Roshek's facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Roshek Brothers Department Store
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | 250 W. 8th St. Dubuque, Iowa |
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| Built | 1929-1932 |
| Architect | Charles Wheeler Nicol William Lewis Yokum |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts Art Deco |
| NRHP reference No. | 10000076 |
| Added to NRHP | March 17, 2010 |
The Roshek Brothers Department Store was a huge shop in the heart of Dubuque, Iowa. It was started by brothers J.J. and F.H. Roshek. For many years, Roshek's was the best place to shop in Dubuque. It was even the biggest department store in all of Iowa! This important building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
A Look Back at Roshek's History
Roshek's was open for over 40 years in a nine-story building. This building was located at 700 Locust Street in Dubuque. Construction on the building started in August 1929.
Building a Giant Store
The plan was to finish the whole building in one year. However, by the fall of 1931, only half of it was done. The entire building was finally finished in 1932. It is a block long and half a block wide. It is also the tallest building in Dubuque.
This new building replaced two older, four-story buildings. One was the Rider-Wallis dry goods building. The other was a smaller Roshek building nearby. The architect for this amazing building was Charles Wheeler Nicol. He was famous for designing big hotels and schools. The Roshek building was, and still is, the largest building in Iowa used as a department store.
Other Shops Downtown
In the 1960s, before the Kennedy Mall was built, other department stores were also downtown. Stampfer's was on the corner of Eighth and Main streets. J.C. Penney was also on Main Street, close to Stampfer's.
Moving to the Mall
In the 1960s, Roshek's decided to move to a smaller store. They moved to the Kennedy Mall, which was a new shopping center. This mall was on the western edge of Dubuque. Roshek's became one of the main stores at the mall. Other big stores there were Montgomery Ward and Younkers.
The new Roshek's store at the mall opened in 1970. Later, the Roshek family sold the store to another company. The store finally closed its doors in 1982. Today, the space where Roshek's used to be in the mall is now home to Sears and Younkers.
The Building's New Life
After Roshek's moved out of the downtown building, it became an office building. For many years, it was known as the Dubuque Building. For a short time, it was called CyCare Plaza. Now, it is called the Roshek Building again.
In 2009, a big company called IBM announced they would move into the building. They planned to create a new technology center there. They also wanted to make the building more eco-friendly. On March 17, 2010, the building was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places.
