Building partnerships that enhance our economic and cultural future through the preservation of Iowa's historic resources.
The future of Iowa is sustainable communities with an authentic sense of place created by their important historic structures. The rehabilitation and reuse of our historic buildings is both economically attractive and environmentally responsible; it is important to citizens and visitors to our state as well as for future generations.
Iowa Programs
Iowa’s Most Endangered Properties
Iowa’s Most Endangered Properties began in 1995 to show Iowans the special buildings and historic sites that are slowly and gradually slipping away from us. The program provides an excellent resource for media coverage and introduces endangered property owners to preservation advocates and resources that can help preserve their historic property.
Preservation at Its Best Awards
Each year Preservation Iowa seeks to honor statewide successes through the “Preservation at its Best Awards”. In doing so, we hope to inspire others to take action to preserve, protect, and promote Iowa’s historic resources. Additionally these projects highlight the work being done around the state to preserve our historic infrastructures by re-purposing them to allow reintegration into their local communities.
Property Types
Preservation Iowa focuses on providing information, raising awareness and protecting property types that hold special significance for Iowans.
Its efforts encompass a wide range of historic resources, including residential buildings, commercial and industrial structures, sacred places, schools, and movie theaters, as well as rural properties such as farmsteads and barns.
Residential
Movie Theaters
Sacred Places
Commercial & Industrial
Schools
Farmsteads & Barns
Check out Section 106 in the News for information on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and why it is currently a hot topic of discussion.
Preservation News from across the State and Nation
As of September 29, 2026, the Earlham Downtown Historic District is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places! The district encompasses the small, Madison County community’s historic brick downtown, including buildings built between 1895 and 1975. Located along the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad, Earlham grew as a predominantly Quaker settlement and thrived as a center for shipping stone, apples, wool, and other local products along the railroad. After a fire in 1901 destroyed a block of downtown, the local government and business leaders committed to rebuilding the commercial center in brick to safeguard against future fires. Some of the buildings constructed around this time included a lavish bank (pictured below) and an opera house, something few towns Earlham’s size had at this time. The buildings are ornamented with a variety of details popular at the time, including Victorian, Romanesque, and Colonial Revival elements. Even as times changed and the railroads became less central to Iowa’s commercial landscape, Earlham adapted to serve automobile travelers on the nearby White Pole Road. New buildings in this period were more restrained and reflected changing tastes for simpler designs in the middle of the 20th century. Today, almost all of Earlham’s downtown buildings still house local businesses, and the legacy of downtown Earlham continues. #iowahistoricpreservation #IowaHistory #iowahistory
Chuck Offenburger's Come See How Jefferson Does Things.
Learning from Cemeteries: Preservation Trades Training in Burial Spaces-- Free virtual webinar Oct 20, 2026 06:00 PM (Central) Historic cemeteries provide a unique landscape for the living to learn from those that came before them. Interaction with a memorial, whether a monumental stone obelisk or a humble marker, is a shared human experience where individuals encounter and make sense of the past. Often, these experiences can serve as a gateway into the field of historic preservation. In recent years, a number of trades training initiatives (notably, the Bridge to Craft Careers Program at World Monument Fund) have offered the opportunity for interested students to explore and learn skills in historic masonry, metalwork and plasterwork in historic cemetery landscapes. This unique partnership offers exposure to immense architectural resources for students, and provides much needed support in the care and conservation of significant cultural heritage. HPEF has invited the following innovators to discuss and share their work: - Elimarie Garcia-Cosme, Global Heritage Training Manager, World Monuments Fund (WMF) - Karina Roca, Bridge to Crafts Careers Program Manager, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans - Sara Lowenburg, Director of Save Our Cemeteries, Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans - Neela K. Wickremesinghe, Director of Restoration and Preservation at The Green-Wood Cemetery HPEF's Director of Programs, Lauren Drapala, will be moderating this free, one-hour virtual event. Register here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_nki3oYArT36kyWo7QBCC_w#/registration
Check out these tools from the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions! Tell your mayors and local government officials about the proposed changes to Section 106 . We’ve prepared resources to help: 📄 Open Letter to City Mayors and Local Government Leaders Share the letter with your local elected officials to help them understand what the proposed changes could mean for local communities. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/cbjtbnkw ✏️ Working Letter Template Customize the letter for your community by adding local priorities, concerns, and a Section 106 success story that demonstrates the value of the review process. 🔗https://tinyurl.com/3bup9krz 📧 Email Template Draft an email to introduce the issue and encourage local government leaders to learn more and engage. 🔗 https://tinyurl.com/2nhxess6 Use these resources and have a conversation with your mayor, city council, county commissioners, or other local government leaders about Section 106. It is important to bring local perspectives into the conversation. Learn more and access the all Section 106 resources through NAPC’s Advocacy Page. 🔗https://www.napcommissions.org/advocacy
From the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Last Thursday, the Vice Chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation terminated the Section 106 review of the proposed Triumphal Arch at Memorial Circle, a 250-foot monument that would stand in front of Arlington National Cemetery. The review was ended before consultation was finished, and the public was given 3½ business days to comment. Section 106 exists to make sure federal agencies listen before they act. This is what it looks like when it’s set aside. This is your opportunity to provide your comments. Email Jaime Loichinger at jloichinger@achp.gov before 11:59 p.m. ET on Tuesday, September 29. Suggested subject line: Comments on the Monumental (Triumphal) Arch at Memorial Circle Write in your own words. Personal comments are more effective than form letters. You might say: · What the view between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery means to you. · Express why a comment period of a few business days is not a meaningful chance to be heard on a project of this significance. · That the National Park Service acknowledged this project would adversely affect dozens of historic properties, yet alternatives, like another site, or a smaller structure, or different design, were never seriously evaluated.
PlaceEconomics recently completed an impact study of Iowa's Main Street program, now 40 years old! You can download the report yourself here: https://www.placeeconomics.com/resources/40-years-of-main-street-iowa/
