HomeMy WebLinkAbout52-04091_111-113 E College_SearsRoebuckSite Inventory Form State Inventory No. 52-04091 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 Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building
other names/site number The Field House
2. Location
street & number 111-113 East 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) see full legal
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)
02F COMMERCE/TRADE/department store 70 VACANT/NOT IN USE
7. Description
Architectural Classification (Enter categories from instructions) Materials (Enter categories from instructions)
09F05 COMMERCIAL/Brick Front foundation 04 STONE
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 111-113 East College Street Site Number 52-04091
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 1929 check if circa or estimated date
Other dates
05 COMMERCE
Significant Person Architect/Builder
(Complete if National Register Criterion B is marked above) Architect
N/A unknown 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, Historian
organization AKAY Consulting date 11/2017
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 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 1
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
7. Property Description
The Sears, Roebuck & Co. building is situated on a portion of Lot 3 in Block 82. Located on the south side of E.
College Street, the building’s façade faces north. As noted in the 2001 evaluation, the building is located along the
1977 downtown 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.
Twenty-foot 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.
Today, the “ped mall” is an intimate gathering place, its character resting on the historic buildings that line much
of the street, brick landscaping, vegetative canopy, and vibrant retail base. The building footprint fully occupies
the site which, according to the Iowa City assessor, measures 38- by 150-feet.
Built in 1929, the building is a two-story, brick construction in the 20th century form commonly described as a
Commercial Brick Front. The building façade is clad in pressed brick laid in a Flemish bond with a taupe colored
mortar. Typical of commercial properties, the façade is arranged in a storefront with the transition to the upper
façade marked by a storefront cornice (Image 01).
The upper story is organized into three bays, each bay dominated by a Chicago-style window. Each window
configuration (one large, fixed pane window flanked by narrower, double-hung windows) features a header of
soldier bricks and a running sill of glazed terra cotta. Terra cotta is also used in the coping of the stepped parapet,
stylized pilasters that frame the bays, and bas relief tiles that provide decorative accents to the brickwork. The
brickwork itself is visually interesting and well executed – a large area laid in a basketweave pattern is found over
each of the 2nd floor windows (Image 02). Terra cotta tiles are also used in the outer piers of the storefront.
Like the upper level, the storefront is divided into three bays. Whereas the original storefront had a center
entrance with plate-glass display windows to either side and a multi-part transom with prism glass spanning the
front, the storefront today has a central, multi-light display window flanked by recessed openings, each with solid
metal double-doors with a single sidelight and transoms above. Although the historic outer storefront piers of
brick with terra cotta details are retained, the remainder of the storefront structure is clad in cast stone panels.
Constructed to house Sears Roebuck & Co., a national franchise department store, the storefront originally had
signage installed in the space immediately beneath the second floor windows as well as a vertical neon blade sign
that extended from the beltcourse to parapet level (Image 03).
In 2017, the exterior of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. building retains a very good level of historic integrity, despite
the alteration of the storefront. This is due in large part to the retention of the historic upper story façade, which
provides the basis of the building’s visual character: Chicago-style windows, decorative brickwork, stepped
parapet, and terracotta details (some deterioration noted) are all character-defining features which are retained.
Further, the existing storefront (the construction date of which is undetermined) incorporates Classical Revival
influenced details which are sympathetic to the historic character.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 2
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 01. View of the façade (north elevation), looking SE
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Image 02. Detail view of upper façade details
(Image by AKAY Consulting, August 2017)
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 3
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
8. Statement of Significance
As a well-preserved example of a 20th century Commercial Brick Front building form frequently adopted by
national franchise stores prior to World War II, the Sears, Roebuck & Co. building is significant under Criterion
C. Though the storefront has sustained significant alterations, those alterations are historically sympathetic.
Further, the upper elevation, with its historic character-defining features intact, is well preserved. The building is
also significant under Criterion A, contributing as it does to our understanding of the history of commerce in Iowa
City, specifically in association with its original occupant, the Sears & Roebuck Co. As a result, this building is
eligible for the National Register as a contributing resource in a potential historic district.
Historical Background
Prior to its construction, the site upon which the Sears Roebuck & Co. building is situated was occupied by the
middle two bays of the Dooley Block (ca.1879 and ca.1895). Property transfer records show that Frank Dooley
acquired all of Lot 3 in Block 82 in 1867 (Svendsen, “Dooley Block,” 2001). In ca.1874 Dooley constructed the
westernmost bay (109) of the Dooley Block, with a second bay completed by 1879. In ca.1895 the remaining bays
(now 113 and 115) were added on the east, resulting in a 2-story, 4-bay commercial block building in the Late
Victorian Italianate style. The east bay (115) and west bay (109) remain today.
Figure 01. Fire Insurance Map – 1899
(SOURCE: Sanborn Company Fire Insurance Maps, 1899.)
The Dooley Block was constructed in phases.
The completed block building (highlighted) first appears on fire insurance maps in 1899.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 4
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. Historic Image – North side of E. College Street, looking SW - ca.1925
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
In this view of E. College Street, we see the Dooley Block prior to the demolition of its middle bays and subsequent
construction of the Sears Roebuck building at their place. Though difficult to read in this view, the building name is set on-
center just above the upper story windows (indicated). The upper façades at 115 and 109 remain much as seen in this view
(see Dooley Block site forms: 52-01088 and 52-04093).
Figure 02. Fire Insurance Map – 1926
(SOURCE: Sanborn Company Fire Insurance Maps, 1926.)
The footprint of the Dooley Block remains relatively unchanged in the years just prior the construction of Sears Roebuck.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 5
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
Property transfer records show the property changed hands in 1928 when a referee deed records a sale to W.H.
Wagner. The parcel was then divided, with the Sears Roebuck & Co. building constructed on the west portion of
the Lot 3 (111-113) and the east bay of the Dooley Block (115) transferred to the Koser Brothers. Lee and George
Koser were realtors with Koser Brothers Real Estate (Svendsen, 2001). The west section of the Dooley Block
(109, which is located in Block 4), was likewise sold.
Sooner thereafter, the two center bays of the Dooley Block were razed and, in 1929, the present building was
constructed to house the Sears, Roebuck & Co. department store. At the time Sears Roebuck appeared on E.
College Street in Iowa City, the downtown was rich with department stores; the 100 block of E. College Street
alone had (in addition to Sears Roebuck), Montgomery Ward & Co. (121-123) and White’s Consolidated Stores
(114-116). Yetter’s was located one block to the north (115-117 E. Washington) and the Strub Co. was situated
around the corner (118-122 S. Clinton Street).
Figure 03. Fire Insurance Map – 1933
(SOURCE: Sanborn Company Fire Insurance Maps, 1933.)
The 1933 fire insurance map documents the Sears Roebuck building (highlighted), noting it as a two-story,
double-wide building, which stretched from E. College on the north to the alley at mid-block on the south.
The map also notes that the building structure utilized iron columns.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 6
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
Image 03. Historic Image: View looking SE along S. Clinton Street – 1929
(Image courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.)
The remnants of the Dooley Block (115) remain at left and (109) at right, with the 20th century Sears Roebuck
building complete with Chicago-style windows, providing an interesting visual foil to the Late Victorian architecture
that remains intact on the bays of the original block.
Figure 04. Advertisement – 1943
(SOURCE: City Directory, 1943)
Sears Roebuck remained in the building until the 1960s, at which time it relocated to Sycamore Mall in southeast
Iowa City. The building was vacant for several years before the Goodwill Budget Store located here in the early
1970s. By 1978 through 2001, it housed The Field House, a restaurant and disco. (Svendsen, 2001). At the time
of the present evaluation (October 2017) the building is vacant.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 7
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East 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.
McDowell, Alexa. “Dooley Block (109): 52-04093.” Iowa Site Form, 2017.
McDowell, Alexa. “Dooley Block (115): 52-01088.” Iowa Site Form, 2017.
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. “Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building: 52-04091.” Iowa Site Form, 2001.
McDowell, Alexa. “Dooley Block (109): 52-04093.” Iowa Site Form, 2017.
Timeline: Sears Roebuck & Co.
1926 City Directory (reverse listings)
111 Edward J. Watkins
111-1/2 Edward L. Murphy
113 No occupant noted
1928 City Directory (reverse listings)
111 Edward J. Watkins
111-1/2 Radio Doctors
113 Randalls Hardware
1930 City Directory
Sears Roebuck & Co. 111-113 E. College Street
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
State Historical Society of Iowa Site Number 52-04091
Iowa Site Inventory Form Related District Number
Continuation Sheet
Page 8
Sears, Roebuck & Co. Building Johnson
Name of Property County
111-113 East College Street Iowa City
Address City
11. Additional Documentation
Full Legal Description: Original Town Plat, Block 82, East 38.75’ of West 58.05’ of Lot 3.
Assessor: PIN 1010380008
Lat/Long: 41.658660/-91.534022
Parcel Map - 2017
(SOURCE: http://iowacity.iowaassessors.com/parcel.php?gid=344414)