The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About52-04051_229 E Washington_MeachamTravelSvcSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-04051 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 Meacham Travel Service other names/site number 2. Location street & number 229 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) 65 Lot(s) E 40' 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) 02A01 COMMERCE/TRADE/business/office building 02A01 COMMERCE/TRADE/business/office building 7. Description Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions) 08 MODERN foundation 10B CONCRETE walls 10B CONCRETE 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 229 E. Washington Street Site Number 52-04051 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 1971 check if circa or estimated date Other dates 07 COMMUNITY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT Significant Person Architect/Builder (Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect Hanson Lind Meyer Builder Thompson Construction 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 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 1 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City 7. Property Description This one-story reinforced concrete building was built in 1970 on a vacant parcel of land. The 1933 fire insurance map shows a 3-story brick building on the site that was razed sometime prior to 1966 when the City’s urban renewal program was getting underway. This parcel was redeveloped privately with the building designed by Iowa City architects Hanson Lind Meyer. This corner building is an example of a 20th century commercial block built on the eastern fringe of the central business district. The building is constructed of reinforced concrete with an white exposed agregate finish and one bay across the north front and four along the east side. A similar treatment is included for each bay with the dimensions changing slightly. On the front façade a concrete pier is located approximately 4-ft. from the east corner. The heavy cornice design includes three wide bands of concrete set at staggered depths with the storefront windows set beneath at a recessed depth. These windows are composed of vertical sections with horizontal transoms, all fashioned out of black tinted glass and black metal framing. A narrow signboard is located between the display windows and the transoms. This cornice and storefront design treatment is repeated in each of the four storefront bays that face S. Linn Street. Concrete piers of various widths and heights define the asymmetrical treatment of each shop space. The building measures 40-ft. across the front and is approximately 150-ft. deep. In 2017 the building remains as previously described. Image 01. View of the façade (north) and east elevations, looking SW across Washington and Linn Streets (Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017) Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 2 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City Image 02. View of the façade (north), looking south across E. Washington Street (Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017) 8. Statement of Significance Built in 1970, the Meacham Travel Service building was constructed during the period of the Iowa City urban renewal program, which resulted in the loss of dozens of historic buildings and reoriented the historic character of the city’s Central Business District. Construction of the Meacham Travel Service building appeared in local news accounts as an example of a downtown building “taking the place of weed-filled holes which resulted from the removal or destruction of old structures.” As such the building derives significance under Criterion A in that historic association. Further, the building is considered significant under Criterion C as a well-preserved example of mid-20th century commercial architecture, which departed from the historic precedents that typify 19th and 20th century downtowns of Iowa. The Meacham Travel Service building is considered a contributing resource to a potential historic district. As a resource less than 50-years of age, the building meets Criterion Consideration G in association with the Iowa City urban renewal program. The Meacham Travel Service building was constructed on a vacant lot during the early years of the urban renewal program. The building was designed by Hanson Lind Meyer, a local firm responsible for designing multiple downtown commercial buildings associated with the city’s urban renewal program. The Iowa City program of urban renewal is representative of the nationwide movement that transformed downtown commercial areas by razing large swathes of buildings and replacing them with new buildings, parking lots, parking ramps, and other features designed to restore economic vitality to communities in economic distress. The process of urban renewal left scars – both physical and psychological – in towns large and small. That was certainly the experience in Iowa City, where urban renewal created wide and painful schisms that remain to this day. However, in some cases and to varying degrees, urban renewal did indeed support stronger economies and bring new amenities to downtowns. The Meacham Travel Service building is an important piece in the history of Iowa City commerce and commercial architecture, specifically as a representative of the impact of urban renewal. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 3 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City 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, hotels, and public buildings as well as a frequently changing collection of retail establishments. Sometime between 1904 and 1911 this property held a 3-story building that housed the Economy Advertising Company, a printing company that handled advertising novelties and job printing. S.W. Mercer, president of Economy Advertising, had bought the land on which the building stood in 1902 when his business was located across the street and was likely responsible for constructing the 3-story building that housed his company. By 1923 the printing company was outgrowing this site and relocated to a former brewery site several blocks north on Market and North Linn streets. This building was sold to Harold and R.E. White and eventually leased to the McNamara Furniture Company. In 1935 John and Jay McNamara bought the building from their former landlord and continued to operate their furniture store at this site for several decades (Svendsen, 2001). In 1965 the property was transferred by a sheriff’s deed to the Iowa State Bank & Trust Co. They resold the property a short time later to the Johnson County Realty Company (Svendsen, 2001). In March of 1969, news accounts reported the plans for a new building “where the McNamara furniture building” was located. Owner, Duane Bolton, bought the lot from Iowa State Bank & Trust. A three-story building was planned, although Bolton held that he might build only one story initially, “depending on who we find interested in the space.” As history reveals, the building was constructed as, and remains, a one-story structure. Construction progress was reported in February of 1971, with a note that illustrates the building’s tie to the city’s urban renewal program: “New Central Business Distric buildings are taking the place of two weed-filled holes which resulted from the removal or destruction of old structures” (Image 03). The Things and Things and Things was the other building to fill weed- filled holes (2017). Image 03. Construction Photo - 1971 (Iowa City Press-Citizen. February 06, 1971.) The building is a poured and reinforced concrete structure, seen here under construction. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 4 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City Figure 01. Advertisement for Open House – 1971 (Iowa City Press-Citizen. October 15, 1971.) Meacham Travel Service was established in 1952 by Frank E. Meacham. Formerly employed as a ticket agent for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, Meacham opened “Iowa City’s first exclusive travel agency” upon his retirement from the railroad (2017). Meacham’s celebrated their grand opening on October 17, 1971 having relocated to the newly completed building at the end of September (Figure 02). The travel agency remains in business at this location in 2017. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 5 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City Image 04. Historic Image – Iowa City Urban Renewal – 1975 (State Historical Society of Iowa.) The Meacham Travel Service building (left) is part of the urban renewal legacy. 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. 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. Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 6 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City 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. “52-04051.” Iowa Site Form, 2001. Newspapers Iowa City Press-Citizen. “New Building Is Planned Downtown.” March 29, 1969. Iowa City Press-Citizen. “…. And Building the New.” September 27, 1971. Iowa City Press-Citizen. Advertisement for Move. September 27, 1971. Iowa City Press-Citizen. Advertisement for Grand Opening. October 15, 1971. Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Twenty Years Ago Today.” August 28, 1972. Timeline 1969 March 29 “New Building is Planned Downtown,” p2. Plans are being drawing for a new office building in downtown Iowa City. Site of the structure is cater-cornered across the Washington-Linn Street intersection from the Iowa City Post Office where the McNamar furniture building was located. Owner, Duane Bolton, bought the lot from Iowa State Bank & Trust. A 3-story building is planned, although he may build only one story initially, “depending on who we find interested in the space.” Meacham Travel will move into the new building from its existing location adjacent to the Englert Theater just a few doors from the new site. 1971 April 30 Ad for Meacham Travel at 221 E. Washington 1971 October 15 Ad for Grand Opening held on October 17. IMAGE 1972 December 01 Ad for Meacham Travel (Downstairs) 229 E. Washington 1972 August 28 “Twenty Years Ago Today,” p12. Frank E. Meacham, who had been associated with the Chicago, Rock Island, & Pacific Railroad in Iowa City for 29 years was retiring to open the F. E. Meacham Travel Service, Iowa City’s first exclusive travel agency. 1975 June 24 Ad with Meacham at 229 E. Washington. 1976 July 21 “Bolton retiring,” P13. Duane and Judy Bolton, owners of Meacham Travel Service, 229 E. Washington, for the past 16 years, have sold their interest in the business to Alan Rossmann. The Bolton’s purchased the business from Gertrude Meacham in 1960. 1980 August 15 Ad for Meacham Travel at 229 E. Washington Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04051 Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number Continuation Sheet Page 7 Meacham Travel Service Johnson Name of Property County 229 E. Washington Street Iowa City Address City 11. Additional Documentation Legal Description: Original Town, Block 65, East half of West half of Lot 1. Assessor: 002+1010377001 Latitude/Longitude: 41.660189/-91.531882 Parcel Map – 2017 LINNCOLLEGE Black- hawk Park DUBUQUEWASHINGTON 110 227221223118 207-219307 229124 130±