The Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building, also known as the Witwer Building, is a historic building located in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 2015 it was included as a contributing property in the Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District.[2]
Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building | |
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| Location | 305 2nd Ave., SE. Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°58′42″N 91°39′58″W / 41.97833°N 91.66611°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | Taylor McAlpin James Knox |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| Part of | Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District (ID15000757) |
| NRHP reference No. | 82000413[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1982 |
History
editThe building was completed in 1908 and served as a post office and federal building. The federal government sold the building to Weaver Witwer in 1932 after the new federal courthouse was built on First Street. The first floor housed Witwer's Farm Market and the Me Too Grocery Store and the upper floors housed offices for Witwer's various operations.[3] The store closed in the mid 1960s and Witwer bequeathed the building to Linn County in 1970. It was renovated several times between 1972 and 1989. Before the Cedar River flood in 2008 the building housed several county offices, including Linn County Community Services, Mental Health and Developmental Disability, General Assistance, Protective Payee and State of Iowa juvenile probation offices.[3] It also housed the Witwer Senior Center, which was a non-county organization. The county sold the building to an Iowa City developer in 2010 for $570,004.[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Marjorie Pearson, Ph.D. "Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
- ^ a b "Witwer Building". Linn County, Iowa. Archived from the original on 2012-04-22. Retrieved 2012-10-13.
- ^ "Witwer Building may have new owner soon". The Gazette. 2012-03-22. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2012-10-13.