Like many small towns, Anamosa’s downtown suffered from disrepair, neglect, vacant commercial storefronts, and underutilized upper story housing units. The community was proud of its history but lacked adequate funding for property owners to appropriately repair and reinvigorate these historic buildings. This project rehabilitated 10 buildings through the Downtown Revitalization Program administered by Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Because of its federal funding, the Downtown Revitalization Program focuses on removing “blight” in downtown areas. The City of Anamosa and the building owners used this program to go above and beyond removing blight, choosing to fully embrace historic preservation as much as possible.
Inappropriate renovations were removed, original cast iron columns were exposed, ornate metal cornices were repaired, and bright new color schemes were chosen from historic color palettes. Other work included significant masonry repair, uncovering original decorative metal ceilings, restoring original wood windows and beautifully detailed, etched transom glass.
The project’s $500,000 federal pass-thru grant leveraged $250,000 from the City of Anamosa and $349,000 in private investment. This successful first phase has garnered extensive interest. A second phase is in design and expected to have construction complete in 2024. A third phase is planned to accommodate all interested property owners.
