designed a series of conceptual schemes for a complex that closely envisioned the completed supper club and motel-convention center. Figure 8-5 was labeled “Scheme #6.” It is curious that this plan was the only survivor. It envisioned a north-fronting facility with a series of individual buildings, one of which was labeled administration. The pool(s) were outside, in a courtyard having motel wings on three sides. Figure 5: Site plan for “Motel Development for Iowa City,” October 2, 1964 (Hansen and Lind, Architects, courtesy of Sheila Ann Boyd) 4 Email, Sheila Boyd to James Jacobsen, September 8, 2020 13 Hansen, Lind and Meyer designed a restaurant and motel for the Central Development Corporation, presumably the original corporate entity for the Iowa City partners. The undated plans envisioned most of the fundamental core concepts of what was finally built. At the same time the plan differed considerably, lacking a supper club, having a northwest corner canopy entry, and minimal basement space and a layout with varied floor levels based on the site. What was clearly retained in the final plan were the basic supper club exterior and massing, the west canopy, the basic courtyard with flanking motel room wings and even an enclosed pool. Overall, the first design was a very contemporary one, complete with a bar fireplace and chimney. The partners were Richard Fred Hansen (1932-?), John Howard Lind (1932-?) and Carl Donald Meyer (1932-2004). Meyer joined the partnership in 1963 and his name gets included on the actual plans.5 Figure 8-6: Restaurant (west end) plan for “Motel and Restaurant” (Hansen, Lind and Meyer, Architects Retained features in the as-builts were the west canopy, the basic supper club (restaurant) layout and the east courtyard and twin motel wings. 5 AIA Historical Directory, New Providence: R. R. Bowker, L.L.C., 1970, pp. 374, 545, 617. Moore does not appear in the AIA directories of the period. His 1971 mention credited him with architectural design and the remodel design work entailed a number of themed dining rooms and an entrance lobby (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 19, 1971). 14 Figure 8-7: Three elevation views for “Motel and Restaurant” (Hansen, Lind and Meyer, Architects) The south elevation at the top in Figure 8-7 shows the supper club (west half of the perspective) with its mansard cornice treatment and west canopy and entry. The original plan, also veneered in brick, used pilasters to break up the exterior wall plane and used some sort of vertical interruption (open gutters?) across the mansard cornice. The south wall was much more glassed. Note the changes in floor elevation going west to east. The motel wing fenestration differed with full-length ground level windows and broad spandrels. Figure 8-8: Three elevation views for “Motel and Restaurant” (Hansen, Lind and Meyer, Architects) The middle elevation shown in Figure 8-8 shows the north side of the supper club/restaurant. The lower elevation shows an L-shaped north portico. 15 Figure 8-9: First floor, motel wings and courtyard for “Motel and Restaurant” (Hansen, Lind, and Meyer, Architects) Figure 8-9 shows the elongated courtyard and its enclosure on three sides with motel wings. This element was built and a variety of designs were developed relative to what form the east end of the courtyard would assume. This was never resolved. The original plan made no place for a banquet hall and when the broader convention center was adopted, the pool location was deflected elsewhere as will be seen. The original plan can be said to have broadly defined what the actual supper club and finally the rest of the facility would look like. In some manner, the original architects dropped out of the project and a very obscure local designer took over. Figure 8-10: David C. Moore is named as architect/designer on the 1966 plans (Highlander Archives) David C. Moore is not identified as an architect per se. He does not appear in the American Institute of Architects directories and is not otherwise documented for any other original work. The sole found reference to him dates to late 1971 when he redesigned the interior of the Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant in Coralville as the David C. Moore Design Center (aka “Waterfall Construction”). Moore also documented his role in his sketch for the new supper club, a framed copy of which is on display at the Highlander. 16 Figure 8-11: Architect’s sketch, David C. Moore, 1966, looking northeast (Owner’s framed image) As Figure 8-11 shows, the blank brick walls of the club were festooned with angled gas-lights, as was the approach lane from the west. This feature was lost in the summer of 1980 (or some of the lamps were electrified) when a federal law forbade gas-powered outdoor lighting due to a gas shortage.6 Figure 8-12: The original building footprint and siting (Building plans) In July 1966 David C. Moore as noted, drew the elevation sketches of the planned supper club building but he is not identified as being an architect. Thompson Construction of Iowa City and Davenport was the general contractor. 6 Iowa City Press Citizen, December 4, 1979 17 Figure 8-13: Original supper club and parking plan, 1966 (Building plans) Figure 8-13 shows the supper club portion with its westward orientation relative to its approach and parking areas. The curious curved east wall survives today and locates the east stairway that was added just north of it with the 1973 expansion. Figure 8-14: Original supper club basement plan, 1966 (Building plans) 18 The feature of interest in the original basement was an interior rock garden at the base of the east steps. Figure 8-15: Original supper club first floor plan, 1966 (Building plans) The seven Glu-Lam girders were placed west to east across the west center section of the supper club. The lounge was centered along the south wall and a “party room” in the southeast corner. A rounded coffee shop was in the northeast corner and its arched wing explains why the east side of the original supper club had this curved wall (still extant). The role of the supper club as a national entertainment venue and a preferred event venue for University of Iowa sports and other related events post-dated the original building. McGurk daughter Sheila Boyd recalls: I think it was primarily after the motel with banquet space was built…The I-Club breakfasts and many large functions put on by the university came to the Highlander because we had one of the largest banquet spaces in town, with the exception of the Iowa Memorial Union and parking was always an issue there. Seriously, bragging a bit, we were very good at hosting large groups, both in service and quality of food. This also explains why the developers didn’t simply acquire and expand an existing area supper club. That option, lacking room for expansion, fell short of the long-term scale that was envisioned.7 7 Email, Sheila Boyd to James Jacobsen, September 8, 2020 19 Figure 8-16: The supper club and filling station looking south (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)8 Sheila Boyd also recalled at what point the “super club” function ceased. She stated “I believe that the type of supper club dining was losing favor with the public in the mid 80’s. In the early 80’s we still had small trio play on the lounge and people would eat as late 10 pm. We kept the menu, and as much of the ambiance until the late 90’s.”9 Figures 8-17, 8-18: Left, aerial photo, late 1950s showing site as farmland; Right, 1963-64 S grading of interstate and new Highway #1 approaches (Iowa Geographic Map Server)10 8 The filling station parcel was sold to Sunray DX Oil Company July 31, 1966 and was operated by them and then the Kron family until it returned to the ownership of the subject property owners (as B J Partnership) at the end of 1986 (Property Abstract). 9 Ibid. 10 It is surprisingly difficult to place completion dates on this highway work but the right of way land condemnation was only recorded in the property abstract on August 8, 1963. 20 Figures 8-19: Ca.1970’s completed supper club and filling station to the north (Iowa Geographic Map Server) Figure 8-20: The remodeled supper club sign, 1969 (courtesy of the owner)11 11 Nesper Sign Advertising did a remodeling plan for the original sign, dated July 3, 1969 (Highlander Construction Documents) 21 Figure 8-21: West supper club frontage, 1974 (March 1974 Cedar Rapids telephone book advertisement) Figure 8-21 offers the most detailed view of what the club façade, roofline and portico looked like. Of special interest is the row of presumed transom windows that would have lit the club interior with evening light. The other key feature is the relatively light structure of the portico. Its reversed mansard sidewalls would have captured snow and rain. Highlander Partnership leased the motel from Highlander, Inc., paying $40,000 in rent and half of the pre-tax supper club income. The tenants paid taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. The initial ten-year lease expired on May 15, 1977 and had renewal options (ten years, two five-year terms). Highlander Partnership was relatively debt-free but Highlander, Inc. owed $260,000, with the supper club as collateral for $160,000 of that amount. The 1970 Highland Partnership financial report contained a few references of interest. Hail damage in 1969 cost $769. Operating costs included those of a private well and sign rental.12 Table 1: Supper Club operational costs, 1968-1970 1968 1969 1970 Operating expenses 253,761 301,866 310,236 Entertainment costs 19,170 41,866 36,452 Gross profit 663,342 775,317 786,220 Income from dinners 461,905 527,425 533,509 Building value (pre-depreciation) 320,104 321,079 321,079 Furniture, equipment, etc. (pre-depreciation) 83,025 85,531 89,394 Affiliate revenue (rent, profits percentage) 75,016 84,730 91,128 The Motel Expansion: The larger facility was as noted, conceptualized as early as late 1964. Detailed planning began to expand the supper club business in 1971 and by the fall of 1972 it was announced that a motel and convention center would be constructed to the east of the inn. The accommodations were to be “above average” to meet the 12 “Highland, Inc. Highland Partnership. Financial Reports, December 31, 1970.” 22 standards of “both businessmen and vacationers, and for residents of Iowa City and the surrounding area.” The 100-unit motel would feature color television, twin queen-sized beds and in-room heating and cooling units. Meeting rooms, banquet and ball rooms would have an upper capacity of 590 attendees. Additional kitchen space, a courtyard cocktail lounge, piano bar and a coffee shop were planned. What turned out to be the “dynamic” aspect of the plan was the pool location and the motel wing design itself. The early concepts envisioned a combination of an enclosed pool, a wading pool, a hydrotherapy pool and a sauna room. Figure 8- 7 depicts one early design, with a U-shaped motel section on the east end and the pool components being housed inside the east end of the open court area. Other plan variations omitted the easternmost two-story section and connected the two wings with a pagoda-like pool enclosure. In the end, the existing building was erected with the pool “court” being located across the west half of the court, and the court itself left open to the east, in anticipation of future additions. The promised 100-room count finally did transpire, reduced by just four units.13 The business expansion mandated a new corporate structure having the three original partners as its directors. Titled Highlander Inn, Inc. the new corporation dated from September 29, 1972 and offered 10,000 $100.00 shares to investors.14 Figures 8-22, 8-23: Two east end motel designs, fall 1970 A remarkable range of convention center/motel designs were devised, in at least three serious alternative concepts. That reflected in Figure 8-24 was certainly the most unconventional with its twin east “towers” with pie-shaped rooms (somewhat reflective of the then-popular open-plan classrooms. 13 Iowa City Press Citizen, January 10, 1972 14 Iowa City Press Citizen, October 27, 1972. The 1970 financial report however noted that20,000 shares at $100 per share were authorized, but just 60 shares had been issued. The new corporation presumably planned to improve on that. 23 Figure 8-24: A sketch of the Figure 8-23 plan, looking northwest Figure 8-25, 8-26: Variations on twin opposing canopied entries, dated November 11 and 21, 1971 These two plans replaced the west supper club entrance and focus with dual monumental entrances. Figure 8-26 angled off of the original supper club and in both plans, the club was simply appended to in awkward fashion. Note that both plans alternated the motel room entrances as did Figure 8-27. Figure 8-27: Architect’s sketch, 1972, looking northeast (note the elevated motel sign left of center)15 15 Iowa City Press Citizen, January 10, 1972 24 The angled plan (Figure 8-26) must have been seriously considered since the architects also did the sketch (Figure 8-27). Figure 8-28: Another alternative plan The Figure 8-28 alternative dropped the north entry, shortened the courtyard, added a triangular bar and centered the ball room on the plan. Figure 8-29: The first plan with a pool 25 The plan envisioned in Figure 8-29 closely approximated the one that was finally built. The pool was in the plan. Mid-point halls and stairs were in the motel wings. The ballroom gravitated north (although there was a minor north-side entry) and overall, the addition was better integrated with the supper club. The south canopy was not a porte cochere and notice how the south motel wing projected south so as to extend beyond it. Figure 8-30: Early motel addition plan, 1973 (Building plans) Figure 8-30 shows a near-final variation of early plan options with a pool pagoda and a triangular bar inset into the east courtyard. The image nicely distinguishes the supper club proper from the addition and shows the core plan and roof profile as actually built. The Architects, Drew McNamara and Associates: Having a proven track record for hiring obscure designers [Richard] Drew McNamara and Associates, not architects, of Iowa City, were selected to design the convention center-motel addition. McNamara was born in Washington, Iowa in 1918, the son of Jay J. and Edna S. Dempsey McNamara. His family relocated to Iowa City in 1824 and acquired the White Furniture Company. Drew studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and spent a summer working with Peter Visser (1892-1979) said at the time to be “an internationally known Chicago designer.” Drew headed the family’s design department and his first major job was designing a “sleepshop” model for the national Burton Dixie Mattress Company. He founded McNamara’s Homemakers House Cedar Rapids by 1948 and had branches in Iowa City and by 1950, but was already working on a regional basis by then as Figure 8-31 shows (and with a sizeable workforce). “Drew McNamara and Associates” was also established at this same time.16 16 No other “associates” are identified but his wife, Catherine Marie McNamara (1918-1974) is said to have served as his assistant (Des Moines Register, January 25, 1992). Marion Sentinel, January 29, 1948 26 Figure 8-31: Drew McNamara’s professional profile, 1950 (Des Moines Tribune, November 22, 1950) Figure 8-32: Drew (second from the left) with his brothers and father (all Jay’s) (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 1, 1935) McNamara relocated from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City in 1950 and then moved to Des Moines in 1974. The Des Moines newspapers of the 1950’s though clearly show him as moving in the higher social circles and enjoying a dominant reputation as an interior designer. He was designing interiors for dance studios, residences, restaurants, theaters (the Capital in Iowa City) business buildings and motels. His most prestigious interior work was his role as a consultant to the architect of the new Des Moines Airport terminal in 1951, where he also secured the contracts for most of the interior design work. By 1953 he was edging into exterior design and whole-building design work. He transformed a former tourist camp in East Des Moines into a modern motel and it received a “motel of the month” award from United Courts Magazine. He designed an 27 entire hotel for John Compiano in Des Moines in 1962 and a “Mount Vernon-like” addition for the J and K Motel there in 1964. Parkway Inns of Des Moines had him design the interior (including a pool room and banquet hall) for their new Beaumont Motor Inn in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1965. McNamara designed the interior and exterior for Babe’s Restaurant in Des Moines in 1966. His known whole building design work dates from 1956 with a 24-building Lake Okoboji resort in Dickinson County. The University Athletic Club (1958) was loosely evocative of his Highlander design, more in its complex interior. It was a split-level layout that combined private club rooms, basement locker rooms, three dining rooms and a large banquet room with an outside pool.17 Figure 8-33: University of Iowa Athletic Club, Finkbine Golf Course (Iowa City Daily Iowan, July 1, 1958) Figure 8-34: Williams, McWilliams and Hart law offices, 2130 Grand Avenue, Des Moines (looking southwest) (Des Moines Register, January 4, 1970) What appears to be the zenith of his whole building design work is the office building at 2130 Grand Avenue in Des Moines (Figure 8-35). He was the architect working with structural engineers [Carlyle W.] Peterson and [Donald W.] Appel. The 12,000 square foot plan cost $222,000 and had a white-painted brick exterior.18 17 Cedar Rapids Gazette, August 29, 1954; June 27, July 8, 1958; July 17, 1963; Iowa City Press Citizen, February 3, 1947; Iowa City Daily Iowan, July 1, 1958 and the Des Moines Register, May 22, 1968; https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GW6W- 3TH; Des Moines Register, December 3, 1950; July 12, 1951; April 12, 1953; May 7, 1962; November 4, 1964; August 22, 1965 18 Des Moines Tribune, July 22, 1969; Des Moines Register, January 4, 1970. The McNamara family suffered numerous major setbacks. The family furniture store was sold for payment of debts in 1964 and Drew’s companies were closely intertwined with it. The family lost a daughter at the age of 37 in 1974 and Catherine McNamara’s obituary makes no reference to her husband (Cedar Rapids Gazette, February 20, 1964; Des Moines Register, December 4, 1974; January 25, 1982). 28 The Selzer Construction Company had the general construction contract. The original estimated new construction cost was $1 million and the building permit was reported as undefined “new commercial with that amount of value at the end of October 1972. Selzer was affiliated with both the Behlen and Chief metal building companies and had a well-established reputation for designing and building custom metal buildings. For the supper expansion the need was that of extensive clear span interior spaces that could remain open in plan (the ballroom) or which could be subdivided without concern for intrusive columns or load-bearing walls. As the building’s final design was formalized, Behlen came to the rescue by making the pool enclosure structurally possible and successful. Equipment Planners, Moline, Illinois coordinated the design and the subcontracts with a nationally distributed range of fabricators.19 Figure 8-35: North end elevation and south end elevation sketches, 1971 (Drew McNamara and Associates) One presumed supper club alteration was the addition of a lounge along its south wall. The architect termed it an addition and included new south elevations showing a presumably elongated frontage. However, the volume of the original supper club does not appear to have been enlarged (see Figure 8-37) and the south façade as shown exactly mirrors that which is present today. No construction photos show any southward extension. There was related interest in doing a centered bump-out with a skylight as a part of the lounge plan but this was not done. Most likely, the lounge was constructed within the confines of the supper club footprint. 19 Iowa City Press Citizen, October 31, 1972; https://chiefbuildings.com/; http://behlenbuildingsystems.com/. Both companies continue in business today. Behlen Building Systems is located at Columbus, Nebraska and Chief Metal Buildings is at Grand Island, Nebraska. Drew McNamara was also a partner of the Red Carpet Ranch nightclub, located next to the Ranch Supper Club at Cou Falls, outside of Iowa City, as of 1962-1964 (Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 24, 1964). 29 Figure 8-36: Lounge addition, 1971 (Drew McNamara and Associates) Figure 8-37: Selzer Construction Company advertisement (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 17, 1979) 30 The complete financial records for the building addition survive and these provide important insights to the difficulties that the builders faced and the dynamic nature of the evolving building layout. Figures 8-38, 8-39: Construction photos; Left, looking southwest, supper club and sign, right, south motel wing looking west, both November 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-38 and 8-39 underscore the unobstructed view between the interstate and the supper club. The original sign was just 36.6 feet high but sufficed to be seen from the traffic to the south. Figures 8-40, 8-41: Construction photos; Left, looking west, supper club and sign, note footings and new south entry, right, supper club original north wall looking southwest, both December 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 31 Figures 8-42, 8-43: Construction photos; Left, looking northeast, precast hollow floor panels, right, load of panels, looking northeast, both December 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-44: Construction photos, lower level of south motel wing decked, looking northeast, both December 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) There were several references to “unforeseen weather” during the surveying and grading phase of work and no construction progress photos survive from January-April 1973. Snow removal cost an impressive $1,723. Table 2 tabulates the project costs as of the end of October 1973. Change orders and new items are endemic to construction work. In this case, the percentage of change orders vis-à-vis the contract (Table 2) was 28 percent. The largest change order was the complete re-planning of the swimming pool and its enclosure, the substantial repaving (all of the original parking was asphalt paved) to the north of the motel when that grade was determined to be too high. Not included in Table 2 was the courtyard work ($9,064) accomplished by late April 1974 which entailed substantial filling, grading and 623 square yards of four-inch thick asphalt paving covered with green astro turf. 32 Table 2: Construction costs to October 1973 Cost Area Cost Construction Loan $1,800,000 Original contract $699,887 Change Orders $196,300 The Highlander 20 $774,761 New items $66,060 Total $1,837,700 Figures 8-45, 8-46: Construction photos, left, infill to the east of the supper club, looking west, and right, same, looking northwest, both May 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-47, 8-48: Construction photos, left, roof framing and wall details, looking west, and right, veneer work on south motel wing, south facade, looking east, both May1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 20 This category presumably isolates expenses within the existing supper club and might include the north kitchen addition. 33 Figures 8-49, 8-50: Construction photos; left, hall roof framing and wall details, looking north, May1973; and right, pouring concrete, upper level, south side of north motel wing, looking southeast, June 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-51, 8-52: Construction photos, left, first floor of pool bar complete, looking northwest, and right, steel framing for pool roof, looking northeast, both June 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-53, 8-54: Construction photos, left, finished pool housing, looking west, right, steel framing for south portico, looking north, both June 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 34 Figures 8-55, 8-56: Construction photos, left, original windows, south motel wing, looking southeast, August 1973; and right, second floor on pool bar, completed steel pool housing, looking west, September 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-57, 8-58, 8-59: Various symbolic motifs employed by the supper club (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-60: First “Grand Buffet” (not the first use) in the Grand Ballroom, August 1974 21 21 Cedar Rapids Gazette, August 12, 1974 35 Figure 8-38 depicts the original supper club sign located immediately south of the supper club. The expansion warranted a revised sign that highlighted the added lodging. Several competing advertising firms produced a broad range of new sign concepts between March and November 1973. In late June the original sign designer Nesper encouraged the owners to act quickly to place a taller sign alongside the interstate before a new sign ordinance limited these to 35 feet in height. Figure 8-40 depicts the renaming from supper club to inn and a proposed height increase from 36.5 feet to 49.33 feet. Figure 8-41 shows that the wording was changed but that the original sign was simply relocated closer to the interstate. Figure 8-61: Inn sign redesign, ca.early 1974 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-62: New ca.1975 interstate highway sign, looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 36 Figure 8-63: June 1973 site plan and proposed sign relocation (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) The Highlander was directly associated with the Amana VIP Golf Tournament from 1974 until 1990 when it ended. Amana Refrigeration Company president George Forestner conceived of this event as a means of company promotion. The first event was held in 1974 at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, but the hard to reach site was switched to the Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City the next year. The Iowa City Holiday Inn housed the tournament through 1973 by which time it was inadequate. The timing of the Highlander expansion was perfect and it and the adjacent Howard Johnson motel, just south across the interstate, would be completely sold out for the event beginning in 1974. The Amana company dominated the occasion, provided gifts and at one point constructed a temporary appliance display in the convention center. Amana sales managers were paired with the elite golfers. The tournament was the leading funder for the University of Iowa athletic scholarship and the largest funding source of women’s collegiate sports at the university.22 22 Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 20, 1973; May 6, 1976; June 30, 1982. 37 Figure 8-64: Drawing by K. E. Gilbert, Hoffmaster Design Studio, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1984 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-65, 8-66: Left, “One of Iowa’s finest restaurants” (Cedar Rapids Gazette, December 21, 1984); and right, restaurant review (Des Moines Register, October 10, 1980) 38 Figure 8-67: Promotional event item, undated (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-68, 8-69: Left, convention/motel layout, 1995, and right, RJ’s Lounge (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) The 1995 floorplan shows a largely open plan around the ballroom. The King’s Garden Lounge was the sole east-end amenity. To the west was the restaurant with its five subsections. A small sales office was at the west end of the south motel wing. The Garden Room was in the basement level of the original supper club. Bob McGurk died both young and unexpectedly in 1988. By this time, he had presumably bought out his two partners and his family had increasingly become involved in running the inn-motel business. His widow Leona was the chief operating officer, aided by three daughters, Sheila, Debbie and Mary Frances and over time their husbands (Bill Boyd for Sheila, Mike Jensen for Fran). Formally organized as “Group Five Hospitality” and a division of the corporation, the group established T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant franchises, the first in Rockford, Illinois in November 1992. At the same time, they acquired the Howard Johnson motel that was located on the southwest corner of the same highway-interstate and rebranded it as a Country Inn. Two commercial operations were owned on the highway west of the inn, the Express Shop convenience service 39 station and store and an adjacent Express Wash. In early 1993 the group determined that they could replace The Highlander Inn restaurant with one of their restaurants. Structural and mechanical obstacles developed and the concept was deferred finally to 1995, and was finally dropped. The inn portico was a casualty of this planned development, being removed while curiously retaining the four support columns.23 Figure 8-70: Planned T.G.I. Friday west end addition and other associated changes not built, August 25, 1994 (Building plans) Figure 8-70 shows where the new restaurant was to have been built. A south banquet center entry was also planned along with two other corner bump-outs. The poolside lounge does appear to have been converted into a meeting room on the ground level. The proposition provides a snapshot of the inn operation as of early 1993. The restaurant franchise was thought to be a cut above fast food at a time when diners “no longer have the time to linger over a protracted supper club dinner.” Still called the Highlander Inn and Supper Club, it employed 140 persons and it was promised that the T.G.Y. Friday restaurant deal would somehow add 40 to 100 additional workers. The restaurant would seat 240 persons a figure that matched the existing supper club capacity. Traditional inn menu favorites (“steaks, cinnamon rolls” etc.) would be retained. The other major functional change would be the closing of the coffee shop and its conversion into additional banquet space. In November 1992 the corporation had acquired a competing interchange and that operation had an attached Country Inn franchise (likely a model for the new Highlander arrangement). It became a Country Inn motel.24 An inn newsletter, the “Main Course” was initiated in March 1995 to promote special events, and even shared recipes and inn staff news. The annual schedule was dominated by holiday-based buffets (Saint Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving) and the late November Mercy Hospital Festival of Trees. 23 Iowa City Press Citizen, February 28, 1994 24 Cedar Rapids Gazette, April 15, 1993 40 Families with overflow occupancy at Christmas could pay for one motel room and get an adjacent one for free.25 Three successive national motel chains acquired, remodeled and disposed of the complex. The Radisson franchise came first in 1997. In early 2002, SRC Investments foreclosed on the property when the owners defaulted on $10.3 million loan debt. The operating name was “The Radisson on Highlander Plaza” and it finally eclipsed the “Highland Inn and Convention Center” title. Quality Inn was the next franchise/tenant followed by the Clarion in 2011. The operation was clearly rather marginal by 2016 when a carpet cleaning company took the Clarian managers to district court to obtain payment of a $1,184 cleaning bill. A & B of Iowa sold the property to the Posh Hotel LLC by contract with ownership taking place in August 2011. They incurred a tax debt against the state but the title was cleared by December 2019 for a purchase by The Bohemian Iowa City LLC.26 Figure 8-71: Radisson remodeling plans, 1997 (Building plans) 25 “Main Course”; March, June, October 1995; Spring, Fall, 1996; Spring 1997; Fall 1998 and Fall 1999 26 Cedar Rapids Gazette, December 20, 1997. This was the last use of the Highlander Inn and Convention Center name and Property Abstract. 41 Figures 8-72, 8-73: Left, Radisson south portico remodeling plans, 1997, Right, newly configured south portico, looking northwest (Building plans; Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998) Complex Photo Essay: Figure 8-74: Original promotional brochure, 1975 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 42 Figure 8-75: 1982 Amana VIP golf tournament photo showing original south doors, looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-76: The original motel main desk, looking northwest (Building scrap books) Figure 8-77: The hallway outside of the ball room (double doors), ca.1975, looking northeast (Building scrap books) 43 Figures 8-78, 8-79: Ca.1975 view of carpeted pool court (note no upper level balconies), Tudor motif, looking northwest (owner scrapbook) This is the original appearance of the pool court. There were no poolside balconies and there were several ancillary pools north of the main pool. The centered component to the left housed the pool bar on the downstairs and featured Tudor arched windows and a faux half-timber stuccoed effect, much of which survives. A near full-length awning covered the lounge front. The deck was covered with a green astro turf. There was also a painted shuffleboard court. Figure 8-80, 8-81: Knight’s Poolside Lounge, two views (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) The Knight’s Lounge had the Black Watch tartan pattern and the awning with its angled spear supports mirrored the exterior awning to the east in the pool area. 44 Figure 8-82: The Royal Scot, ca.1975, looking southeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) The Royal Scot was outside the original supper club (to the west of the main hall, it became the Prime Grille). Note the carpet pattern. A hallway ran along the south wall beyond the arched windows in this view. Figures 8-83, 8-84: The King Arthur Grille (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)27 27 The King Arthur Grille started out as the supper club’s coffee shop and was succeeded by the Mirror Room (Sheila Boyd). It has the distinctive rounded corner wall, an original feature of the supper club east wall. 45 Figures 8-85, 8-86: The Red Room (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)28 Figure 8-87: The west supper club entrance, looking southwest (note the chain curtains) (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-88, 8-89: The Supper Club Lounge (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)29 28 This is presumably the north part of the original supper club (see Figure 87 which shows the club’s west entrance). 29 This is the south half of the original supper club area. 46 Figure 8-90: Original Piper’s Ballroom, looking southest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-91;8-92: Decorative motifs in the motel rooms (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 47 Figure 8-93: 1975 Ford Granada afloat in the pool, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-94: 1975 Ford Granada afloat in the pool, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 48 Figure 8-95: 1975 Ford Granada afloat in the pool, looking east (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-96: 1975 Ford exhibition in the pool area, looking north (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 49 Figure 8-97: Ford 1975 exhibition in the court area, looking north, looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figures 8-98. 8-99: Ford 1975 exhibition in the court area, both views looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 50 Figure 8-100: South portico, signage, looking east, ca.1975 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-101: Overview, looking northwest (helicopter in Figure 8-77 visible far left), ca.1975 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 51 Photo 8-102: Aerial view, looking east, ca.1975 (Highlander Archives) Figure 8-103: Pool area, May 1981, looking north (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 52 Figure 8-104: Pool area, May 1981, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-105: Carpeted pool court, note additional awnings, bandstand, and the presence of added north side upper level balconies, 1984, looking north (owner scrapbook) 53 Figure 8-106: Removal of carpet in pool court, note additional awnings, bandstand, and presence of upper level balconies, 1984, looking southwest (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-107: Tiled floor installed in the pool court, 1984, looking east (owner scrapbook) 54 Figure 8-108: Tiled floor installed in the pool court, 1984, looking southwest (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-109: Demolition of west inn entrance, 1996, looking east (owner scrapbook)30 30 The structural beams and columns were left in place and are visible in the current county assessor’s aerial photo (Figure 2). This resulted in an open pergola effect, which explains why the columns survive today) 55 Figure 8-110: Former Royal Scot Dining room, note faux mansard, stained glass, wainscot, looking southeast, 1996 (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-111: Former Royal Scot Dining room, note faux mansard, pointed arch windows with stone infill, stained glass, wainscot, 1996, looking south (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-112: Interior view, showing lamps and wood trim, 1996 (owner scrapbook) 56 Figure 8-113: Constructing arches in main hallway, looking north (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-114: Ballroom dance, 1996 (owner scrapbook) Figure 9-115: Interior view showing former supper club exterior window, looking southwest, 1996 (owner scrapbook) 57 Figure 8-116: Original east pool/court windows, looking northwest looking southwest, 1996 (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-117: Removal plan for west portico, January 17, 1996 (Building plans) Figure 8-118: Radisson remodeling of the south portico, 1997, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 58 Figure 8-119: Radisson remodeling of the south portico, 1997, looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) Figure 8-120: Radisson remodeling, south wall of south wing, 1997, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 59 Figure 8-121: McGurk’s Pub (former Knight’s Lounge), looking northeast towards the pool (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998) Figure 8-122: Highlander Prime Grille, looking northeast 31 (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998) 31 The Prime Grille replaced the Royal Scot and the location is east of the present bar area. 60 Figure 8-123: Highlander Prime Grille (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998) Figure 8-124: Clarion motel era photo, pool, 2011, looking southwest (note additional ceiling lighting) (https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center- Iowa-City-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) 61 Figure 8-125: Clarion motel era photo, pool, 2011, looking southwest (https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center- Iowa-City-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) Figure 8-126: Radisson/ Clarion motel era photo, front desk, 2011, looking northwest (https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center- Iowa-City-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) 62 Figure 8-127: Radisson/Clarion motel era photo, main hall inside of south entrance, 2011, looking northwest (https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center- Iowa-City-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) Figure 8-128: Clarion motel era photo, meeting room (just outside of the northeast corner of the supper club), 2011, looking southwest (https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander- Hotel-Conference-Center-Iowa-City-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) 63 Figure 8-129: East pool/court windows, October 30, 2019, looking west (owner scrapbook) (the trees are outside of the court) Figure 8-130: Pool court, looking north (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020) 64 Figure 8-131: Radisson/Clarion ballroom, looking southwest (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020) Figure 8-132: East court, looking east (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020) 65 Figure 8-133: East court, looking north (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020) Figure 8-134: South wing, south entrance, October 30, 2019, looking north west (owner scrapbook) Figure 8-135: South entrance, looking northwest (Boutique News, November 15, 2019) 66 Photo 8-136: Rehabilitation of the pool area, December 2020, looking southwest Biography: Bowker, R. R., AIA Historical Directory, New Providence: R. R. Bowker, L.L.C., 1970 Boyd, Shelia. Emailed communications, September-October 2020 Building Plans Building scrapbooks (three photo albums, property of the Highlander) Highland, Inc. Highland Partnership. Financial Reports, December 31, 1970 Highlander Archives, Sheila Boyd Newspaper articles as cited in the text Original Plans: This is a rather impressive array of original and subsequent plans, property of the Highlander Property Abstract Clarion Hotel: https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-Hotel- Conference-Center-Iowa-City-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) (accessed October 15, 2020) Family Search, Richard Drew McNamara: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GW6W-3TH (accessed October 30, 2020) 67 Additional Information: Figure 10-1: Scaled detailed site map with property line overlay, looking northwest (Iowa Geographic Map Server, 2020) Figure 10-2: Scaled regional map with property line overlay, looking northwest (Iowa Geographic Map Server, 2020) 68 Figure 10-3: Assessor’s aerial photo with property line overlay, looking northwest (Johnson County Assessor, 2020) Figure 10-4: Parcel Map, Second Addition (Property Abstract) Highlander Part One Photo Map: November 1, 2020 Photo Map: Highlander Part One Photos: August 4, 2020 Photo Number 1: Description: Supper club entrance looking southeast Photo Number 2: Description: Supper club entrance looking east, note support pillars for porte cochere Photo Number 3: Description: Supper club entrance detail, looking east Photo Number 4: Description: Supper club entrance detail, looking east Photo Number 5: Description: Supper club southwest corner, looking northeast Photo Number 6: Description: Motel addition, south entrance, looking north Photo Number 7: Description: Motel addition, south entrance detail, looking north Photo Number 8: Description Motel addition, south entrance and offices, looking north: Photo Number 9: Description: Motel addition, south wing, looking north Photo Number 10: Description: Motel addition, south wing, looking north Photo Number 11: Description: Motel addition, east end wall of the south wing, looking west Photo Number 12: Description: Motel addition, courtyard, looking northwest Photo Number 13: Description: Motel addition, north wing, looking south Photo Number 14: Description: Motel addition, west end of the north wing and supper club (right), looking south Photo Number 15: Description: Supper club, northwest corner and west front, looking south Photo Number 16: Description: Supper club, north side of entrance wing and west front, looking south Photo Number 17: Description: Supper club, north side of entrance wing and west front, looking southeast Photo Number 18: Description: Supper club dance floor area, looking north Photo Number 19: Description: Supper club dance floor area, looking west Photo Number 20: Description: Supper club west basement stairs, looking northwest Photo Number 21: Description: Supper club entrance, window arcade above west basement stairs, looking northwest Photo Number 22: Description: Supper club basement meeting room, looking northeast Photo Number 23: Description: Supper club west basement mechanicals, looking west Photo Number 24: Description: Supper club west basement stairs, looking northeast Photo Number 25: Description: Supper club east basement stairs, looking east Photo Number 26-27: Description: Left, basement dumb waiter in kitchen, looking northeast; right, curved wall atop east basement stairs, looking northeast Photo Number 28: Description: Curved wall atop east basement stairs, looking north Photo Number 29: Description: Motel addition, bar which serves as the desk, looking northwest Photo Number 30: Description: Motel addition, hall inside south entrance, looking north Photo Number 31: Description: Motel addition, east (south wing) hallway, south entrance to the right, looking east Photo Number 32: Description: Motel addition, wall used for dignitary signatures, 1974 plus, looking southwest Photo Number 33: Description: Motel addition, south entrance foyer, travertine wall covering, looking northeast Photo Number 34: Description: Motel addition, south entrance foyer, travertine wall covering, looking west Photo Number 35: Description: Motel addition, main office and small lobby to the east of the south entrance, looking southwest Photo Number 36: Description: Motel addition, main ballroom, looking northeast Photo Number 37: Description: Motel addition, main ballroom, looking northwest Photo Number 38: Description: Motel addition, hall inside of south entrance (reversed perspective of #30), looking south Photo Number 39: Description: Motel addition, hall to east of ballroom, looking north Photo Number 40: Description: Motel addition, hall to south of main ballroom, looking west Photo Number 41: Description: Motel addition, pool area, looking northeast Photo Number 42: Description: Motel addition, pool area, looking southeast Photo Number 43: Description: Motel addition, pool area, looking southwest Photo Number 44: Description: Motel addition, pool area, looking northwest Photo Numbers 45-46: Description: Motel addition, left, typical hall, first floor, south wing, looking west; right, stairs at the east wing of the south wing, looking north Photo Numbers 47-48: Description: Motel addition, left, typical hall, second floor, south wing, looking west; right, mid-plan stairs at pool court, south wing, looking north Photo Number 49: Description: Motel addition, typical room, south wing, looking north Photo Number 50: Description: Motel addition, typical room, south wing, looking south Photo Number 51: Description: Motel addition, typical bathroom, south wing, looking southeast Photo Map: Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission City Hall, 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City. IA. 52240 Memorandum Date: January 6, 2021 To: Historic Preservation Commission From: Jessica Bristow, Historic Preservation Planner Re: Iowa City Downtown Historic District nomination to the National Register of Historic Places The Iowa City Downtown Historic District has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. The State Nominations Review Committee will consider the property during their February 12, 2021 meeting. As a participant in the Certified Local Government Program, the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission is required to review the nomination and comment on the attached form. The Commission should determine whether the nominated district meets the National Register of Historic Places criteria for significance and integrity. The Nomination finds that the district (described as a property for this purpose) is eligible for listing in the National Register in two Criteria categories: Criterion A: Event. A property associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. Criterion C: Design/Construction. A property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction. In addition, because of the development of the pedestrian mall during urban renewal that altered the historic relationship between building façade, pedestrian sidewalk and vehicular, street, the Nomination also utilizes Criteria Consideration G for a property that is less than 50 years old or that has achieved significance within the past 50 years. The Nominated District is located from South Clinton Street to South Gilbert Street and Iowa Avenue to the alley south of College Street. Maps of the area are shown beginning on page 82 of the Nomination. A table beginning on page 86 of the Nomination shows the properties included and their classifications. National Register listing will make tax credit funding available for appropriate rehabilitation projects on contributing buildings within the district. Otherwise, National Register listing is an honorarium that does not impose any regulations at the local, state, or federal level. Recommended Motion Move to Recommend that the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic places in Criterion Category A and Criterion C at the local level and Criterion Consideration G for the development of the pedestrian mall and meets the criteria for both significance and integrity. CERTIFIED LOCAL GOVERNMENT NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION EVALUATION REPORT FORM As a participant in the Certified Local Government Program (CLG), the Historic Preservation Commission is required to review and comment on proposed National Register nominations of properties within its jurisdiction. The State is required to provide the CLG with a 60-day period for the review prior to a State Nominations Review Committee (SNRC) meeting. This form must be received by the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) five days in advance of the State Nomination Review Committee (SNRC) meeting. (Please print clearly) Historic Property Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________ Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ Certified Local Government Name: ____________________________________________________________________________ Date of public meeting for nomination review: ___________________________________________________________________ Applicable Criteria: (Please Check the Appropriate Box)  Criterion A (Historical Events)  Criterion B (Important Person)  Criterion C (Architecture)  Criterion D (Archaeological) Please check the following box that is appropriate to the nomination (Please print clearly).  The Commission recommends that the property should be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Commission recommends that the property should not be listed in the National Register for the following reasons: __________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________  The Commission chooses not to make a recommendation on this nomination for the following reasons: _______________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________  The Commission would like to make the following recommendations regarding the nomination : (use additional sheets if necessary) : ____________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ Official Signatures Required Below Historic Review Board Chair or Representative Print Name: ________________________________________________ Approved Not Approved Signature: __________________________________________________ Chief Elected Official Print Name: _______________________________________________ Approved Not Approved Signature: __________________________________________________ Professional Evaluation Print Name: ________________________________________________ Approved Not Approved Signature: __________________________________________________ NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Sections 1 – 4 page 1 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties and districts. See instructions in National Register Bulletin, How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional certification comments, entries, and narrative items on continuation sheets if needed (NPS Form 10-900a). 1. Name of Property historic name Iowa City Downtown Historic District other names/site number Name of Multiple Property Listing (Enter "N/A" if property is not part of a multiple property listing) 2. Location street & number Roughly, S.Clinton to S.Gilbert, Iowa to alley south of College not for publication city or town Iowa City vicinity state Iowa county Johnson zip code 52240 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended, I hereby certify that this X nomination request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property X meets does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant at the following level(s) of significance: national statewide X local Applicable National Register Criteria: X A B X C D Signature of certifying official/Title: Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer Date State Historical Society of Iowa State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government In my opinion, the property meets does not meet the National Register criteria. Signature of commenting official Date Title State or Federal agency/bureau or Tribal Government 4. National Park Service Certification I hereby certify that this property is: entered in the National Register determined eligible for the National Register determined not eligible for the National Register removed from the National Register other (explain:) Signature of the Keeper Date of Action United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County , Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 5 – 7 page 2 5. Classification Ownership of Property (Check as many boxes as apply.) Category of Property (Check only one box.) Number of Resources within Property (Do not include previously listed resources in the count.) Contributing Noncontributing X private X building(s) 73 21 buildings public - Local district 1 site public - State site structure public - Federal structure 1 7 object object 74 28 Total Number of contributing resources previously listed in the National Register: 8 6. Function or Use Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions.) DOMESTIC/hotel DOMESTIC/hotel COMMERCE/TRADE/business COMMERCE/TRADE/business COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store COMMERCE/TRADE/restaurant COMMERCE/TRADE/restaurant COMMERCE/TRADE/professional COMMERCE/TRADE/professional SOCIAL/meeting hall SOCIAL/meeting hall RELIGION/religious facility RELIGION/religious facility EDUCATION/library EDUCATION/library LANDSCAPE/plaza LANDSCAPE/plaza COMMERCE/TRADE/warehouse COMMERCE/TRADE/department store FUNERARY/mortuary EDUCATION/school 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions.) Materials (Enter categories from instructions.) EARLY REPUBLIC/Early Classical Revival LATE VICTORIAN/Gothic LATE VICTORIAN/Italianate LATE VICTORIAN/Romanesque LATE VICTORIAN/Second Empire foundation: BRICK United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 3 LATE VICTORIAN/Renaissance STONE LATE 19TH& EARLY20TH C. REVIVALS/ Beaux Arts LATE 19TH& EARLY20TH C. REVIVALS/ Colonial Revival LATE 19TH& EARLY20TH C. REVIVALS/ walls: BRICK Classical Revival STONE LATE 19TH&EARLY 20TH CENTURY WOOD AM. MOVEMENTS/Commercial Style roof: LATE 19TH&EARLY 20TH CENTURY other: AM. MOVEMENTS/Chicago MODERN MOVEMENT United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 4 Narrative Description Summary Paragraph (Briefly describe the current, general characteristics of the property, such as its location, type, style, method of construction, setting, size, and significant features. Indicate whether the property has historic integrity.) The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is located in the southeastern Iowa community of Iowa City. Largely defined by the presence of the University of Iowa, the community at large is characterized by the many features of that educational institution and the energy created by the daily overlap of the student and staff population with local residents; the proximity of the University to the Iowa City downtown assures that synergy. The Historic District is situated immediately east of the University Pentacrest with the Old Capitol at its center. The Iowa City downtown is typical of communities across Iowa in that it evolved organically in response to geographical or built features specific to its community. In some locales, a hilly terrain or waterway dictated the pattern of commercial development. In Iowa City, while a river town, it was the Old Capitol and the buildings of the University that impacted where the central business was established and in what manner it grew through subsequent decades. Less organic in nature, but no less powerful, were the desires and financial capacity of individual property owners, economic booms and busts, architectural trends, changing business models, pressures of growth, and intervention by local government and business groups to ensure economic viability that are all represented in the buildings and spaces of the Iowa City downtown. The urban renewal era of the 1960s-1980s was particularly impactful in the Iowa City downtown, and its role in creating the downtown of today is no small part of the significance of the historic district. Today, the area within the boundaries of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is characterized as a collection of predominantly commercial properties representing architectural and city planning spanning from 1856 through 2021 – a period of 165 years. The result is a complex arrangement of historic and contemporary buildings that reveal the historic evolution of commerce and architecture over those many years. The district remains separate from but anchored by the adjacent Old Capitol building (a National Historic Landmark) and the University of Iowa Pentacrest (National Register of Historic Places) on the west and bound by the University campus on the north. The district contains the best-preserved commercial building including examples of Early Classical Revival; Late Victorian era expressions of the Italianate, Renaissance, Romanesque, and Second Empire; Revival styles including Classical Revival, Gothic, and Georgian; examples of Chicago Commercial Style; and multiple 20th century buildings designed in the Art Deco and the Art Moderne styles. Significantly, the district embraces the significant alterations that resulted from the City’s urban renewal program. The buildings constructed during the period associated with the program (1970-1979) represent the architectural trends and technologies of the Modern Movement. More importantly, they are directly associated with an historic period that contributed significantly to the character of the district today. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 5 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Description (Describe the historic and current physical appearance and condition of the property. Describe contributing and noncontributing resources if applicable.) (Iowa SHPO Additional Instructions: After the main Narrative Description, discuss any physical alterations since the period of significance under the subheading Alterations, the seven aspects of integrity as it applies to the property in a Statement of Integrity, and any future plans for the property under the subheading Future Plans.) Property Description: Iowa City Downtown Historic District Boundaries The Iowa City Downtown Historic District covers five full city blocks and three half-blocks (Figure 03); its boundary runs north along S. Clinton Street on the west, then two blocks east along Iowa Avenue where it turns south for ½-block along S. Linn Street, turning east along the alley between Iowa Avenue and E. Washington to S. Gilbert Street, turning south to E. College Street, turning west along the rear of the Carnegie Library where it then turns south on S. Linn Street to the alley between E. Burlington Street and E. College Street where it runs west to meet S. Clinton Street. The district boundaries include the best-preserved commercial buildings in the downtown with a minimum of intrusions outside the period of significance. The streetscape facing S. Clinton Street bears particular significance for its proximity and historic relationship with Old Capitol and University Pentacrest and for its retention of late 19th and early 20th century commercial buildings. S. Washington, E. College, and S. Dubuque streets also retain significant early commercial buildings. The near complete loss of historic fabric along E. Burlington Street prevented including that streetscape in the district boundary. Figure 03. Iowa City Downtown Historic District Boundary Map - 2020 (Source: Baseline map, https://www.maps.google.com.) The district boundary is noted in red with the blue outline marking the Ped Mall. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 6 The boundaries also embrace the downtown’s urban renewal resources, most significant among them being City Plaza (a.k.a., the Ped Mall). In stark contrast to similar landscape features that appeared in urban renewal projects across the country, the Iowa City pedestrian mall was a success – of approximately 200 urban renewal era pedestrian malls constructed across the country, Iowa City Ped Mall is one of only 11 retained. It is the only remaining, fully pedestrian mall in Iowa.1 Where the majority of other such projects have been reversed in recent years (returned to vehicular traffic), the Iowa City Ped Mall remains a beautiful gathering place that contributes to the civic, social, and economic vitality of the downtown. Its place within the physical and historical context of the downtown commercial area cannot be overvalued. A range of American architectural styles spanning the latter half of the 19th century and the 20th century remain represented by the buildings in the Iowa City Downtown Historic District. The work of important local and Midwestern architectural firms and designers is represented in modest as well as large-scale buildings. They include Chauncey Lovelace of Iowa City; Proudfoot and Bird and their successor firm - Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson - of Des Moines; Dieman & Fiske of Cedar Rapids; Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen of Des Moines; Vorse, Kraetsch & Kraetsch of Des Moines; H.L. Stevens Co. of Chicago; Kruse and Klein of Davenport; and J. Bradley Rust of Iowa City. Urban renewal era designers have also made their impact in the historic district, including the Iowa City firm of Hanson Lind Meyer and the Des Moines firm of Brooks Borg Skiles. The work of these architectural firms, along with that of other designers and craftsmen whose names are not known, include examples representing the broad range of design styles found in the historic district. The resources of the historic district were evaluated using the standards and guidelines established by the Secretary of the Interior, National Park Service with further clarification of integrity standards specific to Iowa’s downtown commercial buildings provided in the 2002 Multiple Property Documentation Form (MPDF) “Iowa’s Main Street Commercial Architecture,” written by Jan Olive Nash (now Jan Olive Full). Due to the limitations imposed by the MPDF’s period of significance, this nomination is not made under the umbrella of the MPDF.2 Although not directly applicable to National Register standards for evaluation or to registration status, it is worth noting that in cases where mitigating factors such as rarity of a building type or architectural style within the historic district exists, an elevated local historical significance likewise exists. Although these buildings have a diminished historic integrity (preventing individual eligibility), their significance to the character of the streetscape elevates their contribution to the district specific to local evaluation. The resource descriptions on the following pages indicate these properties with an asterisk in order to underscore their importance to local agencies and property owners. In cases where a resource is not yet 50 years old, consideration of contributing status has been filtered through Criterion Consideration G, which provides guidance for evaluating the potential significance of resources that don’t meet the age guideline. District resources associated with the City’s urban renewal era have been evaluated in this manner. While evaluating individual buildings in a survey project such as the present one is important, it is necessary to keep in mind that, “the overarching significance for the majority of commercial buildings stems from their location on Main Street, not their individual status.” Only by examining the role individual buildings 1 Cole E. Judge, “The Experiment of American Pedestrian Malls: Trends Analysis,” prepared for the Fresno Future Conference, 2013. 2 Jan Olive Nash, “Iowa’s Main Street Commercial Architecture,” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form,” 2002. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 7 play as part of the larger district can we fully understand the significance of particular historic associations. As the heart of a community, the commercial downtown has long been central to the economic health of Iowa communities of all shapes and sizes. Just as importantly, the downtown serves as a community gathering space and as a civic space for the celebration of area events. As the city’s historical commercial center and community gathering place, the Iowa City Downtown Historic represents significant historical contexts by which we are able to understand and appreciate the buildings, spaces, and sense of history retained there.3 Property Description: Resource Classification and Count The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is comprised of 103 resources representing 94 buildings, one site, and 8 objects. Of the 94 buildings represented in the historic district, 73 (including eight National Register listed properties) are counted as contributing resources. The remaining 21 buildings are non-contributing resources. The site (City Plaza a.k.a., Ped Mall) is counted as one contributing resource. Resources counted as objects are substantial in scale, relatively permanent, and impact the character of the historic district. Located on the Ped Mall, these objects include a series of integrated, large-scale planters/retaining walls that remain a significant element dating to the original landscape design. As a type of feature on the Ped Mall, the integrated, large-scale planters are counted as one contributing object. Also counted as objects on the Ped Mall are a number of freestanding, limestone planters arranged along the length of the intersecting path of the mall; the planters are grouped as a type of feature and counted as one non-contributing resource. Five contemporary sculptures are located on the Ped Mall; they are counted individually, representing 5 non-contributing resources. Finally, a playground area with equipment is counted as one non-contributing resource. In summary, the objects located on the Ped Mall (and counted separately from the Ped Mall) represent one contributing object, and seven non-contributing objects. The period of significance is 1856-1979 embracing the earliest extant resource (Franklin Printing) through completion of the Ped Mall (a.k.a., City Plaza). The period embraces the span of time in which the existing resources best represent the range of commerce and architecture that define the district’s historic integrity. In addition, the period includes most of the urban renewal era resources. Only one large-scale, urban renewal era building post-dates the period of significance – the Holiday Inn, which was placed in service in 1984. Given the constraints of Criterion Consideration G, the period of significance has been terminated with completion of the Ped Mall, the community centerpiece of the urban renewal effort. The significant dates are 1856 (the date of the earliest extant resource) and 1970 which marks the beginning of the urban renewal demolitions within the boundaries of the historic district – an era that resulted transformation of the commercial downtown. 3 Nash, E-24. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 8 Figure 04. Iowa City Downtown Historic District Resource Map - 2020 (Source: Baseline map, https://www.maps.google.com.) Resource descriptions and classifications for the district follow, with “C” for contributing resources, NC for non-contributing resources, and “NRHP’ denoting resources that are already individually listed on the National Register of Historic Place. A table of resources can be found in “Additional Information”. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 9 S. CLINTON STREET 01. Dey Building – C*4 8 S. Clinton Street Classical Revival 1917 The Dey Building is a 2-story, limestone-clad, steel-frame commercial building constructed in 1917. The fire-resistant structure was erected with the structural capacity to be expanded from two to five or six stories for use as hotel rooms. The Dey Building housed the University Book Store, continuing a tradition begun in 1870 of bookstores at this prominent corner; the building remains occupied by a bookstore today. 2-story, pilasters divide the west elevation into four bays and the north elevation into five bays. A simple cornice provides the visual termination for those elevations. The storefronts underwent major remodeling in the 1970s. The cast concrete canopies were installed in 2001 and recently painted in the University of Iowa Hawkeye colors of black and gold.5 The Dey Building is a moderately well-preserved example of a Classical Revival commercial building. This contributing resource is locally significant under Criterion C as a well-executed stylistic expression in the Iowa City downtown. The building is also significant under Criterion A; contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City. 02. Coast & Sons Building – C* 10-14 S. Clinton Street Classical Revival 1892 The Coast & Sons building is a 2-story, 3-bay, commercial building located amid a contiguous line of commercial properties. The building’s visual character is derived from its overtly classical influence – the upper stories dominated by Roman and Greek forms. Coast and Easley, clothiers, occupied the north and middle bays (10-12) of the building from its construction in the fall of 1892 through 1898, at which time William P. Coast welcomed his son, William O., to the business. The named was then changed to Coast & Son and, when Preston C. Coast joined his father and brother in 1906, the business became known as Coast & Sons. The business remained associated with the family through the early 1930s, remaining occupied by a clothier through the 1960s. Although the building’s storefronts have been altered significantly from the historic, the upper stories retain a very good level of historic integrity of design and materials. This contributing resource is locally significant under Criterion C as a well-executed, atypical stylistic expression in the Iowa City downtown. The building is also significant under Criterion A; contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City, specifically in association with the longstanding and important clothing store of the Coast family, which operated under various names from 1892 through ca.1932. 4 Note that resources designated with a * are considered, by local standards, key contributing resources. They are here noted as such to indicate their significance to the local fabric in conformance with the Iowa City Preservation Ordinance. 5 The descriptive and historical information provided on all resources is excerpted from site survey forms updated and submitted with the 2018 survey and evaluation by Alexa McDowell for the City of Iowa City. They will not be individually cited in this document. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 10 03. Namur Bakery Building – C* (a.k.a., McDonald Optical) 16 S. Clinton Street Italianate ca.1874/ca.1884 The Namur Bakery Building is a 3-story, single bay, brick commercial building. The existing storefront has an off-center, recessed entrance with small shop windows and Vitrolite cladding. The upper levels have three windows, each with elaborate, pressed metal window hoods. The pressed metal cornice has a garland of pointed arches set beneath a denticulated crown molding. The building may date as early as ca.1874, but the Late Victorian era façade that is retained today dates to ca.1884. For much of its early history, Eugene Namur, confectionery and bakery, was located in there, with the Namur family living in the upper story. The building had a variety of occupants in the 20th century. In 1956 the shop space was taken over by A.J. McDonald for his optical company. McDonald purchased the building in 1969 and the business remains in the storefront space. This contributing resource is a well-preserved example of the commercial form of the Victorian era Italianate. The resource is locally significant under Criterion C as a well-executed, stylistic expression in the Iowa City downtown. The building is also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City. 04. Commercial Building – C* 18-20 S. Clinton Street Mixed ca.1874/ca.1944 This resource is a 3-story, 2-bay, brick with stucco finish, commercial building dating to ca.1874. Despite a significant face-lift in ca.1944, the building remains characterized by two storefronts with a central staircase separating them, flanking firewalls at the roofline by parapets (ca.1874), and a north-south ridgeline (ca.1874). Through time, the building’s storefronts have been occupied by a variety of retail enterprises representative of the evolution of the city’s downtown commercial trends. Significant among the occupants were Short & Sons, which was located in the north storefront (18) from ca.1925 through the 1950s; the business was one of a handful in the downtown owned and operated by African- Americans. With several of the business operators also inhabiting the upper story apartments, the building also demonstrates the connection of commercial enterprises with downtown residential living practices. As a result of major façade modifications, the building is not eligible for registration under Criterion C. However, because the building retains its ca.1874 scale, storefront subdivisions, and roof form, and because much of the current façade dates to more than 50-years of age, the building retains sufficient integrity to be considered a contributing resource under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 11 05. The Airliner – C* (a.k.a., Townsend Building) 22 S. Clinton Street Modern Movement ca.1888/1950 Constructed in ca.1888, the resource is a 2-story, commercial building located mid-block. The building has been referred to variously as the Townsend Building and Racine’s Cigar Store No. 3, but “The Airliner” has been adopted as the historic name because it represents the occupant from the time the façade was altered in the mid-20th century to the present. The building’s visual character is derived from its mid-20th century Modern façade, which features an unadorned brick wall plane, broken only by a ribbon window. The mid-20th century storefront has an off-set, recessed entrance with a large window to the left. T.W. Townsend purchased the property in 1885 and it was likely he who was responsible for the new building constructed there a short time later. In 1930 the storefront was combined with those at 24-26 and occupied by Racine’s Cigar Store No. 3. In ca. 1944, the space was taken over by William Banek and operated as the Airliner Restaurant, with the re-façade completed in 1950. The Airliner provides a very good stylistic representation of the impact of Modern architecture on commercial properties. In that regard, the resource is locally significant under Criterion C. The building is also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City. As a result, the resource is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. 06. Racine’s Cigar Store No. 3 – C* 24-26 S. Clinton Street Italianate ca.1874 This 2-story, 2-bay, brick commercial building was built in ca.1874. The ground level is divided into two storefronts with a unified visual character created through the use of common design elements and materials. The upper façade retains six, evenly spaced window openings with camber- arched heads; the original, ornate window hoods have been removed. While the historic openings are retained, the windows post-date 2001. The cornice, which is comprised of several corbeled courses of brick in geometric patterns, existed by the 1880s. Through time, the building’s storefronts have been occupied by a variety of retail enterprises. Beginning in ca.1909, the north storefront began its long occupation by a smoke shop, the most notable in a string of proprietors being Racine’s Cigar Store No. 3, which conducted business there from ca.1922-ca.1943. Due to a loss of historic integrity, Racine’s Cigar Store No. 3 is not eligible for the National Register under Criterion C. However, because the building retains its overall form and scale, historic upper story window openings with original sills, brick cornice, and recent renovations that are more sensitively representative of the historic storefronts, the building retains sufficient historic integrity to be considered a contributing resource under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 12 07. Ewers Men’s Store – C* 28 S. Clinton Street Commercial Style ca.1874/ca.1923 The Ewers Men’s Store building is a 3-story, single bay building set near the south end of the block. The building constitutes the north half of a two-bay property likely constructed prior to 1874 (perhaps as early as 1857). A major modification of the building was completed in 1923 when A.M. Ewers & Co.’s moved into the building; the south half of the original building (30 S. Clinton), which remains largely unaltered, provides evidence of the early appearance of the upper story of the Ewers building. The 1923 re-façade replaced upper story Italianate window arrangements with Chicago-style windows. A Neo-Classical style terracotta cornice and the re-facing of the upper façade with glazed brick completed the re-facade. The Chicago-style windows were replaced and the storefront altered in 1981. The original building (28-30) was constructed by longtime merchant, Moses Bloom. In 1919 Bloom sold the north half of the original building to Arthur M. Ewers, but the storefront remained occupied by Shiley Variety Store until 1923. At that time, Ewers advertised that the building was to be remodeled as A.M. Ewers & Co. In ca.1947, A.M. Ewers & Co. became known as Ewers Men’s Store, which continues to occupy the storefront. The resource is significant under Criterion C as a moderately well-preserved example of the Commercial Style; the 1923 façade reflects the architectural and material trends popular during the early 20th century. Further, the resource is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce, specifically in its association with longtime occupant, the Ewers Men’s Store. As a result, the resource is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. 08. Bloom-Ries Building – C* 30 S. Clinton Street Italianate ca.1874 The Bloom-Ries Building is a 3-story, single bay building set near the south end of the block. The building constitutes the south half of a 2-bay property likely constructed prior to 1874 (perhaps as early as 1857). The original building (28-30) was built with a storefront in each half and a combination of apartments and office spaces located on the upper floors. Typical of the Italianate style, the upper stories featured tall and narrow windows with heavy, window hoods and a prominent cornice. The Bloom-Ries Building remains largely unaltered despite the 1923 re- facing of the north half of the building. The building was constructed by longtime merchant, Moses Bloom. When son-in-law Max Mayer joined the business, the firm became known as Bloom and Mayer. In 1914 Bloom sold the south half of the original building to John T. Ries, who had operated Ries Iowa Book Store from the south storefront (30) since ca.1909. John T. Ries continued to operate the Iowa Book Store through ca.1952. The Bloom-Ries Building is a well-preserved example of the Italianate style in a commercial building with the historic, character-defining features retained, albeit altered, in the upper façade. This contributing resource is locally significant under Criterion C as an early and increasingly rare, stylistic expression in the Iowa City downtown. The building is also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 13 09. Whetstone Building – C* 32 S. Clinton Street Italianate ca.1868/1874 The Whetstone Building is a 3-story, brick commercial building consisting of two separate sections merged into a single ownership and business operation by the early 1880s. The corner building was constructed in ca.1868 and the east building was in place by 1874. The building’s upper elevations feature a distinctive bracketed and denticulated cornice with a deep, wood eave. Although windows have been replaced, the original openings are retained complete, with stone sills and segmental arched stone lintels with keystones and corner blocks. The window openings of the 1874 section also have stone sills, with their flat heads ornament with pedimented hoods. The building’s contemporary storefronts share a design approach which retains a sense of scale and design that is both contemporary and sympathetic to the historic character of the building as a whole. Whetstone Pharmacy, was the longest-lived business located in the building. By the early 1890s, John Whetstone was in business at this location, remaining there for some 30- years. The Whetstone Building is a well-preserved, early example of the Italianate style in a commercial building and as such is considered significant under Criterion C. The building is also significant under Criterion A in association with Iowa City commerce, specifically in its longstanding use as a pharmacy. The resource is a contributing resource to the historic district. 10. Iowa State Bank & Trust – NRHP, 2017 (Johnson County Savings Bank) 102 S. Clinton Street Chicago Commercial Style 1912 Iowa State Bank & Trust is a 6-story, brick commercial building, the design of which references the influence of the Chicago Commercial Style. The influence of Louis Sullivan via the Chicago Commercial Style is seen in the arrangement of the elevation with a base, shaft, and capital. Classically derived decorative elements are executed in stone and terra cotta including a heavily articulated, stone first level and a deep, bracketed cornice. As a National Register listed resource, the Iowa State Bank & Trust is a contributing resource in the historic district. 11. Strub Building – NC 114 S. Clinton Street Contemporary ca.1865/ca.2005 The Strub Building is a 2-story, brick commercial building constructed in ca.1865 to house the Strub Department Store. The building has undergone multiple, major façade renovations, the latest dating to United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 14 ca.2005. The Strub Building is a poorly preserved example of a late 19th century commercial building with a façade dating outside the period of significance. Because the scale, style, materials, and details of the building do not retain any character related to either the original 19th century building or the mid-20th century renovation, the building is counted a non- contributing resource to the historic district. 12. Hawkeye Barber Shop – C 124 S. Clinton Street Modern Movement 1979 This small, 1-story, concrete block and steel commercial building was under construction in December of 1978 and the business opened in February of 1979. Sandwiched between larger commercial buildings, the Hawkeye Barber Shop is dwarfed by comparison. The building has a mere 13-foot frontage on S. Clinton Street, but stretches east for a 78-foot depth. The building has an unornamented synthetic stucco finish with the entire storefront recessed between the walls of the adjacent buildings. The architect for the building was Hawkins Lind Meyer. The Hawkeye Barber Shop was built as part of the urban renewal program. As such, the building derives significance under Criterion A in that historic association. Notably, the building has retained the same occupant from the time of its construction nearly 50 years ago. The Hawkeye Barber Shop building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. 13. Things & Things & Things – C 130 S. Clinton Street Modern Movement 1970 Things & Things & Things is a 2-story, commercial building built in 1970 as the first of the urban renewal constructions in the downtown. The building’s visual character is indicative of its 1970 construction date, particularly in its fully glazed façade, steel framing, concrete block side walls, and stepped form. The glazed façade terminates with a corrugated shed roof that slopes back to meet a narrow metal cornice. Urban renewal plans for the Iowa City downtown were ready to proceed by the summer of 1970. The first major construction in the Iowa City urban renewal area was announced as the new $190,000 Things & Things & Things boutique, designed by Iowa City architect, William Nowysz. The business included a greenhouse, delicatessen, children’s clothing and books, dinnerware, and men’s and women’s clothing as well as an assortment of “trinkets” and other items. Things & Things & Things derives significance under Criterion A in association with urban renewal. Further, the building is significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved, architect-designed example of mid-20th century commercial architecture. As a result, Things & Things & Things is considered a contributing resource. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 15 14. Bill Hill Music Studio – C 132 S. Clinton Street Modern Movement 1971 The Bill Hill Music Studio building is a brick-faced (painted), concrete block structure. The building is L-shaped, with its primary entrance facing Clinton Street and secondary entrance at the rear of the building, fronting College Street and the pedestrian mall. The primary elevation is dominated by a fully glazed storefront featuring an off-set entrance flanked by display windows; the glazed door and display windows are set in chrome or unpainted steel frames, indicative of the construction era. The secondary entrance is similarly configured. A mural was painted on the south elevation sometime after 2001. Built in 1971, the building was just the second constructed as part of the Iowa City urban renewal program, which resulted in the loss of dozens of historic buildings and reoriented the historic character of the city’s Central Business District. As such the building derives significance under Criterion A in that historic association. The building retains a very good level of historic integrity and is indicative of its period of construction. The Bill Hill Music Studio building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. 15. Safeway 2000 Building – NC 210-212 S. Clinton Street Contemporary/Post Modern 2000 This 6-story, brick building was under construction in 1999-2000 following a fire that destroyed the previous building on this site. The building has commercial space on the first floor and apartments on the upper levels. It is constructed of red brick with a cast stone foundation, beltcourse, and trim. Brushed metal work is used for decorative elements, window sash and cornice details. Metal “fins” project along the cornice giving the illusion of brackets. A vaulted roof surmounts the top floor which is set back from the metal cornice edge. As a resource dating to outside the period of significance, the building is counted as a non-contributing resource to the historic district. E. COLLEGE STREET 16. City Plaza – C* (Ped Mall) E. College from S. Clinton to S. Linn and S. Dubuque from E. College to Iowa Avenue Urban Renewal Landscape Feature 1979 The Pedestrian Mall is comprised of three blocks of two, former downtown intersecting roadways converted to a pedestrian walkway. The Ped Mall was the centerpiece of the City’s urban renewal project, its revitalization designed to bring a centralized United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 16 gathering space, intimacy of scale, and room for outdoor events to the downtown. The Ped Mall was largely completed by the fall of 1979, with the final vegetative elements added in the spring of 1980. Officially named "City Plaza", Iowa City’s pedestrian mall was designed by Jack Leaman of Associated Engineers, Inc., Mason City. The 3-block pedestrian mall was a downtown success almost immediately, operating as planners had intended by serving as a centerpiece for both informal and planned downtown activities. As an outdoor feature with numerous elements that support its function, the Mall is subject to wear by both weather and near-constant use. As a result, features in the Pedestrian Mall have been replaced and/or altered multiple times in the course of its existence - most extensively in 1999 and 2019. Those features include natural vegetation (e.g., trees and plantings), hardscape features (e.g., steps, fountains, and planters), moveable elements (e.g., seating, playground equipment, and kiosks), surfacing, etc. Due to the nature of the feature, such alterations are to be expected. Retention of the primary elements that define the function – namely, no vehicular traffic, no curbs, building to building surface, hard and soft landscape features, and direct relationship with the adjacent commercial buildings – are central to the historic character and those elements remain intact. The Pedestrian Mall was an integral component of the Iowa City urban renewal program, which resulted in the loss of dozens of historic buildings and reoriented the historic character of the city’s central business district. Though a common feature of urban renewal projects across the country, the Iowa City Ped Mall represents a rare success of its type. As such the Pedestrian Mall derives significance under Criterion A in that historic association and is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. 17. Savings and Loan Building – C* 103 E. College Street Art Deco 1877/1940 This 3-story, brick and stone building was built in 1877 as an opera house and substantially remodeled in 1940 as a bank and office building. The 1940 facade is finished in buff-colored, brick and Bedford limestone. The first-floor window openings were filled with glass block that has subsequently been replaced with tinted plate glass panels. The College Street entrance is Art Deco in style, utilizing an elegantly stepped-back surround executed in stone framing a pair of brushed metal doors. “The Savings and Loan Building” is depicted in a Deco font above the entrance doors. The interior was also remodeled in 1940, with an elevator added and the upper floors converted to office spaces. This building is an example of a 19th century building being radically modified. As a result, it derives its architectural significance from the rehabilitation rather than its original construction. Alterations of the storefronts (including loss of glass block) on all elevations and painting of the upper stories’ brick, diminish the building’s historic integrity. In addition to the significance of its Art Deco stylistic character, the building has long been associated with the financial sector of the city’s commercial history. As a result, the Savings and Loan Building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district under both Criteria A and C. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 17 18. Dooley Block (west bay) – C* 109 E. College Street Late Victorian/Romanesque Revival ca.1874/1929 The Dooley Block (west bay) is a 1-bay, 2-story, brick building that was constructed in ca.1874. The building is a remnant of the original, 4-bay building. From 1929, at which time the middle two bays of the Dooley Block were razed and replaced by the Sears Roebuck & Co. building, the west bay (109) has been, both functionally and visually, an autonomous property. The east bay of the ca.1874 Dooley Block (115) also remains, providing a bookend to the Sears building. The stylistic character of the Dooley Block presents a mixture of the Late Victorian Romanesque and Italianate styles. The upper facade is clad in red brick with elaborate, carved wood Roman arches over the single and paired 1/1 double-hung windows. The paneled wood cornice has returning ends and four large brackets with small dentil-like brackets in between. The storefront has a prism-glass transom spanning the full width of the storefront with contemporary plate glass windows extending to grade. The transom treatment, though not original, predates 1940. The building is a well-preserved example of a Late Victorian era commercial building, retaining a generally good level of historic integrity specific to 1929, which marks the year the building became an autonomous resource. Given this, the Dooley Block is significant under Criterion C. The building is also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City. As a result, this building is a contributing resource to the historic district. 19. Carson Building – C 109 E. College Street Chicago Commercial Style ca.1916 The Carson Building, a 2-story, brick building on a stone foundation, is located on the north side of the Pedestrian Mall. The building has a relatively simple façade, consisting of a brick upper level penetrated by a continuous run of windows. The storefront is a wood construction in a “Irish Pub” character. A well- scaled storefront cornice and signboard completes the contemporary storefront. Through time the ca.1916 Carson Building was occupied by a variety of businesses, beginning with a piano store in 1918 and soon followed by a bakery. In the 1960s, the building served as the College Street entrance for the Alden’s Department Store (located on Clinton Street). The Carson Building is a moderately well-preserved early 20th century commercial building. Although the storefront has been altered from the original (likely multiple times over the course of some 100 years), the upper story retains a fair level of historic integrity, certainly to the degree that we can recognize and appreciate the building as a historic resource contributing to the overall character of the streetscape and the downtown generally. As a result, the Carson Building is considered a contributing resource under Criterion A in its longtime association with the history of Iowa City commerce. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 18 20. Commercial Building – NC 112 E. College Street Contemporary ca.1915/2013 This 2-story, commercial building dates to ca.1915. A major renovation in 2013 created a contemporized version of a 20th century commercial building. The 2013 storefront framing is sheathed in wood with molded edges. The west half of the storefront is glazed, with the east half recessed to provide shelter to the entrances. The 2nd story is sheathed in a contemporary modular system such as EIFS. Three windows are evenly located in the upper façade; they lack applied trim or decorative details. As a result of major alterations that date to outside the period of significance, building is counted as a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 21. Schneider Bros. Furniture Store – C 114-116 E. College Street Chicago Commercial ca.1883/1906 Schneider Brothers Furniture Store is a 2-story, brick building fronting the Ped Mall. The building was constructed in ca.1883, with the façade renovated and a large rear addition constructed in 1906. The building’s upper façade blends classically styled modillions with geometrically formed moldings. The two, upper level window groupings are a version of the Chicago-style window. The 2-bay storefront is faced in a golden-colored brick, each with a recessed entrance. The building was occupied by a furniture store, with undertaking services from 1883 through post-World War I; Schneider Bros. being the occupant from ca.1893 through ca.1919. Subsequently, the property was leased to a series of tenants including White’s Consolidated Stores and the Kinney Shoe Store. The resource is an example of a late 19th century commercial building that was significantly altered in the early 20th century – its current appearance retaining a good level of integrity specific to that alteration. The 1906 façade incorporates a mix of stylistic features, all of which illustrate the influence of architectural design coming out of Chicago. The building is a contributing resource to the historic district under both Criteria A and C. 22. Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building – C* 111-113 E. College Street Chicago Commercial 1929 Built in 1929, the Sears, Roebuck & Co. building is a 2-story, brick construction. The upper story is organized into three bays, each bay dominated by a Chicago-style window. Terra cotta is used in the stylized pilasters that frame the bays, and bas relief tiles that provide decorative accents to the basket-weave patterned brickwork. The 3-bay storefront has contemporary infill, with the historic outer storefront piers of brick with terra cotta details retained. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 19 Prior to its construction, the site was occupied by the middle two bays of the 4-bay Dooley Block. The entire property was sold in 1928 and the parcel was then divided. Sooner thereafter, the two center bays of the Dooley Block were razed and, in 1929, the present building was constructed to house the Sears, Roebuck & Co. department store (see image at left). As a well-preserved example of the Chicago Commercial style, the Sears, Roebuck & Co. building is significant under Criterion C., alteration of the storefront historically sympathetic and the upper elevation, with its historic, character-defining features intact, well- preserved. The building is also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City, specifically in association with its original occupant, the Sears & Roebuck Co. The building is counted as a contributing resource to the historic district. 23. Dooley Block (east bay) (52-01088) – C* 115 E. College Street Late Victorian/Romanesque Revival ca.1895/1929 The Dooley Block (east bay) is a 1-bay, 2-story, brick building constructed between 1892 and 1899. The building is a remnant of the original, 4-bay building. From 1929, (at which time the middle two bays of the Dooley Block were razed and replaced by the Sears Roebuck & Co. building), the east bay (115) has been, both functionally and visually, an autonomous property. The building is a well-preserved example of a Late Victorian era commercial building, with character- defining features retained including the red brick cladding, ornate Italianate cornice, Roman arched window heads, prism glass transom, and storefront cornice details. As a result, the building retains a generally good level of historic integrity specific to 1929, which marks the year the building became an autonomous resource. Given this, the Dooley Block is significant under Criterion C. The building is also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa City. The building is counted as a contributing resource to the historic district. 24. Crescent Block – C* 117-123 E. College Street Commercial Style 1894 The Crescent Block is a large-scale, 3-story, dark brown brick building constructed in 1894. The building’s four bays originally contained three shop spaces with an entrance to the upper floors in the narrow bay numbered 119. The storefront at 119 was remodeled in the 1930s, today retaining a curved glass display window with bands of black and white Carrara glass; the 19th century storefront treatment is retained in the west bay (117). Manley and Milton Moon, along with Iowa City architect Chauncey F. Lovelace, were responsible for the building’s 1894 construction. In 1929 a major shift in composition of the storefront tenancy came with the Montgomery Ward and Co. department store located in 121-123; the business remained the anchor retail tenant in the building until the late 1960s. Throughout much of its history, the second United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 20 floor housed professional offices with the third floor meeting hall first occupied by the Elks Club and later the Knights of Columbus. The Crescent Block is a well-preserved example of a late 19th century commercial building with stylistic influences reflecting the influence of Chicago architecture on Iowa City. Finally, as a mixed-use building, the Crescent Block has long associations with the history of commerce in downtown Iowa City and to the history of local fraternal groups that utilized the third floor hall. As a result of these associations, the Crescent Block is significant under Criterion C and likely under Criterion A as well. The building is counted as a contributing building in the historic district. 25. Commercial Building - C 118-120 E. College Street Romanesque Revival ca.1874/2017 This 2-story, brick commercial building was constructed in the Romanesque Revival style and subsequently altered on multiple occasions. In 2017, a thoughtful rehabilitation returned the Victorian era character to the facade. Although materials were lost to earlier alterations, the rehabilitation returned a simplified but historically sympathetic cornice, replaced upper story windows with glazing formed to fit the original arched headers, repointed the brick, and reconstructed the storefront. The building was occupied by a variety of retail businesses over time, including in 1874 a grocer, boot and shoe shop, and a restaurant. In the 1940s, JC Penney occupied the building and, by the 1960s, the building was occupied by a single tenant – the Osco Drug Store, which remained at this location until it relocated to the Old Capitol Mall in the early 1980s. This building is a recently rehabilitated example of an early Victorian era commercial building. Although some façade materials are contemporary replacements the rehabilitation returned a good level of design integrity to a building that had previously been dramatically altered. Due to the loss of integrity as it relates to historic materials, significance is limited to the building’s historic association; the building is a contributing resource under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce. 26. College Block Building – NRHP, 1973 125 E. College Street Italianate 1883 The College Block is a 2-story, brick building constructed in 1883. The building is significant as the earliest known commercial building designed by Iowa City architect, Chauncey F. Lovelace and stands as the most intact and ornate Victorian era commercial building in the historic district. Threatened by the city’s 1970s urban renewal program, the architectural significance of the resource drove local support for its rehabilitation. Listing on the National Register in 1973 was undertaken by the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office for the purpose of supporting its preservation. The College Block is a well-preserved example of a late 19th century, Victorian era, commercial building. The building features an elaborate cornice, second floor window hoods, and historic storefronts. The building was listed on the National Register with significance under Criterion C and as such is counted as a contributing resource in the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 21 27. Plaza Centre One – C 128 E. College Street Modern Movement 1977 This 5-story, brick office building was constructed in 1977 as a part of the downtown urban renewal process. It is the district’s largest urban renewal building, having replacing 8 late 19th commercial buildings. The Plaza Centre One office building has a steel structural system with concrete floors and exterior walls clad in dark brown brick. The building’s exterior has a distinctive clipped corner facing southeast onto the Ped Mall. The Iowa City office of Hansen Lind Meyer designed the building. Plaza Centre One was constructed as part of the Iowa City urban renewal program, which resulted in the loss of dozens of historic buildings and reoriented the historic character of the city’s central business district. As such, the building derives significance under Criterion A while meeting Criterion Consideration G. The building is a contributing resource to the historic district. 28. Iowa City Masonic Temple – C 312 E. College Street Classical Revival 1914 The Masonic Temple is 3-story, freestanding, brick building constructed in 1913-1914. Designed by the Cedar Rapids architectural firm of Charles A. Dieman and Company in the Classical Revival style, the fraternal building incorporates multiple classically derived elements including a highly symmetrical façade, a raised podium, an entrance pavilion with stone columns and surmounted by a stone entablature featuring a plain architrave and frieze and a denticulated cornice. The building remains in use by the Masons. The Iowa City Masonic Temple is a good example of an architect-designed, Classical Revival fraternal hall dating from a period of substantial new construction in the downtown. The building is a contributing resource under Criterion C and, under Criterion A, in association with the history of the Masonic Order in Iowa City. 29. Trinity Episcopal Church (52-01096) – NRHP, 1974 320 E. College Street Gothic Revival 1871/1971 Trinity Episcopal Church a wood frame building in the Gothic Revival style. The execution of the style is exemplified in the church building by the use of board and batten construction technique – establishing the church as the only such example found in Iowa City. The 1971 addition is of similar character. Trinity Episcopal Church derives its significance under Criterion C as a very well-preserved and important, extant example of a common design and building technique of the mid-19th century Midwest. It is also notable for being attributed to a design by Richard Upjohn, a New York architect, who was perhaps the most famous Gothic Revival advocate in the country, specifically of churches. As a National Register listed resource, Trinity Episcopal Church is a contributing resource in the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 22 S. DUBUQUE STREET 30. Park House – C 1 S. Dubuque Street Romanesque Revival ca.1867/ca.1879/ca.1899 The Park House is a 2-story, brick building constructed in ca.1867 (north half), ca. 1879 (south half), and ca.1899 (rear). In 1868 the Park House was one of eight hotels in Iowa City. By 1881 the first-floor space operated as a restaurant and remained so through the end of the century. At the turn of the 20th century, a grocery store, a plumbing contractor, and a merchant tailor occupied the first-floor with the upper story converted to apartments. The Park House is a moderately well-preserved example of a commercial property with stylistic elements representing the Victorian era Romanesque Revival style. The building is important as an early commercial building retained on a major downtown corner. Further, despite alteration of the storefront and upper story windows, the building retains its early form (in place by 1899), the rhythm of window openings across both upper story elevations, and the 2nd story bay window overlooking Iowa Avenue. As a result, the building is a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion C as well as under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 31. Market Hall – C 2-4 S. Dubuque Street Romanesque Revival/Modern Movement 1873/ca.1947 Market Hall was constructed in 1873 on a site formerly occupied by the first Market Hall, which burned in 1863. The 2-story, brick building has two storefronts facing Dubuque Street with a rear entrance facing Iowa Avenue. The south half (rt.) of the upper façade of Market Hall was altered in ca.1947, resulting in a stylistic separation between the two bays of the building. Market Hall represents both its original architectural character and a mid-20th century renovation, illustrating the evolution common to a commercial district. Although the alteration of one-half of the upper façade creates a level of visual confusion, the resource retains a level of integrity sufficient to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 32. F.J. Epeneter Building – C (north half) 5 S. Dubuque Street Commercial Style ca.1883/ca.1933 The Epeneter Building was built as a 2-story, 2-bay masonry commercial building constructed in ca.1879 (south half) and ca.1883 (north half). For much of its history, the building functioned as a unit, the configuration of the storefronts and upper story changing through time. It wasn’t until ca.1930 that the two halves of the building began to function autonomously. The re-facing of the north half was likely United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 23 undertaken at that time – a period in which Permastone was a new material thought to provide a relatively quick and easy way to alter an aging façade. The north half of the Epeneter Building remains independent of the south half, with each building under separate ownership. The building represents the evolution of downtown Iowa City commercial buildings over time. The Permastone façade, which has defined its historic character for nearly 90 years, remains in very good condition. Further, the retention of the prism glass transom is notable. All told, the building retains a good level of historic integrity. As a result, the building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district under Criteria A and C. 33. Ham’s Hall – C (north two-thirds) 6-8 S. Dubuque Street Art Deco ca.1873/ca.1930 Ham’s Hall was constructed in ca.1873 as a 2-story, brick commercial block. At the time of its construction, the building featured a unified façade with three storefronts and an upper story façade that was dominated by nine, tall and narrow windows with rounded heads. By ca.1930, the north two-thirds of the building had been renovated; the upper façade is a product of that renovation. The storefront was likewise remodeled in ca.1930, though it has since been altered. Through the years, a variety of businesses occupied the first-floor storefronts, including Deits & Hemmer, flour and feed in the 1870s. An agricultural implement and carriage repository business was located in the upper story in the 1890s and, after the turn of the 20th century, by Majestic Hall. Because the façade alteration was undertaken more than 50 years ago, it is considered part of the historic fabric and the building’s historic integrity is evaluated through that lens. The later, and relatively recent change of the storefronts, altered the ca.1930 character significantly. However, through retention of form and the overall mass of the upper stories, as well as a clear representation as a ca.1930 renovation seen in the materials chosen and the asymmetrical arrangement of the windows, the building retains sufficient integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district. The building is significant under Criterion A in its association with the history of commerce in downtown Iowa City. 34. F.J. Epeneter Building – C (south half) 7 S. Dubuque Street Italianate ca.1874 The Epeneter Building was built as a 2-story, 2-bay, masonry building in ca.1874 (south half) and ca.1883 (north half). For the first several decades of its history, the building functioned as a unit; it wasn’t until ca.1930 that the two halves of the building began to function autonomously. The Epeneter Building is representative of a post-Civil War shift away from the predominance of saloons and billiards halls in this block. After 1926 Joseph Rinella operated a produce business in the shop space in the north half of the building, while residing above. His son Joseph, Jr. continued to operate a pool hall in the south storefront, United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 24 while living with his wife in the apartment above the pool hall. “Catherine’s” has been in the storefront since 1969. The building represents the evolution of downtown Iowa City commercial buildings over time. Although the building is now representative of the original appearance, the materials themselves are largely representative of a 1999 rehabilitation. However, due to retention of historic form and an historically sympathetic storefront, the building retains sufficient integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 35. Patterson Block – C (north half of north half) 9 S. Dubuque Street Renaissance Revival 1879/1899/1982 This 2-story commercial building represents the north bay of the original four-bay Patterson Block (see image below), which extended from 9-15 S. Dubuque Streets. The north bays (9 and 11) were in place by 1879; today, 9 and 11 have separate property owners and, as such, are considered separate properties. A major fire in December, 1982 resulted in damage requiring the demolition of the south two bays of the Patterson Block. The north bay of the Patterson Block has plain brick framing piers with a projecting metal cornice of simple molding and dentil bands. A pair of recessed doors accesses the interior staircase to the upper level, and the ground level storefront. The name “Patterson” survives in the floor tile at the entrances. The storefront was occupied by a wide variety of businesses, ranging from a boot and shoe shop to a restaurant; some of the business owners resided in the apartment above their storefront. Although this building represents only one-quarter of the original Patterson Block, it survives as a relatively well-preserved example of the Late Victorian era Renaissance Revival in a commercial building – a type that is rare in the Iowa City downtown. The fact that half of the block was destroyed by fire and that the other extant bay is more altered, increases the importance of this surviving section of the original building. The building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce and under Criterion C as an example of the Late Victorian Renaissance in a commercial building. The building is a contributing resource to the downtown historic district. 36. Ham’s Hall – C (south one-third) 10 S. Dubuque Street Romanesque Revival ca.1873/ca.1925 Ham’s Hall was built in ca.1873 as a 2-story, brick commercial block. When constructed, the building featured a unified façade with three storefronts and an upper story façade that was dominated by nine, tall and narrow windows with rounded heads. Today, the building façade reflects the visual and functional separation of the south bay from the north two bays in ca.1930. The storefront began its longtime function as a restaurant in the late 1920s, with the Hawk’s Nest located there from 1928-1934, Munn’s Grill (1935-1937), and the D. & L. Grill and Spanish Room (1938-1952). United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 25 Although a remnant of the ca.1873 Ham’s Hall, the building has functioned independent of the original building since ca.1925. Significantly, the south bay remains representative of the original building, with character-defining features intact. Through retention of the original form and the Late Victorian era elements of the upper façade, the building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in its historic association with the history of commerce in downtown Iowa City and under Criterion C as a reasonably well-preserved representative of one of district’s earliest commercial buildings. 37. Patterson Block – C (south half of north half) 11 S. Dubuque Street Romanesque Revival 1879/1899/1982 This 2-story commercial building represents the south half of the north section of the original 4-bay Patterson Block that extended from 9-15 S. Dubuque Street. The bay is characterized by the three windows on the upper level that are divided by plain brick pilasters set beneath a series of adjoining, semi-circular metal window hoods. Although occupied by a variety of businesses through its history, the storefront was most typically occupied by a restaurant. This bay of the original Patterson Block has been significantly altered from the original, to a degree which limits its contribution to architectural history of the Iowa City downtown. Retention of historic form, traditional commercial façade organization, original window openings in upper façade with arched form discernable, and a reasonably sympathetic, non-historic storefront convey a solid understanding of the historic building and sufficient integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 38. Commercial Building – C 12 S. Dubuque Street Italianate ca.1870 The commercial building at 12 S. Dubuque Street is a 2-story, brick building (at right) located in a contiguous line of commercial buildings of similar form and construction eras. Today, the storefront is the middle bay of a 3-bay configuration occupied by the Sports Column bar. 12 S. Dubuque Street retains a sense of individual character through the articulation of the upper façade, which features three window openings located regularly across the wall plane and corbeled cornice. The history of the storefront indicates a longtime use as a grocery (J.J. Lorack and Heck’s Grocery) and, after 1910, a bakery – Barry’s Bakery through ca.1936. In 1946 Old Mill Ice Cream opened at this address, remaining there for a decade. By 1960 Joe Rossie’s Café occupied the building, remaining there through 1966. Due to the historic rehabilitation of the upper story, the building retains a good level of historic integrity, despite the recent alteration of the storefront and replacement of the upper story windows. Through retention of the original form and the Victorian era elements of the upper façade (namely, the window openings and corbelled cornice), the building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. The resource is significant under Criterion A in its historic association with the history of commerce in downtown Iowa City. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 26 39. Prairie Lights Book Store – NC 13-15 S. Dubuque Street Contemporary 1983/1993 The Prairie Lights Book is a 2-story, masonry commercial building constructed following a fire that occurred in December of 1982. That fire destroyed the two, south bays of the original, 4-bay Patterson Block, which historically extended from 9-15 S. Dubuque Street. The north half of the building (9-11) remains today, with each bay of the remaining building functioning autonomously. This building is an example of a late 20th century commercial building built in a contemporary style with a reference to Prairie School design. Due to the building’s relatively recent construction it is counted as a non- contributing resource to the historic district. 40. Mueller Block – NC 14 S. Dubuque Street Contemporary 1909/ca.1970 The building at 14 S. Dubuque Street is located at the end of a contiguous line of commercial properties of a similar scale and construction date. The building is located mid-block, with its secondary elevation (south) facing the alley. The 2- story brick building bears little resemblance to its 1909 appearance or to a façade replacement undertaken in ca.1970. This mid-block, alley adjacent, commercial building is an example of an extensively reconstructed façade based on a contemporary design. The building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 41. J.J. Stach Saloon – C 17 S. Dubuque Street Romanesque Revival ca.1876 This 2-story commercial building represents the north one- third of an original 3-bay building that extended from 17- 21 S. Dubuque Street. The J.J. Stach Saloon (at right) has a Late Victorian era Romanesque Revival style design with a continuous metal cornice connecting the 3-bay building. The building was occupied by a variety of retail uses beginning with J.J. Stach operating a saloon and then a boots and shoes business from this storefront; the shift away from the saloon reflected the shift away from saloon-keeping on this block of the downtown. The Stach family’s shoe store continued from this location into the years after World War I, with the family retaining ownership of the building through World War II. The upper level was leased as office space for a number of doctors at one time. Although visually and functionally autonomous from the adjacent building to which it has a shared history, the building remains an important component to that building – either building would be significantly impacted by the loss of the other. Further, the J.J. Stach Saloon building retains many of the historic, United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 27 character-defining features of the upper story including the unusual and elegantly composed cornice – the monochromatic paint scheme diminishes but does not erase its beauty. With these considerations in mind, the building is counted as a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce and under Criterion C. 42. Scanlon Saloon/Maresh & Holubar Tin Shop– C 19-21 S. Dubuque Street Romanesque Revival ca.1874/ca.1875 This 2-story commercial building represents the south and center thirds of the original 3-bay building that extended from 17-21 S. Dubuque Street. The Romanesque Revival upper facade features a continuous metal cornice connecting the three bays, red brick walls, and semi- circular arched windows. Both storefronts are modified from the original. Several retail businesses occupied the south bay (21) overtime, beginning with Maresh and Holubar, stove and tinware in 1879. For many years, the space was occupied by Reich’s Chocolate Shop and Café, which was established in ca.1901 as a candy kitchen and ice cream parlor before shifting to focus to food service and soda fountain. The center bay (19) of the building was occupied by the Scanlon Saloon in 1876. A drug store occupied the center storefront for much of the 20th century. Despite the loss of historic windows and alteration of the storefronts, the building remains an important example of an early commercial building expressive of Late Victorian era commercial design. The building is a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce and under Criterion C in association with its period of construction and design. 43. Commercial Building – NC 23 S. Dubuque Street Contemporary ca.1879/ca.1970 This 2-story commercial building pre-dates 1879 when a building first appeared on the fire insurance map for that year; an 1893 historic image documents its 19th century appearance. Today, the building is an example of an extensively reconstructed façade based on a contemporary design. Due to the quality of design character, the building has not since the time it was renovated, contributed to the historic character of the downtown. The building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 44. Jefferson Cafeteria – C 109 S. Dubuque Street Commercial Style ca.1915 The Jefferson Cafeteria is a 1-story, brick, commercial building located on the pedestrian mall. The building features a simple, commercial front with decorative devices limited to a brickwork cornice and cast stone parapet coping. A 1-story, narrow glazed infill extends from the building’s north storefront pier to the south wall of the adjacent Hotel Jefferson. The Jefferson Cafeteria building was constructed following the 1912 fire that destroyed the 1860 Metropolitan United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 28 Block and led to the 1913 construction of the Hotel Jefferson. The building remained occupied by food service businesses through the 1920s, after which time a series of retail businesses located there. A recent, historic rehabilitation revealed previously camouflaged façade details and minimized the visual distraction of the glazed link to the adjacent building. As a result, the Jefferson Cafeteria is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. The building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce in the Iowa City downtown and under Criterion C as an example of small-scale commercial property. 45. Commercial Building – C* 111 S. Dubuque Street Early Classical Revival ca.1860 This 3-story, brick commercial building was constructed in ca.1860, its character representing the Early Classical Revival (see right). The upper levels originally had three evenly spaced window openings with stone sills and lintels and 6/6 double-hung sash; the center openings have been bricked shut. The pressed metal cornice has four large brackets with pendants and a narrow frieze with a dentil-like detailing between each bracket. The storefront is a 21st century renovation that is historically sympathetic in proportions, composition, and materials. A range of businesses occupied the building overtime, with the upper story housing professional offices and a cigar factory. By 1909 the first floor was operated as the Dreamland Theatre, followed briefly by the American Theatre, and then the Iowa Candy Kitchen. Regular turn-over continued through 1944 when the property came under the ownership of the Koza family, which had owned the adjacent property since 1911. This building is a moderately well-preserved example of a commercial block dating to the mid-19th century; after the adjacent Franklin Printing House, the building is the oldest in the historic district. This building is considered a contributing resource in the historic district, significant under Criteria A and C. Additional investigation of the interior may indicate that the loss of exterior integrity is balanced by retention of interior features, early construction date, and/or significant historical association. 46. Franklin Printing House – NRHP, 1986 115 S. Dubuque Street Early Classical Revival 1856 The Franklin Printing House is a 3-story, brick commercial building. The building was constructed in 1856 to house the Iowa Capitol Report during the city’s brief reign as the state capital. The building is significant as the earliest commercial building built for newspaper work and associated with a notable early newspaper in Iowa City. It is the oldest remaining building in the Iowa City Downtown Historic District. The resource derives its significance under Criterion A in association with the history of journalism in Iowa City and under Criterion C as a well-preserved and rare (and earliest) example of a pre-Civil War building in the Iowa City downtown. The Franklin Printing House is counted as a contributing resource in the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 29 47. Commercial Building – C* 118 S. Dubuque Street Late Victorian – Second Empire ca.1881/ca.1890 This resource is a moderately well-preserved example of a Late Victorian commercial building form that was once common in downtown Iowa City – the Second Empire or Mansard style. Today this building is the only remaining example. The building was constructed sometime between 1879 and 1883 with the third floor (with its mansard roof and pitched-roof dormers) added in the following decade. An historic rehabilitation completed in the 1980s included the reinstallation of a cornice between the mansard roof plane and the brick façade, construction of an historically sympathetic storefront, and removal of non-historic paint from the brick walls. A hardware store occupied the building in 1883, remaining in the building for some 40-years. In 1924 a shop specializing in roasting and blending coffee opened, later expanding to sell peanuts, popcorn, and candy. In 1940 the upper floors were converted for use as the “Piper Apartments”. Despite the fact that the façade alterations represent a non-historic alteration (the materials appear to represent a nearly wholesale replacement of the historic), the building is without question a significant historic resource representative of a vanishing architectural type in the Iowa City downtown. Further, the building has been associated with the history of Iowa City’s downtown commerce since its construction in ca.1881. The building is a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A. 48. Iowa Theater – C 124 S. Dubuque Street Art Deco 1936 This building is an example of a small theater constructed as a movie house during the late 1930s; the Iowa Theater opened in November of 1936. Designed with a contemporary look at the time it was built, the façade had a brick front with tall vertical windows set in the center of the upper level with corbeled brick dividers between and a wedge-shaped theater marquee with two sets of plate glass double doors beneath it. After closing in the early 1980s, a major rehabilitation of the building was completed with more recent renovation accounting for the current character. The Iowa Theater building is an example of an architectural style developed for a specific type of building, the modern cinema. Loss of the theater’s marquee and changes in the front façade for conversion to a new use has significantly diminished the building’s historic integrity. However, the building retains its historic form without addition and, most significantly, the angled brickwork that works its way across the façade to rise above the height of the parapet creating a sort of lance form. Further, the Iowa Theatre building is the only remaining representative of a modern cinema in the Iowa City downtown. As a result of these various considerations, the Iowa Theatre is considered a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 30 49. Holiday Inn – NC 220 S. Dubuque Street Modern Movement 1984 The Holiday Inn is a 9-story hotel building visually defined by its pre-cast concrete construction, asymmetrical massing, and ribbon windows. Placed in service in 1984, the Holiday Inn was constructed during the final stage of the Iowa City urban renewal program. As such, the building is significant in that historic association. However, the district’s period of significance ends with the completion of the City Plaza (Ped Mall) in 1979, leaving the Holiday Inn outside the period of significance and therefore counted as a non-contributing resource to the district. E. IOWA AVENUE 50. Bushnagel Building – C 113-115 E. Iowa Avenue Romanesque Revival ca.1875 The Bushnagel Building, a 2-story brick, 2-bay commercial building is the oldest remaining building in this block of Iowa Avenue. Although camouflaged by a coat of flat black paint, the upper façade retains design elements indicative of the Italianate style including a pressed metal cornice and semi-circular arched window openings with brick, window hoods. The building was occupied by A. Bushnagle confectionery from its construction through the early 1880s. Later, the two storefronts housed a variety of businesses including a restaurant, a saloon, and printing company. The upper story was, in the early 20th century, occupied by a cigar factory. Despite storefront alterations, replacement windows, and the diminished impact of historic details due to the use of a dark monochromatic paint, the Bushnagel Building retains sufficient historic integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A in association with the history of commerce. 51. Studio Tea Shop – C 117 E. Iowa Avenue Commercial Style ca.1922 This 1-story, brick building was constructed in ca.1922. The mid-block commercial building is an example of a small vernacular commercial building with decorative elements limited to the upper section of the front façade where a simple geometric design is inset in the brickwork. The storefront has been remodeled. In 1922 the occupant was the Studio Tea Shop and, in 1935 was purchased by Joseph and Harry Bremer, downtown property owners and operators of a men’s clothing store. After that time, the building was occupied by a variety of retail businesses. The Studio Tea Shop building retains sufficient historic integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 31 52. Commercial Building – NC 119 E. Iowa Avenue Contemporary 2004 This 1-story building was built in 2004 on a parcel that was occupied by a diminutive, 1-story concrete block building which, in the 1930s and 1940s, housed the Hamburg Inn (first location). The building is a reinforced concrete structure faced in a red brick. Although the function of the building is interconnected with that adjoined on the west (Joe’s Place), the façade remains visually autonomous. Its façade design, while contemporary in execution, utilizes historic precedents that result in a visual character sympathetic to the historic streetscape. Dating to outside the period of significance, the building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 53. Brunswick Hall – C 121-123 E. Iowa Avenue Mixed/Commercial ca.1890/1946/1974 When constructed, this building was strongly Victorian in design character. The building façade was substantially altered in 1946, with the cornice removed and the façade re-faced in brick. Additional alterations were made in 1974 to accommodate a new tenant, the Burger Palace. The building was occupied by a billiards hall, a bowling alley, and a barbershop for many years with a physicians’ supply house and a dental supplier located on the upper story. After World War I, the first floor became the Athens Print Shop, later the Athens Press, and remained so for 20 years. In 1947 the building was sold triggering the re-façade that forms the basis of the exterior character today. The building’s façade has been substantially modified. However, because the initial, and most significant loss of original character-defining features, occurred more than 50 years ago and because, relevant to the post-1946 appearance, the building retains the original form, historic delineation of storefront and façade, and rhythm of upper story windows, the building retains sufficient integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A. 54. C.O.D. Steam Laundry – C 211 E. Iowa Avenue Italianate ca.1895/c.1960 The C.O.D. Steam Laundry building was constructed in ca.1895 with a laundry operated from the first floor and the upper story leased to the Iowa City Public Library from ca.1897 through ca.1903. As originally constructed, this 2-story, freestanding brick building had a late Victorian design with an ornate, pressed metal cornice (see image below). Today, the façade reflects mid-20th century renovations that removed the most ornate of the Victorian details and reconfigured the storefront. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 32 Although much altered from the original, the C.O.D. Steam Laundry building reflects façade alterations that now date to more that 50-years. Further, the building retains its historic, freestanding form without additions and the character- defining fenestration of the upper story. Further, the building has a significant association with the history of commerce in the Iowa City downtown, specifically as a representative of a laundry business, which rose along Iowa Avenue to service the university staff and students. The building has a raised degree of importance due to the increasing rarity of historic buildings on this block of Iowa Avenue. As a result, the C.O.D. Steam Laundry is considered a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 55. Reardon Hotel – C 213 E. Iowa Avenue Italianate ca.1900/1932 This 2-story brick building was built in ca.1900 as a single-family dwelling and converted for use as the Reardon Hotel in 1926. The building façade, with entrance on the left, glazing on the right, and a bracketed cornice, reflects the arrangement of elements dating to the 1932 expansion and renovation of the original residence. After purchasing the residence in 1926, William and Minnie Reardon undertook a series of alterations that, in addition to the 1932 façade addition, included a clay block addition on the rear, hotel rooms and baths. The hotel operated until the late 1960s and was subsequently converted to eight small apartments and a single retail space. It remains so configured today. The Reardon Hotel is considered a contributing resource to the historic district. The building is significant under Criterion A as a well-preserved and rare functional type representing the transformation of a ca.1900 single-family residence to a small hotel. In its current form, the building exterior appears much as it did when remodeled in 1932 and, as a result, is considered a contributing resource under Criterion C. 56. Capitol Square Condominiums – NC 219 E. Iowa Avenue Contemporary 2001 Capitol Square Condominiums is a 4-story, concrete structure faced in brick and stone. The building was built in 2001 on the site of the 1970s First Christian Church – that church building having replaced the 19th century Christian Church. Unlike most of the CBD, which is characterized by contiguously arranged commercial buildings, this block of Iowa Avenue was historically (and remains today) populated by freestanding buildings. Today the streetscape is much altered from its early character, with three of the five buildings constructed in the last 20 years. The character is also impacted by the scale and height of both the Capitol Square Condominiums and the Vogel House, which is located on the east end of the block. Dating to outside the period of significance, the building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 33 57. Bruegger’s Bagel – NC 225 E. Iowa Avenue Contemporary 2013 The Bruegger’s Bagel building was built in 2013 on the site of the ca.1909 People’s Steam Laundry Building, which was destroyed by fire in late September 2011. The building is a 2-story, reinforced and concrete block structure faced in dark brown brick. Small in scale relative to the other recent constructions on this block, the building exhibits a stylistic character reminiscent of early 20th century commercial buildings – the scale, rectangular form, flat roof, and cornice all contribute to that character. Unlike most of the historic district, which is characterized by contiguously arranged commercial buildings, this block of Iowa Avenue was historically (and remains today) populated by freestanding buildings. Dating to outside the period of significance, the building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 58. Vogel House – NC 229 E. Iowa Avenue Contemporary 2001 The Vogel House (condominiums) was constructed in 2001 on the site of an 1898 residence of the same name. The building is a 7-story, reinforced and concrete block building with a dark brick veneer. The building façade is characterized by the expansive use of glass over a skeletal steel structure. The juxtaposition against the dark brick vertical mass combines with an angular roofline to create a dramatic form on the primary elevation. The building has retail space on the ground level, the entrance to which fronts E. Iowa Avenue. Dating to outside the period of significance, the building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. S. LINN STREET 59. 7 South Linn – NC 7 S. Linn Street Contemporary 2019 7 South Linn is a 7-story, steel panel clad apartment building constructed in 2019 on the site of the last 19th century residence in Iowa City’s downtown commercial area. A fire, which significantly damaged the historic residence, resulted in its demolition and led to construction of the present high-rise. The building is a non- contributing resource in the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 34 60. Hohenschuh Mortuary – C* 13-15 S. Linn Street Georgian Revival 1917 The Hohenschuh Mortuary is a 2-story, brick building constructed in 1917. The building is comprised of two primary sections: the public space is identified on the exterior by the fully articulated façade, which faces S. Linn Street on the east; the non-public space extends west from the main building and its identified by a flat roof and lack of ornamentation. The building is a relatively well-preserved example of the Georgian Revival architectural style. It is associated with the business career of William P. Hohenschuh, operator of a local mortuary and a statewide leader in the mortuary business. Hohenschuh’s funeral parlor business had operated in conjunction with a furniture store previous to the construction of this new building. The 1917 building had a private family parlor and a “trimming and embalming room” with the second floor used for a stock room, three “show rooms” and bedrooms for people who wished “to stay with their dead.” A garage at the rear of the main building housed the mortuary ambulance and truck. The building is an important and unusual example of the Georgian Revival style in the Iowa City downtown and it has a long association with the history of commerce in the downtown. As a result, Hohenschuh Mortuary is a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criteria A and C. 61. Old Post Office – NRHP, 1977 28 S. Linn Street Beaux Arts 1904/1931 The former Post Office was constructed in 1904 and expanded to the present size in 1931. The building is a concrete and steel frame structure clad in Indiana limestone. The building is designed in the classically derived Beaux Arts style with a raised foundation; seven by five bay elevations; corner quoining; symmetrical elevations; large, Roman- arches of first floor openings with keyed headers; a deep belt-course, and a balustraded parapet wall. The Post Office was listed on the National Register in 1977, significant under Criterion C. As a National Register resource, the Post Office is a contributing resource to the historic district. 62. J.A. O’Leary Velie Co. Garage/Iowa Apartment Building – C 104-116 S. Linn Street Commercial Style 1919/1924 When constructed in 1919, this quarter-block building was a 1-story brick building on a reinforced concrete foundation. The building was constructed to house an auto showroom on the north end with a 40-car garage in the center and a repair shop on the south end along the alley. In 1924 all but the south section of the ground floor was converted to retail shops and a low-pitched hipped roof, 2-story addition with a U- shaped plan was added above (historic rendering below). The stucco-clad floors contained 32 apartments. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 35 This building is an example of an early 20th century building form – the automobile garage – that was later expanded to include two floors of apartments in response to the growing need for downtown housing between the World Wars. The 1990s installation of synthetic stucco and new windows has diminished its historic integrity, but the building retains a sufficient level of historic integrity specific to its period of significance and bears a demonstrable association with the history of commerce related to both the automobile era and downtown housing. As a result, the O’Leary Velie Garage and Iowa Apartment Building is a contributing resource to the historic district. 63. Meardon Building – C 122 S. Linn Street Modern Movement 1977 The Meardon Building is a freestanding, 1-story brick office building built in 1977. The building’s visual character is presentative of its construction era and of the skill of the architects (Brooks, Borg & Skiles of Des Moines) that designed it. Generally restrained in character, the building relies on the juxtaposition of reiterated arched forms against the simple rectangular box, a low and elongated form, and elegant details. Built in 1977, the Meardon Building is associated with the Iowa City urban renewal program. As such the building derives significance under Criterion A in that historic association. Its location at the end of the pedestrian mall – the “centerpiece” of the City’s urban renewal program – underscores that historic association. Further, the building is considered significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved example of mid-20th century commercial architecture, which departed from the historic precedents that typify 19th and 20th century downtowns of Iowa. As a work of the architectural firm of Brooks, Borg & Skiles, the building has additional significance under Criterion C. The Meardon Building is a contributing resource to the historic district. 64. Iowa City Public Library – NC 123 S. Linn Street Contemporary 2004 The present Iowa City Public Library represents the 2004, major renovation of and addition to an existing, urban renewal era public library. The building continues to occupy a prominent corner site, with its façade facing S. Linn Street and its secondary elevation (south) fronting the Pedestrian Mall on E. College Street (2017). Generally, the building is rectangular in form with a flat roof; its exterior is clad in a combination of limestone blocks and brick with the placement of the cladding used to identify interior functional separation and visual primacy. Windows are predominantly large-scale and gridded, with glazing set in steel frames. Due to the scale of alteration, the building is considered a new construction and is counted a non-contributing resource to the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 36 65. Plaza Towers/Hotel Vetro – NC 201 S. Linn Street Contemporary 2004 Plaza Towers was built in 2004 on a parcel at the east end of the Ped Mall that had been a parking lot for many years. The building’s construction created some local debate due to its scale and contemporary architecture. The building has since won important awards that recognize it as an innovative approach to property use – the building combines condominiums, a hotel, professional offices, a health and wellness business, a restaurant, and a grocery store. In most aspects it has ultimately been accepted as a positive contributor to the downtown, though opinions about its impact on the historic downtown remain divided. Dating to outside the period of significance, the building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 66. Iowa City (Carnegie) Public Library – C* 218 S. Linn Street Classical Revival 1903 This 2-story public library building was built in 1903-04 utilizing funds provided by Andrew Carnegie. Its design incorporates both Classical Revival design features and Beaux-Arts elements. The library was designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen, a firm without experience in designing public libraries at the time they accepted this commission. The Carnegie Public Library was vacated in 1981 when its replacement was completed. The building is a well-executed example of a Classical Revival style public library building. It was one of a series of quasi-public or civic buildings constructed along S. Linn Street in the decades immediately preceding and following the turn-of-the 20th century. Despite modifications to the entrance and the renovation of the interior for conversion to housing, the Carnegie Library retains sufficient historic integrity to be counted a contributing resource to the historic district under Criteria A & C. E. WASHINGTON STREET 67. Hands Jewelry Building – C* 109 E. Washington Street Modern Movement ca.1868/1968 This 2-story, brick commercial building was likely constructed by 1868 when a jeweler was first listed in city directories at this address. Multiple alterations of the building and its façade occurred over the ensuing 150 years, the most recent dating to 1968. In May of that year, Hands Jewelry undertook the renovation of its store, which resulted in expanded retail selling space through utilization of the second floor and the basement. The first floor became dedicated to jewelry, the second to china, glassware, and silver, and the basement to repair and manufacturing work United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 37 with an elevator connecting the three stories. The primary interior feature was a second-floor balcony overlooking the entrance, which is marked on the façade by the trio of 2-story, glazed arches. The project architect was the Iowa City firm of Hansen Lind Meyer. Although completely altered from the 1868 original, the 1968 Hands Jewelry Store is a well-preserved example of an architect-designed, commercial building representative of mid-20th century Modern architecture. The building is a contributing resource to the historic district. Hands’ Jewelry Store is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. The building is particularly significant for the 109 year association with the Hands family of jewelers – a remarkable and rare feat in any community. Further, the building is significant under Criterion C as an example of Mid- century Modern commercial architecture. 68. Western Union Building – NC 110 E. Washington Street Classical Revival 1930 The Western Union building, constructed in 1930 is a simplified example of Classical Revival style design that is found in a handful of downtown buildings constructed just before and shortly after World War I. In 1991 the façade was modified to create a 2-story commercial space for the jewelry store occupying the building. The metal cornice was retained along with the pressed brick walls and geometric designs of brick and stone displayed on the building front. The balance of the front was substantially modified with addition of a recessed 2- story window extending from the entrance way to the top of the flat brick arch of the original upper level window group. Though attractive, the changes significantly diminish the historic integrity. Although the renovation retained the historic form and character-defining details in the upper wall plan, the design removed the historic delineation of storefront and upper story, fully glazing the opening create by removal of the historic storefront cornice and transom. As a result, the building lacks sufficient historic integrity to be considered a contributing resource to the historic district and is thereby counted as non-contributing. 69. Sunier Music & Jewelry Store – C 112 E. Washington Street Classical Revival ca.1900/1929 This 2-story, brick commercial building was constructed in ca.1900 and remodeled in 1929. Beginning with its construction, the business focus of the occupant Sunier & Son evolved to include the sale of sheet music, sewing machines, jewelry, and clocks. Sunier announced its closing in December, 1928 and the new owner undertook a renovation to convert the building “into a modern store room and to make apartments on the second floor.” In the 1970s (image, left) the building was occupied by Lorenz Boots & Shoes, a longtime Iowa City business. The building is an example of a simplified, Classical Revival style with a contemporary styled storefront. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 38 This building is a moderately well-preserved example of a Classical Revival commercial building built during an era of substantial growth in the central business district before World War I and altered in 1929. Non-historic changes are largely confined to the storefront, though a penthouse addition contributes to a change in character from the historic. The building is a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce and Criterion C as a representative of Classical Revival commercial architecture. 70. Corlett Livery/M. Moon Drug – NC 114-116 E. Washington Street No Style ca.1874/1963 This 3-story, commercial building was constructed in ca.1874. The façade was altered in 1963, with metal cladding and reduced windows introduced at that time; the present character is largely in keeping with that alteration. The first floor is divided into two unequal retail spaces reflecting the original function of the west section, which served as an access passageway for wagons entering the center of the block to reach the livery stable located at the rear of this building through at least 1912. Because the facade alteration occurred more than 50-years ago, the changes are considered part of the historic fabric and is evaluated as such. In contrast to multiple buildings in the Iowa City downtown, renovation of the building at 114-116 E. Washington does not represent a stylistic shift in the design of downtown buildings. Rather, it appears as an uninspired and inexpensive alteration, perhaps as a quick solution to issues with the historic façade. Due to the method in which the alteration was undertaken, the building has not, since the time it was renovated, contributed to the historic character of the downtown. As a result, the building is counted as a non-contributing resource to the historic district. It is important to note, that a portion of the building’s original façade may remain beneath the metal cladding. Should the cladding be removed and the historic façade be historically rehabilitated, the building should be re-evaluated for eligibility as a contributing resource. 71. Younkers Department Store – C 111-117 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1951 The Younkers Store held its official opening on February 7, 1951; the Iowa City store was the largest of the six Younkers chain stores. The store façade was modern in design, featuring granite and stainless-steel storefronts, stainless canopies, and a brick upper story. Two stainless steel revolving doors were used for temperature control. This building is a moderately well-preserved example of a mid-20th century commercial building associated with a wave of new construction that occurred in the downtown prior to urban renewal. Despite the alteration of the storefront and retrofitting of the upper story windows, the building retains a sense of time and place. As a Younkers Department Store, the building has an important association with the history of Iowa City commerce and its construction marks an important shift in the visual character of this block of E. Washington Street; with the adjacent S.S. Kresge building, United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 39 the Younkers building (and in the following decade the new façade of the Hands Jewelry building) represents a modern character tied to the mid-20th century. As a result, the Younkers Store is considered a contributing resource in the historic district under Criteria A and C. 72. Freeman Building – NC 118 E. Washington Street Commercial Style ca.1874/ca.2002 This 3-story, brick commercial building occupies a mid-block position along the north side of E. Washington Street between S. Clinton and S. Dubuque streets. The building was constructed by 1874, but perhaps as early as 1868. The building received a new façade in 1939 with another major renovation after the 1963 fire at Bremers’ clothing store to the east. The 1963 façade was replaced after 2001 with the present appearance reflecting that renovation. Although thoughtfully designed and executed to be sympathetic in scale and character to the historic downtown, the renovation resulted in a near complete loss of historic materials and historic design elements. As a result, the building is counted as a non-contributing resource. 73. Bremer’s Building – C 120 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1964 This 2-story commercial building was placed in service in 1964 following a 1963 fire that destroyed the previous Bremer’s building. The building was designed by Des Moines architect William R. Wagner. The building design departed from earlier design conventions, not only in the organization of the façade, the finishes used, and the type and arrangement of windows, but in the positioning of the building itself. The building’s setback created a sense of enclosure by the changed relationship of the adjacent building’s – that character is repeated nowhere else in the Iowa City downtown. The Bremer’s building is a reasonably well-preserved example of an architect- designed commercial building representative of mid-20th century Modern architecture – while the storefront has been altered, the upper story retains its original Modern character. The Bremer’s building is a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. Further, the building is significant under Criterion C as an example of Mid-century Modern commercial architecture. 74. S.S. Kresge Co. Building – C 121 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1930/1956 The S.S. Kresge building is a 2-story, tan, brick commercial building constructed in two phases beginning in 1930. Kresge’s came to Iowa City after a careful survey which revealed a likelihood for “growth, stability of employment, and general business standing.” The company choose this specific site for its location at the center of the city’s shopping area and the option for subsequent enlargement. Construction of the new $30,000, 2-story, 4,500-sq. ft. building was United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 40 underway by early summer 1930. Enlargement of the store was celebrated in the fall of 1956. The expanded 60-ft. storefront had a sales area of 9,061-sq. ft. with new features including a new stainless-steel luncheon fountain with seating for 27 that was served by an “all stainless-steel Pullman-type kitchen.” Store offices were located in the upper story of the 1930 building with an employee’s lounge occupying the upper story of the addition. The S.S. Kresge Building is a moderately well-preserved example of a 1930s commercial building exhibiting the influence of the Modern Movement and is counted a contributing resource to the historic district. The building is representative of both the 20th century transformation of this streetscape and the national rise of the five and dime of which S.S. Kresge was an important example. In those historic associations, the building is significant under Criterion A. Further, the building form and stylistic details are expressive of the in which it was constructed and expanded. As a result, the S.S. Kresge Building is also significant under Criterion C. 75. Security Insurance Co. Building – NC 124 E. Washington Street Romanesque Revival ca.1869/ca.2010 The 2-story, brick Security Insurance Co. building dates to ca.1869. The building’s original front is clearly depicted in a photograph in that year (below), its occupant prominently advertised as the Security Insurance Co. The building retained its 19th century façade through the mid-20th century when fire damaged the building and a new, Modern style façade was installed. A significant renovation in 2010 replaced the Modern version of the building facade. Referencing the building’s 1869 design character, red brick facing, an overhanging cornice with decorative brackets, and arched headers on the upper story windows were all created in a contemporized version of the historic facade. Although of a high quality in both materials and design, the recent major renovation represents a new facade. As a result, the building is considered a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 76. Commercial Building – C 126 E. Washington Street Early Classical Revival ca.1869 This 2-story, brick commercial building likely dates to ca.1869, when a glimpse of it is captured in a photograph of its neighbor to the west (see above image). Although the building façade has undergone at least two major renovations, the appearance today is representative of its original appearance. During its some 151- year history , the property has been occupied by a wide variety of tenants beginning with a furniture store (1874), billiards hall (1879-1883), restaurant (1888), Saloon (1892-1899), millinery shop (1906-1920), and hat shop (1920-1952). Renovation of the building occurred in February, 1936 with a local newspaper describing the remodeling by local architect J. Bradley Rust, as “colonial in design.” It does not appear that the façade was altered as part of the remodel. The present appearance of the building represents the ca.1981 removal of a 1930s renovation that had included removal of the original cornice to accommodate the adherence of United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 41 structural glass cladding. Removal of the structural glass cladding in the 1980s likely damaged the original brick. Despite façade alterations, the resource retains sufficient integrity to stand as a contributing resource to the historic district. Its extended association with Iowa City commerce and representation of early commercial architecture support significance under Criteria A and C. 77. Arcade Building – C* 128 E. Washington Street Chicago Commercial Style ca.1874/1926 The Arcade Building is an example of a late 19th century commercial block that was significantly altered in 1926. As noted in the Press-Citizen in 1925, “In the heart of the business district, a rather shabby, old building has been displaced by a beautiful, modern structure.” In addition to installing a new façade and storefronts, both floors of the interior were renovated with two shops on the first floor and four suites of offices on the second floor. More recently, most all of the storefront glazing was removed to create an outdoor seating area within the footprint of the former display area. That alteration significantly impacts the historic character, a loss that is partially mitigated by retention of the sill plate of the historic footprint, which would facilitate reconstruction. Further, the retention of the character-defining terra cotta cladding, Classical Revival elements, and upper story fenestration results in a good level of historic integrity despite the loss of storefront glazing. Despite the recent removal of storefront glazing, the building retains a good level of historic integrity and is therefore a contributing resource to the historic district. The building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce and under Criterion C as an important example of 20th century commercial architecture. 78. Hotel Jefferson – C* 129-131 E. Washington Street Chicago Commercial Style 1913/1926 Designed by the Chicago firm of H.L. Stevens Co., the 8-story Hotel Jefferson was constructed in two phases; the lower six floors in 1913 with two floors added in 1926. When placed in service, the hotel was one of eight hotels in the downtown and was touted as the “only fireproof hotel in Iowa City.” The hotel had an electric elevator, a 250-ft. artesian well, rooms with hot and cold running water, telephones, steam heat, and electric lights. Artwork in the lobby and mezzanine artwork was commissioned through the WPA federal artist’s project in 1933-34. The Hotel Jefferson is a well-executed and well-preserved example of a Chicago Commercial style high- rise with classically derived design elements. Its scale and design were atypical of similar Iowa sized Iowa communities reflecting the impact that the State University of Iowa had on the commercial health of the community. Because of its historical association with the construction boom in downtown Iowa City in the years immediately preceding and following World War I and quality of architectural design, the building is a contributing resource to the historic district under both Criteria A and C. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 42 79. Pryce & Schell Building – C 132 E. Washington Street Italianate ca.1879 The hardware business of Samuel D. Pryce and William J. Schell was located in this corner property in 1879. The building continued to house hardware sales through 1913, with Lichty & Thomas in place by 1904 and Will Thomas’ “hardware, pumps, guns, paints & oils” located there by 1911. Fred Racine operated Racine’s Cigar Store No. 1 from this location through the 1950s. The Pryce & Schell Building has seen multiple alterations. Most detrimental to the historic character was removal of the elaborate cornice and window hoods, replacement of historic windows, relocation of the corner entrance, and brick infill of storefronts. However, because the building retains its historic form without additions, the rhythm of the upper story window openings, historic finish material, and its significant relationship to both the Dubuque and Washington street corridors, the Pryce & Schell Building is considered a contributing resource in the downtown historic district. The building is significant under Criterion A, in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 80. Park@201 – NC 201 E. Washington Street Contemporary Glass Block High Rise 2012 Park@201 is a 14-story, steel and glass tower with a poured concrete elevator tower at the rear. The building, which was placed in service in 2014, is sited on the downtown pedestrian mall (S. Dubuque Street), with its façade facing Black Hawk Park on the north. The building is occupied by retail/trade on floors 1-4 with residential condominiums and apartments on floors 5-14. Dating to outside the period of significance, the building is a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 81. First National Bank – C* 202-214 E. Washington Street Mixed 1888/1911/ca.1990 This property includes four separate structures built and remodeled over a 120-year period with all of the space now included as bank and offices for a single financial institution. The primary building in this grouping is the historic First National Bank, constructed prior to 1888 and fully remodeled in 1911. To that core building has been added a pair of 19th century commercial buildings fronting S. Dubuque Street (20- 22 and 24-26) and a contemporary addition on the east (210-214). This complex of buildings represents an unusual combination of commercial buildings built and remodeled for use as a bank. The principal block is a moderately well-preserved example of the Classical Revival Style. Two other building sections retain elements of the commercial Italianate and Romanesque styles. A fourth section consists of a modern addition. Because, in their current form, the buildings United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 43 function as a single business under the same ownership with the interior functionally united and the exterior visually united, they are considered a single property comprised of four resources. As a unit, the property retains sufficient historic integrity to convey a sense of time and place. Therefore, the building is counted as a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 82. Paul-Helen Building – NRHP, 1986 207 E. Washington Street Chicago Commercial Style The 1913 Paul-Helen Building is a 3-story, brick commercial building. The property is, with the adjacent Englert Theatre (1912), the Jefferson Hotel (1913), and the Iowa State Bank and Trust (1912), representative of a commercial boom in Iowa City during the years prior to World War I. The Paul-Helen Building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986, significant under Criterion C as the first “modern commercial building” in downtown Iowa City. As noted in the nomination, the building is representative of the wide-ranging impact of Chicago’s architects, builders, and architectural periodicals on architectural design. The building is also significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce, specifically as a representative of the impact of the commercial boom of the period. 83. Stillwell Building – C* 216 E. Washington Street Italianate ca.1880 The Stillwell Building is a moderately well-preserved example of a Late Victorian Italianate Style commercial building with a pressed metal cornice featuring a paneled fascia with embossed brackets separating and pairs of modillions. Byron Stillwell operated his paint, oils and wall paper business in Iowa City beginning in ca.1878. In 1900 Stillwell purchased the building at 216 E. Washington St., where he had been occupying as a lessee (see bottom, left). Under the management of subsequent owners, Stillwell’s Paint Store remained at this location through 1981. Once common in downtown Iowa City, well-preserved examples of the Italianate are now relatively rare. Along with the remaining bays of the IXL Block adjacent to the east (below), the Stillwell Building remains one of the best-preserved examples of Italianate architecture in the Iowa City downtown; standing as a block of three, the Stillwell Building and the IXL Block represent the best-preserved grouping of Italianate style buildings in the downtown and the only remaining block of 3-story Italianate buildings. Despite the modernization of its storefront, the building retains the character-defining features that tie it to its early construction date and Italianate style. As a result, the Stillwell Building is counted a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion C. Further, the Stillwell building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 44 84. IXL Block – C* (west bay) 218 E. Washington Street Italianate 1883/ca.1970 This 3-story building is the west section of a triple-width block built in 1883. The easternmost section of the original block building is non-extant (ca.1970) and the center section remains extant as 220 E. Washington St (below, right). The IXL Block is an example of a Late Victorian era, Italianate commercial building with a pressed metal cornice featuring a pediment section with a radiating sun pattern, a decorative geometric design on the fascia, and embossed brackets. The building’s storefront was occupied by a wide variety of businesses through time, with no significant association known. Beginning in the 1890s and continuing for nearly three decades, the upper floors of this building and the building sections to the east were occupied by a business school that appeared under various names including the “Iowa City Commercial College and School of Shorthand” and the “Iowa City Academy.” The west bay of the IXL Block is a moderately well-preserved example of a Late Victorian Italianate Style commercial building that was common in downtown Iowa City during the latter decades of the 19th century. Along with the Stillwell Building on the west, and the center bay of the IXL Block, the building remains one of the best-preserved examples of Italianate architecture in the Iowa City downtown; standing as a block of three, the buildings represent the best-preserved grouping of Italianate style buildings in the downtown and the only remaining block of 3-story Italianate buildings. The building retains the character-defining features that tie it to its early construction date and Italianate style. As a result, the IXL Block is counted a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion C. Further, the building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 85. IXL Block – C* (center bay) 220 E. Washington Street Italianate 1883/ca.1970 This 3-story, brick commercial building (above, right) is the center section of a 3-bay block built in 1883. The east bay is non-extant (ca.1970) and the western section remains extant as 218 E. Washington St. The IXL Block is an example of an Italianate Style commercial building with a pressed metal cornice featuring a curved name block section, a decorative design on the fascia, and embossed brackets. This building was constructed in 1883. The center bay of the building housed an agricultural implement dealer through at least 1915. Beginning in the 1890s and continuing for nearly three decades, the upper floors of this building and the buildings to the east and west were occupied by a business school that appeared under various names including the “Iowa City Commercial College and School of Shorthand” and the “Iowa City Academy.” The center bay of the IXL Block is a moderately well-preserved example of a Late Victorian Italianate Style commercial building that was common in downtown Iowa City during the latter decades of the 19th century. Along with the Stillwell Building on the west, and the west bay of the IXL Block, the building remains one United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 45 of the best-preserved examples of Italianate architecture in the Iowa City downtown. In addition, standing as a block of three buildings, they represent the best-preserved grouping of Italianate style buildings in the downtown and the only remaining block of 3-story Italianate buildings. The building retains the character- defining features that tie it to its early construction date and Italianate style. As a result, the IXL Block is counted a contributing resource to the historic district under Criterion C. Further, the building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce. 86. Englert Theatre – NRHP, 2001 221 E. Washington Street Renaissance Revival 1912 Constructed in 1912 and substantially rebuilt after a fire in 1926, the Englert Theatre’s façade maintains its original classically derived design elements rooted in the Italian Renaissance Revival. The theater interior was rebuilt after the fire, incorporating a Tudor Revival theme that reflects the design trends of that period. The Englert Theatre was listed on the National Register as a locally significant resource under Criteria A and C and thus contributes to the historic district. The resource is significant in its association with the history of culture and entertainment and, in that capacity, has become a cultural landmark and venue. Further, the Englert Theatre was constructed to be among the best of the stage and movie houses in Iowa City. Historically and as an architectural property type, it is the last of its kind in the city. 87. Schump Transfer & Storage – C 225 E. Washington Street Commercial Style 1910 This 2-story, brick building was under construction in 1910 and in service as Louis Schump Transfer and Storage by 1911. In 1919 Louis Schump advertised his business of “furniture & piano packing and moving” which specialized in “storage of household goods,” “long distance moving by auto truck,” and “baggage and parcel delivery.” According to city directories, Schump continued at this location in the 1920s, but by 1924 the building was occupied by Parks Transfer & Storage Co. The upper level was converted to apartments when a bowling alley located to the ground floor into the late 1960s. Significantly, the building’s concrete and steel beam construction reflect its original function as a storage facility – a structural system necessary for storage of large and heavy items such as pianos and, later, automobiles. This building is a moderately well-preserved example of a commercial building in the historic district. The upper façade retains a good level of historic integrity; although windows have been replaced, the openings remain intact as do the window details and the brick cornice, which contribute the historic character. The succession of uses the building housed, including a warehouse, a parking garage, and bowling alley, make it an unusual commercial type in the downtown. The building is a contributing structure to the historic district under Criteria A and C. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 46 88. Stillwell Building – C 227 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1911/ca.1949 The Stillwell Building is a 3-story, brick building dating to 1911. The tall and narrow building was constructed to house Bell Telephone, which leased all three floors of the building. A telephone company remained in the building through ca.1930 after which time it was owned and occupied by the Larew Company, a plumbing contracting business. Soon thereafter, the facade was replaced and it is likely that apartments were installed during a 1948-50 remodeling. The Stillwell Building is an example of an early 20th century building with a mid-20th century re-façade in a modern character. The building is counted as a contributing building to the historic district with significance under both criteria A and C. 89. First National Bank Drive-In – C 228 E. Washington Street Colonial Revival 1962 The First National Bank Drive-In is a 1-story brick building constructed in 1962 with an addition completed in 1980. This drive- in bank and parking lot replaced the previous city hall, fire station, and commercial building located on this lot after the buildings were cleared as part of municipally sponsored urban renewal efforts. The building is an example of a free-standing drive-in bank constructed when this form was still relatively new in the United States. Cars enter the lot and drive-in bank bays from Washington Street, turn east, and exit onto Linn Street. The bank building has a T-shaped plan with three drive-in teller bays, each serviced by bank tellers located in small buildings rather than by pneumatic devices. The north section has a closed gable roof with a pillared portico extending over the entrance. Each of the teller bays has a 9-light window facing east and west with a round arched panel above and applied shutters. A small cupola complete with imitation weather van surmounts the gable roof section over the teller bays. This building is an example of a contemporized version of the Colonial Revival style in a commercial building. The resource is considered a contributing resource to the historic district with significance under Criteria A and C. 90. Meacham Travel – C 229 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1971 This 1-story, corner building is constructed of reinforced concrete with a white exposed aggregate finish. The heavy cornice design includes three wide bands of concrete set at staggered depths with the storefront windows set beneath at a recessed depth. The building was designed by Iowa City architects Hanson Lind Meyer. Meacham Travel Service was established in 1952 by Frank E. Meacham and remains in business at this location. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 47 Built in 1971, construction of the Meacham Travel Service building was example of a downtown building “taking the place of weed- filled holes which resulted from the removal or destruction of old structures” (far left in image at right). The building, which derives significance under Criterion A in association with the city’s urban renewal program and is considered significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved example of mid-20th century commercial architecture, is a contributing resource to the historic district. 91. Iowa City Press-Citizen Publishing – C* 319 E. Washington Street Moderne 1937 The Iowa City Press-Citizen Building is a freestanding, 2-story, brick office building constructed in 1936- 37. The building has a steel structural system with reinforced concrete floors and a light-colored vitrified brick exterior finish. The building was built to house the printing operation and offices for the newspaper, which it did until 1990. The building is an example of the Moderne Style of architecture developed during the 1930s. Conversion of the building to housing in the mid-1990s resulted in alteration of the historic windows and some reconfiguration of the interior floor plan. This building is a moderately well-preserved example of a rare commercial architectural style in Iowa City. The Iowa City Press-Citizen Building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of communication, specifically in the role and impact of the longtime occupant, The Press-Citizen. Further, the building is significant under Criterion C as a rare representative of the Art Moderne in Iowa City. The building is counted a contributing resource to the historic district under both Criteria A and C. 92. Ecumenical Housing – NC 320 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1980 Ecumenical Towers is a 11-story apartment building constructed in 1980-81 as housing for elderly and disabled tenants. It is connected to the Iowa City Senior Center located in the former Iowa City Post Office building to the west. Because the building’s function, property owner, and construction date are separate from the Old Post Office, the building is considered an individual resource, not an addition to the older building. The building has a skeletal steel structure sheathed in pre-cast concrete slabs that were erected on site. The absence of stylistic features results in a utilitarian design character. Ecumenical Towers is an example of a late 20th century apartment building constructed using utilitarian design methods in order to provide affordability for tenants. Because the building dates to outside the period of significance, it is counted as a non-contributing resource to the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 48 93. The Abbey Apartments – NC 328 E. Washington Street Contemporary 2011 The Abbey is a 5-story brick and stone-faced building constructed in 2011. Typical of 21st-century trends, the first floor was constructed to accommodate retail/trade with the upper storied arranged for apartment/condominium living. The building maintains the historic setback established by the Boerner-Fry building on the east corner and the adjacent Eldon Miller building. The building exhibits a contemporized Neo-Classical influence – seen in the tripartite definition (base in stone, column in brick, and a cornice as capital). The stepped form of the roof line and arched headers of the upper story fenestration also point to the classical. Because the building dates to outside the period of significance, it is counted as a non-contributing resource to the historic district. 94. Eldon Miller Building – C (Gabe’s) 330 E. Washington Street Modern Movement 1955 The Eldon Miller building is an example of a mid-century Modern commercial building. The building retains its Modern design character including a lack of applied ornamentation and layering of geometric form as demonstrated in the brick framing element surrounding the flat plane of the upper wall clad with Ashlar split-faced limestone. Eldon Miller, Inc. a trucking firm, was established in 1935, opening its Iowa City office in 1955. Miller operated in 27 states and had 16 branch offices scattered throughout the Midwest. Gabe’s moved into the building in 1975 and has remained a local haunt from that time. This building is an example of a mid-20th century, infill commercial building executed in the Modern style. Although the storefront has been altered from the original (including painting of the west ½ of the stone cladding which camouflages the window retained at that location), the upper façade retains the original, modern design elements and finishes including the original cladding. The building is considered a contributing resource to the historic district, significant under Criteria A in association with the history of Iowa City commerce and under Criteria C as a representative of mid-20th century Modern style executed in a commercial property. 95. Boerner-Fry Company/Davis Hotel – NRHP, 1982 332 E. Washington Street Italianate 1899 The Boerner-Fry Company/Davis Hotel is a 3-story brick and stone building with Late Victorian era stylistic elements. Per the National Register nomination, “The Boerner-Fry Company/Davis Hotel building is closely and most significantly associated with the career of Emil Louis Boerner (1852-1933), one of the founders United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 49 and first dean (1885-1904) of the University of Iowa Department of Pharmacy.” In partnership with Emil Boerner, was William A. Fry, who was also a significant figure in city history with connections to the Iowa City Water Company and the Johnson County Savings Bank. The Boerner-Fry Company was established in the fall of 1897 to produce toiletries and light pharmaceuticals and moved into their new factory in December, 1899. The factory building was constructed by contractor/builder, Jacob J. Hotz. The Boerner-Fry Company developed a national market with a particular reputation for production of vanilla extract. The building became a hotel in 1922, most significantly operating as the Davis Hotel from 1952-1972. The building was listed on the National Register in 1982, significant in its association with Emil Louis Boerner. As such, the resource is a contributing resource to the historic district. Statement of Historic Integrity The resources of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District include the best-preserved commercial buildings in the city’s historic downtown area with a minimum of resources dating to outside the period of significance. Together the resources represent the evolution of the district from 1859 through 1979 through a cross-section of construction dates, property types, scale, materials, and architectural styles. Together the resources retain the level of historic integrity necessary to convey a sense of time and place as well as to provide an understanding of the variety of influences that impacted the district over time. The historic district retains its historic location at the heart of the Original Town Plat and in adjacency with the Old Capitol and University of Iowa Pentacrest. As a result, historic integrity as it relates to location is high. Historic integrity of setting is good. Retention of the historic pattern system of roadways with historic widths largely intact contributes to the character of setting. Integrity of setting is negatively impacted by the replacement of the early University buildings north of Iowa Avenue. While the University properties have historically provided the delineation of the commercial zone, loss of historic buildings and the recent increased density along that streetscape negatively impacts the district’s historic setting along Iowa Avenue. In contrast, the Pentacrest on the west (with Old Capitol at its heart) remains as it has been since the early 20th century. As such, the Pentacrest contributes significantly to the district’s integrity of setting. Loss of commercial properties at the fringes of the district boundaries, particularly along S. Burlington Street, negatively impact integrity of setting. That adverse impact is heightened by the increase of vehicular traffic along that roadway. The Iowa City Downtown Historic District retains a good level of historic integrity as it relates to association relating to the district’s physical association with the campus of the University of Iowa as well as the district’s historical association with the establishment and development of the city’s commercial area. The district retains a good level of historic integrity of design, retaining multiple property types, a cross- section of architectural styles, and representatives of both vernacular and architect-designed buildings. Although alterations of the district’s resources have occurred over time, the designation of eight individually listed resources point to a level of integrity of design. Further, the vast majority of district buildings retain United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 7 page 50 sufficient design integrity to contribute to the historic district as representative of their design character. As a result, the resources are understood and experienced as a collection of resources representative of design over the course of the period of significance. Specific to the landscape feature (Ped Mall) the resource retains all of the design characteristics that define it as a pedestrian mall, including lack of vehicular track, absence of curbs, vegetative components, gathering spaces, hardscape elements, and a sense of pedestrian scale intimacy. Historic integrity of materials is also considered good. The buildings of the district are predominately brick with red brick most common. Although alterations of buildings have occurred in many cases, those changes occurred during the period of significance and so are considered part of the historic fabric. With such changes, new materials such as Permastone were introduced and are retained. The greatest impact to integrity of historic materials specific to buildings is loss of historic storefronts; with renovations came the introduction of new materials and, regardless of the design quality, loss of historic materials diminishes historic integrity of the individual building in that regard. Specific to the Ped Mall, integrity of historic materials is also diminished by the replacement of most materials, most notably are the original pavers, the timbers of the integrated planters, and a stepped water fountain that stood at the intersection of E. College and S. Dubuque streets. Because the significance of the Ped Mall is tied most strongly to its function as a pedestrian walkway, loss of integrity of materials is well- balanced by the overall good level of historic character retained in the space. As it relates to integrity of workmanship, the retention of finishes that required specific skills is testimony to the quality of workmanship. The appearance of decorative brickwork, terra cotta elements, and intricate style-defining features are representative of workmanship demonstrated in the district’s resources. As a result, historic integrity of workmanship is good. Through the retention of a good level of historic integrity of location, setting, association, design, materials, and workmanship, the Iowa City Downtown Historic District remains a cohesive collection of historic resources that express the evolution of the commercial district over the period of significance. The district remains a commercial center and a community gathering place. As a result, historic integrity of feeling is very good. In summary, the Iowa City Downtown Historic District includes 103 resources – 94 buildings, one landscape feature (counted as a site), and 8 objects. Of the 94 buildings, 73 buildings, the landscape feature, and one object contribute to the significance of the district; 21 buildings and 7 objects being non-contributing resources. Significantly, eight of the contributing buildings are individually registered. The majority of remaining contributing buildings retain a good level of historic integrity, and as such convey significance as representatives of architectural stylistic trends. The remaining contributing buildings retain sufficient historic integrity to convey significance specific to the history of commerce. As the city’s historical commercial center and community gathering place, the Iowa City Downtown Historic District retains the integrity necessary to convey a sense of time and place. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 51 8. Statement of Significance Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark "x" in one or more boxes for the criteria qualifying the property for National Register listing.) X A Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. B Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. X C Property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual distinction. D Property has yielded, or is likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history. Criteria Considerations (Mark "x" in all the boxes that apply.) Property is: A Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes. B removed from its original location. C a birthplace or grave. D a cemetery. E a reconstructed building, object, or structure. F a commemorative property. X G less than 50 years old or achieving significance within the past 50 years. Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions.) ARCHITECTURE COMMERCE COMMUNITY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Period of Significance 1856-1979 Significant Dates 1856 1970 Significant Person (Complete only if Criterion B is marked above.) Cultural Affiliation (if applicable) Architect/Builder Lovelace, Chauncey Charles A. Dieman & Co. Liebbe, Nourse, and Rasmussen Rust, J. Bradley Jack Leaman/Associated Engineers Nowysz, William Hansen, Lind, Meyer Brooks, Borg & Skiles Wagner, William R. H.L. Stevens Co. Hotz, Jacob J. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 52 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Statement of Significance Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (Provide a summary paragraph that includes level of significance, applicable criteria, justification for the period of significance, and any applicable criteria considerations). The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is locally significant under Criterion A in its association with the role of commerce in the settlement and growth of the town over an extended period of time, having served a central role in the survival of the community. The resources of the district are representative of the continuum of commercial development beginning in the mid-19th century and continuing through 1979. The Iowa City Downtown Historic District is locally significant under Criterion C with resources representing a variety of building materials, construction practices, and architectural styles. The district retains important commercial buildings representing architectural styles typical of Iowa communities: examples of the Italianate, Classical Revival, and Commercial Style are all found in the downtown with a good degree of historic integrity retained. The district also retains more individualized expressions of architectural design styles that sets it apart from other communities. The work of numerous local, state, and nationally known architects is represented in the building resources located in the district. In addition, the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is locally significant under Criterion A in its association with the history and impact of the 20th century, nationwide downtown rehabilitation movement known as urban renewal. Like communities across the country, an urban renewal project altered the physical and visual character of the Iowa City downtown. The Iowa City Downtown Historic District embraces the portion of the historic downtown which, although significantly altered by urban renewal, retains a sense of the early character in combination with the 1970s era, urban renewal alterations. The period of significance for the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is 1856 through 1979, representing the earliest extant resource (Franklin Printing) through completion of City Plaza (the Ped Mall), which marks the end of the city’s urban renewal era transformation of the downtown commercial area. One district resource constructed as part of the urban renewal program post-dates the period of significance; the Holiday Inn was placed in service in 1984 and should be re-evaluated if, in the future, the nomination is amended to extend the period of significance. Significant dates for the Iowa City Downtown Historic District are 1856, marking the earliest extant resource, and 1970, marking completion of the first urban renewal resource and, effectively, the start of the urban renewal era transformation of the downtown. The Iowa City Downtown Historic District meets Criterion Consideration G as a district including properties that have achieved significance within the past 50 years. The Iowa City program of urban renewal is representative of the nationwide movement that transformed downtown commercial areas by razing large swathes of buildings and replacing them with new buildings, parking lots, parking ramps, and other features designed to restore economic vitality to communities in economic distress. The urban renewal resources in the Iowa City Downtown Historic District are an important piece in the history of Iowa City commerce and commercial architecture. The district not only retains six contributing buildings constructed as part of the organized efforts to revitalize the Iowa City downtown, but it retains one of only 11 remaining, urban renewal pedestrian malls in the country where there once were some 200. Further, it is the only remaining, full pedestrian mall in Iowa. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 53 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Narrative Statement of Significance (Provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance.) (Iowa SHPO Additional Instructions: For properties not nominated under Criterion D, include a statement about whether any archaeological remains within or beyond the footprint of the property were assessed as part of this nomination under the subheading Archaeological Assessment.) The resources of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District represent commerce and architecture spanning the period from 1856 through 1979. As representatives of commerce activity during that period, the resources tell the story of consumer trends indicative of specific eras. They illustrate of the impact of the adjacent university on the products sold and the types of businesses that were established and either thrived or failed. The buildings hold the histories of numerous long-lived local businesses housed in their storefronts often with their owners living in the apartments above. In association with the 123-year history of commerce in Iowa City, the resources of the historic district provide an understanding of how commerce in the community changed over those many years. The buildings of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District are representative the evolution of commercial architectural design beginning with the almost severe expression of the 1856 Early Classical Style of the Franklin Printing Building to the thoroughly Modern character of the 1971 Meacham Travel building. In addition to the range of commercial styles found in the district, the resources also represent the stylist evolution of a single building as owners changed or a single owner opted to modernize their building. The district is a many layered, collection of styles and materials, which tell the story of a long and important architectural history. The Iowa City Downtown Historic District was profoundly impacted by urban renewal. Like communities across the country, the 1960s-1970s urban renewal project in Iowa City altered the physical and visual character of the Iowa City downtown. While much of the downtown’s early fabric was lost to urban renewal, the transformation created a space and buildings that are now significant components of the historic character. The Pedestrian Mall, in particular, is at the physical and cultural center of the Iowa City downtown and its construction in 1979 marked the end of a long and painful chapter in city history. The case for significance for the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is supported by the 2002 Multiple Property Document completed by Jan Olive Nash, entitled “Iowa’s Main Street Commercial Architecture”. In the document, Nash develops the historic context of “Historical Patterns on Main Street: Commercial District Development, 1832-1952” under which the significance of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is initially established. However, because the historical and architectural significance of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District extends well past the period focused on in the MPD, the case for registration is not formally attached to that made by Nash. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 54 Historical Background When established in the 1840s and 1850s, the downtown commercial area of Iowa City faced onto the six-acre Capitol Square (Figure 01). Old Capitol served the territory, then the state as the statehouse. A mix of small-scale frame and brick commercial buildings, churches and dwellings were built on the north, east, and south sides of the square. These early buildings were utilitarian in design, serving basic needs of the new settlers and were soon replaced. Iowa Avenue was planned as a wide boulevard from Capitol Square on the west edge to Governor's Square on the east edge of the Original Town Plat. Although a governor's mansion was never built, the 120-foot width of the street made Iowa Avenue the widest and most important thoroughfare in the city despite the fact its symbolic role never materialized.6 Figure 01. Iowa City Town Plat – 1839 (Source: University of Iowa Special Collections. http://128.255.22.135/cdm/ref/collection/ictcs/id/539.) This first plat map of Iowa City documents the historic adjacency of the downtown commercial area (historic district boundaries noted) to the Old Capital (noted here as Capitol Square). Other street widths in the downtown commercial area ranged from 80-feet for most of the north-south streets (Dubuque, Linn, Gilbert, and Van Buren) to 100-feet for the east-west streets (Jefferson, Washington, College, and Burlington). Because of its adjacency to Capitol Square, the north-to-south running Clinton Street was laid out with a 100-ft. width. One block east of Capitol Square, along the north side of Iowa Avenue, a park was platted fronting Iowa Avenue with the land set aside for the construction of churches and a school. Three public squares were established with the Original Town Plat; South Market was located just southeast of the historic district boundaries. 6 Marlys A. Svendsen, “Survey and Evaluation of the Central Business District,” Prepared for the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission, April 2001: 06. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 55 Figure 02. S. Clinton Street – 1854 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) This photograph documents the character of Clinton Street in the years prior to the relocation of the capital to Des Moines. At this time the transition from wood to brick commercial buildings was just underway. The railroad arrived in Iowa City at the end of 1855 and the capital was moved to Des Moines two years later. In a decision that would eventually have profound significance, the state legislature established a university in 1847 and transferred the abandoned capitol building to it in 1857. Capitol Square (now, the Pentacrest) became its campus with the downtown commercial area evolving through the coming years to adjoin the square on the north, east, and south. First-generation commercial buildings were gradually replaced with two- and three-story brick commercial blocks. The Franklin Printing building on S. Dubuque Street dates to this period as does its neighbor on the north (111 S. Dubuque Street). In the years after the Civil War, more substantial church structures replaced earlier ones, an opera house appeared, and several additional university buildings were erected. Only one of the churches of the early downtown commercial area is located within the boundaries of the historic district; the National Register listed Trinity Episcopal Church is located at 320 E. College Street. In the post-Civil War era, the downtown continued to serve as the economic and social crossroads of the community.7 With its well-articulated, Italianate cornice and 30-year function as a drug store on this prominent corner location the Whetstone Building (ca.1868) is an important architectural and commercial representative of the late 19th century. 7 Svendsen, 6. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 56 Figure 03. Hay Market, Iowa Avenue near S. Dubuque Street – ca.1880 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) This view looking east along Iowa Avenue provides a view of the character of the downtown during this period of transition from first generation buildings to one dominated by two- and three-story, brick buildings. Note the Park House (ca.1876) at right and the Market Hall (1873) at mid-ground, right. Figure 04. Looking east along Iowa Avenue from the Old Capitol – ca.1880 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) This view looking east from the Old Capitol further documents the transformation of the downtown, with large scale, brick buildings lining Iowa Avenue and moving south along S. Clinton Street. By this time, university buildings had begun to populate the north streetscape, with the downtown commercial buildings commanding the south streetscape. The decade of the 1870s produced the largest number of extant buildings in the downtown commercial area; 30 buildings in the historic district date to this period, with 16 of the 30 retaining the visual character indicative of the construction era. The Bloom-Reis Building (ca.1874), with its restrained Italianate façade, is representative United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 57 of the early era of the S. Clinton streetscape, which evolved significantly from construction of this building through the re-façade of the Airliner. The building is also important in its association with the prominent merchant Moses Bloom, whose clothing store occupied the building through ca.1909. Fire was the greatest hazard of this era and losses due to fire occurred far too regularly. Such fires often resulted in total loss of a building followed by replacement of those early structures, thus contributing to the material evolution of the historic district. Market Hall on S. Dubuque Street is one such example. Constructed in 1873 at 2-4 S. Dubuque, the building replaced the original Market Hall which had burned the previous decade (Figure 03). By 1880, mostly two-story, narrow-front commercial buildings with upper level living spaces lined Clinton and Dubuque streets as well as extending to adjoining blocks. During this period, Clinton Street was the favored location for clothiers, tailors, and milliners. Banks commonly established themselves along Washington Street. Commercial enterprises on Dubuque Street were dominated by saloons and billiard halls. A range of other businesses, including hardware stores, boot and shoe sellers, dry goods establishments, jewelers, bakeries, and hotels spread out on the other blocks of the downtown historic district. The 1880s and 1890s produced changes in the use of both of the public squares near the downtown commercial area. South Market on S. Burlington Street, was changed from a brush-covered localized dump to a railroad depot site for both passengers and freight. In addition, in 1890, the city authorized transfer of the park on Iowa Avenue to the University. A series of new buildings was subsequently constructed on that block, including Chemistry Hall and Homeopathic Hospital and the first sections of the University Hospital.8 With transfer of control of that block and the erection of university facilities along the north side of Iowa, the downtown was then boxed in by the university campus on the west (location of the Pentacrest) and on the north, which significantly limited the options for further growth. Figure 05. S. Clinton Street looking north to Iowa Avenue – ca.1890s (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) This image offers a good understanding of the stylistic mix that prevailed in the late 19th century. In this block of S. Clinton Street (l.-r.) are: the 1872, four-story, Late Victorian (Italianate with 2nd Empire mansard roof) St. James Hotel; the 1893 Classical Revival, Coast & Sons; the 1884, Italianate Namur Bakery (now, McDonald Optical building); a commercial building dating to 1874; and a three-story, 1888 building exhibiting the influence of the Romanesque style (in 1950 this building was re-faced to become The Airliner). 8 Svendsen, 7. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 58 Figure 06. S. Dubuque Street looking north from E. College Street – 1893 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) The S. Dubuque streetscape likewise presented a cross-section of architectural styles, with the transition to multi-storied, brick buildings complete by the 1890s. Construction of more stylistically expressive buildings continued in the downtown historic district during the 1880s and the 1890s with 20 buildings surviving from this period. A number of buildings constructed in these closing years of the 19th century reflect later façade alterations. Those that remain representative of their period of construction include the Coast & Sons Building (1892) which retains its expressive, Classical Revival character (Figure 05). The building was occupied for 60-years by a clothier operated by various members of the Coast family. The Crescent Block (1894) with its eclectic design character housed storefront retail businesses representative of specific eras; in the 1920s, the building began its longtime occupation by the department store, Montgomery Ward and Co. For many years, the second-floor housed offices and the third floor a large meeting hall used by the Elks Club and, later, the Knights of Columbus. The College Block (1883) is the district’s most fully expressed, Italianate Style building in the historic district. The building, which was threatened by the demolitions undertaken during the Urban Renewal era, was listed on the National Register in 1973. During the decades prior to World War I, the Iowa City downtown commercial area experienced a construction boom. With university enrollment increasing, new buildings were added to the Pentacrest Campus and the hospital complex stretching along the north side of Iowa Avenue was also expanded. As had been true from the time of the original plat, expansion of university buildings impacted the character and composition of the city’s downtown commercial area. Specifically, the visual character along Iowa Avenue was altered by the increasing density, scale, and design character of university buildings that were enlarged or constructed on the north side of that roadway. Twenty-three buildings in the historic district survive from this boom period, including several that define the downtown skyline today (Figure 07). New buildings included a multi-story bank and office building (Iowa State Bank & Trust, 1912), a major hotel (Hotel Jefferson, 1913), and a new theater (Englert Theatre, 1912); all three are retained in the downtown historic district and remain some of the district’s most significant resources. The Iowa State Bank & Trust (NRHP) was historically rehabilitated in 2018. The six-story, brick commercial building, United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 59 references the influence of the Chicago Commercial Style in the arrangement of the elevation with a base, shaft, and capital. Classically derived decorative elements are executed in stone and terra cotta including a heavily articulated, stone first level and a deep, bracketed cornice. The Hotel Jefferson, which anchors the opposite end of the block from the bank building, likewise follows the tripartite façade arrangement. The building was designed by the Chicago firm of H.L. Stevens Co., with 6-floors in service in 1913 and an additional 2-floors added in 1926. In 1913 the Hotel Jefferson was one of eight hotels in the downtown. Today, the property is one of three historic buildings in the historic district that once housed a hotel; the other two being small-scaled enterprises. Figure 07. View looking southeast at Clinton and Washington streets – 1913 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) The period from 1900 to 1915 witnessed the beginning of the transformation of Washington Street from its mid-19th century character to one embracing the stylistic trends and structural advancements coming out of Chicago. From this perspective we see the six-story, 1912 Iowa State Bank (foreground) anchoring the west end of the block and the six- story, 1913 Hotel Jefferson anchoring the east end of the block. The buildings located between them would be replaced or re-faced by the mid-20th century to complete the transformation. Also during this period, the development of a civic corridor replaced residences along and near Linn Street, impacting the character of the commercial area. A public library, post office, and several fraternal halls were constructed near City Hall, which was then located on the northwest corner of Linn and Washington streets.9 The Carnegie Library (1903) has been adapted to housing, but retains its strongly Classical Revival exterior. The Masonic Temple (1914), designed by the Cedar Rapids firm of Charles A. Dieman, is also Classical Revival in style; the building remains in use by the Masonic Order. Also constructed during this period was the B.P.O.E. building on E. Washington at Linn Street, which was razed in 2019. In addition to the new constructions during this period, nine buildings built in earlier eras were significantly altered and as such have a visual character representative of the early 20th century. Ewers Men’s Store, constructed by 1874, was completed remodeled in 1923; its façade was updated to reflect the stylistic trends of the period and 9 Svendsen, 7. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 60 that character is retained today. Comparison with its neighbor on the north, the Bloom-Reis Building, illustrates the transformation. As of 2020, the building has been occupied by Ewers for 97-years. Downtown development held steady during the 1920s and 1930s with the most significant change being the appearance of national and regional franchise stores. That trend included S.S. Kresge, which opened on S. Washington Street in 1930. An example of the building form often referred to as the commercial broadfront, the Kresge façade was simply executed without a strong stylistic reference. The building remains an important representative of the period. Chain stores that had first appeared prior to World War I continued to thrive, despite the economic struggles of the Great Depression. A number of downtown buildings went through receivership, resulting in an accelerated rotation of downtown businesses. In addition, several façade rehabilitations occurred during this period including Ham’s Hall at 6-8 S. Dubuque Street, which turned a Victorian era façade into one reflecting the Art Deco Style. The north half of the F.J. Epeneter Building at 5 S. Dubuque Street was “modernized” by refacing the 1870s façade with a “new” material known as Permastone. Several trends in 20th-century technology and popular culture manifested themselves in the downtown area prior to World War II. The arrival of the automobile spawned construction of service stations, car dealerships, and garages, including several along Burlington Street and south of College Street along Linn and Gilbert streets. The J.A. O’Leary Velie Co. Garage (1919) on S. Linn Street is representative of the impact of the automobile on businesses in the historic district. The building, which covers a quarter-block near the east district boundary, was constructed as a one-story auto dealership with the upper two stories of apartments added in 1924. The property is interesting for its combination of property types, but most significantly it is the only auto-related property retained in the historic district. Figure 08. E. College Street – 1929 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) The 1929 Sears, Roebuck building replaced the center two bays of the 1870s era Dooley Block; as the image documents, the outer bays of the Dooley Block were retained (right and left of the Sears, Roebuck building). Sears, Roebuck was one of a handful of buildings constructed during this period retained in the historic district. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 61 Other enterprises tied to cultural trends of the era included tobacco shops, confectioneries, soda fountains, billiard halls, and movie theatres that sprang up in the district’s existing buildings. Less than a dozen buildings constructed during the 1920s-1930s survive in the district.10 The Sears & Roebuck constructed a new building on E. College Street in 1929 is one of those few (Figure 08). The only major building constructed in the decade prior to World War II was the 1937 home for the Iowa City Press-Citizen newspaper. The brick building reflects the early roots of the Art Moderne. Numerous other buildings reflect façade renovations undertaken during the period. Although the population of Iowa City nearly doubled in the 20 years that began with World War II, materials shortages and workforce disruptions slowed downtown development during the early 1940s. Expansion remained slow into the 1950s, largely due to the existing saturation of office and retail space that discouraged additional development despite a robust retail climate. As a result, the resources of the downtown historic district remained largely unchanged; the same core blocks provided a mix of retail shops, banks, theatres, hotels, service stations, office buildings, restaurants, and civic buildings. Only seven buildings erected during these two decades are found in the historic district. Issues of traffic congestion and parking were the foremost concerns of downtown property owners and municipal leaders during this period. In the late 1940s, parking meters were introduced and the first municipal parking lots were built on parcels along the eastern edge of the downtown. Congestion was addressed by street widening, removal of boulevard or median strips, and installation of traffic signals. Figure 09. Bremers – 1963 (Source: “Bremers,” Iowa City Press Citizen, June 22, 1963.) Following a fire in 1963 that destroyed their previous building, Bremers rebuilt a thoroughly modern Store, the design of which was drawn by Des Moines architect, William Wagner. 10 Svendsen, 7. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 62 The mid-20th century (1940-1960) saw few new constructions and a handful of façade modernizations. The 1877 Savings and Loan Building received a major renovation in 1940; the building was transformed from an opera house to a bank and office building. The resulting, almost severe façade is relieved by an elegant, Art Deco entrance surround on the College Street entrance. The Airliner received a facelift in 1950. Constructed in ca.1888, the two-story, brick building was transformed into a Modern property in 1950 with a monolithic, monochromatic brick façade broken only by a ribbon window. The building has been occupied by The Airliner (a favorite among university students) since that time. The Eldon Miller Building was constructed in 1955 and is an example of a mid-20th century, commercial infill property executed in the Modern style. The Bremer’s building was constructed in 1964 following a fire that destroyed the business’s 19th century building (Figure 09). The new building was designed by Des Moines architect William R. Wagner, who used an atypical setback to create a sense of enclosure and altered the building’s physical relationship to the streetscape – a thoroughly Modern approach. In recent years, the Iowa City downtown commerical area has undergone a significant transformation. Some 14 buildings were lost between 2001-2018; 11 of the 14 dated to more than 50 years of age, with 2 of the 14 constructed as part of the City’s urban renewal program (114-116 S. Dubuque and the much-altered, 1981 Iowa City Public Library building at 123 S. Linn Street). Demolitions also occurred in the wake a fire (e.g., Peoples Steam Laundry at 225 Iowa Avenue and Van Patten House at 9 S. Linn Street) and to facilitate construction of new buildings (e.g., Vogel House at 229 E. Iowa Avenue and J.C. Penney building at 130 S. Dubuque Street). Loss of buildings along the outer edges of the downtown commercial area, particularly along E. Burlington Street on the south, have tilted the historic to non-historic ratio; today, only one building dating to more than 50 years of age remains on E. Burlington Street between S. Clinton and S. Gilbert streets. The parking ramp between S. Dubuque and S. Linn streets is associated with the urban renewal period, its mass and materials accounting for much of the streetscape’s visual character. The remaining blocks on the Burlington Street corridor are visually defined by contemporary, freestanding, relatively large-scale buildings that combine retail space on the ground floor with apartment living on the floors above. This changed character is mirrored on the south side of Burlington Street where construction of new retail-apartment and commercial buildings (e.g., Hilton Gardens and MidWestOne Bank office building) has occurred. Further, the incursion of tower-type buildings (eight or more stories) constructed in the downtown commercial area have impacted the visual character. The 14-story Plaza Towers/Hotel Vetro was built in 2004. The building site was cleared as part of the City’s 1970s and 1980s urban renewal program and remained a parking lot until construction of the 2004 building. The building’s height and materials are reflective of a changing aesthetic in the downtown commercial area. The 14-story, steel-frame, glass-sheathed tower known as Park@201 (201 E. Washington Street) was completed in 2014 on the former site of the 1970s Dain, Kalman & Quail Building. The 2001 construction of the Vogel House at 229 Iowa Avenue required demolition of an 1898 building of the same name. In summary, the Iowa City Downtown Historic District is representative of the nature of commercial properties in that the district illustrates evolution and change. The district provides a tightly developed grouping of historic buildings that tell the wide-ranging story of the establishment of early commercial buildings, their loss and alteration, and the ongoing infiltration of new properties that either rose on vacant lots or replaced earlier buildings. The buildings of the district represent a wide array of architectural styles, which include the design work of several significant architects and the workmanship of contractor/builders and artisans. The district exists today as a economically vibrant commercial center and community gathering place with the historic character of its resources central to its success. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 63 Criterion Consideration G: Urban Renewal and the Better Iowa City Project Urban renewal was a U.S. government funded program initiated to stem what was seen as the deterioration of inner cities across the country. The seeds of that deterioration were planted in the years between the World Wars with some early redevelopment undertaken in the late 1930s and 1940s. It was, however, federal legislative action that lit the fire under urban renewal. Beginning in the 1950s and stretching through the following two decades, thousands of projects targeting so-called blighted neighborhoods, freeway construction, and commercial downtowns were completed in cities large and small, with the American landscape irreversibly altered. Large-scale “redevelopment” projects were first undertaken in the interwar periods. Aimed at clearing out what had been identified as blighted inner-city neighborhoods, projects were completed in New York City and Chicago during that period. Rehabilitation of the 1858 New York City’s Central Park was one such, federally-funded project intended to elevate conditions of the inner-city. The project was completed under the management of Park Commissioner, Robert Moses who would become an outspoken and forceful advocate for urban renewal in New York City.11 In the late 1930s and into the 1940s, redevelopment projects began to appear in cities across the country with most focused on slum clearance. Such projects were implemented by local housing authorities, which directed the demolitions and reconstruction. During this period, concerns around the deterioration of downtown where largely confined to articles published in trade journals read by city planners, administrators, and other urban specialists.12 The Second World War signaled a rising public awareness of urban problems and sense of impending downtown crisis. Declining property values, empty lots, traffic congestion, waning retail sales, and shabby buildings fed into the growing concerns. Black consumers had increased their presence in the downtown, but most downtown executives and public officials, however, rebuffed the opportunity to build on the existing African American consumer. Redevelopers persistently argued that the residents of “slums” adjacent to the downtown threatened to “cheapen” and ultimately destroy the vitality of urban commercial life. With that view, developers instead courted the white middle class.13 Passage of the GI Bill in 1944 fueled suburbanization. The legislation, which guaranteed Veterans Administration (VA) mortgages to returning soldiers, resulted in construction of large tracts of housing marketed under the GI Bill. Suburbs sprang up at the edges of existing communities, establishing neighborhoods beyond the historic downtown commercial areas. Because the GI Bill favored the white veteran, the suburbs were populated by whites. Planned communities like Levittown, New York transformed farmland into cities housing tens of thousands of families in just a few years. A scaled-down version of Levittown appeared in communities across the country. The deterioration of the inner city was deeply impacted by this “white flight” to the suburbs and the conditions only grew more critical as federal funding expanded in the coming years. In 1963 the famed African American novelist, James Baldwin aptly named urban renewal “Negro Removal”.14 By the late 1940s, the ideal of Main Street as a unified, well-managed retail corridor had become instead “volatile and complex” leaving it no longer the presumed center of commercial life; investors began to give up on the idea that Main Street could satisfy the commercial needs of the American public.15 The Housing Act of 1949 (Taft- 11 https://www.centralparknyc.org/park-history. Retrieved 07/10/2020. 12 Alison Isenberg, Downtown America. A history of the place and the people that made it (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2004), 168. 13 Ibid., 167. 14 Interview of James Baldwin by Kenneth Clark. Available online at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Abhj17kYU. Retrieved 07/23/2020. 15 Isenberg, 164. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 64 Ellender-Wagner Act), infused federal money into redevelopment of the inner city. Federal loans were available to cities for the acquisition of land for the purpose of clearing slums. The cleared land was then sold to private developers following an official plan created by the municipality. Initially, these funds targeted housing projects. The money also covered two-thirds of the city’s costs over the sale price of the land and funded large scale public housing across the country.16 The country’s first major city to undertake a “modern” redevelopment project was Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Begun in May of 1950 and completed some 18-years later, the project razed 133 buildings spread over an area of 59-acres in the downtown. The redevelopment included construction of office tower, a hotel, underground parking, a luxury apartment building, a park, and a sports arena. The development (a primarily privately funded undertaking), located in the area known as the Golden Triangle, resulted in the demolition of 133 buildings spread over 59-acres. By many accounts, the project is an example of the successful redevelopment project of the era.17 The term “urban renewal” came into use with the 1954 amendment of the Housing Act. The new terminology was applied to define a broader and more comprehensive approach to the problems of slums and blight.18 The amendment made projects more enticing to developers by, among other things, providing mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). The Housing Act allocated up to 10-percent of federal capital grant funds for renewal of non-residential areas. This change in scope lead to the expansion of downtown commercial urban renewal projects.19 The public’s perception of urban renewal goals in 1954 was summarized by Eisenhower’s Housing and Home Finance Agency (HHFA) chief, Albert Cole who noted that if, “you went about the country asking various people what urban renewal is all about, you would be told that urban renewal is intended to save downtown business, or to clear up traffic congestion, or to restore worn-out areas to the tax rolls, or to create the City Beautiful, or to get rid of unsightly slum buildings.” That laundry list became a sort of mantra repeated in communities everywhere.20 1954 was also the year in which the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the general validity of urban redevelopment statutes in the landmark case, Berman v. Parker. The court’s decision found that private property could be taken for public use with just compensation, by arguing that the problem of large-scale blight needed to be addressed by a large-scale integrated redevelopment plan. Justice Douglas wrote, “If owner after owner were permitted to resist these redevelopment programs on the ground that his particular property was not being used against the public interest, integrated plans for redevelopment would suffer greatly.”21 Prior to the ruling, public use was the only reason for which the government could seize private property. With the ruling, it became possible for the government to seize the property of one man, destroy it, and then sell the cleared land to some other man at a negotiated price. The Court justified this procedure on the ground that it was in the public interest.22 In 1956 the Federal-Aid Highway Act empowered the state and federal government with total control over new highway construction, leading to the razing of broad swathes of historic inner-city neighborhoods to accommodate the path of a new roadway. Often these neighborhoods were historically black; the Rondo Neighborhood in St. Paul, Minnesota is one example. In that case, Interstate 94 was routed through the center of the largest African American neighborhood in the city - 85% of the city’s African American population lived in Rondo. The project 16 James O. Wilson, ed., Urban Renewal. The Record and the Controversy (Cambridge, MA: M.I.T. Press, 1966), 84. 17 Dan Fitzpatrick, “The story of urban renewal,” Post-Gazette News, May 21, 2000. https://old.post- gazette.com/businessnews/20000521eastliberty1.asp. Retrieved 07/09/2020. 18 Wilson, 96. 19 Isenberg, 171 and Wilson, 99. 20 Isenberg, 170. 21 Text of “Berman et al., Executors, v. Parker et al.” October Term, 1954. Available at http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/usrep/usrep348/usrep348026/usrep348026.pdf. Retrieved 07/15/2020. 22 Wilson, 500. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 65 flattened the homes of some 600 families, leaving the remainder straddling the new freeway. Numerous businesses and institutions were also demolished.23 In the construction of the new highways, white flight increased as did the deterioration of the inner-city neighborhoods. By bypassing downtowns, the commercial centers also suffered. Jane Jacobs, perhaps the first and certainly the best-known and most outspoken opponents of urban renewal came on the scene in the early 1960s. Her well-publicized clashes with New York’s Robert Moses are the things of legend. Jacobs’ 1961 The Death and Life of Great American Cities advocated for renewal that is undertaken from the ground up rather than the large-scale demolitions supported by government intervention. The impact of the book and her active participation in opposing urban renewal has long been credited with creating permanent changes in the debate over the project and with the paths taken to secure the future of cities.24 By the mid-1960s, federally supported urban renewal had touched large and small cities, and its impact would continue to ripple nationwide even as the critiques gained force. More than 1,300 development projects were under way and 129,000 buildings had been razed. Of the approximately 650 participating cities, more than two- thirds had fewer than 50,000 residents, and 20 percent had few than 10,000. Measured in dollars, an estimated $3.014 million in federal grants had been spent by the end of 1962.25 Although the story of urban renewal in small cities and towns varies from that of large-scale cities, the process for implementing a federally funded project followed the same template and the impact to fabric of historic commercial downtowns was comparable. Iowa City’s “Better Iowa City Project” The seeds of urban renewal in Iowa City were sown by the late 1950s when problems associated with deferred maintenance of aging downtown buildings combined with issues of parking and traffic congestion to elevate concern and start discussion. In a tangible way, action on the topic of downtown rehabilitation began with a thesis document written by University of Iowa assistant professor of engineering, Robert Wheeler in 1960. From that time through completion of the Pedestrian Mall in 1979, the people of Iowa City discussed and debated, argued and litigated until, at last, the “dilapidated” had been cleared away and the new had been constructed. A project summary – a sort of post-mortem – was printed in 1983 as a means of recounting the depth and complexity of the challenges in Iowa City. Told through the voices of many of those that were deeply engaged in the process, the Iowa City story reveals much of the strife and pain that has long been attached to the national urban renewal era. While the story in Iowa City is much the same as urban renewal projects undertaken across the country, the community had a sense of identity that contributed to what became a thoroughly divisive undertaking. It has been observed that as a university town, the residents were “so mentally simulated from so many different facets… it made it difficult for urban renewal because of so many people with so many ideas, and they weren’t afraid to express them.”26 In contrast, the issue of community identity has been described as social tribalism, with each tribe, “fierce in its devotion to Iowa City and unyielding in its commitments to the future … when it comes to community controversy, each tribe tends to overvalue its own views and under value everyone else’s.”27 23 St. Paul Historical Society, “Rondo Neighborhood.” Available online at https://saintpaulhistorical.com/items/show/160. Retrieved 07/13/2020. 24 Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (New York: The Modern Library, 1993), vii. 25 Isenberg, 173. 26 The Iowa City Story: “A Matter of Opinions,” Post-project summary booklet prepared by LINK Programs, Inc. (Chicago, IL, 1983), 25. Booklet available at the Iowa City Public Library, Special Collections. 27 Ibid., 5. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 66 As a university town with its campus adjacent to the downtown, the Iowa City commercial area had the benefit of a built-in consumer base. It has been noted that the ready market, which kept downtown businesses from hitting rock bottom, also kept the owners of those businesses from acting while the condition of their properties continued to decline. As Tim Brandt, Iowa City mayor, 1972-1973 put it, “Most [business owners] could have been operating out of a damn tent, and if they knew that two and two equals four, they had to make a profit. In some other cities the downtown business community had really bombed out and was suffering from the shopping centers on the periphery. Had that happened in Iowa City, the downtown people would have been up in arms to protect their investments.”28 Brandt makes a good point; although Sycamore Mall had opened on the south side of town (taking with it the major department stores), the proximity of the university to the downtown kept most businesses in business. Although the student and staff of the university kept the downtown businesses afloat, the presence of the university institution presented a separate, significant problem in maintaining a viable downtown. By 1960, the university was a sprawling complex of buildings which, as a State university, did not pay property taxes. That left the downtown commercial center saddled with a disproportionate, 8.8-percent of the Iowa City property tax base; the deterioration of the downtown was, in large part, the result of that burden. Coincidental to that situation, it has been noted that the deteriorated condition of the downtown was an embarrassment to the University, impacting its ability to recruit students and faculty. An active program of campus planning and beautification undertaken by the university in the years prior to the urban renewal program has been cited as evidence of their efforts to counterbalance the poor appearance of the downtown.29 In this context, it is clear that the University of Iowa had a significant interest in the redevelopment of the Iowa City downtown, though the institution’s official position on issues around urban renewal in the city was one of neutrality. The 1960 thesis and subsequent presentation made to a series of civic groups by University assistant professor and doctoral student, Robert Wheeler was completed independent of the University administration. The thesis, prepared by Wheeler with the support of some 45 citizens, presented a plan for renewal of the central business district that included replacing deteriorated buildings with modern ones and construction of parking facilities. The thesis sparked a movement toward the city’s urban renewal program.30 In 1963 the concepts he outlined were incorporated into the improvement efforts of the newly formed “Citizens for a Better Iowa City.”31 While maintaining an official position of neutrality, the University of Iowa engaged in the urban renew program in multiple ways. In the mid-1960s, facilities planning & utilization department actively engaged in the planning process. The university also purchased two large parcels and several small parcels located in the designated urban renewal project area. Their investment in the parcels boosted the credits received by the City from Housing and Urban Development (HUD).32 As noted, Wheeler’s 1960 thesis and series of community presentations focused community interest in the rehabilitation of the downtown. It also laid out a plan that dovetailed with the Federal urban renewal program, with large scale demolition followed by construction of new buildings as its focus. The 1963 creation of the “Citizens for a Better Iowa City” was one of many organized efforts established on one or the other side of the urban renewal issue. The Iowa City Board of Realtors established its own "Build Iowa City Better Committee" in 1964 and invited the National Association of Real Estate Boards to complete a study of Iowa City's prospects. 28 The Iowa City Story, 8. 29 Ibid., 2. 30 Ibid., 6. 31 Marlys Svendsen, “Historic Resources of Iowa City, Iowa: Architectural and Historical Resources of Iowa City Central Business District, 1855- 1950,” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2000: E-77. 32 The Iowa City Story, 7. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 67 This study recommended a series of actions on housing, urban renewal strategies, campus planning, the establishment of a downtown development organization and a downtown sign ordinance. It was also recommended that an architect be retained to design a beautification and improvement program for the four-block central core of the downtown. Iowa City’s first urban renewal plan was developed in 1966 after years of public discussion and debate. This was the same year that the Sycamore Mall opened on the southeast edge of town, taking Sears, Roebuck (a fixture in the downtown since 1929) as an anchor store.33 The City’s urban renewal process was accompanied by heated public debate, controversy, and a slew of legal challenges. While there was consensus around the need to revitalize the downtown commercial area, the debate about how that should be undertaken was fiery. The primary conflicts centered on whether the project should be small, locally financed projects (which would keep the federal government out of the picture) or completed following a single developer concept; the negative perception that the developer was making an unfair profit; the loss of control that existed through the power of eminent domain; the poor track record for urban renewal projects that existed across the country, of which the Iowa City residents were aware; and, though it gets less attention in historical accounts, the demolition of dozens of historic buildings on the magnitude that ultimately occurred. The Downtown Businessmen’s Association was organized around the issue that the revitalization should be small, locally funded projects. The group went toe-to-toe with the City Council and residents that supported the single developer approach, using a variety of tactics. In 1967 they were successful in getting an injunction based on the potential for conflict of interest found with the City Council. The injunction, which granted a stay in condemnation proceedings, was upheld on appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court in March 1969. The law supporting the group’s position was changed by the State legislature and the new condemnation proceedings began.34 In July of 1970 the City announced the planned acquisition of 100 building sites.35 The slow pace of progress led to a point of no return in March of 1973. Dissatisfied with the work completed, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) threatened to pull out of the Iowa City project unless progress was made immediately. The agency gave the City one week to provide evidence that the Iowa City project could be successfully completed. If the City failed, HUD would close out the project and declare it bankrupt. The threat of that potentially disastrous outcome lit the fires. The City removed 25 parcels from the original program, then called a meeting of local business people. The consensus ruled and a group of three was tasked with finding local investors to leverage attracting a developer – by that time, the history of Iowa City’s urban renewal project was well known and finding a developer to jump into the fray was no easy task.36 Old Capitol Associates, led by Wilfreda (Freda) Hieronymus and Jay Oehler, was the local investor, formed specifically to complete the downtown project. Hieronymus was the wife of a university professor, a mother of five, and a real estate investor who started trading in the stock market from her kitchen table. Jay Oehler was a local businessman with a keen interest in the rehabilitation of the downtown. The pair partnered with a small group of investors to form Old Capitol Associates and entered into a joint venture with LINK Programs, Inc. out of Chicago. Lacking development experience, Hieronymus and Oehler relied on the expertise of LINK Programs and their own unflagging determination to complete the work necessary to rehabilitate the city’s downtown. When the dust finally settled, the pair would be praised by some and vilified by many for their role in the urban renewal program.37 33 Marlys Svendsen, “Historic Resources of Iowa City, Iowa: Architectural and Historical Resources of Iowa City Central Business District, 1855- 1950,” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2000: E-77. 34 The Iowa City Story, 4. 35 “100 Business Sites Will Be Acquired,” Iowa City Press Citizen, July 31, 1970: 3. 36 The Iowa City Story, 8. 37 Ibid. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 68 More lawsuits followed the establishment of the joint venture. In 1974 suits were filed challenging the findings of the environmental impact statement for the project and the nature of the contract between the City and Old Capitol Associates; both were eventually dismissed. In municipal elections that year, voters turned down a referendum to authorize the use of general obligation bonds for urban renewal expenditures. Later that year demolition work began on a total of 11-acres of downtown property. The Old Capitol Mall was later constructed on the portion of the urban renewal area west of S. Clinton Street; with no historic fabric retained and the only existing resource dating to 1981, it is not included in the Iowa City Downtown Historic District. Figure 10. S. Clinton Street Demolitions – 1974 (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Urban Renewal special collection.) The most concentrated area of demolitions occurred west of S. Clinton Street (outside the historic district boundaries). In this view looking north on Clinton, we see the demolitions underway. Old Capitol Mall was constructed on this site. By most accountings, the mall is considered a failure. Demolitions on the east side of S. Clinton Street (within the boundaries of the historic district) were completed in a slightly more surgical manner. Some nine buildings on E. College Street and moving north along S. Dubuque Street were razed to make way for Plaza Centre One. A block of buildings on E. College Street between S. Dubuque and S. Linn streets were razed. Outside those concentrated areas of demolition, targeted “dilapidated” buildings were razed. For businesses located in buildings slated for demolition, those that opted to remain in the downtown were relocated to temporary modules located along S. Clinton Street. Others moved out of the downtown to neighborhood or suburban locations, while others closed permanently. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 69 Figure 11. E. College Street and S. Dubuque Street – 1970s (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Special Collections, Urban Renewal.) In this view looking north along S. Dubuque Street from E. College Street we see five of the buildings (corner at left to the alley) that were razed to accommodate construction of Plaza Centre One. Gratefully, the National Register listed 1856 Franklin Printing (yellow building just north of the alley) escaped the wrecking ball. Figure 12. Plaza Centre One Under Construction – Spring, 1978 (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Urban Renewal special collection.) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 70 Efforts to stop the urban renewal project didn’t end even after the demolition was underway. A fourth lawsuit was filed in 1976 challenging the bidding and nature of contract negotiations between the City and Old Capitol Associates. At the heart of the action was the singularity of the development contract. Local forces held that contracting with a single developer was unfair to smaller, individual developers and limited the possibilities for the project generally. The suit was successful and the contract with Old Capitol Associates was set aside. At this time, and with a new city manager in place (the fourth employed during the urban renewal period), the City returned to the drawing board with a new consultant - Zuchelli, Hunter and Associates (ZHA) of Annapolis, Maryland.38 In late 1976, a modified urban renewal plan was commissioned and in early 1977 it was accepted by the City Council. It called for a further scaling-down of development, smaller parking ramps, land to be dedicated for the construction of a new public library, and central to the point of opposition, the division of the 11-acres of urban renewal parcels into clusters of sites or individual sites for development. This approach to division of the parcels was intended to create competition on parcel prices and a division of responsibility for renewal projects between several developers/owners. That plan was only partly successful. Notably, the College Block Building, which, by invocation of Federal historic preservation laws, had been spared demolition in the earlier stages of urban renewal, received substantial bidder interest and it was rehabilitated. Several urban renewal parcels were withheld by the City until interest surfaced, or bid prices offered were increased.39 One parcel on the south side of E. College Street at S. Linn Street remained vacant until 2004 when the Plaza Towers/Vetro Hotel was built.40 Ultimately the joint venture developers (Old Capitol Associates and LINK Programs) completed the majority of the redevelopment work, including Plaza Centre One (1978) and Old Capitol Mall (1981). Figure 17. Urban Renewal Destruction – 1971 (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Urban Renewal special collection.) In this view, which pre-dates the pedestrian mall, we are looking southeast across S. Dubuque Street near the intersection with E. College Street. The large parking lot was located on cleared urban renewal parcels. The land remained undeveloped until 2004; it is now occupied by Plaza Towers/Hotel Vetro. 38 Marlys Svendsen, “Historic Resources of Iowa City, Iowa: Architectural and Historical Resources of Iowa City Central Business District, 1855- 1950,” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2000: E-77. 39 Ibid., E-78. 40 “Plaza Towers,” Iowa Site Inventory Form, 2018. Available from the City of Iowa City. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 71 The first urban renewal program building to be placed in service was Things & Things & Things. Originally located in the Pusateri Fruit Store building on S. Clinton Street building that burned in January of 1970, construction of a replacement building was quickly adopted as an urban renewal project and its completion in late December of that same year was celebrated as an early indication of the program’s potential long-term success.41 Construction of Plaza Centre One was underway in late 1977. The design and construction of this five-story, steel frame and masonry building must have been closely watched by those opposed to urban renewal because of the price paid in the loss of so many historic buildings.42 Some ten buildings sited within the boundaries of the Iowa City Downtown Historic District were built as part of the urban renewal program; of that number, six remain extant and one, the Holiday Inn, was not completed in 1984 and is thus outside the period of significance. Through the passage of nearly 50-years, the buildings and the Pedestrian Mall have become integral to the historic fabric. They are as much part of the Iowa City historical legacy as those that preceded them and singular in their ability to illustrate the history and impact of urban renewal. The Urban Renewal Pedestrian Mall Across the United States, suburban, white flight during the 1960s and 1970s, caused cities to seek out a variety of urban renewal strategies to bring economic development back to the core of the city and to support the rehabilitation and/or replacement of deteriorated commercial buildings. In communities of all sizes, the economic impact of the suburban shopping mall, which syphoned off retail sales from the historic downtowns, presented a particular challenge. In an effort to draw them back, planners embarked on the experiment of the American pedestrian mall. It has been estimated that some 200 pedestrian malls were installed during the period from 1959 through about 1980. The pedestrian mall adapted several successful architectural and landscape elements from the suburban shopping center such as fountains, lighting, wayfinding and combined those with features that created a sense of intimacy and natural enclosure that enticed shoppers and encouraged them to linger. By the 1990s many pedestrian malls had been determined failures and removed, with only 15 full, urban renewal era pedestrian malls retained by 2013.43 The Iowa City Pedestrian Mall became the centerpiece of the finalized plan for the city’s urban renewal program. The mall was immediately successful, becoming a social and cultural gathering place as well as a primary factor in establishment and retention of commercial business in the downtown; it is today, one of the 11 urban renewal era malls retained in the country and the only one that exists in the state of Iowa. Pedestrian Malls – Leading Designers A pair of designers are most prominently associated with the design of pedestrian malls. Although Victor Gruen and Lawrence Halprin were trained in different disciplines and approached the design of pedestrian malls from significantly different perspectives, the work of both left a lasting impact on the American landscape and influenced the work of others in the field. While a number of the designs of each have been altered or removed, significant examples are retained and, for those that are non-extant, the historical record provides an important understanding of both the designers’ work and the works impact on the specific location and the larger community. 41 “Things & Things & Things,” Iowa Site Inventory Form, 2018. Available from the City of Iowa City. 42 “Plaza Centre One,” Iowa Site Inventory Form, 2018. Available from the City of Iowa City. 43 Cole E. Judge, The Experiment of American Pedestrian Malls, Research paper for the Fresno Future Conference, 10/11/2013. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 72 Victor Gruen (1903-1980) was a self-described “environment architect”, the promoter of new forms for American retailing, and a prolific writer. Having fled his native Austrian in 1938, Gruen landed in New York City, where he quickly became known for bringing a new aesthetic to the design of upscale retail stores. His theories for the modernization of store design spread across the country during the war years. In 1941, Gruen moved to Los Angeles where, in 1951 he founded the architectural firm of “Victor Gruen Associates.” Gruen designed Southdale Shopping Center in Edina, Minnesota (a suburb of Minneapolis), which was completed in 1959. Southdale was the first fully enclosed shopping center in the country and its construction transformed the American shopping experience; the tremendous success of the suburban shopping center contributed significantly to the deterioration of downtown shopping areas in cities across the country.44 Victor Gruen also became deeply involved in urban renewal projects across the U.S., believing that the combination of the reform of retail and the reform of America went hand-in-hand with “good planning & good business [being] in no way mutually exclusive.”45 He was responsible for the design of the country’s first urban renewal era pedestrian mall at Kalamazoo, Michigan, which was completed in 1959. Part of a larger urban renewal effort designed by Gruen, Kalamazoo’s Burdick Mall was hailed across the country as “America’s premier pedestrian mall” with the government’s United States Information Agency naming Kalamazoo as the All- American City for 1959.46 Local celebrations for its opening brought crowds of some 30,000 and trade magazines noted that the Burdick Mall “held the key to revitalization of faltering downtowns across the USA,” with its, “fountains, shade trees, flower beds, closely cut grass, playground area, park benches, and multi-colored concrete block walkways.”47 As Gruen proceeded with similar (and highly successful) projects in Fort Worth, Texas and Rochester, New York, he also brought his growing expertise to a wider audience by writing The Heart of Our Cites, which considered America’s urban crisis and his proposed solutions to that crisis.48 Lawrence Halprin (1916-2009) was among the foremost landscape architects of the twentieth century. His firm, Lawrence Halprin & Associates, established in San Francisco in 1949, initially focused on the design of residential gardens, campuses, and housing projects. By the mid-1960s, however, the firm had become renowned for the design of major urban landscapes including parks, plazas, and pedestrian malls. The design for Main Street mall in Charlottesville, Virginia was completed by Halprin in 1976; it converted an eight-block length of the city’s historic main street from vehicular to pedestrian only traffic. The pedestrian mall featured a 60-foot, brick-paved walkway with outdoor seating and several small fountains. Construction of the pedestrian mall and the rehabilitation of the shops along its length was intended to revive a retail strip in the city’s downtown and, although not successful for nearly 20-years, the pedestrian mall eventually became and remains a vibrant civic space with trendy restaurants and boutiques.49 Halprin is also responsible for designing Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, completed in 1967. Halprin’s design was an eight-block, curving, tree-lined, pedestrian only mall. Re-designed in 1990, the mall was converted to accommodate public transit, a form it retains today. Nicollet Mall remains a centerpiece of the Minneapolis downtown.50 Pedestrian Malls –Types and Counts The number of pedestrian malls constructed in the U.S. has been reported by numerous investigators as approximately 200. Although sometimes stated as a number confined to urban renewal era pedestrian malls 44 M. Jeffrey Hardwick, Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of the American Dream (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004), 4. 45 Ibid. 46 Hardwick, 195. 47 “Early Verdict on Burdick Mall: It’s a Big Success,” Kalamazoo Gazette, March 20, 1958. 48 Hardwick, 207. 49 https://tclf.org/sites/default/files/microsites/halprinlegacy/charlottesville-mall.html. Retrieved 07/10, 2020. 50 “A new Nicollet Mall? It’s a contest,” Minneapolis Star Tribune, April 16, 2013. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 73 (1960s-1970s), a broader review of sources suggests that the number of 200 includes pedestrian malls built as early as 1831 (Exchange Place in New Orleans) through the 1990s (1994, Freemont Street Experience in Las Vegas) and therefore not associated with urban renewal. One investigator refers to pedestrian malls constructed 1959-1970s as “first generation”. 51 Various studies of the pedestrian mall categorize the feature into three categories. The “transit mall” involves conversion of an existing roadway in order to elevate the pedestrian experience, however, transit traffic (public buses, taxis, and/or light rail) is retained. The transit mall typically limits parking, has widened streets, and landscaping designed to create a specialized character. Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis, Minnesota is one example of a transit mall that is commonly referred to as a pedestrian mall. The second type of pedestrian mall is the “semi-mall”, which is characterized by a reduction in vehicular traffic and parking rather than its elimination. Like the other two types, the semi-mall incorporates the enhancement of pedestrian-friendly features including widened sidewalks, benches, lighting, and other amenities.52 Denver’s 16th Street Mall has been categorized as semi-mall and as a transit mall, depending on the source.53 The term “full mall” indicates a pedestrian mall that is completely closed to vehicular traffic. The pedestrian mall is typically created by laying new pavement to create a level area and the addition of trees, furnishings, and other amenities such as fountains and sculpture created a visual continuity and a sense of place for the downtown.54 The Iowa City pedestrian mall falls into this category. The following discussion regarding pedestrian malls addresses the full mall specifically. Multiple investigations have identified the country’s pedestrian malls and, when found to be extant, evaluated their degree of success. The accuracy of those numbers remains unclear, largely due to the variety of types of pedestrian malls and inconsistent methodology adopted to count, type, and evaluate the resources. The most recent known report on the subject dates to 2013. Conducted for the purpose of evaluating the pedestrian mall for its potential effectiveness as downtown economic tool in the city of Fresno, California, that report states that of the approximate 200 pedestrian malls constructed in the U.S., only 15 considered “successful” were extant in 2013.55 Because the report provides the most recent study of pedestrian malls, it has been used as the primary source for understanding the significance of the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall with an eye on identifying those resources considered “first generation” (Table 01). Regardless of any confusion regarding accounting for the different types of pedestrian malls constructed and retained, the high rate of their removal (return to vehicular traffic) is clear. In 2005, the Community Land Use and Economics Group, LLC (CLUE Group) reported that most downtowns found that construction of a pedestrian mall hurt downtown business rather than provided the desired economic boost. In that year, the CLUE Group found fewer than two dozen downtown pedestrian malls were retained in the U.S. In 2008, it was reported that 85% of the original 200 pedestrian malls had been removed, leaving only 30 extant at that time.56 In the 2013 feasibility study directed at the Fulton Pedestrian Mall in Fresno, California, the country’s pedestrian malls were evaluated for their degree of success. Those retained and categorized as “successful” shared a number of characteristics including a varied mix of uses and activities; a large population of “captive” used (downtown 51 Kent Robertson, The Status of the Pedestrian Mall in American Downtowns, Research article, December 1, 1990. Available online at https://www.journals.sagepub.com. 52 Harvey Rubenstein, Pedestrian Malls, Streetscapes, and Urban Spaces (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1992), 21. 53 Ibid. and http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/2009/11/north-america-cities-that-have-or-had-a-pedestrian-mall. Retrieved 06/25/2020. 54 Rubenstein, 21 55 The latest known study dates to the 2013 report completed by Cole E. Judge for the Downtown Fresno Partnership. 56 Judge, 3. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 74 residents and/or workers); efficient public transit; heavily programmed events and activities; strong anchors that drew pedestrians; centralized and coordinated retail management; located in a college town; well-planned and extensive parking in close proximity; located in an area of high tourism; and frequent and thorough upgrades.57 the study’s author reported that of the 200 pedestrian malls, only 15 remained that could be categorized as successful; the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall being among that group of 15.58 A closer examination of the list of 15 found that at least 3 of the 15 do not represent “first generation” pedestrian malls and one appears to be non- extant, leaving the Iowa City Ped Mall as one of the country’s 11 remaining, urban renewal era, full pedestrian malls. Table 01. Summary of Successful Pedestrian Malls59 State Pedestrian Mall Name City Date Mall Length Success Indicator 2020 Finding California Third Street Promenade Santa Monica 1965 1989 3 Blocks Beach Extant Colorado Pearl Street Mall Boulder 1977 4 Blocks University Extant Florida Lincoln Road Mall Miami Beach 1960 8 Blocks Beach Extant Iowa (City Plaza) Pedestrian Mall Iowa City 1978 4 Blocks University Extant Louisiana Exchange Place New Orleans 1831 1 Block Tourism Extant Non-Urban Renewal Louisiana Fulton Street New Orleans 1984 1 Block Tourism Temporary for 1984 World’s Fair, then not functioning until recently Maryland Downtown Cumberland Mall Cumberland Late 1970s 3 Blocks Tourism Extant Massachusetts Front Street New Bedford n/a 3 Blocks Beach Appears to be Non-Extant Massachusetts Inn Street Mall Newburyport 1974 1 Block Beach Extant City Urban Renewal Nevada Fremont Street Experience Las Vegas 1994 5 Blocks Tourism Extant Non-Urban Renewal New Hampshire Downtown Mall Lebanon Late 1960s 1 Block University Extant New York Jay Street Pedestrian Walkway Schenectady 1960s 1 Block University Extant City Urban Renewal Rhode Island Long Wharf Mall Newport Late 1960s 1 Block Beach Extant City Urban Renewal Vermont Church Street Marketplace Burlington 1981 1994 4 Blocks University Extant Conceived in 1958 Virginia Main Street Downtown Mall Charlottesville 1976 8 Blocks University Extant 57 Judge, 14. 58 Ibid., 15. 59 The data provided is taken from Judge’s 2013 report with contemporary status noted. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 75 The Iowa City Pedestrian Mall - 1979 When the City returned to the drawing board to revive their urban renewal plan with planning consultant Zuchelli, Hunter and Associates (ZHA) in 1976, development of a pedestrian mall along two blocks of College Street and one block of Dubuque Street was integral to the new consultant’s plan. The conversion of roadways to pedestrian malls had, by that time, became a popular feature of urban renewal projects across the country, with varying degrees of success.60 In June of 1976, the City Council announced that parts of College and Dubuque streets would be closed for the summer as sort of a test run for the idea of a pedestrian mall. The Council remained uncommitted to the idea, but the notion remained under consideration as the City and its new consultant reviewed the 1969 renewal plan with the intention of updating it through the elimination of concepts that had since become “outmoded.”61 In a report presented to the City by ZHA, the firm stated that stores located on the pedestrian mall along E. College and S. Dubuque streets could expect some gains in retail sales. As ZHA noted, in other cities, “malls either contributed to increased sales or significantly reduced the downward historical spiral of sales in the downtown area.” Further, “with local commitments, the mall concept is an appropriate one for Iowa City and lends valuable market support to adjacent urban renewal properties.” Also at play in the City’s decision-making regarding the pedestrian mall issue was a previous agreement made with Old Capitol Associates (developer of Plaza Centre One) in which the City agreed to close the roadway in front of that building.62 With landscape designer Jack Leaman of Associated Engineers, Mason City, Iowa onboard in 1977, design plans for the pedestrian mall were underway. Voices of Iowa City residents contributed to the final design, which incorporated one of the mini-parks (Black Hawk Minipark) that had been created by a local group in an effort to bring beauty to the downtown streets during the long period of destruction. A survey of downtown businesses and shoppers revealed that additional greenery on the mall was the issue most often expressed. Those surveyed also wanted to see room for bicycles, sidewalk cafes and small shops, and an increase in the number of benches.63 The downtown merchants, in particular, opposed City discussion about the possibility of allowing vehicular traffic. Members of the Downtown Association voted 25 to 1 to draft a statement stating their position.64 In August of 1977, after a final review of preliminary plans, the City Council gave Leaman the go-ahead to complete a drawing set for the new pedestrian mall. The plans for the $1.8-million mall called for “a brick-paved mall with planting beds enclosed by timbers, picking up on the design of the popular Black Hawk Minipark at Washington and Dubuque streets.” Council members requested a number of changes to the preliminary designs including a design for a simple focal point at the intersection of College and Dubuque; the addition of temporary structures to provide shade pending the growth of the trees to be planted; and construction of a broad set of steps adjacent to the focal point that would adjust for the change in grade as well as double as seating. Choices for kiosks, drinking fountains, telephones, and bulletin boards were also made by the Council.65 Previous reporting also noted the inclusion of a children’s play area on E. College, east of its intersection with S. Dubuque and a 10- foot strip of walkway in front of stores fronting the mall to be used for outdoor sales, displays, or activities like sidewalk cafes.66 The final design of the pedestrian mall was presented to the City Council in October of 1977.67 Although, officially named “City Plaza”, the mall has long been more simply known as “the Ped Mall”. 60 “It’s a Fact,” Iowa City Press Citizen, October 08, 1974: 12. 61 “Council acts on renewal… and street closure,” Iowa City Press Citizen, June 22, 1976: 01. 62 “Less downtown development hinted,” Iowa City Press Citizen, December 09, 1976, 1. 63 “Shoppers want green downtown,” Iowa City Press Citizen, May 31, 1977: 02. 64 “Merchants oppose buses using mall,” Iowa City Press Citizen, April 09, 1977: 02. 65 “Council: Complete drawings for pedestrian mall,” Iowa City Press Citizen, August 03, 1977: 02. 66 “Mall design mirrors minipark,” Iowa City Press Citizen, July 26, 1977: 01. 67 “Council okays design for pedestrian mall,” Iowa City Press Citizen, October 18, 1977: 02. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 76 Figure 13. E. College Street - 1915 (Source: State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.) In this view looking along E. College Street toward its intersection with S. Dubuque, we see the early 20th century character of the streetscape that was altered in construction of the Pedestrian Mall. Figure 14. Iowa City Pedestrian Mall Under Construction – 1978 (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Urban Renewal special collection.) Construction of the Pedestrian Mall was underway in 1978. This view, looking west along E. College Street across its intersection with S. Dubuque, the work of constructing the fountain and surrounding hardscape is well underway with many of the trees planted. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 77 Figure 15. Iowa City Pedestrian Mall – ca.1979 (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Urban Renewal special collection.) The completed pedestrian mall featured trees and shrubbery in large-scale, timber planters; brick paving; playground area with equipment; and a focal point at the intersection of S. Dubuque and E. College streets. A multi-tiered fountain with large, steel pipe elements was affectionately referred to as “Three Women Peeing.” The intersection was further accentuated by a series of terracing steps that accommodated a minor change in elevation via an artistic landscape feature. The area of focus is seen in this view looking northwest across the intersection Figure 16. Iowa City Pedestrian Mall – 1980 (Source: Iowa City Public Library, Urban Renewal special collection.) In this view looking southwesterly across E. Washington Street we see the north end of the Pedestrian Mall with Black Hawk Mini-Park occupying the open and treed parcel at left. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Section 8 page 78 The three-block pedestrian mall was a downtown success almost immediately. With automobiles prohibited, spaces were created for people to interact, including a fountain at the intersection of College and Dubuque streets, shade trees, a variety of seating choices and landscaped walkways. It operated as planners had intended, serving as a centerpiece for both informal and planned downtown activities and events. Its intense use resulted in considerable wear and tear on the physical facilities of the mall, resulting in overhauls in 1990 and in 2019. Of some 200 pedestrian malls constructed in the U.S. as part of urban renewal projects, the Iowa City Pedestrian Mall remains one of only 11 retained.68 Summary As a component of urban renewal projects, the pedestrian mall was embraced as a positive response to urban problems including the rise of the commercial shopping center. Established in the heart of historic commercial centers, the pedestrian mall bore the potential to draw people of all ages and socio-economic levels in a space where they would find a leisurely and attractive space; the increased activity was intended to enliven declining downtowns through economic infusion and community gathering.69 By 1992, development of pedestrian malls (specifically, full malls), were already being found harder to justify given the limited success of many and the reversal of several completed in the 1960s and 1970s. While many factors played into the success or failure of pedestrian malls, the close proximity of a population such as office workers and/or students was central to assuring the success of a pedestrian mall.70 In fact, the 2013 study found that being “near or attached to a major anchor such as a university” – as is the case in Iowa City - was a primary indicator of the success of the country’s remaining pedestrian malls. Urban renewal in the United States did more in a relatively short period of time to alter the American landscape than any force or movement before or since. While the study of urban renewal remains a burgeoning area of academic study (specifically in the field of historic preservation), the physical impacts of urban renewal are plentiful, with demonstrable examples of both its positive and negative impacts. In Iowa City, the history of the urban renewal program is well-documented in local news accounts, previous historical and architectural survey and evaluation projects, city files, photographic collections held by the Iowa City Public Library and local historians, and in the still vivid memories of the citizens who lived through the 20-year project in their community. Six buildings constructed as part of the urban renewal program are retained in the Iowa City Downtown Historic District; another three or four have since been replaced by new buildings. The Pedestrian Mall, the centerpiece of the Iowa City urban renewal program, remains a vibrant and rare example of the successful application of that urban renewal tool. None of the urban renewal resources meet the 50-year recommended age for registration. However, each contributes to the historical and architectural significance of the Historic District, providing an understanding of the impact of urban renewal on the American downtown that cannot be understood by any other means. In this way, the resources are exceptional and therefore meet the requirement of Criterion Consideration G. 68 Judge, 15. 69 Roberto Brambilla and Gianni Long, For Pedestrians Only: Planning, Design, and Management of Traffic-Free Zones (New York: Watson- Guptill Publications, 1977), 9. 70 Harvey Rubenstein, Pedestrian Malls, Streetscapes, and Urban Spaces (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1992), 225. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 79 9. Major Bibliographical References Bibliography (Cite the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form.) Bellushi, Jewel and Murray Hausknecht, ed. Urban Renewal: People, Politics, and Planning. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., 1967. Brambilla, Roberto and Gianni Long. For Pedestrians Only: Planning, Design, and Management of Traffic- Free Zones. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1977. Hardwick, M. Jeffrey. Mall Maker: Victor Gruen, Architect of an American Dream. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004. Hirsch, Alison Bick. City Choreographer. Lawrence Halprin in Urban Renewal America. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2014. Isenberg, Alison. Downtown America. A history of the place and the people that made it. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2004. Jacobs, Jane. The Death and Life of Great American Cities. 3rd ed. New York, NY: The Modern Library, 1993. Judge, Cole E. “The Experiment of American Pedestrian Malls: Trends Analysis,” prepared for the Fresno Future Conference, 2013. McDowell, Alexa. “Survey and Evaluation Update: Iowa City Central Business District.” Prepared for the City of Iowa City and Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission, 2018. Nash, Jan Olive. “Iowa’s Main Street Commercial Architecture.” National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2002. Rubenstein, Harvey M. Pedestrian Malls, Streetscapes, and Urban Spaces. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1992. Russello Ammon, Francesca. Bulldozer: Demolition and Clearance of the Postwar Landscape. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2016. Slonneger, Marybeth. Finials: A View of Downtown Iowa City. Iowa City: Hand Press, 2015. Svendsen, Marlys A. “Historic Resources of Iowa City, Iowa: Architectural and Historical Resources of Iowa City Central Business District, 1855-1950.” Draft, National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2000. Svendsen, Marlys A. “Survey and Evaluation of the Central Business District.” Prepared for the City of Iowa City and Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission, 2001. Wilson, James O., ed. Urban Renewal. The Record and the Controversy. Cambridge, MA: The M.I.T. Press, 1966. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 80 Archives Iowa City Public Library. Digital photograph collection. http://history.icpl.org. State Historical Library of Iowa, Iowa City. Photograph collection. University of Iowa Special Collections. https://digital.lib.uiowa.edu/atlases/index.php. Newspapers Iowa City Press Citizen. “It’s a Fact.” October 08, 1974. _______. “City hires designer for pedestrian malls.” March 10, 1976. _______. “Pedestrian malls get go-ahead.” May 04, 1976. _______. “Council acts on renewal… and street closure.” June 22, 1976. _______. “Less downtown development hinted.” December 09, 1976. _______. “Funds okayed for pedestrian malls.” March 15, 1977. _______. “Pedestrian malls bond issue planned.” April 23, 1977. _______. “Ideas available.” May 10, 1977. _______. “Council votes against mini-parks.” May 25, 1977. _______. “Shoppers want green downtown,” May 31, 1977. _______. “Mall design mirrors minipark.” July 26, 1977. _______. “Council: Complete drawings for pedestrian mall.” August 03, 1977. _______. “Council okays design for pedestrian mall.” October 18, 1977. _______. “Face of downtown Iowa City changing fast.” August 11, 1978. _______. “Urban renewal ’79 – Year of brick and mortar.” December 29, 1978. Post-Gazette News. “The story of urban renewal,” May 21, 2000. Available online at https://old.post- gazette.com/businessnews/20000521eastliberty1.asp. Retrieved 07/09/2020. Online Resources 1966 Interview of James Baldwin by Kenneth Clark. Available online at https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=T8Abhj17kYU. Retrieved 07/23/2020. “Berman et al., Executors, v. Parker et al.” October Term, 1954. Available at http://cdn.loc.gov/service/ll/ usrep/usrep348/usrep348026/usrep348026.pdf. Retrieved 07/15/2020. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 81 Central Park History. https://www.centralparknyc.org/park-history. Retrieved 07/10/2020. Kalamazoo Pedestrian Mall. https://www.kalamazoomi.com/hisf.htm. Retrieved 07/10/2020. Kalamazoo Pedestrian Mall. https://www.google.com/maps/search/kalamazoo+pedestrian+ mall/ @42.2898803,-85.584599,407m/data=!3m1!1e3. Retrieved 07/10/2020. The Landscape Architecture of Lawrence Halprin. https://tclf.org/sites/default/files/microsites/ halprinlegacy/charlottesville-mall.html. Retrieved 07/10, 2020. St. Paul Historical Society, “Rondo Neighborhood.” Available online at https://saintpaulhistorical.com/items/ show/160. Retrieved 07/13/2020. Urban Reviews. http://www.urbanreviewstl.com/2009/11/north-america-cities-that-have-or-had-a-pedestrian- mall/. Retrieved 06/25/2020. Previous documentation on file (NPS): ____ preliminary determination of individual listing (36 CFR 67) has been requested ____ previously listed in the National Register ____ previously determined eligible by the National Register ____ designated a National Historic Landmark ____ recorded by Historic American Buildings Survey #_______________________ ____ recorded by Historic American Engineering Record #_____________________ ____ recorded by Historic American Landscape Survey #______________________ Primary location of additional data: ____ State Historic Preservation Office ____ Other State agency ____ Federal agency ____ Local government ____ University ____ Other Name of repository: __________________________________________________________ Historic Resources Survey Number (if assigned): ____________________________________ United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 82 10. Geographical Data Acreage of Property F approx. 25-acres (Do not include previously listed resource acreage; enter “Less than one” if the acreage is .99 or less) Latitude/Longitude Coordinates Datum if other than WGS84: F (enter coordinates to 6 decimal places) Figure 03. Coordinates Map (Source: Basemap, https://www.maps.google.com. Retrieved 04/03/2020.) The above numbered locators correspond to the preceding latitude/longitude coordinates. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 41.661280 -91.534600 5 41.658956 -91.530201 Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude 2 41.661256 -91.531650 6 41.658964 -91.531264 Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude 3 41.660655 -91.531639 7 41.658347 -91.531682 Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude 4 41.660663 -91.530201 8 41.658451 -91.534632 Latitude Longitude Latitude Longitude United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 83 Verbal Boundary Description (Describe the boundaries of the property.) The Iowa City Downtown Historic District covers five full city blocks and three half-blocks (Figure 03); its boundary runs north along S. Clinton Street on the west, then two blocks east along Iowa Avenue where it turns south for ½-block along S. Linn Street, turning east along the alley between Iowa Avenue and E. Washington to S. Gilbert Street, turning south to E. College Street, turning west to the rear of the Carnegie Library where it then turns south on S. Linn Street to the alley between E. Burlington Street and E. College Street where it runs west to meet S. Clinton Street. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Boundary Justification (Explain why the boundaries were selected.) The district boundaries include the best-preserved commercial buildings in the downtown with a minimum amount of non-period of significance intrusions. The streetscape facing S. Clinton Street bears particular significance for its retention of late 19th and early 20th century commercial buildings. S. Washington, E. College, and D. Dubuque streets also retain significant early commercial buildings. The near complete loss of historic fabric along E. Burlington Street prevented including that streetscape in the district boundary. 11. Form Prepared By name/title Alexa McDowell/Architectural Historian date 07/22/2020 organization AKAY Consulting telephone 515-491-5432 street & number 4252 Oakland Avenue email akaymcd@hotmail.com city or town Minneapolis state MN zip code 55407 Additional Documentation Submit the following items with the completed form: • GIS Location Map (Google Earth or BING) • Local Location Map – Showing District Boundaries – 2019 • Floor Plans (As Applicable) • Photo Location Map (Include for historic districts and properties having large acreage or numerous resources. Key all photographs to this map and insert immediately after the photo log and before the list of figures). United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 84 Figure 04. USGS 7.5 Minute Topographic Map – Iowa City Quad - 2015 United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 85 Figure 05. Aerial Locator Map Showing District Boundaries – 2020 NOTE: the location of the pedestrian mall is indicated in blue. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 86 Figure 06. Table of District Resources Address Historic Name (Common Name) Built Date Style Status S. CLINTON ST. 8 S. Clinton St. Dey Building (Iowa Book & Supply) 1917 Classical Revival C* 10-14 S. Clinton St. Coast & Sons Building 1892 Classical Revival C* 16 S. Clinton St. Namur Bakery Building (McDonald Optical) ca.1874/ ca.1884 Italianate C* 18-20 S. Clinton St. Commercial Building ca.1874/ ca.1944 Mixed C* 22 S. Clinton St. The Airliner ca.1888/ 1950 Modern Movement C* 24-26 S. Clinton St. Racine’s Cigar Store No. 3 ca.1874 Italianate C* 28 S. Clinton St. Ewers Men’s Store ca.1874/ ca.1923 Commercial Style C* 30 S. Clinton St. Bloom-Ries Building (Moses Bloom Clothing Store) ca.1874 Italianate C* 32 S. Clinton St. Whetstone Building ca.1868/ 1874 Italianate C* 102 S. Clinton St. Iowa State Bank & Trust (Johnson County Savings Bank) 1912 Chicago Commercial NRHP 114 S. Clinton St. Strub Building (Roshek’s Department Store) ca.1865/ ca.2005 Contemporary NC 124 S. Clinton St. Hawkeye Barber Shop 1979 Modern Movement C 130 S. Clinton St. Things & Things & Things 1970 Modern Movement C 132 S. Clinton St. Bill Hill Music Studio 1971 Modern Movement C 210-212 S. Clinton St. (Safeway 2000 Building/Joseph’s) 2000 Contemporary Post Modern NC E. COLLEGE ST. E. College from Clinton to Linn St., S. Dubuque from College to Iowa City Plaza (Ped Mall) 1978-79 n/a C* 103 E. College St. Savings and Loan Building 1877/ 1940 Art Deco C* 109 E. College St. Dooley Block (west bay) ca.1874/ 1929 Romanesque Revival C* 110 E. College St. Carson Building ca.1916 Chicago Commercial C 112 E. College St. Commercial Building ca.1915/ 2013 Contemporary NC 114-116 E. College St. Schneider Bros. Furniture Store 1883/ 1906 Chicago Commercial C 111-113 E. College St. Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building 1929 Chicago Commercial C* 115 E. College St. Dooley Block (east bay) (Gringo’s) ca.1895/ 1929 Romanesque Revival C* United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 87 E. COLLEGE ST., Cont’d 117-123 E. College St. Crescent Block 1894 Commercial Style C* 118-120 E. College St. Commercial Building ca.1874 Romanesque Revival C 125 E. College St. College Block Building 1878 Italianate NRHP 128 E. College St. Plaza Centre One 1977 Modern Movement C 312 E. College St. Iowa City Masonic Temple 1914 Classical Revival C* 320 E. College St. Trinity Episcopal Church 1871/ 1971 Gothic Revival NRHP S. DUBUQUE ST. 1 S. Dubuque St. Park House ca.1867/ ca.1897/ ca.1899 Romanesque Revival C 2-4 S. Dubuque St. Market Hall 1873/ ca.1947 Romanesque Revival/ Modern Movement C 5 S. Dubuque St. F.J. Epeneter Building (north half) 1883/ ca.1933 Commercial Style C 6-8 S. Dubuque St. Ham’s Hall (north two-thirds) ca.1873/ ca.1930 Art Deco C 7 S. Dubuque St. F.J. Epeneter Building (south half) ca.1874 ca.1930 Italianate C 9 S. Dubuque St. Patterson Block (north half of north half) 1879/ 1899/ 1982 Renaissance Revival C 10 S. Dubuque St. Ham’s Hall (south one-third) ca.1873/ ca.1925 Romanesque Revival C 11 S. Dubuque St. Patterson Block (south half of north half) 1879/ 1899/ 1982 Romanesque Revival C 12 S. Dubuque St. Commercial Building (Sports Column) ca.1870 Italianate C 13-15 S. Dubuque St. Prairie Lights Book Store 1983/ 1993 Contemporary NC 14 S. Dubuque St. Mueller Block (Sports Column) ca.1909 Contemporary NC 17 S. Dubuque St. J.J. Stach Saloon ca.1876 Romanesque Revival C 19-21 S. Dubuque St. Scanlon Saloon/ Maresh & Holubar Tin Shop ca.1874/ ca.1875 Romanesque Revival C 23 S. Dubuque St. Commercial Building 1879/ 1970 Contemporary NC 109 S. Dubuque St. Jefferson Cafeteria ca.1915 Commercial Style C 111 S. Dubuque St. Commercial Building ca.1860 Early Classical Revival C* 115 S. Dubuque St. Franklin Printing House 1856 Early Classical Revival NRHP United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 88 S. DUBUQUE ST., Cont’d. 118 S. Dubuque St. Commercial Building ca.1881/ ca.1890 Second Empire C* 124 S. Dubuque St. Iowa Theater 1936 Art Deco C 220 S. Dubuque St. Holiday Inn (Sheraton Hotel) 1984 Modern Movement NC E. IOWA AVE. 113-115 E. Iowa Ave. Bushnagel Building ca.1875 Romanesque Revival C 117 E. Iowa Ave. Studio Tea Room ca.1922 Commercial Style C 119 E. Iowa Ave. Commercial Building 2004 Contemporary NC 121-123 E. Iowa Ave. Brunswick Hall ca.1890/ 1946 Mixed/ Commercial C 211 E. Iowa Ave. C.O.D. Steam Laundry Building ca.1895/ ca.1960 Italianate C 213 E. Iowa Ave. Reardon Hotel ca.1900/ 1932 Italianate C 219 E. Iowa Ave. Capitol Square Condominiums 2001 Contemporary NC 225 E. Iowa Ave. Brueggers Bagel Bakery 2013 Contemporary NC 229 E. Iowa Ave. Vogel House 2001 Contemporary NC S. LINN ST. 7 S. Linn Street 7 South Linn 2019 Contemporary NC 13-15 S. Linn St. Hohenschuh Mortuary 1917 Georgian Revival C* 28 S. Linn St. Old Post Office 1904/ 1931 Beaux Arts NRHP 104-116 S. Linn St. J.A. O’Leary Velie Co. Garage/ Iowa Apartment Building 1919/ 1924 Commercial Style C 122 S. Linn St. Meardon Building 1977 Modern Movement C 123 S. Linn St. Iowa City Public Library 2004 Contemporary NC 201 S. Linn St. Plaza Towers/Hotel Vetro 2004 Contemporary NC 218 S. Linn St. Iowa City Public Library (Carnegie) 1903 Classical Revival C* E. WASHINGTON ST. 109 E. Washington St. Hands Jewelry Building ca.1868/ 1968 Modern Movement C* 110 E. Washington St. Western Union Building 1930/ 1991 Classical Revival NC 112 E. Washington St. Sunier Music & Jewelry Store 1900/ 1929 Classical Revival C 114-116 E. Washington St. Corlett Livery/M. Moon Drug ca.1874/ 1963 No Style NC United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 89 E. WASHINGTON Cont’d. 111-117 E. Washington St. Younker’s Department Store 1951 Modern Movement C 118 E. Washington St. Freeman Building ca.1874/ ca.2002 Commercial Style NC 120 E. Washington St. Bremer’s Building 1964 Modern Movement C 121 E. Washington St. S.S. Kresge Co. Building 1930/ 1956 Modern Movement C 124 E. Washington St. Security Insurance Co. building ca.1869/ ca.2010 Romanesque Revival NC 126 E. Washington St. Commercial Building ca.1869 Early Classical Revival C 128 E. Washington St. Arcade Building ca.1874/ 1927 Chicago Commercial C* 129-131 E. Washington St. Hotel Jefferson 1913/ 1926 Chicago Commercial C* 132 E. Washington St. Pryce & Schell Building ca.1879 Italianate C 201 E. Washington St. Park@201 2012 Contemporary NC 202-214 E. Washington St. First National Bank 1888/ 1911/ ca.1990 Mixed C* 207 E. Washington St. Paul-Helen Building 1913 Chicago Commercial NRHP 216 E. Washington St. Stillwell Building ca.1880 Italianate C* 218 E. Washington St. IXL Block (west bay) 1883/ ca.1970 Italianate C* 220 E. Washington St. IXL Block (center bay) 1883/ ca.1970 Italianate C* 221 E. Washington St. Englert Theatre 1912 Renaissance Revival NRHP 225 E. Washington St. Schump Transfer & Storage 1910 Commercial Style C 227 E. Washington St. Stillwell Building 1910/ ca.1949 Modern Movement C* 228 E. Washington St. First National Bank Drive-In Bank 1962/ 1980 Colonial Revival C 229 E. Washington St. Meacham Travel 1971 Modern Movement C 319 E. Washington St. Iowa City Press-Citizen Publishing 1937 Art Moderne C* 320 E. Washington St. Ecumenical Housing 1980 Contemporary NC 328 E. Washington St. The Abbey Apartments 2011 Contemporary NC 330 E. Washington St. Eldon Miller building 1955 Modern C 332 E. Washington St. Boerner-Fry Company/Davis Hotel 1899 Late Victorian NRHP United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 90 PED MALL OBJECTS Ped Mall Integrated planters/retaining walls 1979 n/a C Ped Mall Series of small-scale, limestone planters 2019 n/a NC Ped Mall E. of Dubuque & College streets intersection Playground Equipment 2019 n/a NC Ped Mall West end E. College Sculpture: Musicians (bronze) ca.2000 n/a NC Ped Mall West end E. College Sculpture: “Writers in a Café” West end E. College Street 2019 n/a NC Ped Mall ES Dubuque St. Sculpture: Obelisk (1) ca.2018 n/a NC Ped Mall WS Dubuque St. Sculpture: Obelisk (2) ca.2018 n/a NC Ped Mall East End E. College Sculpture: Dad and Boy (bronze) ca.2019 n/a NC United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 91 Photographs: Submit clear and descriptive photographs. The size of each image must be 3000x2000 pixels, at 300 ppi (pixels per inch) or larger. Key all photographs to the sketch map. Each photograph must be numbered and that number must correspond to the photograph number on the photo log. For simplicity, the name of the photographer, photo date, etc. may be listed once on the photograph log and doesn’t need to be labeled on every photograph. Photo Log Name of Property: Iowa City Downtown Historic District City or Vicinity: Iowa City County: Johnson State: IA Photographer: Alexa McDowell Date Photographed: March 2018, 11/14/2019, and 12/18/2019 Description of Photograph(s) and number, include description of view indicating direction of camera: Photo 1 of 34: View of Iowa Avenue, looking SE across S. Clinton Street Photo 2 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking SE across Iowa Avenue Photo 3 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking SE across E. Washington Street Photo 4 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking NE across E. Washington Street Photo 5 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking NE across E. College Street Photo 6 of 34: View of S. Linn Street, looking north from E. College Street Photo 7 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking west from S. Gilbert Street Photo 8 of 34: View of S. Linn Street, looking SE across E. Washington Street Photo 9 of 34: View of S. Linn Street, looking SW across E. Washington Street Photo 10 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SW across S. Linn Street Photo 11 of 34: View of Iowa Avenue, looking SE from S. Dubuque Street Photo 12 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking SW across Iowa Avenue Photo 13 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking SE from Iowa Avenue Photo 14 of 34: View of Iowa Avenue, looking SW from Dubuque Street Photo 15 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SE from S. Clinton Street Photo 16 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking NW from S. Dubuque Street United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 92 Photo 17 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SW from S. Dubuque Street Photo 18 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SE from S. Dubuque Street Photo 19 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking NW from E. Washington Street Photo 20 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking SW from E. Washington Street (Ped Mall) Photo 21 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking NE from E. College Street (Ped Mall) Photo 22 of 34: View of E. College Street, looking NE from S. Dubuque Street (Ped Mall) Photo 23 of 34: View of E. College Street, looking NW from S. Dubuque Street (Ped Mall) Photo 24 of 34: View of E. College Street, looking NE from S. Clinton Street (Ped Mall) Photo 25 of 34: View of Sears Roebuck and Dooley Buildings (109, 111-113, and 115 E. College Street) Photo 26 of 34: View of Crescent Block, 1930s storefront (119 E. College Street) Photo 27 of 34: View of the Carnegie Library building (218 S. Linn Street) Photo 28 of 34: View of Commercial Building (118 S. Dubuque Street) Photo 29 of 34: View of Things, Things, Things building (138 S. Clinton Street) Photo 30 of 34: View of Franklin Printing and 111 S. Dubuque Street Photo 31 of 34: View of Press Citizen Building (319 E. Washington Street) Photo 32 of 34: View of block of Italianate buildings (216, 218, and 220 E. Washington Street) Photo 33 of 34: View of First National Bank building (200 E. Washington) Photo 34 of 34: View of the Coast & Sons building (10-14 S. Clinton Street) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service / National Register of Historic Places Registration Form NPS Form 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 Iowa City Downtown Historic District Johnson County, Iowa Name of Property County and State Sections 9 – 11 page 93 Figure 07. Photo Key Map – 2020 (Source: Base map, https://www.maps.google.com.) Paperwork Reduction Act Statement: This information is being collected for applications to the National Register of Historic Places to nominate properties for listing or determine eligibility for listing, to list properties, and to amend existing listings. Response to this request is required to obtain a benefit in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C.460 et seq.). Estimated Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this form is estimated to average 100 hours per response including time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the form. Direct comments regarding this burden estimate or any aspect of this form to the Office of Planning and Performance Management. U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1849 C. Street, NW, Washington, DC. Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 1 Photo 1 of 34: View of Iowa Avenue, looking SE across S. Clinton Street Photo 2 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking SE across Iowa Avenue Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 2 Photo 3 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking SE across E. Washington Street Photo 4 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking NE across E. Washington Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 3 Photo 5 of 34: View of S. Clinton Street, looking NE across E. College Street Photo 6 of 34: View of S. Linn Street, looking north from E. College Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 4 Photo 7 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking west from S. Gilbert Street Photo 8 of 34: View of S. Linn Street, looking SE across E. Washington Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 5 Photo 9 of 34: View of S. Linn Street, looking SW across E. Washington Street Photo 10 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SW across S. Linn Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 6 Photo 11 of 34: View of Iowa Avenue, looking SE from S. Dubuque Street Photo 12 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking SW across Iowa Avenue Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 7 Photo 13 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking SE from Iowa Avenue Photo 14 of 34: View of Iowa Avenue, looking SW from Dubuque Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 8 Photo 15 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SE from S. Clinton Street Photo 16 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking NW from S. Dubuque Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 9 Photo 17 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SW from S. Dubuque Street Photo 18 of 34: View of E. Washington Street, looking SE from S. Dubuque Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 10 Photo 19 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking NW from E. Washington Street Photo 20 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking SW from E. Washington Street (Ped Mall) Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 11 Photo 21 of 34: View of S. Dubuque Street, looking NE from E. College Street (Ped Mall) Photo 22 of 34: View of E. College Street, looking NE from S. Dubuque Street (Ped Mall) Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 12 Photo 23 of 34: View of E. College Street, looking NW from S. Dubuque Street (Ped Mall) Photo 24 of 34: View of E. College Street, looking NE from S. Clinton Street (Ped Mall) Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 13 Photo 25 of 34: View of Sears Roebuck and Dooley Buildings (109, 111-113, and 115 E. College Street) Photo 26 of 34: View of Crescent Block, 1930s storefront (119 E. College Street) Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 14 Photo 27 of 34: View of the Carnegie Library building (218 S. Linn Street) Photo 28 of 34: View of Commercial Building (118 S. Dubuque Street) Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 15 Photo 29 of 34: View of Things, Things, Things building (138 S. Clinton Street) Photo 30 of 34: View of Franklin Printing and 111 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 16 Photo 31 of 34: View of Press Citizen Building (319 E. Washington Street) Photo 32 of 34: View of block of Italianate buildings (216, 218, and 220 E. Washington Street) Iowa City Downtown Historic District Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa National Register Nomination, Photographs 17 Photo 33 of 34: View of First National Bank building (200 E. Washington) Photo 34 of 34: View of the Coast & Sons building (10-14 S. Clinton Street) 1 MINUTES PRELIMINARY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION EMMA J. HARVAT HALL December 10, 2020 MEMBERS PRESENT: Kevin Boyd, Sharon DeGraw, Cecile Kuenzli, Quentin Pitzen, Jordan Sellergren, Austin Wu MEMBERS ABSENT: Carl Brown, Helen Burford, Lyndi Kiple, STAFF PRESENT: Jessica Bristow, Anne Russett OTHERS PRESENT: Gosia Clore, Adam Clore CALL TO ORDER: Chairperson Boyd called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANYTHING NOT ON THE AGENDA: None. PUBLIC HEARING LOCAL LANDMARK DESIGNATION – 410/412 NORTH CLINTON STREET – COCHRANE-SHARPLESS-DENNIS HOUSE: Bristow said that the Commission did a study in 2015 of potential landmarks that exist within Iowa City and are not within a designated district. She said that towards the end of 2017, the Commission came up with a list of a few brick buildings that they wanted to pursue local landmark status/designation for, including 410/412 North Clinton Street. However, it did not become a local landmark as some of the other properties did. Bristow said the house was built by 1865. It is a brick, Italianate designed house with a very low- pitched gable roof. It has a very simple cornice (unlike other Italianate designed houses) consisting of a small piece of molding between the soffit and the wall and a step out in the brick, only on the front of the building. She said that there are some missing brackets as well as some other missing elements. The structure is described as having a full-length porch, which is actually inset from the corner of the structure so that the entire roof overhang is within that Electronic Meeting (Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8) An electronic meeting was held because a meeting in person was impossible or impractical due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff, and the public presented by COVID-19. 2 front façade, which is typical for a historic building. It has paired corbels, paired columns, historically accurate shutters, a classical type of entry (including a transom with very narrow side lights), it’s original door, a low porch with some skirting, some very elaborate scroll brackets, and some other corbels supporting the roof overhang on the porch. It has a symmetrical front, despite a front bump-out that is a historic change (if not original to the house). The windows are double-hung windows - 4 over 4 double hung windows on each side of the upper floor, and 4 over 6 in the middle because it is a taller opening. The house does appear to need some repair and rehabilitation. Bristow said that the house was built when Milton B. Cochran owned the property. Cochrane was in the Civil War, was the first superintendent of the Soldiers Orphans Home in Davenport, included in the National Register nomination for that property, a member of the Iowa City School Board, and a member of the State Historical Society from 1857 until his death in 1898. According to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, the two-story addition on the north (alley side) was in place before 1899. There is an apartment addition on the back (east side) that was built in 1969. Even though this addition is so large, it is attached very discretely, and it is assumed that it could be removed, leaving the historic house intact. The southeast corner shows the 1899 addition, which has been built over by the bridge that connects the apartment with the historic house. On the Sanborn Maps of 1899, this house also had an open porch in this location. Bristow said the residence is also named for Samuel and Priscilla Sharpless, who owned the property from after 1865 to about 1915 when Priscilla died in the home. Samuel Sharpless was the director of the Johnson County Savings Bank, which is also now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He was the supervisor of various farming industries and a member of the Iowa City Council. In 1917, Edwin Dennis and his wife, Anna Tattlinger, bought the house and they passed it on to their daughter, Gertrude Dennis in 1936. Dennis is well-known in the community. She taught music, was a very active Presbyterian, and served in a local arts group. She owned the house until 1965. In terms of the historical integrity of the architecture, the house is very intact. Not much work has been done over time, but it is in need of repair and rehabilitation. Bristow said that this property is part of a development project. 410/412 North Clinton Street is the property that would be locally landmarked. The houses next door (400 North Clinton and 112 East Davenport) would be taken down for new construction. Due to some of the concerns from the public about the metal siding on the new building, the new drawings are clearly labeled to shows which portions are brick. They also show a garden wall and a low wall out front. Bristow said that Staff finds the Cochrane-Sharpless-Dennis house eligible for landmark status, which means that they meet at least Criteria A and B (A) significance to America and/or Iowa City history architecture, archeology, or culture and B)possesses an integrity of location, design, 3 and setting in the materials of workmanship), and also meet Criteria D (associated with lives of persons significant to our past) and Criteria E (embodies the distinctive characteristics of a time period or method of construction – the Italianate architecture). Kuenzli asked about the letter the Commission received about the siding/metal that would go on the house. Bristow clarified that the letter from William Means was regarding the metal siding on the new development. Because of the letter staff had the brick on the drawings clarified. Bristow said that they are working through a new rehabilitation plan for the historic house that, once the property is landmarked, would come to the Commission for approval. Boyd opened and closed the public hearing. Boyd asked about the order of operations in regard to the project as a whole and the rehabilitation of the house. Russett said that the rehabilitation plan is not triggered by the landmark designation but would be triggered if the applicant pursues the redevelopment of 400 North Clinton and 112 East Davenport Street. Boyd asked if the landmark status would make them eligible for the PRM rezoning. Russett said that there were three applications: the landmark designation, the rezoning of 400 North Clinton and 112 East Davenport to a different zoning designation, and a proposed text amendment that would allow the applicant to ask for additional development potential, which then would trigger the need for a rehabilitation plan. Russett said that all three of these are running concurrently. Kuenzli asked if they are assured that the house will be rehabilitated so the house does not crumble in 25 years. Boyd said that, in order for the developer to obtain a certificate of occupancy for the new portion, they have to complete the rehabilitation plan that the Commission will see at a future meeting. Kuenzli asked about the order of events – rehabilitation and development. Bristow said that part of the rehabilitation plan will include a timeline of what needs to be done and how long it will take to do that, but that it doesn’t necessarily matter the order in which they are done as long as they are completed before they want to occupy the development. Kuenzli said that she is concerned primarily with the old house being restored according to the guidelines. MOTION: DeGraw moved to approve the designation of 410/412 North Clinton Street as an Iowa City historic landmark based on the following criteria for local designation: Criteria A, B, D, and E. Wu seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 6-0. CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS: 1133 East Court Street – Longfellow Historic District Bristow said that 1133 East Court Street was built between 1910 and 1924 in the Longfellow Historic District. It is a Foursquare with a low-pitched hip roof, flared eaves, and dormers with paired windows. The first floor has one over one double hung windows. The porch was enclosed with combination windows in 1972. It has a two-story rear addition in the back, added in 1988. The house is currently clad in aluminum siding which was likely installed either during the two story addition or the porch enclosure in the 70’s. There have been several past projects 4 on this house since the district designation, such as changes to the deck, repairs to the roof, and an addition of a railing on the rear 2nd floor porch. Earlier this year, the Commission received an application to remove the aluminum siding and also for porch reconstruction. The Commission has approved the porch reconstruction to the point where the aluminum in the storm windows could be removed and anything that had existed be repaired. Depending on what remained, the project may come back to the Commission for porch redesign. Bristow said that she and Boyd had been working to determine what an original porch may have looked like on this property if there was nothing remaining to be seen after the removal. Bristow that she would talk about the siding project first and talk about the porch project separately after that. Bristow said that several options had been discussed by the owner for this property in regard to its aluminum siding, with the most recent option being to remove the aluminum siding (some of which had been damaged by the derecho) and install cement board siding over the top of the original siding underneath. Bristow said that the Historic Preservation guidelines are very specific about disallowing the covering of the original siding with anything (including synthetic siding) and disallowing the removal of original siding and trim unless it has deteriorated beyond repair. If the original siding had deteriorated beyond repair, the guidelines state that it could be removed and replaced with a siding that matches the original siding, including lap siding, use of corner boards. The new siding could include wood, a smooth cement board or a smooth LP Smartside siding. Bristow said that would assume the original siding was deteriorated and only the deteriorated pieces would be removed and the new matching siding would be toothed in to replace the deteriorated original siding. Bristow said that this house also has aluminum over the soffits and the fascia, and the aluminum edge comes up over a lot of the trim. Recently, there have been several projects that have removed synthetic siding and so far none of those projects have found that all of the siding on the property was deteriorated. A few have replaced individual pieces of siding and parts of trim (pieces of sills, corner boards, watertables, etc.) have been replaced. Bristow said that the goal of the guidelines for houses like this, with aluminum siding, is to remove it because it traps moisture, obscures a lot of the details, and diminishes the architectural character of the home. Bristow said much of the architectural character is created by the trim and the siding, and the guidelines are clear about how important those elements are to the character of the house. That is why it is disallowed by the guidelines to remove the siding or trim unless it is beyond repair. 5 Bristow said there are also options for repair from the derecho. If the damage to the aluminum is small, staff would recommend trying to locate a siding that matches. If the aluminum siding has been there for a long time it is likely faded and then painting it and painting any repair so that it all matches would be an option for a small repair, keeping the existing aluminum. If it was a matter of not finding a good match, it may be a matter of removing existing siding from one place and moving it to the front and replacing all of a section of siding on the back or somewhere not visible. Bristow said with catastrophic damage that would be the case where it would be recommended to just remove all of the aluminum and just repairing the original siding instead of covering it again. This is they type of work where we regularly promote using our Historic Preservation Fund to help with repair. Bristow said one project where all of the original siding was approved to be removed was a house that was insulated without a vapor barrier being able to be installed. She referred to the Bob Yapp article. Bristow said moisture from the interior of the house migrates into the wall and condensates in the wall cavity. The insulation holds that moisture and does not dry out. Bristow said that this issue was obvious on the house at 424 Clark Street because it was possible to see that the siding was failing and could no longer hold paint. Because of the deteriorated siding, the owner was approved to replace it with cement board. Bristow said it was not known if the cement board would be able to handle the moisture either since the product tends to wick up moisture and may also fail since the insulation was retained. Generally, the overall goals of the guidelines are to retain the historic character of the house itself, which helps to retain the historic character of the neighborhood. Bristow showed an example of a house that had a siding and trim condition that might be found under the aluminum siding here too. Kuenzli said that it might be possible to find pictures of this house because she used to live behind it, and a good friend of hers knew the owner who had lived there a few decades. She said that, through the remaining family, they might be able to get some pictures. Bristow said that that might be an option that could be discussed for the porch. Bristow moved on to a discussion of the porch project. She said that, right now, they know that it has an enclosed porch and the guidelines do not allow a porch to be enclosed. She said that the Commission does not regulate storm windows, and a porch can be enclosed with storm windows and screens (something that is not considered permanent) as long as nothing has to change in the wall, the columns, the baluster, etc. in order to do that. She said that this is an option for this house, and the porch could be rebuilt in a way that it could have solid balusters and storm windows could be installed again. She said enclosing it with permanent walls and windows would not be something that the guidelines would allow. Bristow said that they looked at similar houses in the neighborhood to try and determine what an original porch would have looked like. She showed an example of a much more elaborate 6 house and discussed how these details would not be appropriate here. She then showed an example of some more similar appropriate porch designs to follow for this porch. She said that they should avoid doing something overly elaborate unless they had a photo of what the original porch looked like and confirmed that was the appropriate porch design. If that was the case, Staff would recommend that the new porch design copy what the historic photo showed, which is also in line with the guidelines. Bristow said that the staff report includes multiple recommendations so that repair could be approved with the original siding, if covering or removing the siding was denied. The porch project was also separated for this reason. Boyd opened the public hearing. Gosia Clore, a member of the public, began her presentation about her house, 1133 East Court Street. She reiterated what Bristow previously stated about the house history and talked about the current siding, which has allowed for pest (mice, bats, bugs, etc.) penetration. She also said that the house has blown in insulation. She said she feels moisture is being trapped within, which is causing additional damage to the siding. Clore said the entire back is new with no wood siding under the aluminum siding. Clore said that wood siding is not common on Court Street. She said that they are proposing to replace the siding with something similar that is much more pleasing to the neighborhood and something that is much easier to maintain in the long run. She said they don’t want to repaint it every few years. Clore said that with the house on Seymour, everything was replaced. The vinyl was removed and what was under that was removed and the original, which was asbestos was removed. She said the windows were replaced. She said on Summit, a house had asbestos removed and all new siding and trim installed. Clore mentioned a house on Summit where the arch was allowed to be removed and changed. She said it was said that the arch was not original but others are like that. She said it was allowed to be changed to let more light in. Clore said that they propose to use appropriate materials. She showed an example in Minnesota of a house they would like to copy. She said she would also copy a photo if one was found. But the new materials could be used, not wood. She described the derecho damage on the house saying that one third of the aluminum was damaged. She says that repair would not be a great option. She then showed a house in New Jersey with cement board. Clore said that what Bristow presented with the porch at 1152 is good and they would be happy to mimic that. She said they know where the original columns were located. She said that if a photo is found they would be happy to copy that. Boyd closed the public hearing. Kuenzli asked if Seymour street is in the Conservation District or if it is part of the Longfellow Historic District. Bristow said that it is in the Longfellow Historic District. Sellergren asked if the 7 issue was that the homeowners did not want to keep any of the original wood siding after removing the aluminum siding. Boyd re-opened the public hearing. Clore said yes, and that half of the house already does not have part of the siding in it. Boyd closed the public hearing. Kuenzli asked if the insulation could be removed/suctioned out through the small holes in the siding, since that is how it was blown in. Bristow said that is depends, but it is a bit impractical since the wall cavity has to dry out as Bob Yapp discusses in the article. Bristow said that the house that was moved on College Street had insulation that was blown in and had all settled and wasn’t causing any damage to the siding. Insulation may or may not cause issues depending on the type of insultation and coverage. Boyd asked if there are any concerns with the proposed resolution for the porch reconstruction, to mimic the porch at 1152 Court and not be permanently enclosed, to which there were none. Boyd said that when it comes to siding the guidelines specifically disallow the removal of original wood siding and, given what they’ve seen in the application and public hearing, which doesn’t provide information about what will be found under the aluminum siding, he is uncomfortable giving flexibility in that area. Kuenzli said removing and replacing the aluminum siding does not address the problem of the insulation in the walls. Bristow said that they have recently approved the removal of synthetic siding on multiple houses and the process has approval of removal and repair of original. After that staff or staff and chair review what is found to determine the next step. It is a multi-step process and has an additional review. Bristow said in this particular case, the applicant did not wish to work with that unknown factor. She said that the back half of the house does not have original siding so, regardless of what happens, they will have to put some new siding of an approved material on the whole back half of the property. Kuenzli asked if it would be possible to remove the aluminum siding from the front and the sides and leave the back half either with its siding or to put the cement board there, and then restore the original wood siding on the rest of the house. They could put the cement board at the back and it would match up to the original. Bristow said that is possible because it would meet the guidelines and could even be staff approved. Clore said that the sheathing on the new addition is on the same level as the siding, so the old siding butts into the sheathing and whatever new siding is put on will go beyond that, so it will not be on the same plane. Bristow said that, if something was installed incorrectly with the addition, a typical solution would be to install a vertical trim piece to mask a transition. It is not an ideal solution but there are solutions to problems like that. 8 Boyd said that the second recommended motion, siding repair, includes removing the aluminum siding, and repairing the original siding if it is repairable, which it might not be or if it is not there as the applicant said. Then anything that is deteriorated, missing replaced with wood or smooth cement board or LP. Boyd said this seems to cover a lot of the unknowns for a synthetic siding removal project project. DeGraw said the second motion leaves open the option of discovering what’s behind the aluminum siding if it is taken off, and then there could be consultations with Staff in order to move forward. She said that painting the aluminum siding does not look great at times, so she is willing to entertain the suggested newer material. If there was a way to see what was beneath the aluminum siding and to reimplement the details that are covered would improve the look of the house. Kuenzli said, with old houses that have siding put on them, she has never seen a case where the original wood siding was removed in order to put a vinyl on it. She said that she believes that the original wood siding is still there, and that it can still be saved. Pitzen said that it is important to have the options open after the removal of the siding and see what is underneath in case there are surprises. Boyd said he thought that was what the second recommended motion does. Traditionally as a Commission, we have said that if the original historic material is there we want to keep that and repair it. If it is not there, we want to mimic what that could look like. This is also what that second motion says. Kuenzli agreed. Russett asked the applicants if they would be agreeable to the second motion. Clore said that, once they remove the siding, half of the house is then exposed to the elements. They would wrap it in Tyvek. She said that they do not currently have materials, and have had trouble acquiring materials in the past, so she is afraid that they will be left with an exposed home during the winter. Because of this, she does not think that the second motion is feasible. Kuenzli asked why they do not want to use wood where they would remove the aluminum siding. Clore said it is harder to maintain and it has a lot of other issues. Clore said that putting cement board in for individual pieces would not work because it doesn’t match and has a different thickness and reveal. Boyd asked about a motion to approve the removal or covering of the original and if that would need an exception. Bristow said that she had not included that in the staff report but yes, since the actions are disallowed by the guidelines, an exception would need to be used to approve it. Bristow explained the types of exceptions: documented exceptions included in each section (there are none for this project), exceptions for when the guidelines are silent or unclear (which is not the case here since it is disallowed) or it would be an uncommon situation. Bristow said the Commission would need to determine that the siding condition here was uncommon in the historic districts. 9 Bristow clarified that past projects have approved toothing in LP or cement board with wood siding. Some contractors apply for that. MOTION: DeGraw moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1133 East Court Street: removing the aluminum siding and either including the removal of the original siding and trim without regard to its condition or the installation of new siding over the original siding. Wu seconded. Motion failed with a vote of 1 – 5 (Pitzen voting to approve). MOTION: DeGraw moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the project at 1133 East Court Street: removing the aluminum siding and repairing the original siding and trim, replacing deteriorated or missing pieces with wood, smooth cement board, or smooth LP SmartSide, any of which will match the original. Kuenzli seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 6-0. MOTION: DeGraw moved to approve a certificate of appropriateness for the porch reconstruction project at 1133 East Court Street as presented in the staff report with the following conditions: the new porch will mimic the porch at 1152 East Court Street, the new porch will not be permanently enclosed, all new materials will be wood or approved by Staff and Chair. Sellergren seconded. Motion passed with a vote of 6-0. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Certificate of No Material Effect – Chair and Staff review 1133 East Court Street – Longfellow Historic District Roof shingle and front porch roof membrane replacement. 12 Bella Vista Place – Brown Street Historic District Bristow said that this property has a 100-year-old clay tile roof that was damaged by the derecho. It will be replaced with new clay tile that matches the original and new copper pans for the internal gutters. REPORT ON CERTIFICATES ISSUED BY CHAIR AND STAFF: Minor Review – Staff Review 533 South Lucas Street – Governor-Lucas Street Conservation District Storm damage was repaired to match existing. 420 East Jefferson Street – Jefferson Street Historic District New front step, no longer cast concrete but wood with handrail. 1527 Muscatine Avenue – Dearborn Street Conservation District Repair of stucco and windows with some badly deteriorated windows replaced 10 INTERMEDIATE REVIEW – CHAIR AND STAFF REVIEW: 534 Clark Street – Clark Street Conservation District An extension to an addition 430 Oakland – Longfellow Historic District A change to a past approval adding a garage entering off of Grant Court. The change is a smaller garage design. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES FOR NOVEMBER 12, 2020: No discussion. MOTION: DeGraw moved that the minutes from the November 12th, 2020 meeting be approved. Sellergren seconded. Motion passed on a vote of 6-0. COMMISSION INFORMATION: Bristow said that they might have a special meeting to talk about the work plan and asked if anyone had any issue with having a second, short meeting in January. ADJOURNMENT: DeGraw moved to adjourn the meeting. Seconded by Pitzen. Motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Minutes submitted by Lauren Ralls. 11 HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD 2019-2020 NAME TERM EXP. 1/09 2/13 3/12 4/09 5//1 4 6/11 7/09 8/13 9/10 10/08 11/12 12/10 AGRAN, THOMAS 6/30/20 X O/E X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- BOYD, KEVIN 6/30/23 X X X X X X X X X X X X BROWN, CARL 6/30/23 -- -- -- -- -- -- X O/E X X X O/E BURFORD, HELEN 6/30/21 X X O/E X X X X X X X X O/E CLORE, GOSIA 6/30/20 X X X X X X -- -- -- -- -- -- DEGRAW, SHARON 6/30/22 X X O/E X X X X X X O/E X X KUENZLI, CECILE 6/30/22 X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X X KIPLE, LYNDI 6/30/22 O/E O/E X X X X X X O/E X X O/E PITZEN, QUENTIN 6/30/21 X X O/E X X X X O/E X X X X SELLERGREN, JORDAN 6/30/22 O/E O/E X X X X X X X X X X WU, AUSTIN 6/30/23 O/E X X O/E X X X X X X X X