2020 Preservation at Its Best: Rural Preservation The Graceland Cemetery Chapel in Avoca, Iowa is a 320 square-foot single-story, single-space building constructed around 1875. The chapel, also referred to as the “Octagon Building,” is a picturesque object-in-field structure acting as a key focal point in the undulating wooded landscape of the surrounding Graceland Cemetery. The… Read more »
2020 Preservation at its Best: Multi-Family Residential Hotel Maytag is a magnificent, five-story brick and terra cotta mixed-use building on the northeast quadrant of Newton’s town square. Originally designed by Chicago architect Henry Raeder and constructed by Frederick Louis Maytag in 1926- 27, Hotel Maytag was both innovative and luxurious for its time. The building… Read more »
2019 Preservation at its Best: Sustainability in Preservation Fort Des Moines is a symbol of Iowa’s civil right leadership. As the home of the first African American officer training program, in 1917, and the nation’s first Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, during World War II, the fort’s buildings are visible reminders of Iowa’s progressive past. Blackbird… Read more »
Preservation at its Best 2018, Rural Preservation: Walnut Facade Rehabilitation Project (Walnut) Walnut, Iowa is a town in western Iowa about an hour from Des Moines and about an hour from Omaha. A recent survey identified a potential historic district that may include 44 structures with 30 determined to be contributing—for a town with a population of 785, that’s remarkable. Walnut was awarded CDBG Downtown… Read more »
Preservation at its Best 2018, Community Effort: Bricker-Price Block (Erlham) Preservation, at its core, is a community-minded endeavor because its purpose is to protect a community’s identity and reinforce its sense of place. Sometimes a preservation project requires an extraordinary community effort. Cephas D. Bricker and Walter J. Price began construction on what would become known as… Read more »
Preservation at its Best 2018, Small/Medium Commercial: Pitt Carriage Building (Des Moines) Built in 1909, the Pitt Carriage Co. Building, 212 E. Third Street, Des Moines, is located in the heart of the East Side Industrial, Warehousing, and Railroad Historic District. The Pitt Carriage Co. Building made a locally significant contribution to Des Moines history as a… Read more »
Preservation at its Best 2017, Public Structure: Burlington Northern Depot (Osceola) The project was executed in two phases. Construction for the phase one site improvement portion of the work started in April 2015. Construction for the phase two, building restoration/rehabilitation portion of the work started in October 2015 and was completed in May of 2016. A ribbon-cutting ceremony… Read more »
Preservation at its Best 2017, Community Effort: Frankie House (Cedar Rapids) A Bohemian immigrant home destined for the landfill became a labor of love for Save Cedar Rapids Heritage, a young non-profit organization that works to preserve historic buildings through awareness and action. Built in 1894 by John Kuba, a Bohemian immigrant and railroad employee,… Read more »
Preservation Iowa is proud to honor individuals, organizations, projects, and programs whose work demonstrates a commitment to excellence in historic preservation. In doing so, we hope to inspire others to take action to preserve, protect, and promote historic resources. We are delighted at this time to engage with interested parties in applying for the first round of the… Read more »
2016 Preservation at its Best, Rural Preservation: Worth Brewing Company Northwood—a town with about 2000 residents—had problem that many small towns in rural Iowa face—a vacant building in the historic downtown. In this case, it was The Oddfellows-Erickson building. This two-story brick structure in the Italianate style was designed by J.L. Rood of St. Paul,… Read more »
