HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-01945_215 Iowa_ReardonHtlSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-01945 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 Reardon Hotel
other names/site number Robert & Louisa Lorenz Residence; Reardon Apartments
2. Location
street & number 215 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) 66 Lot(s) see full description
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)
01D07 DOMESTIC/boarding house 02G COMMERCE/TRADE/restaurant
01B02 DOMESTIC/multiple dwelling
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
09F05 COMMERCIAL/Brick Front foundation
05 LATE VICTORIAN walls 03 BRICK
roof
other 16 CLAY TILE - walls, rear addition 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 215 E. Iowa Avenue Site Number 52-01945
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 1900 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
05 COMMERCE 1932/1970
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
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 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
This 2-story brick building was built in ca.1900 as a single-family dwelling; the building replaced an earlier, one-
story house with a smaller footprint (Figures 01-02).
Like its neighbors, this mid-block building is freestanding. The front two-thirds of the building is constructed of
brick and the rear section of clay tile. The property site slopes slightly downward from west to east and the
entrance is reached by way of a set of steps, thus allowing the first floor height to remain at the same level as the
original house’s floor height. The narrow front façade that was constructed in 1932 has its entrance on the left
side with a flat arched transom above the door. The storefront window to the right has three vertical plate glass
windows divided by wood mullions. A signboard applied to the brick separates the levels. The upper story has
two 1/1 double-hung windows. The cornice has heavy crown molding with four widely spaced brackets
(Svendsen, 2001).
Multiple alterations were made to the building after its conversion to the Reardon Hotel. In 1926 William and
Minnie Reardon bought the residence and undertook a series of alteraions. In the spring of 1932, local news
accounts reported that an “extensive” remodeling and redecorating were completed, including an addition at the
front of the building with rooms and bath added (“Finish Extensive Remodeling Project For Reardon Hotel,” Iowa
City Press-Citizen, May 05, 1932: 5). Judging from fire insurance maps, it is likely that the addition simply
subsumed the historic front porch. This alteration gave the building its present façade appearance. A rear, clay
block tile addition extending to the alley also appeared by 1933.
In 2017 the Reardon Hotel building appears little changed from the previous description. The building is occupied
by a restaurant on the ground floor with apartments on the second. The building stands in a good state of repair.
Image 01. View of the streetscape within which the building is located, looking SE across Iowa Avenue
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. View of the primary (north) elevation, looking SE from Iowa Avenue
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
8. Statement of Significance
The Reardon Hotel is located along Iowa Avenue 1-1/2 blocks east of Old Capitol, a National Historic Landmark,
and the Pentacrest, a National Register historic district. The building is considered a contributing resource to a
potential historic district. It is significant under Criterion A as a well-preserved and, within the CBD, rare
functional type representing the transformation of a ca.1900 single-family residence to a small hotel. In its current
form, the building exterior appears much as it did when remodeled in 1932. Further, the building functioned as the
Reardon Hotel from 1926 through the 1960s, providing convenient housing to visitors to the University’s central
campus and hospital and in that role is significant under Criterion A in association with the history of Iowa City
commerce. It should be noted that the building interior was not evaluated as part of the present project; additional
evaluation might reveal historic integrity sufficient for individual eligibility.
As originally laid out, Iowa Avenue provided a wide corridor extending to the east from Capitol Square and the
Iowa Territorial Capitol. The roadway’s 120-foot width made Iowa Avenue the widest thoroughfare in the
Original Town Plat. In later years after Capitol Square became part of the campus of the State University of Iowa,
the campus was extended along the north side of Iowa Avenue. 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 and several of the residences built in the 200 block of Iowa Avenue broke
with this plan. The only church constructed was the Christian Church next door at 217 Iowa Avenue (non-extant,
ca.1969).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Historical Background
The building at 215 Iowa Avenue was constructed as a private home in ca.1901. Fire insurance maps show a one-
story dwelling on the lot in 1899. When the next fire insurance map was published in 1906 a two-story dwelling
with a noticeably deeper footprint had replaced the earlier residence. The Lorenz family resided at 215 Iowa by
1901, which suggests they were responsible for construction of the house and that the building was under
construction shortly after the 1899 fire insurance map, and completed in time for their occupation in 1901.
The Lorenz family remained in the home through at least 1915. In ca.1920 Louisa Lorenz, then a widow, sold it to
John Maher who held it until 1926; the building remained a residence through that time. In 1926 William and
Minnie Reardon bought the house and completed a series of alterations to convert it to the “Hotel Reardon.”
Proximity to the central campus and the University Hospital may have played a role in the location of several
hotels. Both the Van Meter Hotel (non-extant) and Hotel Reardon were located along the south side of Iowa
Avenue opposite the University Hospital.
In the spring of 1932, local news accounts reported that an “extensive” remodeling and redecorating of the
Reardon Hotel had been completed. The project included an extension at the front of the building with rooms and
bath added. The lobby was entirely redecorated as well (“Finish Extensive Remodeling Project For Reardon
Hotel,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, May 05, 1932: 5).
The Reardons operated the hotel and lived on-site until 1940. By the end of World War II, Llewellyn Amish was
the on-site manager. During the summer of 1950, Mr. And Mrs. Vincent Lalla and Mrs. Tullie Gibson assumed
ownership and operation of the business in July, purchasing it from the original owner, William Reardon. The
news report on the change also noted that the 25-room building had recently been remodeled (“Reardon Hotel
Changes Hands,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, July 01, 1950:10).
The hotel operated until the late 1960s and was subsequently converted to eight small apartments and a single
retail space. It remains so configured today.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Figure 01. Fire Insurance Map – 1899
(SOURCE: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1899.)
This 1899 fire insurance maps records a residence with a smaller footprint than that of the Reardon Hotel.
The hotel building appears first appears on a fire insurance map in 1906 (Figure 02).
Figure 02. Fire Insurance Map – 1906
(SOURCE: Sanborn Fire Insurance Company, 1906.)
The Hotel Reardon building appears first appears on a fire insurance map in 1906.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. Historic Image – ca.1914
(Source: State Historical Society of Iowa.)
In this view looking southwest across Iowa Avenue we see the buildings that historic occupied the south side of the roadway.
From far left to right: a glimple of the Peoples Steam Laundry, 1909 (non-extant); the Christian Church (replaced in 1970 by
the First Christian Church, non-extant); the Reardon Hotel (likely still the Lorenz Residence in this image), and the C.O.D.
Steam Laundry building (1895).
Image 04. Historic Image – 1960s
(Source: State Historical Society of Iowa.)
In this view looking southeast across Iowa Avenue we see the altered streetscape and changes to its buildings.
The Reardon Hotel appears much the same as it does today.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue 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, 215 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.
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. “Reardon Hotel: 52-01945.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Newspapers
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Finish Extensive Remodeling Project For Reardon Hotel.” May 05, 1932.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Reardon Hotel Changes Hands.” July 01, 1950.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
Timeline
1899 Dwelling appears on the site – smaller footprint, one-story
1901 City directory (1st online): Robert and Mrs. L Lorenz[e] residing at 215 Iowa Ave
No Reardons, no Reardon Hotel
1904 City directory: (no online directories for 1902 and 1903).
City directory: Robert (cabinet maker for WP Hohenschuh) and Louisa L Lorenz (and 3 children – Anna,
student; Robert, clerk at Whetstone’s; Frank, clk at Flannagan Bros.) residence at 215 E. Iowa
No William Reardon. No Reardon Hotel (pages in business section mutilated).
1906 Appears on fire insurance map (footprint representative of later footprints)
1909 City directory: Robert (cabinet maker for WP Hohenschuh) and Louisa L Lorenz residence at 215 E. Iowa
No Reardon Hotel in Business Directory. No Reardon.
1911 City directory: Reverse directory has Mrs Louisa L Lorenz at 215 Iowa Avenue. No Reardon. No hotel at
this address.
1915 City directory: Reverse directoy has Mrs Louisa L Lorenz at 215 Iowa Avenue. No hotel at this address.
1918 City directory: Reverse directory has nothing noted at 215 Iowa.
Lorenz family residing at 530 S Governor.
No Hevern (see 1919).
1919 City directory: Louisa Lorenz is a widow, living at 530 S. Governor. Her children, Louis P. (student),
Anna H. (office asst.), Albert L. (stockroom, Burkett-Gartner Motor), Katherine J., Frank H. and Robert
H. (Lorenz Bros. Boot Shop) also live in the house.
Reverse directory: Mrs. Eva E. (wid Harvey B.) Hevern resides at 215 Iowa Avenue
No hotel at 215 Iowa.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-01945
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Reardon Hotel Johnson
Name of Property County
215 E. Iowa Avenue Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Full Legal Description: Original Town, Block 66, beg 140’E of NW cor, E20’; S150’; W20’; and N150’ to point
of beginning.
Assessor: 009+1010312006
Latitude/Longitude: 41.661223/-91.532282
Parcel Map:
LINN202-214
24-26
20-22
14
DUBUQUEWASHINGTON
IOWA
2577211213
21624510
6 2191312
2202
214
218±