Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District

Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.[1] Additional documentation for the district was approved by the National Park Service on January 4, 2019.[2] At the time of its nomination it contained 177 resources, which included 100 contributing buildings, one contributing site, one contributing structure, five contributing objects, 64 non-contributing buildings, three non-contributing structures, and three non-contributing objects.[3] The district covers the city's central business district, mainly along Central Avenue, but also along the adjoining streets as well. Commercial development in the district began with the city's original plat in 1854 and continued through the opening of the Crossroads Mall in 1964.[4] Webster County Courthouse (1902), First National Bank Building (1908), and the Wahkonsa Hotel (1910) are all located in the district and are individually listed on the National Register.[3]

Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District
Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District is located in Iowa
Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District
Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District is located in the United States
Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District
Location1st Ave. N., Central Ave., and 1st Ave. S. from 3rd St. on the west to 12th St. on east, Fort Dodge, Iowa
Coordinates42°30′18″N 94°11′15″W / 42.50500°N 94.18750°W / 42.50500; -94.18750
Built byAnthony Steinhoff
ArchitectLiebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen
Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson
Architectural styleLate Victorian
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.10000918[1]
Added to NRHPNovember 10, 2010

Buildings usage in the district varies widely and includes commercial, light industrial, residential, religious, governmental, social, and educational functions. There is also a wide variety of architectural styles that reflect the era in which the buildings were constructed. The oldest building in the district is the Reynolds Block (1882) which marks the transition of the business district from the wood-frame structures of its settlement period to masonry constriction.[3] A building boom in the early 20th-century replaced many of the cities older commercial buildings. Building heights range from single story structures to eight stories. Two prominent Des Moines architectural firms, Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen and Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson, designed buildings in the district, as did several other architects. The contributing site is the Public Square, the contributing structure is the foundation of a building that was torn down, and the contributing objects include two memorials/drinking fountains and three neon signs.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "weekly list 20190201 (aggregate list)". National Park Service. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Alexa McDowell. "Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District". National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District - Webster County - Fort Dodge, Iowa". AKAY Consulting. Retrieved October 26, 2016.