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Waterloo East Commercial Historic District

Buildings and structures in Waterloo, IowaHistoric districts in Black Hawk County, IowaHistoric districts on the National Register of Historic Places in IowaNRHP infobox with nocatNational Register of Historic Places in Black Hawk County, Iowa
Northeast Iowa Registered Historic Place stubsUse mdy dates from August 2023Victorian architecture in Iowa
NewtonsWaterlooIA
NewtonsWaterlooIA

The Waterloo East Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Waterloo, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 36 resources, including 28 contributing buildings, and eight non-contributing buildings. The city of Waterloo was established in the early 1850s. Its first settlers started developing the west side of the city before crossing the Cedar River and developing east side. The first Black Hawk County Courthouse was built on the east side in 1856 and East Waterloo Township was created two years later. As industry began to develop along the river, and the arrival of the first railroad in 1861, the commercial district on the east side began to grow. Also on the east side of town was the terminus of the streetcar-turned-interurban system. By 1900, the city became one of the primary wholesale and retail centers in northeastern Iowa. In 1911 the Black population increased significantly as workers, primarily from Mississippi, moved into town to work for the Illinois Central Railroad. The following year the saloons in town were closed and bootlegging, gambling, drugs, and prostitution started to increase in the area surrounding the central business district. All of these developed put together created the atmosphere of the downtown commercial district. For the most part, the commercial buildings in the district are constructed of brick and are two to three stories in height. There are also several taller multi-story buildings located here, and they represent the "high water mark in the district’s physical development." All of the buildings follow the styles popular at the time of their construction, including Italianate, Neoclassical, and Commercial. Architects who have buildings in the district include John Bartley, John T. Burkett, Howard B. Burr, Mortimer Cleveland, George Ellis, Hallett & Rawson, Emile G. Jehle, Josselyn & Taylor, Joseph C. Llewellyn, John G. Ralston, Fred G. Shaw, and Clinton P. Shockley. Fires in the 1920s and 1950s impacted the appearance of the district as most of the fire-damaged were given stylish new facades. Several other buildings were given updated facades in the 1940s and the 1950s. The buildings that do not contribute to the historic integrity of the district had their facades resurfaced in more recent decades. The Fowler Company Building (1884) and the Marsh-Place Building (1910) are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Waterloo East Commercial Historic District (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Waterloo East Commercial Historic District
East 4th Street, Waterloo

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Latitude Longitude
N 42.498888888889 ° E -92.335 °
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Screaming Eagle American Bar and Grill

East 4th Street 228
50703 Waterloo
Iowa, United States
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Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch
Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch

The Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch is a historic building located in Waterloo, Iowa, United States. The public library was established here in 1896. It operated out of two rented rooms, one on the east side of the Cedar River and other on the west side. The Carnegie Foundation offered a grant of $30,000 to build a new library, but disagreements erupted over whether to place the building on the east side or west side of the river. They then agreed to grant $40,000 for a mid-river building, or the same amount for two buildings. In the end they agreed to grant the community $24,000 to build this building and a similar amount for the west side branch. Waterloo architect John G. Ralston designed both buildings in the Neoclassical style. Both were dedicated on February 23, 1906. The single-story Bedford stone structure was built over a raised basement. It is one of the few stone buildings in Waterloo. The building has a central portico with paired Ionic columns. It is part of a larger central mass that is oriented from front to back and sits across the lower hipped roof. In 1977 voters in Waterloo approved a $3,650,000 bond referendum to renovate the city's 1938 post office and federal building to house the library. The post office vacated the building in 1979 when it relocated. The old library building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The building is now used by the city of Waterloo.

Walnut Street Baptist Church (Waterloo, Iowa)
Walnut Street Baptist Church (Waterloo, Iowa)

Walnut Street Baptist Church is a church building in downtown Waterloo, Iowa, United States. It has also been known as Faith Temple Baptist Church. Built in 1908, it was designed for its triangular lot by Waterloo architect Clinton P. Shockley. Although the main exterior materials are merely brick plus stone and concrete trim, the building reflects multiple architectural influences:The building exhibits the influence of a combination of contemporary architectural styles and trends of the early 20th century including the English Arts and Crafts movement and the Chicago School with minor indications of the academic tradition of the Beaux-Arts.: 5  Clinton Phillip Shockley began his architectural practice in 1906. This was an important work for him. He and Mortimer Cleveland were "by far" the most qualified architects in Iowa and were able to win contracts that would previously have gone to non-Iowa firms.: 15 The Walnut Street Baptist Church congregation worshiped in the facility from its construction until 1970. The congregation was an early leader in the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches. Upon relocating to a new facility and changing its name to Walnut Ridge Baptist Church, the congregation sold the downtown site to Faith Temple Baptist Church (American Baptist Churches USA). The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. In 2019 it was included as a contributing building in the Walnut Street Historic District.

Walnut Street Historic District (Waterloo, Iowa)

The Walnut Street Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Waterloo, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2019. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 111 resources, including 91 contributing buildings and 20 non-contributing buildings. The district is largely a residential area located between the central business district and the former location of the Illinois Central Railroad round house and shops. The neighborhood was originally platted as the Railroad Addition in 1860 and as the Cooley Addition in 1865. Buildings date from c. 1880 to 1981. Single-family houses are largely wood-frame construction with a few brick. Architectural styles include Queen Anne, Italianate, Shingle, Bungalow, variations on the American Foursquare, and those in a vernacular mode. Multi-family dwellings include double houses, identical houses, and apartment buildings. There are also a few commercial buildings on East Fourth Street and two churches. Walnut Street Baptist Church (1908) is individually listed on the NRHP. Two local architects, Mortimer Cleveland and Clinton Shockley have buildings in the district. The district is significant as an early residential neighborhood outside of the original riverfront town. It was initially a middle to upper-middle-class single-family residential neighborhood. During a period of rapid growth and industrialization in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an influx of immigrants that required low-cost housing close to factories and streetcar routes, the neighborhood's fortunes changed. The multi-family dwellings and the commercial buildings were constructed from this time and into the mid-20th century. Urban Renewal projects in the 1960s sought to revitalize the area by widening U.S. Route 63 and removing dilapidated houses. As a result, there are several vacant lots.