The MBA was established in Tipton, Iowa in 1897. It moved its headquarters to Mason City in 1915 and in August that year, it approved the construction of the MBA Building. The MBA bought the site in December from another fraternal organization called the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, whose building was partially demolished to make way for the new structure (the section of the Elks building that still stands is directly to the south). The MBA Building opened to great fanfare on June 6 and 7, 1917. The event included a variety of activities such as concerts, speeches, vaudeville performances, and even Chinese acrobats. Among the speakers was former President William Howard Taft.The MBA merged with the Independent Order of Foresters by 1948. That year, the Order sold the building to Mason City Brick and Tile Company, which renamed it to the Brick and Tile Building. It was sold again in 1973 and in 2000. It is unclear whether the building has been sold since then.

Built in 1917, the Modern Brotherhood of America Building is the only surviving early 20th-century building in the city. 

Commonly referred to as the MBA Building, the Modern Brotherhood of America Building is one of the most prominent landmarks in Mason City. The MBA, which was a fraternal organization that provided life insurance to its members, erected the building in 1917. It is the only office building in the city from the early 20th century still standing. It is eight stories tall and features a terra cotta exterior except for the granite base, sets of triple windows, segmental arches on the seventh floor, and an elaborate capital at the top with decorative terra cotta cartouches. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Modern Brotherhood of America Building

This tour begins at the Historic Park Inn Hotel and includes landmark buildings such as the Modern Brotherhood of America Building the public library, and the historic YMCA Building. Other landmarks include Music Man Square which celebrates Mason City's most famous resident, Robert Meredith Wilson, the author of the beloved musical by the same name. The tour also includes a home built by architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Keerl-Decker House, and the Charles MacNider Art Museum. 

Two local attorneys—James Blythe and J.E.E. Markley—led the effort to build the hotel and bank. A number of factors compelled them to take on the project. They were on the board of directors of the City National Bank, which, at the time, wanted a new building. Blythe and Markley also recognized that the city, which was in the midst of a period of tremendous growth in the early 1900s, needed a hotel. They wanted a new location for their law firm as well. The site where the hotel now stands was occupied by buildings considered to be eyesores and the project was a good opportunity to demolish them.Blythe and Markley hired Wright on the recommendation of Markley's two daughters, who attended a Wright-designed school in Spring Green, Wisconsin (Wright's former home, studio and architecture school, Taliesin, is also located there). Wright visited in Mason City around 1906 or 1907 and started making plans for the hotel and bank. While the buildings were under construction, Wright eloped to Europe with the wife of a former client and remained there for a year. As a result, he did not oversee the construction of the buildings. Instead, he delegated that task to one of his associates, William Drummond. The buildings were completed in 1910.In the 1920s, Iowa farmers were hit hard by decreasing crop prices. As a result, City National Bank and other Iowa banks went into bankruptcy. City National was sold and the building was converted into retail and office space. The hotel began to decline after a competitor, the Hanford Hotel, was built in the mid-1920s. The Park Inn continued to operate but eventually became a low-end apartment building and then was abandoned.WOTP was established in 2005 to preserve, restore and maintain the hotel. It bought the bank building in 2007. Renovation work on the buildings continued until 2011 when the hotel reopened. Both buildings were added separately to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and both are contributing properties of the Mason City Downtown Historic District.

The Historic Park Inn Hotel is the last remaining hotel designed by famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the world. Built in 1910, it is an excellent example of Prairie School architecture and actually consists of two buildings, one of which was originally a bank. The hotel building is located on the west side and the former bank is on the east side (the bank building now has additional hotel guest rooms and the former bank lobby is used as a ballroom). The Park Inn features typical elements of the Prairie School architecture including long horizontal lines and wide overhanging eaves. Visitors can take guided tours of the hotel, which is operated by a non-profit organization called Wright on the Park (WOTP).

Historic Park Inn Hotel

Featuring his original home, a statue dedicated in his honor, and a central museum, Music Man’s Square’s main goal is the education of visitors in the history and celebration of music. The area is not directly owned by the City of Mason City and is instead supported by the Mason City Foundation through memberships and donations.Robert Meredith Willson (1902-1984) was born in Mason City, Iowa and had an immensely successful career in the music and entertainment industry as a musician, composer, conductor, arranger, author, and radio personality. While growing up in Mason City, Willson showed great musical promise. After his Mason City High School graduation, he went to New York City. Willson made concert appearances around the country with his wife, Rini, herself a star in the concert, radio and opera business.Willson is best remembered for his Broadway musical "The Music Man," for which he wrote the script, lyrics and music. This famous musical was a tribute to his hometown since the fictitious "River City", featured in the Broadway hit, was based on places and people in Mason City. "The Music Man" became one of the five longest running musical plays in Broadway history and won several prestigious awards. The play has been revived both on Broadway and in the movies - a Walt Disney production of "The Music Man" stars Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth.Willson also wrote symphonies and many hit songs including "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas" and "May the Good Lord Bless and Keep You". Other famous works by Willson include two other musicals, "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" and "Here's Love."Meredith Willson is honored annually at the North Iowa Band Festival while plus a $10 million attraction, The Music Man Square and Meredith Willson Boyhood Home in Mason City, stands tribute to his life and his love of music. He will be remembered throughout the world for his famous melodies, but he will live on in Mason City, Iowa as "The Music Man of River City."The bridge is on 2nd St. SE in Mason City over Willow Creek connecting River Heights Drive and South Connecticut Ave. Named in honor of Meredith Willson, Mason City native and internationally renowned composer, this bridge spans across Willow Creek and is featured on the Prairie School Architectural Tour / Historical Walking Tour.

A must-see location of Mason City, Iowa, Music Man Square is an important part of the city’s history. This public square celebrates Mason City's role as the birthplace of the Broadway production and movie "Music Man" by local writer and composer, Robert Meredith Willson. Music Man Square was constructed in his honor and serves as a venue for cultural events. The public spaces around the venue include markers and monuments that commemorate Wilson's career and Mason City's history.

Music Man Square

Irving Keerl grew up in Mason City. When he was sixteen, he dropped out of school to work as a postal clerk for his father, who was the postmaster. As noted above, Keerl eventually became the Clerk of Courts. At the Iowa State Bank, he worked as a cashier. He was also active in local civic affairs and in the Mason City Commercial Club. It is unclear how long Keerl owned the house.Jay Decker bought the house in 1919. Decker's father, Jacob, established a meat packing plant in Chicago with a partner in 1892 and three years later, founded another plant in Mason City. Decker started working at the plant in Chicago after graduating with a business degree from Bryant &amp; Stratton Business College. He moved to Mason City to work in the new plant in 1899 and served as vice president from 1920 to 1921 and president from 1922 to 1935. He and his wife, Angie, had three children who grew up in the house.In 1975, the house was converted into a restaurant and a new kitchen wing was added. The restaurant operated at least through 2002 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The property has been home to the Decker House Bed &amp; Breakfast since 2011, but like many historic homes that are part of the hospitality industry, the global pandemic has led to uncertainty.

The Keerl–Decker House is an excellent example of Neoclassical architecture and the historic home remains a landmark in Mason City. The home was built around 1902 by Irving Keerl, who served as the Clerk of Courts for the county and also helped establish the Iowa State Bank of Mason City. Between 1919 to 1965, the house belonged to the Decker family, who ran a food processing company called Decker Meat Packing Plant, which is now operated by ConAgra Foods. The most notable feature of the house is the grand, two-story portico with fluted Ionic columns and decorative garlands. The house operated for many years as a bed and breakfast and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Keerl–Decker House

The house was built for attorney Bur Keeler, who hired Minneapolis architect Carl A. Gage to design it. The exterior of the Tudor-style house consists of stone on the first floor and ornamental brickwork inset with half-timbers on the second floor. Inside, the house features walnut woodwork and terrazzo tile floors. After being privately owned for many years, the Presentation Sisters of St. Joseph's Catholic Church acquired the house in 1948 and occupied it until 1965. A year before they vacated the house, the Sisters sold it to General Hanford MacNider and his wife, who then donated it to the city on the condition that it be converted into an art museum. The grand opening was held on January 8-9, 1966. In the coming years, the museum was expanded on three occasions and underwent its last major renovation in 2003.

The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum has promoted the arts in Mason City since its founding in 1965. It features permanent and changing exhibitions showcasing American art and offers a variety of art classes and programs. The museum also includes a library. The museum is located in a home originally built in 1921 by a local attorney. The permanent collection includes paintings, ceramics, puppets prints, and photographs. A highlight is the largest collection of puppets created by puppeteer Bill Bair. Many of the works on the collection can be viewed on the museum's website, including the puppets.

Charles H. MacNider Art Museum

The library was built during a period when Mason City was experiencing significant growth as it had established itself as a major industrial center in northern Iowa. The effort to build the new library was spearheaded by local attorney James E. Blythe, who managed to convince Carnegie to increase the grant amount from $13,000 to $25,000. Blythe actually met with Carnegie and Carnegie's assistant through his connection to Iowa Senator William B. Allison, who made the arrangements for the meeting. Chicago architecture firm Patton and Miller, which had a good reputation for designing libraries in Iowa and the Midwest, was selected to the design the new library. Interestingly, construction was delayed for three months because of a contentious debate about what type of stone to use. Some in the community wanted the library to be built with local stone whereas others (including Putnam and Miller) favored Indiana limestone. In the end, Indiana limestone was chosen. Construction was completed in December 1904 and the library opened to the public in January 1905. The library operated until 1939 when a new one was built. By then, the population had grown to 27,000 and the Carnegie library was no longer adequate. What it was used for during the following decades is unclear.

Erected in 1904, the former Mason City Public Library was the first purpose-built library in the city and is one of the city's best examples of Classical Revival architecture. Built with Indiana limestone, notable features of the library include a large portico with paired fluted Doric columns supporting an entablature, and a main entrance with a carved stone pediment. The building is also significant for its association with industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, who donated the funds to built it. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the old library is now home to a construction company and an architecture firm.

Mason City Public Library

The Mason City YMCA was founded in 1892 and first located on the second floor of a commercial building on South Federal Avenue. It moved to another building on State Street in 1895 and relocated again in the early 1900s. It took until after World War I for the present building to be constructed. During the war, all YMCAs in the country were required to raise money for the U.S. Army. The YMCA hired local leader Charles McNider to lead the fundraising campaign. He, along with the new executive director, raised the required amount ($25,000) for the Army as well as $300,000 in pledges for a new YMCA building. Construction began in February 1926 and was completed later that year. However, it didn't open for about a year until all of the money for its construction was collected.The Y, as the YMCA came to be known, operated until 2000 and moved to a new location, allowing the former building to be repurposed into apartments. The building was designed in the Colonial Revival style, and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

Constructed in 1926, the Mason City YMCA Building was the home of the YMCA until 2000. During these years, the building played a key role in the community's development for by providing opportunities for educational, social, recreational, and community service activities. The YMCA offered swimming, basketball, teen dances, movie showings, bridge tournaments, exercise classes, and holiday banquets. The building is also associated with infamous criminal John Dillinger and his gang, who may have stayed at the YMCA before robbing a bank on March 13, 1934. In 1937, track star Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, organized and played in a basketball exhibition at this YMCA.

Mason City YMCA (1926-200)

In 1907 and 1908, Wright visited Mason City on a number of occasions to discuss the designing of the Historic Park Inn Hotel, which was built in 1910 (it is a separate Clio entry). On one of these visits, Stockman met Wright through his neighbor, J.E.E. Markley, who was good friends with Wright and hired him to design the hotel. Impressed with Wright, Stockman commissioned him to design the house, which was Wright's ninth project in 1908. The house is a modified version of Wright's "Fireproof House" design, which was published in the April 1907 issue of the Ladies' Home Journal. Instead of being built with concrete following the Fireproof House design, the Stockman House was built with a frame structure that was covered in stucco. In 1989, the house was moved here. It had been located next to a church that wanted to expand its parking lot. The city agreed to transfer ownership of the house to the RCSHP on the condition that the organization open the house as a museum. The RCSHP bought the property next to the house in the mid-2000s and built the interpretive center.

The historic Stockman House is the only known Prairie School-style residence in Iowa designed by world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It was built in 1908 for Dr. George C. Stockman and his wife, Eleanor. Like Wright's other Prairie School homes, the Stockman House features an open floor plan, an emphasis on horizontal lines in the exterior and interior, and low-pitched hip roofs with wide overhangs. The house is now a museum operated by an organization called the River City Society for Historic Preservation (RCSHP). Those interested in taking a tour of the house must first go next door to the Robert E. McCoy Architectural Interpretive Center, which features an exhibition space, meeting room, and a gift shop. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Mason City Iowa Walking Tour

Modern Brotherhood of America Building

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources