News
Stay informed and engaged with Preservation Iowa’s latest news, events, and initiatives dedicated to preserving the state’s historic places and promoting community revitalization. From advocacy efforts that shape state and local policies to innovative programs supporting historic preservation and economic development, Preservation Iowa is committed to making Iowa’s history a vibrant part of its future.
Follow Preservation Iowa on Facebook for the latest updates on preservation efforts, events, announcements, and news. Become a member to receive our newsletter and preservation alerts directly in your inbox.
If you have preservation-related news or advocacy items to share, please reach out via email at info@preservationiowa.org or through our Connect & Contact Us page.
PRESERVATION NEWS FROM ACROSS THE STATE
The Orient-Macksburg School District announced it was closing its doors at the end of last school year, but now it’s facing the challenging decisions of what to do with its buildings and grounds.
Free webinar offered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation Feb 10, 2026 12:00 PM (Central time) As thirty-eight states convene their respective legislative sessions in January 2026, Preservation Leadership Forum brings together three experts in state historic tax credits (HTCs) to share how New York, Kansas, and Maine each greatly improved their programs in 2025. Successes ranged from encouraging legislators to expand HTC percentages in rural areas to lifting the census tract restriction if a historic rehabilitation creates affordable housing. Learn more and ask your own questions about the latest innovations in preservation incentives and how to advocate for state historic tax credits. Speakers: Moderator: Renee Kuhlman, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Senior Director of Outreach & Support | Panelists: Terry Humphrey, Founder, President, and Lead Lobbyist, TERRY HUMPHREY Public Affairs Group, Inc.| Tara Kelly, Executive Director, Maine Preservation | Daniel Mackay, Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation and Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer, New York State Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation To register for this free webinar, go here: https://savingplaces-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/6917683234999/WN_KYbdfBEpTaO3RqmpiaOEtg#/registrationregister/6917683234999/WN_KYbdfBEpTaO3RqmpiaOEtg#/registration
A huge "thank you" to Grant Darrah and the Gradient9 Studios team for the brilliant branding and website reconstruction recently completed for Preservation Iowa! If you haven't checked it out yet, visit https://preservationiowa.org asap! Support our advocacy and education efforts around preservation across the state by becoming a member for as low as $50 ($25 for students!).
2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTIES Thank you to everyone across Iowa who nominated a property they care about to the Preservation Iowa 2026 Most Endangered Properties list. The sites highlighted over the past week are all in danger of deterioration or demolition. Our state's historic structures are a source of pride for many, and rehabilitation work can be a catalyst for reinvestment in the surrounding blocks. Please help spread the word! Check out Preservation Iowa’s website for more information about the Most Endangered Property program. www.preservationiowa.org Support the Most Endangered Properties Program and other of Preservation Iowa’s historic preservation education and advocacy programs by becoming a Preservation Iowa member today.
Become a Member/DonateProfessional memberships come with a listing in the statewide historic preservation directory!
6th and Final Property To Be Announced 2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTY 100-102 N. Main Street, Conrad, Grundy County For over a century, this downtown property has continuously served as a hub for local commerce and community activity in Conrad. Built in the early 1900s, this structure reflects the growth and development of Conrad during the early 20th century. The ornate façade is a blend of Romanesque Revival and Commercial styles and is representative of early 20th century commercial architecture in Iowa. Today, it houses a business office and a salon and spa on the ground floor and four occupied upper-level apartments. It continues to be a key structure to Conrad’s Main Street. In 2013, it was part of a downtown revitalization project that funded work on the front facade including new awnings, a storefront replacement, and replacement of missing decorative cornice pieces. But significant maintenance work is still required. The building is in need of extensive repointing especially on the side elevations and back to prevent moisture intrusion and stabilize brickwork. In addition, the windows need replacement. The current owner is attentive to maintaining the architectural and historic integrity of the building, however, the costs to complete the needed work are formidable and not economically feasible for her at this time. Efforts to identify potential funding options are currently being explored by the owner and Conrad’s Main Street.
5th Property To Be Announced 2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTY Trinity Church, Forest City, Winnebago County Reputed to be the oldest surviving structure in Winnebago County, this c. 1875 church retains the pews, altar, tin ceilings and flooring from when it was last used as a church. A basement was added to the structure in 1926. It was donated to the Winnebago Historical Society about 10 years ago and since then, it has hosted concerts and events and been rented out for other functions. In recent years, however, the increasing maintenance needs of the church have become a significant financial burden for the Historical Society. One of the biggest concerns is water infiltration and the resulting mold in the 1920s basement. Since it is not currently used but once or twice a year, the Historical Society is considering its sale.
https://dailyiowan.com/2026/01/20/iowa-lawmakers-propose-requirements-for-historical-research-centers-amid-centennial-building-closure-debate/
4th Property To Be Announced 2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTY Riverton Chautauqua Pavilion, Fremont County This 12-sided pavilion sits atop a hill in the City Park at Riverton. The open-air structure was completed in 1897 and was intended to provide a stage for encampments of the newly founded Patriots of America. William Harvey founded the populist organization to advocate for the free coining of silver and support political candidates favorable to that cause. Harvey is said to have put up $500 toward the Riverton pavilion’s construction. He reportedly chose Riverton because Fremont County had the greatest number of Patriots of America lodges of any county in the U.S. Yearly encampments of the fraternal organization were held in Riverton between 1897-1901. The order died out shortly thereafter. Since then, the pavilion has hosted Chautauqua shows, Sunday School and church services, school graduations, May Day services and other community events. The pavilion was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Significant repairs to the pavilion were done as a community bicentennial project in 1976. In more recent years, moisture and lack of regular maintenance have led to deterioration of the roof and supporting cedar posts. The Riverton Hometown Pride group has lately taken an active role in preserving the pavilion. They received a Paint Iowa Beautiful grant in 2024, and a State Historical Society of Iowa Field Services grant to hire a consultant to evaluate the needs of the structure. That evaluation showed that there is much more that needs to be done to preserve this piece of local and U.S. history and resources in this rural community are limited.
3rd Property To Be Announced 2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTY White Springs Supper Club, McGregor, Clayton County The White Springs Ballroom opened in 1936 on Hwy. 18 just west of McGregor. It was the idea of Archie Fritz who wanted to capitalize on interest in the white sand caves located in the cliff in the back of the property. The hand-hewn caves were originally built to provide cold beer storage for the West McGregor Brewery that began operation on the site in 1857 and operated until the late 1800s. As early as 1933, Fritz started work to make the caves accessible to visitors including hanging electric lights in the caves. The two-story building Fritz constructed on the foundations of the old brewery originally had a ballroom on the second floor and a tavern on the first floor. In the 1940s, ads in newspapers across northeast Iowa advertised the visiting bands for weekly Saturday night dances. Erwin and Ethel Mann purchased the business in 1949. By the mid-1960s, the focus was more as a dining establishment rather than a dance hall and had been renamed the White Springs Supper Club. An article in the July 26, 1967 Arlington Progressive noted that Mrs. Mann was famous for her Hickory Smoked Barbeque Ribs. For decades, the White Springs Supper Club was a dining destination and a social gathering place for northeast Iowa. After Ethel Mann’s death in 2004, there were a few attempts to continue the legacy of the supper club but today it remains closed and empty. In addition to the Supper Club building, the site currently includes the original sand caves, the brick house of former brewer Michael Klein (c. 1895) and a stone garage that was formerly a stable. Since the closure of the supper club, the buildings on the property have fallen into disrepair and are in danger of being demolished. A portion of the roof of the former stable has already collapsed. The future of the property remains uncertain.
2nd Property To Be Announced 2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTY Meyers Farmstead District within Pleasant Grove Heritage Park, Lisbon, Linn County Jacob Meyers, the son of one of Lisbon’s earliest settlers, bought this farmstead which sits on the town’s outskirts in 1881. His son, John, eventually took over the farming operations until retiring in 1940. The Meyers family raised hogs, cattle, and dairy cows as well as crops. After 1940, the Meyers family retained ownership but rented the farmstead and it continued to be operated as a farm. They sold the farmstead in the early 1980s with the new owners also utilizing it for agricultural purposes. The City of Lisbon purchased the property in 2018 with the intention of developing the farmstead into a park. Pleasant Grove Heritage Park Inc. purchased the farmstead from the city in order to continue to pursue the creation of an agricultural park and historic district. The farmstead was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021. Several agricultural structures remain on the farmstead dominated by the gabled or "banked" barn (c.1872) which originally housed hay, machinery, and livestock. The Pennsylvania type barn illustrates the “Pennsylvania Dutch” and German heritage of the early settlers of Lisbon. In the early 1900s, the basement was remodeled to include a modern dairy the equipment of which remains. At that time, the silo next to the barn was also added. The dairy operated until the late 1960s. The site also boasts an uncommon combination corn crib(above) and hog house(underneath) likely built in the 1890s. Both the barn and crib/hog house were damaged by a 1908 tornado and repaired, but they retain their original framing, foundations, and most of their original siding. A hay/feeder barn on the property was constructed from materials salvaged from a barn destroyed in the 1908 tornado. The farmstead is currently part of the Pleasant Grove Heritage Park. All of the structures have significant deterioration and need substantial stabilization, repair, and restoration in order to make them safe and accessible for visitors. While some funding has been received and some work has begun on the structures, there is an urgency for completion of the work. Unless the structures are restored within the City’s timeline, the property will be declared a nuisance, and the buildings will have to be demolished. If this occurs, the community will lose this valuable piece of Lisbon’s agricultural history.
Sometimes a historic building just needs some paint! Check out this grant opportunity! The deadline is Feb. 12.
1st Property To Be Announced 2026 MOST ENDANGERED PROPERTY Holliwell Covered Bridge, Madison County Spanning the Middle River near Winterset, the Holliwell Covered Bridge is one of five remaining original covered bridges in Madison County. The bridge was completed in 1880 by Harvey P. Jones and George K. Foster at a time when timber truss bridges were practical and economical in areas where wood was plentiful. Having a roof and sides slowed the deterioration of the timber framework extending its lifetime. At 110 feet, the Holliwell Bridge is the longest of the extant Madison County covered bridges. It remains in its original location and carried vehicular traffic until the mid-1980s. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. Today, the Holliwell Bridge is a reminder of an era of wooden bridges before the widespread use of iron. Madison County’s famous covered bridges, including the Holliwell, draw thousands of tourists each year. The Holliwell Bridge was also a filming location for the 1995 movie The Bridges of Madison County. Lacking substantial maintenance since the mid-1990s, the bridge’s structural integrity has become compromised. The deteriorating truss members are causing the bridge to lean, and decay and erosion are taking its toll on the bridge’s roof, floor beam supports and abutments. Without repair, the bridge will likely have to be closed to the public within the next 10 years. The covered bridges are owned by Madison County and maintained by the Secondary Roads Department which is responsible for the upkeep of over 220 bridges leaving limited resources for the maintenance of a non-vehicular bridge. Over the past few years, the County has sought to find alternative funding for repairs to the bridge but has not yet been successful.
