Peoples Savings Bank

The West Side Third Avenue SW Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 10 resources, which included seven contributing buildings and three non-contributing buildings. Cedar Rapids was platted on the east bank of the Cedar River as Rapids City in 1841, and it was incorporated in 1849. Kingston was established on the west bank of the river in 1852, and it was annexed by Cedar Rapids in 1870. The streets were laid out parallel and perpendicular to the river, which flowed from the northwest to the southeast. The Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railway, later the Chicago & North Western Railway, was the prominent railroad on the west side of town. The first bridge across the river at Third Avenue was built in 1871. The current bridge was completed in 1912. Prior to a bridge, Rapid City and Kingston were connected by a ferry operated by David W. King, the founder of Kingston. Initially residential, Third Avenue west of the river became increasingly commercial in the 1880s. The buildings that make up the historic district date from 1909 to 1942, and are representative of the various architectural styles and vernacular building forms that were popular during this time period. Two of the non-contributing buildings are more recent construction, while the third has been significantly altered. The buildings here are one to two stories in height and feature masonry facades, ground-floor storefronts, and uniform alignment that creates a uniform street wall. The buildings have housed a variety of commercial functions that include a bank, retail and wholesale stores, and professional offices. Peoples Savings Bank (1911) is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

May's Island (or Mays Island) is a small island on the Cedar River, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Functioning as a civic center much like the Île de la Cité, it is the site of the Memorial Building (the city hall), the Linn County Courthouse, and the county jail. The island plus an adjacent block was listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.The island and all of its buildings were devastated by the 2008 flood of the Cedar River, with water reaching above the first floors. Until the 2008 flood, the concentration of local and county government on the island served to unify the city on both sides. The Memorial Building was designed by Hunter & Hatton, architects of Cedar Rapids. The Beaux Arts-style Linn County Courthouse was designed by Joseph Royer, of Urbana, as was the county jail. The building masses are long and narrow, like the island itself. The buildings face each other, creating an "insular quality".The concentration of government services extends to the east bank, where the Federal government is located, to the east of the Memorial Building, in the Beaux Arts-style Federal Building, whose design is credited to the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore. Its block, from 1st Avenue north to 2nd Avenue, from 1st Street west to the river, is also included in the historic district. This makes a total of four contributing buildings in the district.

The Linn County Courthouse is located on May's Island in the middle of the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It, along with the Veterans Memorial Building and two other buildings, is a contributing property to the May's Island Historic District that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. The courthouse is the third building the county has used for court functions and county administration.

The First Avenue Bridge is a historic structure located in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It carries U.S. Route 151 for 697 feet (212 m) over the Cedar River. The original six-span concrete arch structure was completed in 1920 for $420,000. It was designed by Marsh Engineering Company and built by Koss Construction Co., both of Des Moines. Consulting engineer Ned L. Ashton of Iowa City designed the 1960s remodel. He had all of the concrete work above the original arches torn out and the bridge rebuilt as an open-spandrel structure. The rebuild also included a wider deck to accommodate increased traffic and aluminum railings. While the bridge's original structural integrity has been compromised, this is the first notable concrete spandrel arch reconstruction in Iowa and possibly in the country. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.

The Cedar Rapids Milk Condensing Company, also known as Knutson Building, and the Chelsea, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1887, and it is one of the few commercial structures that remains along the west side of the Cedar River from that era. Besides the Cedar Rapids Milk Condensing Company, the building was also used by the Knutsons for their junk business. It was used for storage and it was also used as a haunted house before it could no longer be occupied. The building has been transformed into 18 market-rate apartments called the Chelsea. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017.

Smulekoffs Furniture Store, also known as the Sinclair Building, New Sinclair Building, Warfield–Pratt–Howell Co. building and the Churchill Drug Co. building, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. In 1901 Thomas Sinclair had the original section of this five-story brick structure built. It housed the wholesale grocer Warfield–Pratt–Howell Co. and another wholesaler, the Churchill Drug Co. It was the second of several large-scale warehouse buildings that were constructed in this section of the city along the Cedar River. A spur line of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad was located at the rear of the building. Rosenbaum Furniture Store bought the building in 1925, and it was converted from warehouse use to retail. In 1941 Smulekoffs Furniture Store took over the building and renovated the main floor. They remained here until 2014. The building is slated for apartments on the upper floors and retail on the main floor. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.

The Highwater Rock is located in the Cedar River near downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It is a large granite boulder in the rapids in the eastern half of the river. Its height depends on the river level. It can be 3 feet (0.91 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) above the water level in low water, or submerged in high water. It was used to gauge the river depth from the 1840s to the close of river navigation in the mid-1860s. In the early days, people could cross the river at the rapids on horseback, on foot, or by wagon and buggy. They would use the rock to determine if it was safe for them to cross. After David W. King began ferry service in 1848 and a toll bridge was built, people would use the rock to determine if the water was low enough to cross the river and avoid paying the tolls. King would use the rock to determine the amount of cargo he could carry or if he could run the ferry at all. After steam navigation was established on the river the steamer pilots would use the rock to determine if they could continue past the rapids. Railroads severely curtailed the use of steamboats on the Cedar River, and in 1870 the United States Congress declared the river was not navigable above Columbus Junction, which is well below Cedar Rapids. This put an end to water transportation on this part of the river, and the usefulness of the rock. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The Hamilton Brothers Building, also known as Warfield-Pratt & Howell Co. Wholesale Grocers, and the Hach Brothers Company, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. This is the only extant building associated with local businessman and politician John Taylor Hamilton. He was a representative of Cyrus McCormick at the time his company was opening new markets for his mechanical reaper and other implements. Hamilton expanded his business to other implement manufactures and included product lines for urban dwellers as well. His business grew beyond the local area to include the entire state. Built as a warehouse in 1899, it is the only building of this type left near the central business district. It is also the largest building of this type in the city. The four-story, brick, Romanesque Revival structure features large round arch openings on the main floor and smaller windows on the upper floors. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

The Iowa Wind Mill and Pump Company Office and Warehouse, also known as Iowa Pipe and Supply Company, Cedar Rapids Presort, and the Mott Building, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. This is the only extant building of a complex of buildings along the Cedar River used by the Iowa Wind Mill and Pump Company. The three-story structure is a simplified version of Victorian architecture. The thick brick walls were a form of fire protection and insulation, while the heavy timber for the interior support structure created large open space that was required to house industrial equipment, production activities, and warehouse storage. The tall windows allowed for interior lighting and ventilation. The first floor provided finished space used for offices. Iowa Wind Mill and Pump Company began as a branch of the Kendallville, Indiana based Flint & Walling Manufacturing Company around 1890. They began building their complex of buildings along the Cedar River and the tracks of the Chicago and North Western Railroad the following year. This building was completed in 1902. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

Cedar Rapids Central Fire Station, also known as Cedar Rapids Hose Company No. 1 and the Cedar Rapids Science Station, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It served as the city's fire department headquarters and downtown fire station from 1918 to 1985. It replaced a frame structure in the northeast quadrant, and was part of a larger program of building new facilities for the local fire department. The building program was a response to a series of disastrous fires, changing technology, and the city's growth. This fire station served from the era of horse-drawn pumper wagons to the modern era of fire engines, pumpers, and hook and ladder trucks. The two-story, brick Mission and Spanish Colonial Revival structure was designed by local architect Charles A. Dieman. In the mid-20th century a two-story kitchen addition was built onto the back of the building. After its use as a fire station the building was incorporated into a new science center in 2000. The interior of the building was damaged during flooding in 2008. When a new Central Fire Station was built in 2013 to replace the 1985 building that was destroyed in the same flood, it incorporated design elements from this building. The 1918 fire station was acquired by a downtown development corporation who plan to convert it into office space. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.

Grant Vocational High School, also known as the Board of Education and the Cedar Rapids School District Central Office, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1915, this is a rare example of a vocational high school in Iowa as only a handful were ever built. While it offered various student activities in athletics and the arts, its curriculum was based on the manual arts instead of humanities or college preparatory courses. A Progressive Era idea, vocational education began in Cedar Rapids in 1904. Within a year there was a call for a dedicated vocational high school. There was much debate as the local school district's regular high school was beyond capacity and there was a need for new elementary schools. Efforts to build the school began with the passage of a bond referendum in 1911. Cedar Rapids architect William J. Brown designed the three-story, brick Prairie School structure and it was built by the F.P. Gould Company of Omaha. While the school started strong, it soon failed to live up to expectations as vocational education was expensive to operate and enrollment was voluntary. Because the building is not unlike a regular high school, it was converted to that purpose in 1924. In 1936 Cedar Rapids experienced another round of school construction and Grant was converted into an office building for the school district. It served that purpose until 2008. The building now houses commercial enterprises. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

The Paramount Theatre is a 1,693-seat Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. In 2015 it was included as a contributing property in the Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District.The theater is a restored example of a vaudeville/movie palace of the 1920s. It was damaged by the flood of June 2008, which submerged most of downtown Cedar Rapids. The Paramount serves as home to Orchestra Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Area Theater Organ Society, and a series of Community Concerts. It is famous for its restored Wurlitzer theater organ, which could be lifted up from below stage level when used. The Paramount is included in the National Register of Historic Places.