HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-01567_124 S Dubuque_IowaTheaterSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-01567 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 Iowa Theater
other names/site number
2. Location
street & number 124 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) 65 Lot(s) see full legal
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)
08A RECREATION & CULTURE/theater 02G COMMERCE/TRADE/restaurant
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
08C MODERN MOVEMENT/Art Deco foundation 10 CONCRETE
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 124 S. Dubuque Street Site Number 52-01567
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 1936 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect
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, 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 52-01567
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Iowa Theater Johnson
Name of Property County
124 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Narrative Description
The Iowa Theater opened in November of 1936. After the theater closed in the early 1980s, a major rehabilitation
of the building was completed converting it into a fast-food restaurant.
This mid-block commercial building is an example of a small theater constructed as a movie house during the late
1930s. Designed with a contemporary look at the time it was built, it included a brick front with tall vertical
windows set in the center of the upper level with corbeled brick dividers between. These dividers were
constructed of brown brick to match the walls and cream colored brick to highlight their projecting shape. The
original building had a wedge shaped theater marquee with two sets of plate glass double doors beneath it.
Display windows to advertise coming movie attractions were located to either side of the entrances.
When the building was rehabilitated in the 1980s the marquee was removed and the windows were replaced with
tinted glass fixed lights. On the first floor, the double entrances were replaced with a recessed entrance
surrounded by a continuation of vertical windows from the second floor. New fixed sash were installed in place of
the display windows advertising coming attractions. The building measures approximately 30-ft. across the front
and has a depth of 80-ft.
In 2017 no significant alterations have been made from the previous description.
Image 01. View looking NE across S. Dubuque (Ped Mall)
(Image by AKAY Consulting, April 2018.)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01567
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Iowa Theater Johnson
Name of Property County
124 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
8. Statement of Significance
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
reduced the building’s integrity and as a result the building it not individually eligible for the National Register
under Criteria A or C. 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 to create a sort of
lance form. Further, the Iowa Theatre building is the only remaining representative of the property type in the
Iowa City downtown. As a result of these various considerations, the Iowa Theatre is considered a contributing
resource to a potential historic district. The building is significant under Criterion A in association with the history
of commerce in the Iowa City downtown (2017).
Historic Background
The Iowa Theater was constructed in 1936 replacing a building that housed a grocery store during the 1930s.
When the theatre opened in November of that year, it was touted as “Iowa City’s new and modernistic motion
picture theater.” The new 475 seat theater was one of seven theaters operated by L.L. Kaplan of Waterloo and J.P.
Perry was the theater manager (2017). The Iowa Theatre was one of several downtown cinemas showing first run
movies to avid audiences during the era of early talking pictures and the Golden Age of Hollywood during the
1940s and 1950s. The Iowa Theatre continued as a popular downtown theatre until ca. 1980 when it was closed. It
was rehabilitated and leased to the Burger King fast food restaurant chain in the early 1980s and continues in this
use in 2000 (Svendsen, 2001).
The building is currently occupied by a bar known as “dcs”.
Image 02. Historic Image – ca.1972
(Source: Iowa City Public Library.)
This 1970s image provides a hint of the Iowa Theatre.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01567
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Iowa Theater Johnson
Name of Property County
124 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
9. Major Bibliographic References
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.
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. “Iowa Theatre: 52-01567.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Newspapers
“Iowa Theater, City’s New Motion Picture House Opens Tomorrow.” Iowa City Press-Citizen. November 19,
1936.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01567
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Iowa Theater Johnson
Name of Property County
124 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Legal Description: Original Town, S 30’ of N 75’ Lot 5 Blk 65
Assessor: 002+1010377009
Parcel Map – 2017
LINNCOLLEGE
Black-
hawk
Park
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