State Historical Society of Iowa

Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Awards 10 Historic Preservation Grants

Dec 6, 2019

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs today announced it has awarded $90,000 to 10 Iowa communities for historic preservation projects.

The department awarded $90,000 through its Certified Local Government program for historic preservation, which encourages governmental partnerships, provides training and technical assistance, and supports preservation of historic resources at the local level.

Iowa's Certified Local Government program is one of the largest of its kind in the nation and is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service. The program was established as an amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act in 1980.

The list of Certified Local Government grants announced today follows:

Adel Historic Preservation Commission, Dallas County
Adel Public Square Historic District Bronze Plaques, $1,500
Adel will purchase 10 bronze plaques to mark historic buildings in its downtown district, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Council Bluffs Historic Preservation Commission, Pottawattamie County
Preserve Iowa Summit 2021, $12,500
The City of Council Bluffs will host the 2021 Preserve Iowa Summit to showcase the city’s history and preservation accomplishments to other preservationists from across the state.

Creston Historic Preservation Commission, Union County
Intensive Survey of Creston’s Downtown, $13,439
The Creston Historic Preservation Commission will hire a qualified historian or architectural historian to complete an intensive survey of downtown.

Dallas County Historic Preservation Commission, Dallas County
Seth Dayton Stagecoach Inn National Register Nomination, $6,000
This project will nominate the Dayton House – one of Iowa's last remaining stagecoach stops – to the National Register of Historic Places.

Dubuque (city) Historic Preservation Commission, Dubuque County
Phase I Archaeological Survey for Eagle Point Park, $10,000
Dubuque County will hire an archaeologist to conduct a Phase I Archaeological Survey of two areas for Eagle Point Park.

Le Mars Historic Preservation Commission, Plymouth County
National Alliance of Preservation Commission’s FORUM 2020, $2,264
The funding will be used to send two Le Mars Historic Preservation Commission members to the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions 2020 FORUM in Tacoma, Wash.

Manning Historic Preservation Commission, Carroll County
Schmidt Building Rehabilitation and Adaptive Use Plan, $13,500
This project will entail a physical assessment and concept-level feasibility plan for the rehabilitation of 507 Main Street, a historic cornerstone building.

Muscatine County Historic Preservation Commission, Muscatine County
Survey of Country Schools and Churches, $8,183
This project will document country schools and churches that were once prolific in Muscatine County and then evaluate those properties for National Register eligibility.

Osceola Historic Preservation Commission, Clarke County
Design Guidelines for the Osceola Commercial Historic District, $10,134
This project will create historic design guidelines for the Osceola Commercial Historic District.

Spencer Historic Preservation Commission, Clay County
Spencer Downtown Historic District Design Guidelines, $12,480
This project will create historic design guidelines for the Grand Avenue Commercial Historic District.

The State Historic Preservation Office is overseen by the State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. More information is available at iowaculture.gov or 515-281-5111.

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and its three divisions – the Iowa Arts Council, Produce Iowa - State Office of Media Production and the State Historical Society of Iowa – empower Iowa to build and sustain culturally vibrant communities by connecting Iowans to the people, places and points of pride that define our state. The department’s work enables Iowa to be recognized as a state that fosters creativity and serves as a catalyst for innovation where the stories of Iowa are preserved and communicated to connect past, present and future generations. iowaculture.gov