When I moved into a late 19th century house on Iowa City’s northeast side in 2010, I slept in what my brother affectionately called “The Hobbit Room.” If you’ve seen me around town, you’ll know that I’m far from hobbit height — perhaps hobbit times two.
The room was technically an attic crawl space that was finished with carpet and drywall. The property owner researched the house and discovered the room — which was built off of the master bedroom — was originally marketed as a playroom for young children. She said the home was listed on the original Iowa City plat. I love the idea of living in a piece of architectural history.
My current second-floor residence was built in 1900. The downtown Colfax loft has seen many uses in 115 years. According to a 2009 Colfax Main Street report, the structure has been a grocery store, beauty salon and gift shop and is believed to have mineral water well in its basement. Now a law office, it’s like stepping into a time warp when I walk up the stairwell every night, going back to a time of great economic prosperity and influence for small-town Iowa and Colfax itself.
When I first took the helm of the Prairie City News and Jasper County Tribune, the deep-rooted history of the publications within their community conversations captured me. The Prairie City News has been in production for 141 years. That is a high number for any continuous publication in the United States.
The Jasper County Tribune office in Colfax is now known as the Cross Building, but in 1888 when it was constructed, the building was the Cain Opera House. It never escapes me that I write my articles, news briefs and column directly below a former theatrical and artistic center for late 19th century Colfax.
Colfax Main Street announced Tuesday it has received a grant from Prairie Meadows Race Track and Casino to fund a historic walking tour of the potential downtown “Spring City Historic Business District.” At the same event, a year-long study researching the downtown area was unveiled. I use the term “potential” because the community still has quite the public relations outreach effort ahead to muster support from business and city leaders to make the designation happen. But when the citizens of Colfax want something to happen — historically — it does.
This is a great time for history in Jasper County. A planned $10 million renovation of the former Hotel Maytag in downtown Newton was announced in March. Kellogg is celebrating its sesquicentennial year June 26-28 and Colfax will celebrate 150 years in 2016.
Studies, photographs and aging archives are being digitized for posterity — but, more importantly — to be easily accessed by the masses. The ability for someone to see 100-year-old photographs of their hometown from the comfort of the living room sofa could bring a great interest in preserving Iowa’s local treasures while sparking interest to a wider a audience.
Iowa and its communities have a rich history in Midwestern styles and traditions. It’s important to incorporate portions of our past as we push to integrate a progressive future.
Contact Mike Mendenhall at
mmendenhall@newtondailynews.com