HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-01052_16 S Clinton_NamurBakerySite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-01052 New Supplemental
State Historical Society of Iowa Part of a district with known boundaries (enter inventory no.)
(December 1, 1999) Relationship: Contributing Noncontributing
Contributes to a potential district with yet unknown boundaries
National Register Status:(any that apply) Listed De-listed NHL DOE
9-Digit SHPO Review & Compliance Number
Non-Extant (enter year)
1. Name of Property
historic name Namur's Bakery
other names/site number McDonald Optical
2. Location
street & number 16 S. Clinton Street
city or town Iowa City vicinity, county Johnson
Legal Description: (If Rural) Township Name Township No. Range No. Section Quarter of Quarter
(If Urban) Subdivision Original Town Block(s) 80 Lot(s) S20'Lot 4& N8' Lot 5
3. State/Federal Agency Certification [Skip this Section]
4. National Park Service Certification [Skip this Section]
5. Classification
Category of Property (Check only one box) Number of Resources within Property
building(s) If Non-Eligible Property If Eligible Property, enter number of:
district Enter number of: Contributing Noncontributing
site
buildings 1
buildings
structure
sites
sites
object
structures
structures
objects
objects
Total 1
Total
Name of related project report or multiple property study (Enter “N/A” if the property is not part of a multiple property examination).
Title Historical Architectural Data Base Number
Iowa City Central Business District Study - 2017 UPDATE 52-127
6. Function or Use
Historic Functions (Enter categories from instructions) Current Functions (Enter categories from instructions)
02E02 COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store/bakery 02E COMMERCE/TRADE/Specialty Store
01B DOMESTIC/multiple dwelling (upper floors) 02B03 COMMERCE/TRADE/professional/law office
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
05A LATE VICTORIAN/Gothic foundation 04 STONE
walls 03 BRICK
roof
other Narrative Description ( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)
8. Statement of Significance
Applicable National Register Criteria (Mark “x” representing your opinion of eligibility after applying relevant National Register criteria)
Yes No More Research Recommended A Property is associated with significant events.
Yes No More Research Recommended B Property is associated with the lives of significant persons.
Yes No More Research Recommended C Property has distinctive architectural characteristics.
Yes No More Research Recommended D Property yields significant information in archaeology or history.
County Johnson Address 16 S. Clinton Street Site Number 52-01052
City Iowa City District Number
Criteria Considerations
A Owned by a religious institution or used E A reconstructed building, object, or structure.
for religious purposes. F A commemorative property.
B Removed from its original location. G Less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past
C A birthplace or grave. 50 years.
D A cemetery
Areas of Significance (Enter categories from instructions) Significant Dates
Construction date
01 ARCHITECTURE 1884 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
05 COMMERCE
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect
unknown Builder
unknown
Narrative Statement of Significance ( SEE CONTINUATION SHEETS, WHICH MUST BE COMPLETED)
9. Major Bibliographical References
Bibliography See continuation sheet for citations of the books, articles, and other sources used in preparing this form
10. Geographic Data
UTM References (OPTIONAL)
Zone Easting Northing Zone Easting Northing
1
2
3
4
See continuation sheet for additional UTM references or comments
11. Form Prepared By
name/title Alexa McDowell, Historian
organization AKAY Consulting date 10/2017
street & number 4252 Oakland Avenue telephone 515-491-5432
city or town Minneapolis state MN zip code 55407
ADDITIONAL DOCUMENTATION (Submit the following items with the completed form)
FOR ALL PROPERTIES
1. Map: showing the property’s location in a town/city or township.
2. Site plan: showing position of buildings and structures on the site in relation to public road(s).
3. Photographs: representative black and white photos. If the photos are taken as part of a survey for which the Society is to be
curator of the negatives or color slides, a photo/catalog sheet needs to be included with the negatives/slides and the following
needs to be provided below on this particular inventory site:
Roll/slide sheet #
Frame/slot #
Date Taken
Roll/slide sheet #
Frame/slot #
Date Taken
Roll/slide sheet #
Frame/slot #
Date Taken
See continuation sheet or attached photo & slide catalog sheet for list of photo roll or slide entries.
Photos/illustrations without negatives are also in this site inventory file.
FOR CERTAIN KINDS OF PROPERTIES, INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AS WELL
1. Farmstead & District: (List of structures and buildings, known or estimated year built, and contributing or non-contributing status)
2. Barn:
a. A sketch of the frame/truss configuration in the form of drawing a typical middle bent of the barn.
b. A photograph of the loft showing the frame configuration along one side.
c. A sketch floor plan of the interior space arrangements along with the barn’s exterior dimensions in feet.
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Use Only Below This Line
Concur 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:
Evaluated by (name/title): Date:
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
As described by Svendsen, this 3-story, mid-block commercial building contains a single shop space on the lower
level and originally had two apartments on the upper levels. The contemporary storefront has an off-center,
recessed entrance with small shop windows and vitrolite cladding, all set beneath a fixed, curved awning. The
portion of the original storefront separating it from the upper section of the façade remains intact. It is fabricated
of pressed metal with a row of dentils set between a pair of small brackets that originally capped pilasters at each
side of the storefront. The upper levels have three windows each with elaborate pressed metal hoods in the Gothic
Style. The pressed metal cornice has a garland of pointed arches set beneath a dentil line and crown molding with
paired brackets at each end. Single brackets are set beneath a triangular pediment that is centered above the
cornice. The pediment has a semicircular inset. Fenestration includes replacement sash for the original double-
hung windows. The building has a stone foundation with masonry walls constructed of reddish brown brick. The
front measures 20’ and it has a combined depth of 150’ with the front third 3-stories, middle third 2-stories and
rear ell 1-story. The building has hipped roof over the front third and a flat composition roof over the balance.
Changes include a conversion of the upper floors from apartments to offices in 1927, and remodeling of the
storefront at an unknown date.
The Namur Bakery building remains in 2017 much as described above. The building’s upper façade retains its
historic, character-defining features including red brick exterior, tall and narrow windows with heavy hoods, and
ornate Victorian cornice. The storefront cornice, with its ogee arch details, is likewise retained. As it has for some
60 years, the storefront houses McDonald Optical. The 2017 occupant of the upper stories was not verified.
Image 01. View of the streetscape within which the building is located, looking NE across S. Clinton Street.
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
The view of the Namur Bakery building is blocked by the traffic light.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. View of the façade (west elevation), looking east across S. Clinton Street from the Pentacrest grounds.
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
8. Statement of Significance
The Namur Bakery building is located directly opposite Old Capitol, a National Historic Landmark, and the
Pentacrest, a National Register historic district. The resource is a moderately well-preserved example of the
commercial form of the Late Victorian Gothic style. 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. As a result, the resource is
considered a contributing resource to a potential National Register historic district.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Although the building’s storefront has been altered from the historic, the upper stories retain a very good level of
historic integrity of design and materials. Because alteration of storefronts is a typical condition of historic
commercial buildings, the impact of that loss is mitigated by the retention of the upper façade, which provides the
building’s historic stylistic character.
Historical Background
As originally laid out, Clinton Street provided a series of lots facing onto “Capitol Square.” A commercial
building appears on the city’s first fire insurance map in 1874. While it is possible that the structure of the existing
building dates to 1874 or earlier, property transfer records, historic images, and fire insurance maps show that the
Late Victorian façade post-dates 1883.
As noted by Svendsen, property transfer records show the property owned by F.P. Brossart prior to 1866 and
transferred from J.F. Brossart to John B. Noel in 1883. The Sanborn Company’s fire insurance map for 1883
depicts a 3-story building with a 33-ft. frontage on S. Clinton and an interior opening to the north section of a
two-bay building adjacent on the south (then numbered 17-19 and now numbered 18-20). An historic image
dating to sometime between 1874 and 1888 shows the building prior to the Late Victorian façade.
In 1888, the fire insurance map records a change in the building footprint at this location: the 33-ft. frontage is
retained, but the footprint extends to the east and the interior connection to the building on the south is gone.
Historic images dating to the early 1890s confirm the replacement or alteration of the earlier building.
Figure 01. Insurance Map – 1883
(SOURCE: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1883.)
The early footprint of buildings at this site is similar to that of the ca.1885 building, indicating that the
original structure may have survived the renovation, if only at foundation level.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. Historic Image – 1874-1892
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
The arrow indicates the location of the Namur Bakery building. Fire insurance maps note that, in 1883, the building
was interconnected with the two-bay building to its south; that arrangement had changed by 1888 when the next
fire insurance map was published.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Figure 02. Insurance Map – 1888
(SOURCE: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1888.)
Between 1883 and 1888 the footprint of the building changed notably.
Image 04. Historic Image – 1874-1888
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
The arrow indicates the location of the Namur Bakery building. The image pre-dates the 1888 fire insurance map,
at which time the building was no longer attached to the two-bay building on its south.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
To further substantiate the case that the building dates to ca.1884, the new property owner, John B. Noel, operated
a confectionery from the storefront in the years shortly after he acquired the property in 1883. The change in
ownership and occupancy underscore the information in the fire insurance maps and historic images.
For much of its early history, the building was occupied by a confectioner – seller of fine chocolates, homemade
candies, and ice cream - beginning with Noel’s Confectionery in ca.1884. Svendsen notes Eugene Namur,
confectionery and bakery, was located in the building in 1888; the family lived in the upper story. According to
local historian Irving Weber, the Namur Bakery was famous for its “snowflake bread.” He said the secret of the
bread was running the white flour dough between steel rollers a number of times and that many visitors to Iowa
City would take home a loaf as a special treat. Namur moved to another storefront on the north side of College
Street between Clinton and Dubuque Streets) in 1910 (Svendsen, 2001).
Confectioner James O. Taylor had the longest association with the storefront. From about 1909 to 1911, Taylor
managed The Grand. From 1915 to at least 1924, Taylor operated the confectionery under his own name –
historic images document Taylor’s Ice Cream in 1911. The Taylor made ice cream in the basement of the building
with a soda fountain on the main floor. Throughout his association with the business, he and his wife Minnie lived
above the store.
Image 05. Historic Image – 1911
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
The arrow indicates the location of the Namur Bakery building which, in 1911 was occupied by Taylor’s Ice Cream.
In 1926 the property was sold to Arthur Winters and about the same time the confectionery was replaced by
Kadgihn Photgraphic Studio which, according to Weber, specialized in portraits during its twenty-year tenancy.
City directories indicate that the studio was operated by Mrs. Opal Breece by 1930 as “Newburg Studio.”
In 1927 O.K. Patton, a University of Iowa law professor purchased the building and converted the upper levels to
office space for the national headquarters of the Delta Chi Fraternity. Patton was an active leader in the national
organization. In 1946, Boerner’s Pharmacy opened in the storefront space complete with soda fountain. 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 space (Svendsen, 2001).
McDonald Optical continues to occupy the storefront at 16 S. Clinton Street in 2017.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 06. Historic Image – 1976
(Source: “’Queen’ of the downtown kids turns 95,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 20, 1976: 23.)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
9. Major Bibliographic References (2001)
Iowa City city directories.
Property Transfer Records, Johnson County Auditor’s Office.
Tax Assessor’s Records, City of Iowa City Assessor.
Summary Sheet, 16 South Clinton, Urban Revitalization Act Study Area Survey, 1981.
Sanborn maps, 1874, 1879, 1888, 1892, 1899, 1906, 1912, 1920, 1926, 1933, and 1933 updated to 1970.
Ellis, Edwin Charles, “Certain Stylistic Trends in Architecture in Iowa City,” MA Thesis, Depart of Art, State
University of Iowa, June 1947, pp. 157-159.
Weber, Irving. Irving Weber's Iowa City - Volume 1. Iowa City, Iowa: Iowa City Lions Club, 1976, pp. 63-64.
2017: References
Iowa City Public Library. Digital Photograph collection. http://history.icpl.org.
Iowa City Then & Now. Publisher unknown.
Mansheim, Gerald. Iowa City: an illustrated history. Norfolk, VA: The Donning Company, 1989.
State Historical Society of Iowa. Iowa City. Photograph Collection.
Slonneger, Marybeth. Finials: A View of Downtown Iowa City. Iowa City: Hand Press, 2015.
Svendsen, Marlys A. “Survey and Evaluation of the Central Business District.” Prepared for the Iowa City
Historic Preservation Commission, 2001.
Svendsen, Marlys A. “Coast & Sons Building: 52-01051.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Timeline: Coast & Easley
Building Numbering: 1874 30
1879 206
1888 16
1892 16
1899 16
Pre- Historic image: Clinton looking NE with Saint James Hotel but before Coast & Sons.
1892 16 S. Clinton: not this façade – 3 windows at each of upper floors, but hoods and cornice are markedly
different.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 9
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
1890s Historic image: Clinton looking NE with Coast & Sons (1892) and Saint James Hotel (replaced in 1917).
16 S. Clinton: In place; no legible signage; exterior fire escape.
1900 Historic image: Clinton looking NE with Coast & Sons and Saint James Hotel.
16 S. Clinton: “Ice Cream” signage; exterior fire escape; finials on cornice.
1901 City Directory: 16 “Confectioner” J.J. Wilsdon
J.J. Wilsdon, bakery, residence: 16 S. Clinton
1904 City Directory: 16 “Confectioner” J.J. Wilsdon
J.J. Wilsdon, bakery, residence: 16 S. Clinton
1905 Historic image: Clinton looking SE from Iowa Avenue with Saint James Hotel, Coast & Sons.
16 S. Clinton: “Ice Cream” signage; exterior fire escape.
1909 City Directory: 16 The Grand, ice cream, chocolate and candies
16-1/2 James O. and Minnie Taylor, manager at The Grand
1911 Historic image: Clinton looking SE with Coast & Sons and Saint James Hotel.
16 S. Clinton: “Taylors Ice Cream”; exterior fire escape
City Directory: 16 The Grand, confectionery
16-1/2 James O. and Minnie Taylor, residence
1915 City Directory: 16 James O. Taylor, Confectioner
16-1/2 James O. and Minnie Taylor, residence
1922 City Directory: 16 James O. Taylor, Confectioner
16-1/2 James O. and Minnie Taylor, residence
1924 City Directory: 16 J.O. Taylor’s, ice cream, fine chocolates, and homemade candies
16-1/2 James O. and Minnie Taylor, residence
1926 City Directory: 16 James O. Taylor, confectioner
16-1/2 James O. and Minnie Taylor, residence
1928 City Directory: 16 No listing
1930 City Directory: 16 Newburg Studio
16-1/2 Fraternity Advisor System
16-3/4 Delta Chi National Fraternity
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01052
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 10
Namur's Bakery Johnson
Name of Property County
16 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Full Legal Description: Original Town, S 20’ Lot 4 & N 8’ Lot 5 Blk 80
Assessor: 1010311016
Lat/Long: 41.660958/-91.534358
Parcel Map – 2017
(SOURCE: http://iowacity.iowaassessors.com/parcel)