Cedar Falls Ice House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Cedar Falls Ice House
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | Franklin Ave. and 1st St. Cedar Falls, Iowa |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1921 |
| Architect | Cedar Falls Construction Co. |
| NRHP reference No. | 77000494 |
| Added to NRHP | October 21, 1977 |
The Cedar Falls Ice House is a special old building in Cedar Falls, Iowa, United States. It was built in 1921. This building is important because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977. Today, it's known as the Ice House Museum. Here, you can learn all about how people used to get and store ice before refrigerators were common!
Contents
History of the Ice House
The very first ice house in Cedar Falls was built a long time ago, in 1858. It was near the home of William Sturgis. He was the first person to live permanently in Black Hawk County, Iowa. Sadly, that first ice house was destroyed by a fire on October 22, 1921.
Right after the fire, Hugh Smith decided to build a new one. He owned the Cedar Falls Ice and Fuel Company. The new building, which is the one we see today, was finished in November 1921. The Cedar Falls Construction Company built it.
From Ice Storage to Other Uses
The first time ice was harvested and stored in this new building was on January 10, 1922. For many years, it served as a place to keep large amounts of ice. People would cut ice from frozen rivers or lakes in winter. Then, they would store it in ice houses. This way, they could use ice all year long, even in summer!
Hugh Smith used the building for his ice business until 1934. After that, the Cedar Falls Trust and Savings Bank took over the building. It was used for different things. For a while, it was a barn for livestock. It was even flooded once so people could go ice skating inside!
In 1938, the city of Cedar Falls bought the building. They let the Cedar Falls Boat Club use it. The Boat Club stayed there until 1976. By then, the building was in bad shape.
Saving the Ice House
In 1976, the Cedar Falls Historical Society decided to save the old ice house. They started a campaign to raise money. People gave donations to help fix up the building. Renovations began in 1978.
Finally, the Ice House Museum opened its doors on June 24, 1979. It became a place where people could learn about the history of ice and how it was used. The building was damaged during a big flood in Iowa in 2008, but it was repaired.
Building Design and Architecture
The Cedar Falls Ice House is a very interesting building. It's built like a true round barn. This means it's completely circular!
Size and Structure
The building is about 100 feet (30 meters) across. It stands about 30 feet (9 meters) tall. It's made from hollow clay tiles. The roof has two different slopes. It's supported by a pole in the middle and by the strong walls.
When it was used as an ice house, it was huge inside! It could hold between 6,000 and 8,000 tons of ice. That's a lot of ice! It also has something called an "aerator" on top. This helps with air circulation inside the building.
See also
- List of ice companies
