March 18, 2024

Newton Main Street nets $75K grant

DES MOINES — Newton Main Street received a $75,000 boost for the Hotel Maytag restoration project Monday.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority awarded the effort a Main Street Iowa Challenge grant to fund part of the rehabilitation of the Hotel Maytag ballroom. The announcement was made during a ceremony at the Des Moines Botanical Center.

"The Challenge Grant is so competitive," said Andrew Bassman, executive director of Newton Main Street. "Award of the grant confirms what we have known from the start — that this is a very good project that could have a huge impact on the Main Street District."

Cedar Rapids-based Frantz Community Investors announced in March plans to renovate the former Hotel Maytag in Newton. The $10 million project is expected not only to restore the ballroom, but also add 35 market-rate apartments, commercial space and an upscale restaurant to the current Midtown building.

Andy Frantz, vice president of operations for FCI, said the grant is one of many positive steps happening with the project.

"You don't make historic restoration projects happen without grants like this," Frantz said. "It really is a collaborative effort and the support from everyone involved and the City of Newton has been amazing.

"It's so important the ballroom come back as part of this project. As we met with people in the community it was evident the ballroom is a critical piece of this."

The Hotel Maytag opened for business in December 1926. The ballroom, in its early years, was a center of activity for most social events. It has been well documented that numerous weddings and social events took place in the Maytag Ballroom.

Over the years, the hotel was converted into apartments and the ballroom was converted into office space. The terrazzo floors and ballroom features are still visible in some areas of the offices. Developers plan to remove the offices so the ballroom can be restored, with about $450,000 dedicated to the ballroom restoration itself. With a capacity to hold 300 people, the ballroom is expected to fulfill a need for an event center to serve the public and surrounding areas. Meanwhile, it will bring more people to the downtown historic district.

The unique features of the ballroom such as the terrazzo floors, cornices, lightwell and skylight make it a magnificent experience even in current times. The skylight, lightwells, plaster walls, cornices, etc. will all be restored so the ballroom can serve its original purpose following state and federal guidelines for historic restoration.

Read more about this story in Tuesday's Newton Daily News.

Contact Abigail Pelzer at 641-792-3121 ext. 6530 or apelzer@newtondailynews.com