West Branch Commercial Historic District facts for kids
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West Branch Commercial Historic District
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 Location in Iowa
Location in the United States
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| Location | N. Downey and E. and W. Main Sts., West Branch, Iowa |
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| Area | 1 acre (0.40 ha) |
| Architect | Multiple |
| Architectural style | Prairie School, Commercial Style |
| NRHP reference No. | 87000028 (original) 90000158 (increase 1) 95000386 (increase 2) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 7, 1987 |
| Boundary increases | February 23, 1990 April 7, 1995 |
The West Branch Commercial Historic District is a special part of downtown West Branch, Iowa. It's like a time capsule showing how the town grew. You can see many different building styles here. The old and important Gruwell and Crew General Store is also found in this district.
The Story of West Branch's Downtown
The West Branch Commercial Historic District includes sixteen buildings. These buildings show how West Branch became an important place for shopping and business. This big change happened around the year 1900. Back then, many wooden shops were torn down. In their place, fancy new buildings were built.
The oldest building in the district is the Grinnell Building. It's located at 112 West Main Street. This building might have been built way back in 1869. Soon after, Nate Crook opened a restaurant and barber shop. This was at 102 West Main Street. Later, he made his building bigger. It became a hotel and a place for horses and carriages.
The West Branch Bank opened in 1875 at 104 West Main. But it moved across the street three years later. The town grew even more in the 1890s. Many new buildings went up during this time. These included the Union Block and the Citizens' Savings Bank. The Gruwell and Crew General Store was also built then. Other buildings were the Patterson-Leech Building and the Rich and Bailey Block.
The 1890s also saw the building of the beautiful Opera Block. Charles A. Macomber had it built. Three stores were on the first floor. The second floor had a large theater with 500 seats. It was also used by the Freemasons, a social group.
On April 7, 1987, this district became officially recognized. The National Park Service added it to the National Register of Historic Places. This is a list of important historical places in the United States. The Gruwell and Crew General Store was already on this list since 1982. More buildings were added to the district in 1990 and 1995. Sadly, the 1907 Winery Building collapsed on June 11, 2010. It used to be West Branch's post office and later a gas station.
Buildings That Tell a Story
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The 1907 Winery/Post Office in June 2009, before it collapsed.
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The historic Gruwell and Crew General Store.
