HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-04090_117-123 E College_CrescentBlockSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-04090 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 Crescent Block
other names/site number Lovelace-Moon Block
2. Location
street & number 117-123 E. College 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) 82 Lot(s) Lot 2
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 02G COMMERCE/TRADE/restaurant
02B COMMERCE/TRADE/professional offices 02E COMMERCE/TRADE/specialty store
03A04 SOCIAL/fraternal hall
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
09F05 COMMERCIAL/Brick Front foundation
02B COMMERCE/TRADE/professional offices walls 03 BRICK
roof
other 07 TERRA COTTA 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 117-123 E. College Street Site Number 52-04090
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 1894 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
05 COMMERCE
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 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 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
The Crescent Block is a three-story brick building constructed in 1894. The building is an example of a late 19th
century Commercial Brick Front building form. Its four bays originally contained three shop spaces with an
entrance to the upper floors in the narrow bay (119) to the right of center. This bay now also contains a narrow
shop space in addition to the stairs access. The building is clad in a dark brown brick set with reddish tinted
mortar. A twin band of corbeled brick extends across the front between the second and third levels. The original
pressed metal cornice has widely spaced brackets with smaller brackets evenly spaced in between.
The original storefront treatment is retained in the west bay (117). This bay has a recessed entrance set between
plate glass display windows and a multi-part transom above. The first floor projects forward from the front façade
and has a shallow, standing-seam metal shed roof separating the first and second floors. An embossed metal
cornice spans the transoms connecting to the hipped roof entrance hood above the entrance to the upper levels
(119). This space was remodeled in the 1930s with carrara glass elements with Art Deco styling. The design is
well-suited for the small size of this bay. The design includes a curved glass display window on the right with
bands of black and white glass in the bulkhead and signboard areas. The original wood and glass entrance door
and tile floor in the entrance are retained in this space. The east half of the building is now part of a single
storefront. The modern design incorporated new brick with a gray exposed aggregate in the section separating the
windows from the second floor. The windows have single fixed glass lights and are topped by separate curved,
fixed awnings. The entrance is at the far east end.
The upper levels of the building have an unusual arrangement of window openings. The third floor windows
appear in pairs, are tall and narrow with stone sills, and have a single flat stone lintel above each pair. A pair of
windows is centered in each of the original four bays. The windows consist of 1/1 double-hung sash with a
transom of equal size above. Windows on the west half of the second level are shorter with a pair of 1/1 sash
above the hipped roof entrance bay. The west bay has a pair of 1/1 sash plus transom centered in the bay with
shorter 1/1 sash plus transoms on both sides. Fenestration of the east half of the second floor originally mirrored
that on the west (Image 05), but in 1929 (likely with Montgomery Ward’s move into the building) two large
Chicago-style windows were introduced in place of those in the east half of the building (2017). The Chicago-
style windows have since been replaced with new sash (the opening is retained). The building is approximately
80-ft. wide and has an irregular depth. The third floor originally contained a hall space (Svendsen, 2001).
In 2017, the building appears as previously described. The building is largely vacant, with only the storefronts at
117 and 119 occupied by Revival, a vintage clothing store.
8. Statement of Significance
This building is a moderately well-preserved example of a turn-of-the-century Commercial Brick Front building.
Constructed in 1894 under the auspices of C.F. Lovelace, that connection provides an additional avenue for
considering significance; Lovelace being associated with the adjacent College Block as well as the construction of
other downtown buildings. He also has deep and significant ties to commercial and financial institutions in the
city. Although it is unlikely that a case under Criterion B in association with Lovelace should be made for the
Crescent Block, certainly that association elevates the general significance of the building. Further, the building is
an unusual example of commercial design, with stylistic influences reflecting the influence of Chicago
architecture on Iowa City design - an association worth additional consideration. Lovelace’s role in the design
should also be examined. Finally, as a mixed-use building the Crescent Block has long associations with the
history of commerce in downtown Iowa City (including as a professional office space), and to the history of local
fraternal groups that utilized the third floor hall. Though portions of the storefront have sustained significant
alterations, the retention of a 1930s era Art Deco Style storefront (119) as well as one of the original storefronts
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
(117) gives the Crescent Block added importance. As a result, this building is considered individually eligible for
the National Register under Criterion C and likely under Criterion A as well. Retention of a good level of historic
integrity on the interior would be important to a successful nomination. The building is counted as a contributing
structure in a potential historic district.
Image 01. View of the façade (north) elevation, looking SW across the Ped Mall (E. College Street)
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 02. View of the façade (north) elevation, looking SE across the Ped Mall (E. College Street)
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Image 03. View of the 1930s Art Deco storefront faced in black Carrara glass
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
Historical Background
As noted, the Crescent Block is located on the urban renewal era pedestrian mall that extends for several blocks
along E. College Street and S. Dubuque Street. As originally platted, College Street had a 100-ft. width with four
80-ft. wide lots laid out perpendicular to the street. 20-ft. wide east-west alleys bisected the blocks and were
presumed to extend along the rear of the buildings. College Street extended from the “Promenade” along the Iowa
River east through the downtown, over Ralston Creek, and eventually along the south side of College Green park
before it reached the city limits (Svendsen, 2001).
Property transfer records show this property changing hands in 1890 and 1895 when Manley Moon and Milton
Moon each acquired half of Lot 2 in Block 82 from Robert Finkbine and Chancy Lovelace, architects in the
partnership of Finkbine and Lovelace (Svendsen, 2001). Lovelace and Moon are responsible for the building’s
construction in 1894 (2017). When the pending construction was announced in April of that year, the news
account noted that work would commence in early May. The 80- by 80-ft., three-story building would have three
“three fine store rooms with modern fronts” on the first floor; offices on the second floor; and the third floor
would be fitted for a large hall. Demolition of a brick building on the site was underway the first week in May
(2017).
At the time the building was under construction, news accounts referred to the property as the Lovelace and Moon
Block, but in late December the property owners announced the building would thereafter be known as the
Crescent Block; no explanation for the name was given. Lovelace and Moon held the property until 1923 when
M.G. Koser, a local real estate agent, acquired the building (2017).
City directories and fire insurance maps show the building with a number of retail tenants through the years. In
1899 fire insurance maps show the building with a pharmacy, china and notions store, and hardware store. The
1904 city directory shows the Crescent Pharmacy run by W.W. Morrison (117) and Bruce Moore’s hardware
store (123). By 1906 a clothing store was in place at 121 joining the drug store and hardware stores already in
place. The Elks Club occupied the third floor meeting hall. Five years later, the Crescent Pharmacy continued but
A.A. Pickering’s Store replaced the clothing store selling “china, glass, queensware, fancy goods and toys” and
the Knights of Columbus rented the third floor hall space after the Elks moved to their newly completed building
on the southwest corner of Gilbert and Washington streets. The second floor had 10 office suites occupied by
lawyers, insurance agents, and abstractors. After World War I and during the 1920s, William Smith and Richard
Hiatt operated a hardware store from(121 and a grocery store opened in 123. The pharmacy continued from 117
but with a new name, Morrison’s Pharmacy (Svendsen, 2001).
In 1929 a major shift came when the Montgomery Ward and Co. department store located in 121-123.
Montgomery Ward had their farm store and implement sales in a building located directly to the south fronting
onto Burlington Street. They remained the anchor retail tenant in the building until the late 1960s when Goodwill
Industries occupied 121-123. By 1940, the Koser Brothers Real Estate Office was located at 119. M.G. Koser
owned the building at the time. The drug store space was taken over about the same time by Western Auto and
continued through the early 1960s. By the late 1970s the first of several restaurants and/or bars opened in the
building - Maxwell’s Cocktail Lounge occupied 121-123. In 2000, the Union Bar occupied 121-123 and the Soap
Opera specialty soap shop was in 119.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 04. Historic Image – ca.1910
(Source: State Historical Society of Iowa)
In this view of the south side of E. College Street, looking east from Clinton we see the Crescent Block at left. At that time,
the Dooley Block remained fully intact at center, and the Coldren Opera House/Iowa City State Bank was located on the
corner (now the Savings and Loan Building).
Image 05. Historic Image – ca.1925
(Source: State Historical Society of Iowa)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 06. Historic Image – ca.1965
(Source: Iowa City Public Library)
By this time, the 2nd floor windows of the east two bays had been altered. This likely occurred concurrent with Montgomery
Ward’s move into the building in 1929.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College 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.
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. “Crescent Block: 52-04090.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
Newspapers
Iowa City Herald. “Iowa City Improves.” April 18, 1894.
Iowa City Herald. “Local News.” May 02, 1894.
Iowa City Herald. “Iowa City Alive and Moving.” May 02, 1894.
Iowa City Herald. “Local News.” September 22, 1894.
Iowa City Herald. “Over the City.” November 24, 1894.
Iowa City Herald. “The Crescent Block.” December 21, 1894.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04090
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Crescent Block Johnson
Name of Property County
117-123 E. College Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Legal Description: Original Town Plat, Block 82, Lot 2
Assessor: PIN 002+1010380005-006 (2 parcels, currently one property owner)
Lat/Long: 41.658824/-91.533763
Parcel Map - 2017
COLLEGE
CLINTONDUBUQUEBURLINGTON109 117-123229212
102
228103
120115220127111
224
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