Christmas arrived just a bit early for several downtown Jefferson building owners.
Why Not Us, the investment group that owns the Centennial Block building received notification Nov. 22, 2022, that the property, constructed in 1876, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on Nov. 15, along with the Funky Zebras Jefferson Boutique building at 205 N. Wilson owned by Meghan Von Behren and the 206, 208 and 210 N. Wilson buildings, owned by Tracy Bosshart, which are now the Stitch business using the 206 N. Wilson address.
According to Allison Archambo, certified legal governments coordinator at the State Historical Society of Iowa who sent the letters, “the National Register is the Federal Government’s official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Listing in the National Register provides recognition and assists in preserving the national’s heritage.”
Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
With these listings, the Centennial Block and the other properties now become “contributing resources” to the “Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District” which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November 2011, over 10 years ago.
In 2011, the Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register because of its significance in terms of commerce and community development within a period of significance of 1873 to 1966. The area of district includes: the courthouse square and the fronting blocks of N. Wilson, N. Chestnut, E. Lincoln Way, E. State streets and the northwest and northeast quarter blocks and 115 S. Wilson. The National Register defines a historic district as a “significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development.”
In the original application for the historic district in 2011, these five newly listed buildings were determined to be “non-contributing” according to strictly defined architectural requirements. Because of building historic integrity issues and the former Pizza Ranch’s “slipcover” façade, which masked the original design elements of the buildings, these locations were not considered “contributing” to the historic district.
The amendment nomination process to achieve the new designation has spanned more than two years and was primarily the work of architectural historian Molly Naumann of Ottumwa. However, in her research of the Centennial building, she did utilize building records and historic details accumulated by a previous owner of the building, Lois McAtee of Jefferson. The State National Register Review Committee only meets three times a year and nominations must be submitted six months in advance of the meetings.
Naumann references the unique cast stone horseshoe-shaped hood molds over the windows, noting that the design is unusual with a female head as the keystone and female heads on the bottom on each side. She also notes that the entire building was lowered forty-four inches in 1928, eliminating the need for steps at the entrances. The exterior was also coated with stucco in 1928.
She says, “The Centennial Block is a local landmark, an imposing building with unusual decorative details and speaks to the evolving commercial development around the square.”
“Achieving this designation for The Centennial Block has been a goal for all involved in Why Not Us,” said Peg Raney, president of the Why Not Us board of directors. “The background work that Lois McAtee provided for the history of the building was key and so appreciated.”
The amendment to a historic district is fairly unusual, even rare, as building owners just don’t pursue, according to Mike Palmer, Jefferson city administrator. The city should be credited with doing extensive work to reveal the original facades for the rehabilitation of the Stitch and Funky Zebras Jefferson buildings.
The Jefferson Square Commercial Historic District as a whole retains its historic architectural integrity. From the original district nomination in 2011, the historian, James E. Jacobsen, noted that “no historic building has lost mass or form since its original construction and there are no vacant lots around the square itself. The key unifying characteristic for the district is its relatively early ‘completion date’ in terms of its permanent brick commercial building (pre-World War 1). As such the architectural language is more unified and there are few later buildings.”
Listing in the National Register provides benefits to historic properties including eligibility for a 25 percent state tax credits for rehabilitation and a 10 percent federal tax credit for historic preservation.
