year: 2022

Endangered: Homer Seerley Home, UNI Campus, Cedar Falls, Black Hawk County

This Queen Anne style house constructed of local red brick is the oldest building on the campus of the University of Northern Iowa. It was built in 1890 to serve as the home of college president Homer Seerley and his family. Seerley became president of what was then the Iowa State Normal School in 1886 [...]

Endangered: Lacey School / Pike Grange Hall

This former one-room schoolhouse located east and south of Nichols was built on this spot in 1929 to replace an 1800s schoolhouse located nearby. After the school closed in 1946, the hip-roofed structure continued to be used as the Pike Grange meeting hall into the 1980s. Today, the building is vacant and in poor condition [...]

Endangered: Dunsmore House

This structure is the oldest limestone building in the City of Waterloo. The house sits on the northern end of the city’s historic triangle district. It was built around 1866 by Thomas Chadwick, a master stonemason who emigrated to the area from England. The house was named for John F. Dunsmore, an employee of the [...]

Endangered: Des Moines Birthplace Wall Mural

This mural near Principal Park was constructed in 2010 to help mark the birthplace of the City of Des Moines. The 34 foot long mosaic designed by Des Moines artist Hilde DeBruyne is constructed of over 500 painted porcelain tiles produced by Robert Sawyer of Creative Edge Master Shop in Fairfield. The mural’s creation was [...]

Endangered: First National Bank Building

The First National Bank building at 131 E Main Street embodies the characteristics of late 19th to 20th century Neo-Classical Revival architecture. Constructed in 1915, it was designed by H.H. Stoddard of Chicago and constructed by the Black Hawk Construction Company of Waterloo. It features a temple front with monumental columns on its primary facade [...]

Endangered: Cedar Rapids Elementary Schools

The Cedar Rapids School District has made plans to close and replace 16 of its elementary schools all but one of which are over 50 years old. Once closed the facilities plan calls for demolishing many of those schools. The two oldest buildings, Garfield and Arthur, both opened in 1915. Imposing stone columns loom tall [...]

Endangered: Marion Methodist Church

Completed in 1896, this structure on 8th Avenue served as the third home of the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Marion. The Church Gothic exterior includes Gothic-arched windows, door, and belfry vent openings. A 100-foot tall entry/bell tower on the north-west corner features four spires and decorative circular windows at the apex.. The church was [...]