year: 2022

Dearborn House

Armed with one historic photo and some correspondence from the original homeowner’s family, Dearborn House owner Cecelia Lock and her project team began a complete renovation of the exterior after a hail storm in March of 2020. They used insurance money and private funds to remove aluminum window wraps, screens, downspouts and vinyl siding; restore [...]

Dupaco Voices Building

Owned by Dupaco Community Credit Union, the 174,670 square-foot Dupaco Voices Building was built in 1925 and is a contributing structure to the Millwork National Historic District in Dubuque. The $38 million project transformed the vacant warehouse occasionally used as a venue for a community art event called “Voices from the Warehouse District” into a [...]

The Fenton

Built in 1957, this mid-century building originally served as a state-of-the-art medical facility in Bloomfield. In July 2020, Goodhill Company purchased the steel-frame structure and repurposed it as 3,220 square-feet of office space, adding more than a dozen executive leaders and marketing professional jobs to downtown Bloomfield. Goodhill Company invested $750,000 and received Main Street [...]

Hoyt Sherman Place

Built in 1877, the Hoyt Sherman Place mansion in Des Moines has seen many changes over the years. In March 2020, the new Center for Artists and Education closed for 16 months due to COVID-19. Instead of putting employees on furlough, the Hoyt Sherman Place Foundation Board and CEO put them to work on a [...]

Michael D. Gibson

For 37 years, Michael D. Gibson served as a leader and archivist of the Center for Dubuque History at Loras College in Dubuque. He helped build the archive center, located in the lower level of the Loras library, into an invaluable resource and institution for the Key City and the state of Iowa. Mike is [...]

Paula Mohr

During her tenure at the State Historic Preservation Office, Paula Mohr worked closely with each of Iowa’s Certified Local Governments to develop an unparalleled state-wide grass roots preservation effort that became a model for many other states. She is the first recipient of the Paula Mohr Certified Local Government of the Year award, recognizing her [...]

Puttin’ Back the Ritz

Owned by Walldog Public Art, the Ritz Theater located on the historic Centerville square has been in the restoration process since 2001. A Main Street Challenge Grant in 2020 spurred the community to unite its resources to do masonry work, reinforce the walls, and repair the ceiling and electrical. Today, the theater section has been [...]

The Rural Schools of Henry County, Iowa

Created by the Henry County Historic Preservation Commission, “The Rural Schools of Henry County, Iowa” was assembled by volunteers after almost three years of intensive work. Funded by previous book sales, the Commission has published a comprehensive book that covers 100 years of rural public education in Henry County, from the 1850s to the 1950s.

Steeple Square Stained Glass Restoration

Steeple Square also developed an innovative stained glass restoration program that has trained local residents in stained glass and wood window restoration the former St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubuque. As churches in vulnerable neighborhoods close, they leave a void of vacant buildings and the loss of social services, educational opportunities, and cultural experiences. This [...]

Steeple Square Event Center

This $8 million preservation project, that included State and Federal Historic Tax Credits, turned the former St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Dubuque into Steeple Square, a magnificent event center that has welcomed more than 50,000 people since 2016, bringing investment and celebration to the neighborhood, and a revenue stream for programming. Over the past six [...]