HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-04072_132 S Clinton_BillHillMusicSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-04072 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 Bill Hill Music Studio
other names/site number
2. Location
street & number 132 S. Clinton 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) 81 Lot(s) part of 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 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
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
01 NO STYLE 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 132 S. Clinton Street Site Number 52-04072
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
07 COMMUNITY PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT 1971 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, 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 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
This one-story, corner commercial building was built in 1971 and is associated with the city’s urban renewal
program in the downtown, which was undertaken in the 1970s and early 1980s. This building replaced an earlier
two-story brick structure on this site that was destroyed by fire in January of 1970. Although the rear section of
the building houses a separate business, the building was constructed as and remains a single property under the
ownership of the same entity.
The Bill Hill Music Studio building is a brick-faced (painted), concrete block structure. The building is L-shaped,
with its primary entrance facing Clinton Street and secondary entrance at the rear of the building, fronting College
Street and the pedestrian mall. The primary elevation (Clinton Street) is dominated by a fully glazed storefront
featuring an off-set entrance flanked by display windows; the glazed door and display windows are set in chrome
or unpainted steel frames, indicative of the construction era. The secondary entrance is similarly configured. A
fixed awning extends across the front and around the College Street side, with a separate awning over the
secondary entrance. The cream colored brickwork has no ornamentation or cornice. A colorful mural was painted
on the south elevation sometime subsequent to the 2001 survey.
The building retains a very good level of historic integrity and is indicative of its period of construction. The
building is currently occupied by Yotopia (a frozen yogurt shop), with a bar by the name of Sauce located in the
rear section of the building.
Image 01. View of the streetscape within which the building is located, looking northeast across S. Clinton Street.
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Situated on the corner of S. Clinton and E. College streets, the Bill Hill Music Studio building is sited marks the beginning of
the pedestrian mall, which remains the central landscape feature of the City’s urban renewal program.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. View of the façade (west elevation) and primary entrance, looking east from S. Clinton Street
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. View of the south elevation, looking north across the pedestrian mall
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Image 04. View of the secondary entrance (108 E. College), looking north across the pedestrian mall
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Although the rear section of the building houses a separate business, the building was constructed as and
remains a single property under the ownership of the same entity.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
8. Statement of Significance
This commercial building faces Old Capitol Mall one block south of the Pentacrest, a National Register historic
district located on the campus of the University of Iowa. Built in 1971, the building was just the second
(following soon after the adjacent Things & Things & Things) constructed as part 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. As such the building derives significance under Criterion A in that historic
association. The Bill Hill Music Studio 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. While construction of this building occurred as a result of loss of the previous
building to fire, its construction was locally reported along with updates on the urban renewal planning and
implementation process. 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 Bill Hill Music Studio 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.
Historical Background
On January 20, 1970 a fire destroyed two buildings that were occupied by Things & Things & Things and the
Paper Place. Conflicting information makes it unclear which business was located in which building, but both 128
and 130 S. Clinton Street were destroyed (Irving Weber, “Sicilians operated Iowa City’s early fruit stores,” Iowa
City Press-Citizen, August 23, 1980: 14 and “Fire Destroys 2 Stores Here,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 21,
1970: 1). The buildings lost in the blaze were both 2-story, brick structures, likely dating to the early 20th century
(Image 05).
Things & Things & Things built a new building, which was under construction by the end of the year; that
building remains extant at 128 S. Clinton Street. Then, in July of 1970, Chris T. Marias obtained a building permit
for a $40,000 structure at 132 S. Clinton Street. Marias also obtained a small permit for repairs on another
building he owned, this one at 126 S. Clinton Street (“New ‘Things’ Building First Construction in Area,” Iowa
City Press-Citizen, July 31, 1970: 3). The building was completed in the coming months and occupied by the Bill
Hill Music Studios by March 26, 1971, at which time the business advertised its new location at 132 S. Clinton
(Advertisement, Iowa City Press-Citizen, March 26, 1971: 13). The building was occupied by Apple Tree, a
specialty shop, from 1975 through at least 1978 (“Notice of Incorporation,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, October 18,
1975: 11).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 05. Historic Image – Building Fire – 1970
(Source: “Fire Destroys 2 Stores Here,” Iowa City Press-Citizen, January 21, 1970.)
Figure 01. Fire Insurance Map – 1933 rev. 1948
(Source: Sanborn Company, Fire Insurance Map, 1933 rev.1948.)
For many years, this site was occupied by a 2-story commercial building that conformed to a similar footprint. That building
was destroyed by fire in January of 1970; that time the building housed the Paper Place.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton 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.
Sanborn Company fire insurance 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.
Sanborn Company Fire Insurance Map, 1933 rev.1948
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. “Hawkeye Barbers: 52-04074.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Newspapers
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “New ‘Things’ Building First Construction in Area.” July 31, 1970.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. Advertisement, “Bill Hill Music Studio,” March 26, 1971.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. Advertisement, “Bill Hill Music Studio & Sales,” May 06, 1971.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Notice of Incorporation.” October 18, 1975.
Iowa City Press-Citizen. “Sicilians operated Iowa City’s early fruit stores.”August 23, 1980.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04072
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Bill Hill Music Studio Johnson
Name of Property County
132 S. Clinton Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Legal Description: Original Town Com SW cor Lot 5 Blk 81; N20’; E60’; N20’; S40’; W80’ to Beg
Assessor: 002 +1010378020
Latitude/Longitude: 41.659369/-91.534424
Plat Map:
COLLEGE
115
110124 107WASHINGTON
CLINTONDUBUQUE118102
138
104 109
112111-117119-123125-131114 109111
114-116128132±