HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-01552_10 S Dubuque_HamsHall-SSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-01552 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 Ham's Hall (south third)
other names/site number Sports Column
2. Location
street & number 10 S. Dubuque 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) 66 Lot(s)
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)
02E15 COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store/billiards 02E15 COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store/billiards
03A SOCIAL/meeting hall (upper floor) 02G02 COMMERCE/TRADE/bar
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
05G LATE VICTORIAN/Romanesque foundation
09F05 COMMERCIAL/Brick Front 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 10 S. Dubuque Street Site Number 52-01552
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
02 ARCHITECTURE 1873 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/ Architectural Historian
organization AKAY Consulting date 02/2018
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 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
Ham’s Hall was constructed in ca.1873 as a two-story, brick commercial block (Image 01). 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. The upper story interior space was
interconnected through at least 1912, but fire insurance maps suggest that by 1926 the interior connections
between the middle and south bay were closed at both levels; a change in function of the upper story at that time
supports a move toward the sub-division of the building.
Today, the building façade reflects the visual and functional separation of the south bay from the north two bays,
which in ca.1930 were significantly renovated as a unit; at that time, the south bay remained relatively unaltered
despite the re-facing of the north bays. The south bay of Ham’s Hall (10 S. Dubuque St.) remains a solid
representation of the stylistic appearance of the early building. The retention of the masonry details of the upper
story façade contributes significantly to retention of the historic character, including the cornice with multiple
patterned courses of corbeled brick. In addition, the three window openings, with their tall and narrow form and
round head are retained, with soldier-brick moldings and stone sills intact.
Image 01. Historic Image: View looking south along S. Dubuque Street from Iowa Avenue – 1894
(State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
The south bay of Ham’s Hall (indicated) functioned independent of the ca.1873 block building by 1926.
The building’s character is somewhat confused by the current functional connection to the two buildings located
to its south; together the three buildings (10-12-14) are owned and occupied by the Sports Column bar. The
current storefront at 10 S. Dubuque appears to be a post-2001 alteration. The storefront has a recessed entrance at
left with a series of glazed panels filling the remainder of the storefront; the panels may open accordion style to
provide fresh air circulation and exterior seating for the Sports Column. The use of a single, fixed awning
stretching the full width of all three storefronts creates a measure of visual confusion about the historical
relationship between buildings. However, the variation in building heights and upper story fenestration identifies
the distinct buildings.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. East side of S. Dubuque Street, looking south
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
The location of 10 S. Dubuque is noted.
Image 03. East side of S. Dubuque Street, looking east
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Although the fixed awning of the building occupant stretches the width of all three buildings, the retention of the independent
character of the upper façade results in a sense of individual character and autonomy. The south bay of Ham’s Hall (10) is at
left. Its elevated height, corbelled brick cornice, and window openings define its ca.1873, Victorian character.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 04. View of the façade (west elevation), looking east across S. Dubuque Street.
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
View of the façade of the south bay of Ham’s Hall (10), with the north two bays of the original Ham’s Hall adjoining on the
north (left). As seen here, the south bay retains the original tall and narrow upper story window openings (sash replaced) with
round heads as well as the brick, corbelled cornice, all of which can be seen in the 1894 image.
8. Statement of Significance
This mid-block commercial building is the remnant of a ca.1873, three-bay, block building. The bay (the south
bay of the original Ham’s Hall) has functioned independent of the original building since ca.1925. Significantly,
the south bay remained unaltered when, in ca.1930, the north two bays of Ham’s Hall received a major
renovation. Instead, the south bay remains representative of the ca.1873 building, with character defining features
intact.
The recent alteration of the storefront and replacement of the upper story windows (along with the interior
alterations made to accommodate the current tenant which utilizes this building as well as the two adjacent on the
south), diminish historic integrity to a degree that prevents individual eligibility. However, through retention of
the original form and the Late Victorian era elements of the upper façade, the building is considered a
contributing resource to a potential historic district. The resource is 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 an early commercial building.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Historical Background
As originally laid out, Dubuque Street was a major north-south street entering the central business district from
the north. The north half of Block 66 was shown on the Original Town Plat as set aside for churches facing a city
park north of Iowa Avenue. However, the commercial buildings facing S. Dubuque Street broke with this plan
(Svendsen, 2001). Ham’s Hall (including the south bay) likely dates to ca.1873, post-dating the fire of 1868 which
destroyed much of this block and pre-dating the fire insurance map published in 1874 when a building identified
as Ham’s Hall is first depicted. The stylistic elements retained today are in keeping with an 1870s construction
era.
As noted, the building was constructed as a three-storefront commercial block. The commercial block, which was
named for Daniel Ham, “a gunsmith, and a butter and egg man,” replaced Ham’s previous wood frame building
that burned in 1868 (Slonneger, 136). The portion of the building represented in this site form (10 S. Dubuque)
accounts for one of the original three storefronts.
Figure 01. Fire Insurance Map – 1874
(SOURCE: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1874.)
A building with a similar footprint first appears on fire insurance maps in 1874 (much of the block having been destroyed in
the fire of 1868). The three-bay Ham’s Hall is highlighted; the south bay accounting for the resource considered here.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Figure 02. Fire Insurance Map – 1926
(SOURCE: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1874.)
By 1926 the north two bays appear to have been functioning separately from the south bay, with interior openings on the
upper story no longer appearing on the map and the upper story function (a “hall”) relegated to the north bays only. The
arrow marks 10 S. Dubuque St.
From the time of its construction in ca.1873 through ca.1925, the upper story of the three-bay building was
interconnected. Notes on the 1874 fire insurance map makes no mention of the function of the upper floor, though
it may well have been storage or warehouse space that supported the butter & eggs and flour & feed businesses in
two of the storefronts. The fire insurance map of 1883 indicates the upper story had a “stage with scenery” in the
south two bays, indicating that portion of the upper story functioned as a theater of some kind. Although no
indication of occupant or use is noted on the 1888 fire insurance map, the upper story remained interconnected. In
1892 the upper story of all three bays, plus that of the building to the north (4), functioned as a “carriage repos’y”
(repository). The repository remained on the upper story of Ham’s Hall in 1892, though it no longer included the
space in the building to the north. Notably, in that year the fire insurance map indicates that the upper story floor,
rear wall, and elevator shaft were clad in iron. By 1906 the upper story south bay (10) was used as a hay
warehouse, which would have served the storefront business, a “flour & feed.” No note regarding the upper story
function of the north two bays is made. The 1912 fire insurance map also indicates the upper story functioned as a
hay warehouse, with no note regarding the function of the north bays. According to the 1920 fire insurance map,
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
the upper story was occupied by a dance hall, which used the 2nd floor of the entire Ham’s Hall, plus that of the
building adjacent to the north. In the 1926 fire insurance maps we see the first indication of a functional and
physical separation of the south bay (10) from the north two bays. In that year, no upper story function is noted
for the south bay, but the north two bays are a “hall.” From that time, the autonomy of the south bay (10) is
settled. Worth noting, no indication of an upper story occupant has been found in the city directories from 1919-
1959.
Through the years, numerous businesses filled the first floor shop space of the south bay (10). Fire insurance
maps show the first floor store rooms were interconnected in 1874 and 1883, but by 1888, a brick wall separated
the spaces. The south store room held a billiards hall in 1874, 1883 and 1888, a flour and feed store in 1892, 1899,
1906, and 1912. By 1919 the store room shifted to use as a women’s clothier, with Harvat & Stach located there
in that year. By 1922 Isaac Rothschild “ladies ready-to-wear” had established itself in the storefront, remaining
there through ca.1927. Thereafter followed a series of restaurants, including the Hawk’s Nest (Image 04) from
1928-1934, Munn’s Grill (1935-1937), the Iowa Grill in 1938, and D. & L. Grill and Spanish Room, from the fall
of 1938 through at least 1952. By 1959 the building was occupied by One-Hour Martinizing.
Image 04. Historic Image: View of the east side of S. Dubuque Street, looking northeast – 1929
(State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
10 S. Dubuque Street is seen at left – at this time, occupied by the Hawk’s Nest Café (sign).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 05. Historic Image: View of the east side of S. Dubuque Street, looking northeast – c.1984
(Iowa City Public Library, Digital Archive, Urban Renewal Collection.)
The south bay of Ham’s Hall (3rd from the right) is seen here prior to removal of the non-historic paint
and replacement of the historic window sash.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque 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, 10 South Dubuque, Urban Revitalization Act Study Area Survey, 1981.
Sanborn maps, 1874, 1879, 1888, 1892, 1899, 1906, 1912, 1920, 1926, 1933, and 1933 updated to 1970.
2017: References
Iowa City Public Library. Digital Photograph collection. http://history.icpl.org.
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. “Ham’s Hall (south one-third). 52-01552. Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Timeline
1874 Sanborn Map: “Ham’s Hall” (upper interconnected – no function noted) with billiards in storefront
1883 Sanborn Map: “stage with scenery” on 2nd (interconnected) with billiards in storefront
1888 Sanborn Map: “carriage repos’y” on 2nd (interconnected, plus 2nd to the north) with billiards in storefront
1892 Sanborn Map: carriage repository on upper; flour & feed in storefront
1906 Sanborn Map: flour & feed remains in storefront, with upper story a hay warehouse.
1912 Sanborn Map: flour & feed in storefront with hay warehouse in the upper.
1919 Directory: (10) Harvat & Stach (no 10-1/2 noted)
1920 Sanborn Map: a “women’s wear” occupied the storefront with a dance hall located in a the upper story –
all three bays, plus that of the building adjacent to the north (4).
1922 Directory: (10) Isaac Rothschild (no 10-1/2 noted) Rothschild was a “ladies ready-to-wear”
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 9
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
1924 Directory: (10) Isaac Rothschild (no 10-1/2 noted)
1926 Sanborn Map: Separation of south bay from north bays. No occupant noted (“S”).
Directory: (10) Isaac Rothschild (no 10-1/2 noted)
1928 Directory: (10) Hawk’s Nest (no 10-1/2 noted)
1930 Directory: (10) Hawk’s Nest (no 10-1/2 noted)
1932 Directory: (10) Hawk’s Nest Café (no 10-1/2 noted)
1933 Sanborn Map: Unspecified retail space.
1934 Directory: (10) Hawk’s Nest Café, Hawk’s Nest Villa, Dutch Tea Room (no 10-1/2 noted)
1936 Directory: (10) Munn’s Grill (no 10-1/2 noted)
1938 Directory: (10) Iowa Grill (no 10-1/2 noted)
1940 Directory: (10) D.L. Grill (no 10-1/2 noted)
1942 Directory: (10) D.L. Grill (no 10-1/2 noted)
1952 Directory: Business directory, “restaurants” = D.L. Grill (no 10-1/2 noted)
1959 Directory: One-Hour Martinizing (no 10-1/2 noted)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01552
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 10
Ham's Hall (south third) Johnson
Name of Property County
10 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Full Legal Description: Original Town, Com 84.67’ S of NW COR LOT 5 BLK 66; S 22’; E 100’; N 22’; W 100’ TO BEG
Assessor: 009+1010312011
Latitude/Longitude: 41.660878, -91.532767
Parcel Map – 2017
LINN202-214
24-26
20-22
14
DUBUQUEWASHINGTON
IOWA
2577211213
21624510
6 2191312
2202
214
218±