HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-01487-129 S Washington_ Hotel JeffersonSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-01487 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 Hotel Jefferson
other names/site number Jefferson Hotel, Jefferson Building
2. Location
street & number 125-131 E. Washington 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) 81 Lot(s) Part of Lot 1
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)
01D DOMESTIC/hotel 02A01 COMMERCE/TRADE/business/office building
02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty 02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
06C LATE 19th & 20th CENTURY REVIVALS/Neo- foundation 10 CONCRETE
Classical Revival 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 125-131 E. Washington Street Site Number 52-01487
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
05 COMMERCE 1913 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
02 ARCHITECTURE 1926 (upper two floors)
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect
H.L. Stevens Co., Chicago Builder
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, Architectural 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 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
The 8-story Hotel Jefferson was constructed in two phases; the lower six floors were completed in 1913 with the
top two floors were added in 1926. The hotel replaced the 1860 Metropolitan Block, which was destroyed by fire
in October of 1912 (2017).
This prominent corner hotel building is an example of the Neo-Classical Style. When it was constructed it was
equal in height to the Johnson County Savings Bank, which was built at the southeast corner of Washington and
Clinton Streets the previous year. The addition of two floors in 1926 made the Hotel Jefferson the tallest building
in the downtown until construction of the 11-story Ecumenical Towers was completed in ca.1980.
The Hotel Jefferson has a skeletal steel construction system with brick curtain walls and concrete floors and roof.
Built on a prominent location, the building contains five bays facing onto both Washington and Dubuque streets.
Centered entrances faced onto both streets. Following the 20th century design philosophy popularized by Louis
Sullivan, the building is organized in three sections: base (storefront), shaft (upper six stories), and capital
(cornice). The base (storefront) consisted of large plate glass shop windows with three rectangular multilight
transoms in each bay. A stone beltcourse separated the storefronts from the second floor. In 2000 the nearly
identical storefront treatment for each bay consists of black glazed brick beneath new shorter, plate glass windows
set in metal frames. The former transoms are closed and fixed awnings with a gray-black exposed aggregate finish
and segmental arch shape project slightly from the wall in each bay. The original cream colored brick clad
pilasters separating each storefront bay are retained (Svendsen, 2001).
The shaft (upper six stories) extends from the second through the sixth floors with paired 1/1 double-hung
windows in each opening except the corner bays. The window openings are framed in cream colored brick that
matches that used on the first floor. Along the north and south facades, one pair of windows opens onto metal fire
escapes. The original building’s balustraded parapet was removed when the top two floors were added to form the
building’s third vertical section (capital). The capital consists of the original decorative cornice that now serves as
a beltcourse between the sixth and seventh floors, the seventh and eighth floors themselves, and the
cornice/parapet. The beltcourse is constructed of limestone with elaborate decorative brackets featuring classical
ornamentation set between each bay. A similar motif is repeated in the cornice with modillions added between the
brackets. Window treatment for the outer bays of the two top levels is the same as the lower levels. The three
central bays, however, have smaller windows separated by embossed panels between the seventh and eighth
floors and with round arches over the eighth floor windows. The building has a reinforced concrete foundation
with dark brick used for the walls and cream colored brick and limestone trim as noted above. Brick pilasters
separate the bays (Svendsen, 2001).
Original appointments for the hotel, which make it one of Iowa’s finest at the time it opened included an electric
elevator, a 250-ft. artesian well, and rooms with hot and cold running water, telephones, steam heat, and electric
lights. During 1933 and 1934, artwork was commissioned through the WPA federal artist’s project for the lobby
and the mezzanine of the hotel. Mildred Pelzer painted nine murals depicting the history of Iowa City and
Johnson County, which have subsequently been removed. In addition to the hotel lobby space the first floor also
contained a cigar shop, a barbershop and several retail spaces. The hotel’s restaurant was on the second floor
(Svendsen, 2001).
The H.L. Stevens Co. of Chicago, a firm that specialized in hotel construction, designed the hotel. The firm also
designed the Hohenschuh Mortuary at 13 S. Linn Street in 1917 for Will Hohenschuh who, with several other
prominent Iowa City businessmen, was responsible for construction of the Hotel Jefferson. The hotel was
constructed at a cost of $200,000 (2017).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
In 2017 the building appears largely unaltered from the previous description. The building’s first floor continues
to be occupied by multiple retail businesses and the upper stories remain in use as office space.
Image 01. View looking west along E. Washington Street
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. View of the E. Washington Street elevation (north)
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. View of the E. Washington Street elevation (north) storefronts
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 04. View of the S. Dubuque Street elevation (east) storefronts
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
8. Statement of Significance
The Hotel Jefferson is a well-executed and well-preserved example of a Neo-Classical Style high-rise commercial
building associated with the construction boom in downtown Iowa City in the years immediately preceding and
following World War I. 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 and quality of architectural design, the building merits individual National Register listing under
Criteria A and C. It is also a contributing structure in a potential historic.
Historical Background
As originally laid out Washington Street was an important commercial street with an extra wide width (100-ft.
rather than 80-ft.) that extended along the south edge of Capitol Square on the west through the central business
district and then past College Green Park to the east before connecting to Governors Square, the planned location
for the governor’s residence. Within a few decades Washington Street housed the city’s most important banks, a
number hotels, and a frequently changing collection of retail establishments.
By the late 1890s this property housed the Hutchinson Block, which was owned by the Hutchinson family and
sometimes referred to as the Metropolitan Block (other sources date the Metropolitan Block to 1860). This three-
story building housed the Guzeman Knitting Mills on the upper floors when an explosion and fire destroyed the
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
building in 1912. Following the fire, the land was leased to the Iowa City Hotel Company, a hotel development
company led by a number of prominent Iowa City businessmen. William P. Hohenschuh, operator of a mortuary
and vice-president of the First National Bank, was the new company’s president. Vice-president was F.W.
Kemmerle and Secretary was A.J. Feeney who operated the Iowa Brewing Co. at the northwest corner of Iowa
and Gilbert Streets. Treasurer was George S. Carlson, Sr. who owned utility interests. Corporate counsel for the
company was Ralph Otto, a former Iowa City mayor. The same group formed the Jefferson Hotel Company to
manage the new hotel’s operation.
Construction of the building began on March 1, 1913 and the hotel opened November 11, 1913. The architectural
firm responsible for the building design was a Chicago firm that specialized in hotel design, the H.L. Stevens
Company. Its construction allowed the opportunity for later expansion through the addition of floors – a technique
that was employed by a number of hotels at the time. After an auspicious dedication ceremony the hotel was put
in service with the claim that it was the “only fireproof hotel in Iowa City.” Upon opening it went by the name
“Hotel Jefferson” with Thomas Hoffman as its manager. It was one of eight downtown hotels in Iowa City at the
time.
Other first floor retail tenants at the time it opened were the Stewart Shoe Company with Hal Stewart, proprietor;
the Harvat & Stach dress shop with Emma Harvat and Ann Stach, owners; C.A. Schmidt’s barber shop, and
Racine’s Cigar Store No. 2, one of three cigar stores operated by Fred Racine downtown. Of these businesses,
only the Stewart Shoe Company had previously been located in the Metropolitan Block prior to the fire. By 1930
the hotel was under the management of a different hotel operating company with George Kohler as manager. It
was renamed the “Jefferson Hotel” and operated as “A Warden Hotel.” By the mid-1930s the hotel became a stop
for regional and cross-country motorcoaches and the Jefferson Hotel Dining Room served a 25¢ breakfast and a
50¢ lunch to travelers and overnight patrons. By 1940 the local chamber of commerce had its offices here.
With the completion of Interstate 80 and the development of new motels along the freeway and along the U.S.
Highway strip in Coralville in the 1960s, the landlocked Jefferson Hotel declined its occupancy. In 1967 the
property was sold to the University of Iowa Facilities Corporation and has been used for office space for various
University of Iowa departments and programs since then. Various retail tenants continue to occupy first floor
spaces and the east front of the building now opens onto the Downtown Pedestrian Mall. The Jefferson continues
to be the downtown’s most striking visual landmark (Svendsen, 2001).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 05. Historic Image: View looking east along E. Washington Street – 1913
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
This image records the Hotel Jefferson anchoring the end east of the block prior to the addition of the building’s upper
stories. The Johnson County Savings Bank is seen on the opposite corner (foreground).
Image 06. Historic Image: View looking west along E. Washington Street – 1930
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington 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.
Sanborn maps, 1874, 1879, 1888, 1892, 1899, 1906, 1912, 1920, 1926, 1933, and 1933 updated to 1970.
Weber, Irving. Irving Weber's Iowa City - Volume 1. Iowa City, Iowa: Iowa City Lions Club, 1976, pp. 40-43.
“Iowa City Hotels, Motels, Restaurants - Jefferson Hotel, still under collection, 1913” and “Iowa City Hotels,
Motels, Restaurants – Jefferson Hotel, ca. 1940.” Photograph Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa
Library, Iowa City, Iowa.
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. “Hotel Jefferson: 52-01487.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Newspapers
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Jefferson Hotel was hub of downtown.” October 14, 2005.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01487
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 9
Hotel Jefferson Johnson
Name of Property County
125-131 E. Washington Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Legal Description: Original Town, Block 61, Lot 1 except 40’ North and South by 70’ East and West in
Southeast corner.
Assessor: 002+1010378001
Latitude/Longitude: 41.660175/-91.533394
Parcel Map - 2017
COLLEGE
115
110124 107WASHINGTON
CLINTONDUBUQUE118102
138
104 109
112111-117119-123125-131114 109111
114-116128132±