Nearly ten years ago, black mold was first discovered at the Lu Verne Post Office and a clean-up was conducted. The clean-up was unsuccessful, and a test two years later in showed mold problems continued to exist. The building was vacated and the Post Office was relocated to Lu Verne City Hall two blocks north in September 2003. Once considered a temporary relocation, this unique sharing arrangement remains in place today.
Published April 22, 2011 |
City Halls, Post Offices |
Kossuth County
The Capitol Theatre opened inside the 10-story Kahl Building in downtown Davenport on Christmas Day 1920. At the time of opening, it was considered a state-of-the-art movie palace and was the largest such venue in the state, with a capacity for 2,500 patrons. The stage was expanded in 1925 to allow for a wider variety of theatrical productions and vaudeville performances. By 1977, the Capitol Theatre ceased operation as a working movie theatre.
In 1994, the theatre, along with the entire Kahl Building was donated to Scott County Community College, part of the Eastern Iowa Community College District. Two years later, the building opened as an education facility and currently, 1,000 students take classes in the building each semester.
In February 2008, the Community College entered an lease agreement with a newly-established local organization, Capitol Theatre LLC. In exchange for the lease cost of $1 per year, the organization would be responsible for maintenance, renovations, and booking of the historic venue. Though the slowly gained traction and saw several successful events booked, Capitol Theatre LLC was unable to secure the estimated $2 million needed to renovate and modernize the building’s 90-year-old physical systems, and the theatre’s last event was held June 5, 2010.
Published April 21, 2011 |
Movie Theatres |
Scott County
| Map
Readyln resident Glennis Meier led the effort to establish the first community library on March 27, 1965. The library originally was located in the back room of the City Hall, with books purchased from local donations and fundraisers. As the library collection grew, more space was needed, and the present library building was constructed in 1968. In 1992, a multi-purpose room was added to the brick library, which now provides patrons with books, CDs, DVDs, public computers, and wireless internet access.
Published April 20, 2011 |
Public Libraries |
Bremer County
| Map
In 1948, the newly-formed Ottosen Commercial Club began to accept donations to construct a new community center for the Humboldt County Community. Construction was quickly completed, mostly by volunteer labor, with an official dedication held August 1948. The center continues to serve the community, with hundreds of dances, card parties, and other events held over the past six decades.
Published April 19, 2011 |
Community Centers |
Humboldt County
| Map
The first Adams County Courthouse to built in the seat of Corning was destroyed by fire the morning of February 1, 1888. The wood frame structure burned quickly, and within less than two hours all that was left was the chimney and remains of the brick vault. Temporary quarters were setup within local businesses before voters approved construction of a new courthouse in November 1889 and the new, $28,000 building was dedicated June 20, 1890.
By 1938, the second courthouse showed signs of deterioration and efforts were made pass a bond issue to cover costs for construction of a new Courthouse facility. After four failed votes, citizens approved a $225,000 bond issue to construct a new building in January 1954. Ground was broken June 1954 and the building was formally dedicate October 7, 1955.
The third Adams County Courthouse featured a contemporary style of architecture, unusual at the time among public buildings across the state and nation. The building originally featured concrete walls painted with aqua green and a pink-like “grayed alizarin crimson.” Though the modern facility was lauded by architectural critics at the time, the building was later dubbed by legendary Iowa columnist Chuck Offenberger as being the ugliest courthouse in the state.
An $850,000 renovation was completed in 1999 which included installation of new windows and doors, a new exterior finish, and a new sign and front canopy. The project also included interior upgrades including a new coat of paint, ceiling fans, lighting, and heating and cooling throughout the building.
Published April 18, 2011 |
Courthouses |
Adams County
| Map
