HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-04088_125 S Dubuque_PlazaCentreOneSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-04088 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 Plaza Centre One
other names/site number
2. Location
street & number 128 E. College Street/125 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) 81 Lot(s) E40' Lot 7& Lot 8
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 - 207 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
02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty 02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
01 NO STYLE foundation 10B CONCRETE
walls 03 BRICK
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 128 E. College Street/125 S. Dubuque Street Site Number 52-04088
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 1977 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect
N/A Hansen Lind Meyer, Iowa City Builder
unknown
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 52-04088
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Plaza Centre One Johnson
Name of Property County
128 E. College Street/125 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
This 5-story brick office building was constructed in ca. 1977 at a cost of $2.5 million as a part of the downtown
urban renewal process. It was the largest office building constructed as a part of this controversial process
replacing eight, two and three-story, late 19th commercial buildings. Among the more significant buildings razed
to make way for this building’s construction was the 3-story, mansard roofed Odd Fellows Building at 129-131 S.
Dubuque Street built in 1882.
The Plaza Centre One office building has a steel structural system with concrete floors and walls with a dark
brown brick cladding. The building’s footprint has an angled wall at the southeast corner facing the fountain in
the downtown pedestrian mall. The building is divided into four bays on the north and south sides and eight bays
on the east and west sides. A one-story wing on the west side is set back from College Street allowing the
building to be encased in windows on all four sides. A course of bricks set in a soldier pattern forms the sills and
flat arches for each of the window openings on all levels. Each window opening has a pair of tinted plate glass
lights. The storefront openings incorporate the same size sash but with recessed stuccoed signboards. Entrance
doors to the building’s elevator lobby and for each of the shop spaces are plate glass and metal. The Plaza Centre
One fronts on the downtown pedestrian mall that extends along two blocks of E. College Street and two blocks of
S. Dubuque Street (Svendsen, 2001).
In 2017 Plaza Centre One remains without significant alteration. The building retains the elements that define its
construction era, including ribbon windows, lack of applied ornamentation, and overall sense of weight and mass.
Image 01. View of looking northwest across the pedestrian mall
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Situated at the intersection of E. College and S. Dubuque streets, Plaza Centre One is the largest urban renewal era building
in the potential historic district. Its location near the center of the district and at the main intersection of the pedestrian mall
elevates its physical and historical impact on the district.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04088
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Plaza Centre One Johnson
Name of Property County
128 E. College Street/125 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. View of the College Street Storefronts
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
8. Statement of Significance
Built in 1977, Plaza Centre One was 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 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 era
of urban renewal. The building is a product of the Iowa City urban renewal program, which 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, urban renewal did indeed
support stronger economies and bring new amenities to downtowns. Plaza Centre One 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 52-04088
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Plaza Centre One Johnson
Name of Property County
128 E. College Street/125 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Historical Background
Plaza Centre One was constructed on one of the parcels assembled through the City of Iowa City’s urban renewal
process that was accompanied by heated public debate, controversy, and legal challenges for more than a decade.
The enactment of federal legislation in the late 1960s served as a catalyst for large-scale efforts to renew the
downtown business districts across the country. In Iowa City, this process involved the local government in using
its power of eminent domain to acquire “blighted” properties, raze their buildings, and seek private investors to
redevelop the newly vacant parcels. Iowa City’s first urban renewal plan was developed in 1966 after
considerable public discussion and debate. This was the same year that the Sycamore Mall opened on the
southeast edge of town and Sears department store moved out of the downtown (Svendsen, 2001).
The first of several lawsuits was filed in 1967 following issuance of the plan and an injunction was granted
staying the condemnation procedures. This injunction was up held on appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court in March
1969. Later that year new condemnation proceedings began and a new plan was submitted to the federal
government for approval. Progress was slow, however, and in early 1973 the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban development threatened to pull out of the project unless progress was made quickly. A single developer,
Old Capitol Associates, was formed as a joint venture of Link Programs, Inc. from Chicago with nine local
partners headed by Jay Oehler and Wilfreda Hieronymus (Svendsen, 2001).
Several more lawsuits were filed in 1974 challenging the findings of the environmental impact statement for the
project and the nature of the contract between the City and Old Capitol Associates. Both were eventually
dismissed. In municipal elections that year, voters turned down a referendum to authorize the use of general
obligation bonds for urban renewal expenditures. Later that year demolition work began on a total of 11-acres of
downtown property. Some businesses relocated into temporary buildings put in place along Clinton Street, others
moved out of the downtown to neighborhood or suburban locations while others closed permanently (Svendsen,
2001).
A fourth lawsuit was filed in 1976 challenging the bidding and nature of contract negotiations between the City
and Old Capitol Associates that followed. The suit was successful and the contract with Old Capitol Associates
was set aside. Later that year a modified urban renewal plan was commissioned and in early 1977 it was accepted
by the City Council. It called for a scaled-down development, reduced capacity parking ramps, the inclusion of
land for the construction of a new public library, and most importantly, the division of the 11-acres of urban
renewal parcels into clusters of sites or singles sites for the purpose of development. The result would be
competition on parcel prices and a division of responsibility for renewal projects between several
developers/owners (Svendsen, 2001).
Bids were received by the end of 1977 and construction of the Plaza Centre One office building was one of the
first projects to begin a short time later. A number of retail tenants have occupied space in the basement and first
floor since its completion. The Iowa City office of the architectural firm of Hansen Lind Meyer designed the
Plaza Centre One (Svendsen, 2001).
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04088
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Plaza Centre One Johnson
Name of Property County
128 E. College Street/125 S. Dubuque Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. Historic Image – Odd Fellows Eureka Block (1882)
(Source: State Historical Society of Iowa.)
The Odd Fellows Eureka Block was razed to make way for Plaza Centre One. In this 1880s view looking north along
Dubuque Street from College Street, the building is seen at left (easily recognized by its dormered French mansard roof).
Image 04. Historic Image – Odd Fellows Eureka Block (1882) – ca.1970
(Source: State Historical Society of Iowa.)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04088
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Plaza Centre One Johnson
Name of Property County
128 E. College Street/125 S. Dubuque 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 maps, 1874, 1879, 1888, 1892, 1899, 1906, 1912, 1920, 1926, 1933, and 1933 updated to 1970.
Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan. Prepared by Svendsen Tyler, Inc. for the City of Iowa City and the Iowa
City Historic Preservation Commission, October 1992.
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. “Plaza Centre One: 52-04088.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
11. Additional Documentation
Latitude/Longitude: 41.659614/-91.533430
Plat Map: