HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-01938_8 S Clinton_DeyBlgSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-01938 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 Dey Building
other names/site number Iowa Book and Supply
2. Location
street & number 8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue
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) Lot 3 exc. E38.5'
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)
02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store 02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store
02B COMMERCE/TRADE/professional
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
06C LATE 19TH & EARLY 20TH CENTURY REVIVALS/ foundation 10 CONCRETE
Classical Revival walls 03 BRICK & 04 STONE
roof 17 OTHER
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 8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Site Number 52-01938
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 1917 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
05 COMMERCE 1977 - storefront remodeling
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect
unknown Builder
Franklin, Charles
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 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
This 2-story commercial building was built in 1917 following a fire that destroyed the previous building on the
site, the St. James Hotel.
The Dey Building, situated on the corner of S. Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue, contains five bays facing onto
Iowa Avenue and four onto Clinton Street. The building originally housed one large corner space and three
smaller spaces (two on Clinton and one located at the east end of the building, facing Iowa). The entrance to the
second floor was in the center bay facing onto Iowa Avenue. The second floor was originally used as club rooms.
According to a previous owner, the building’s footings were oversized to allow for the future construction an
additional three to four floors with the space to be used for hotel rooms. The second floor was eventually
converted to offices and the first floor was gradually taken over by a single tenant, a bookstore (Svendsen, 2001).
The building has a skeletal steel construction system with brick curtain walls clad in limestone. Two-story square
pilasters divide the bays and a plain cornice and metal parapet cap the building. The current storefront treatment
was installed in ca. 1970 following the repeated destruction of the display windows each spring during anti-war
demonstrations held at the intersection of Iowa Avenue and Clinton Street. In 2001, the storefront design
contained groups of cast stone awnings set between the two-story pilasters. The large, plate glass shop windows
susceptible to brick throwing were replaced by smaller display windows and infill panels. Plate glass revolving
and swinging doors open onto Clinton Street. The building has a concrete foundation with brick walls clad in
stone. The building measures 112’ along Iowa and 80’ along Clinton. The upper level is L-shaped with the
southeast quarter only 1-story. The building has flat composition roof (Svendsen, 2001).
Changes include the major remodeling of the front façade which was begun in 1969 according to building permits
issued for the work. Photographs of the building during this period suggest the two south bays along Clinton
Street were completed prior to the balance of the building. It is likely that the work on the north façade was not
completed until 1977 (Svendsen, 2001).
In 2017 the Dey Building stands largely unchanged since the 2001 survey; the notable exception being the bold
painting of the cast concrete awnings. Although unfortunate as it relates to historic integrity, the building remains
an important resource in the Iowa City downtown. The first story remains occupied by Iowa Book and Supply
with the second story occupied by office space.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
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 location of the Dey Building is indicated (far left).
Image 02. View of the façade (west elevation), looking east across S. Clinton Street from the Pentacrest grounds.
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. View of the secondary (north) elevation, looking east across Iowa Avenue
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
8. Statement of Significance
The Dey 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 a Classical Revival
commercial building. 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.
It should be noted that the Dey Building derives significance in association with 1970s events connected to anti-
war demonstrations held at the University of Iowa. Additional research and context development may make a case
for significance specific to those events, the degree of significance could potentially elevate the building for
consideration as an individually eligible resource. That evaluation would also require a thorough consideration of
the building’s interior integrity.
Historical Background
As originally laid out, Clinton Street provided a series of lots facing west onto “Capitol Square.” The Dey
Building dates from 1917 when it was erected on the site of the former St. James Hotel. The St. James Hotel was
built in 1872 following a conflagration that destroyed eight buildings on this corner in 1867. In 1883 Peter Dey
acquired the property and by 1890 he had purchased an additional building immediately east of the hotel. In 1914
following Peter Dey’s death, the property transferred to members of the Dey family. When a disastrous Good
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Friday fire in 1916 destroyed the 4-story mansard roofed brick hotel, members of the family decided to rebuild. A
fire-resistant structure was erected with the capacity to be expanded from two to five or six stories for hotel rooms
(Svendsen, 2001). The building contract was awarded to Charles Franklin who built the Johnson County Bank
building as well as a number of other Iowa City buildings (“Charles Franklin is Given Contract For Dey
Building,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 16, 1917: 01).
Image 04. Historic Image: Looking east along Iowa Avenue from the Old Capitol – ca.1880
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
This early, but undated image, the significance of the Dey Building’s location is obvious. The Saint James Hotel (1872) with
its mansard roof is easily recognized. The Dey Building was constructed on the site of the hotel in 1917.
Image 05. Historic Image: View looking south on S. Clinton – ca.1905
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
This view of S. Clinton documents the Saint James Hotel which occupied the site of the Dey Building
until it was lost to fire in 1916.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
When initially constructed the new Dey Building had the University Book Store in the large corner space
continuing a tradition of a bookstore at this corner begun in 1870. Other early tenants included the Sidwell Dairy
Store located at #111 Iowa Avenue, which sold milk, butter and ice cream from this location in 1930. The S.S.
White Dental Supply and Jimmy Burns Typewriter Shop have also been identified as occupants. According to
local historian Irving Weber, during World War I two spaces were taken over by the Student Army Training
Corps, forerunner of the ROTC. After the war, a succession of tenants included the Helen Donovon Dress Shop,
Frohwein and Burns Business Machines, and Hugh Williams Iowa Supply, a bookstore that succeeded the
University Book Store. In 1949 members of the Dey family sold the building to the Dey Building Corporation
which included several of the building’s tenants among its owners – Dr. George Scanlon and Dr. W.J. Dulin
(physicians with medical offices on the second floor), George Nagle, Sr., and Frank Williams (Svendsen, 2001).
The building’s upper story was originally used as clubrooms for the University Club with luncheons and dinners
catered for members and guests. When the University Club moved to the newly completed Memorial Union on
the State University of Iowa campus in 1927, the SUI Music Department occupied the upper level. Weber notes
that grand pianos were hoisted to the second floor through the elevator shaft using a block and tackle. When the
Music Department relocated, the upper level was converted into office space for physicians and dentists. By 1927
there were six physicians and an optical supply located on the upper level (Svendsen, 2001).
The T-intersection at the corner of Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue has, for many years, formed a historic
backdrop for the actions of Iowa’s territorial government and its state university (Image 06). Old Capitol formed
the symbolic center of the campus even when the hospital complex, dormitories, and the law school spread to the
west bank of the river. It is not surprising that when campus anti-war demonstrations began in the late 1960s, the
Dey Building had a front door view of the dissent. The most dramatic series of events associated with the Dey
Building began on May 6, 1970 following the killing of four students involved in an anti-war protest on the
Campus of Kent State University in Ohio. The evening of May 6th saw a crowd of 400 gather at the intersection of
Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue in protest. When the event turned violent, the large plate glass windows of the
Iowa Book and Supply Store located on the first level of the Dey Building were easy targets. Over the next
several days sit-ins and demonstrations continued on the campus and in the downtown with numerous buildings
along Dubuque and College Street damaged. On May 9th a fire at the Old Armory building was attributed to the
anti-war demonstrations. The next day University of Iowa President Willard “Sandy” Boyd gave students the
option to stay through final exams or leave due to safety concerns. Eventually nearly 12,000 of the University’s
18,000 students left. Sometime later the State Fire Marshall determined that the Armory fire was not caused by
arson (Svendsen, 2001).
As the war in Vietnam went unresolved in succeeding months, anti-war protest at the University of Iowa
continued. On May 5, 1971 downtown demonstrations associated with the anniversary of the Kent State
University student deaths were staged once again at Clinton Street and the Pentacrest. Over 100 law enforcement
officers broke up a crowd of 400 to 500 people and made arrests for rioting. The Iowa Book and Supply shop
windows were once again targets. On May 8th the Daily Iowan student newspaper reported that the Iowa City
Civic Center was bombed and on May 14th University officials banned nighttime outdoor rallies on the campus
(Svendsen, 2001).
The spring of 1972 saw downtown riots once again when on May 4th and 5th, up to 3,000 people demonstrated in
the central business district. The violent protests were followed on May 10th by a non-violent demonstration and a
march from the downtown to Interstate 80 two days later. Governor Robert Ray put the Iowa Highway Patrol in
charge giving the protests state level significance (Svendsen, 2001).
Cessation of the national draft in January 1973 brought the end to spring demonstrations associated with the
Vietnam War. In their wake, the University of Iowa administration made plans to relocate and restore Old Capitol
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
on the Pentacrest while downtown merchants turned to downtown urban renewal to rehabilitate the image of
downtown (Svendsen, 2001).
Today the Dey Building continues to house Iowa Book and Supply, a major downtown bookstore, on its main
floor and basement with professional offices on the upper level. The installation of a new storefront design
completed in 1977 by the bookstore’s owners was done in direct response to successive years of destruction. The
design of the new storefront included small display windows in place of the large plate glass openings and an
impenetrable look to the window hoods (Svendsen, 2001).
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, 105 East Iowa Avenue, Urban Revitalization Act Study Area Survey, 1981.
Sanborn maps, 1874, 1879, 1888, 1892, 1899, 1906, 1912, 1920, 1926, 1933, and 1933 updated to 1970.
Spriestersbach, D.C. The Way It Was: The University of Iowa, 1964-1999. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press,
1999, pp. 170-188.
Weber, Irving. Irving Weber's Iowa City - Volume 1. Iowa City, Iowa: Iowa City Lions Club, 1976, pp. 146-
148.
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.
The Iowa City Citizen. “40 Nearly Trapped in Fire. Old St. James Building Was Destroyed.” April 21, 1916: 01.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “May Erect Six Story Building Over Ruins.” April 22, 1916: 01.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Charles Franklin is Given Contract For Dey Building.” March 16, 1917: 01.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Legal Description: 111.5’ x 80’ commencing at the northwest corner of Lot 3.
Assessor: PIN #10100311013
Latitude/Longitude: 41.661291/-91.534273
Parcel Map - 2017
28 120132121-12311711023
1121
12410-12-14
32
19-21
24-26
9119
17
13-15
114-11612611115
16 1138
30
5
11818-20
22
7
128-130CLINTONDUBUQUEWASHINGTON
IOWA
±
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01938
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Dey Building Johnson
Name of Property County
8 S. Clinton Street/105-111 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City