Cedar Rapids Iowa Driving Tour

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Ushers Ferry Historic Village is a recreated town site featuring a collection of historic buildings dating to the late 1890s and early 1900s. It opened in 1975 and is named after the Usher Family, who were one of the first settlers in the county. The buildings, which were relocated here, include a one-room school, saloon, church, and the house of Dyer's cousin, Henry A. Usher. There is also a visitor center and large building for events. The site offers a variety of events and educational programs including a day in the one-room school for children.

2. Mother Mosque of America

The Mother Mosque of America is the oldest structure specifically built to be a mosque in America (a mosque was built in 1929 in North Dakota was the first one but that one burned down, leaving the Mother Mosque as the oldest surviving mosque). The architecture is a simple one-story building with a basement. Nonetheless, given its important religious and cultural history, it was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

3. Veterans Memorial Building

This historic Cedar Rapids public building was conceived in the wake of World War I as a home for the city's governmental offices and other civic purposes. A 1925 petition gained support and following a successful referendum, Veterans Memorial Commission was formed to start construction of the building. The building on May's Island serves a variety of functions and also served as Cedar Rapids' City Hall for the first eight decades of its existence Additions to the building in future years included new memorials to honor veterans of WWII, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, the American Revolution, and the Spanish-American War. The building has eight stories and serves as the home of many community organizations and also a space for community events.

4. Hotel Roosevelt

Now an apartment building, the former Hotel Roosevelt remains a significant landmark in downtown Cedar Rapids. It was built in 1927 and for many years was the city's most prestigious hotel. A fine example of Georgian Revival architecture, it was built of brick and features decorative elements including medallions and terra cotta panels. It also still retains its original terrazzo flooring in the lobby. The Hotel Roosevelt was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

5. Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building

The former Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building, which is also known as the Witwer Building, was originally built in 1897 and served the city's primary federal courthouse and post office until 1932. It represented the authority of the federal government, which had increased in the early 1900s under President Theodore Roosevelt. In terms of design, the building is also significant as an excellent example of Renaissance Revival architecture. Interesting features include a stone and brick exterior, arched windows with stone trim, stone trimmed geometric panels with geometric motifs, and a decorative metal cornice. The building now houses a restaurant and office space. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

6. Sokol Gymnasium

The historic Sokol Gymnasium building was erected in 1908 by a Czech gymnastics and social organization called the Cedar Rapids Sokols, which continues to operate today. The word Sokol means "firebird" in the Czech language. The Sokol movement was founded in 1862 in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, by Miroslave Tyrs and Jindrich Fugner. Its purpose was to improve the moral and physical health of Czech men (and eventually women) through physical, educational, and moral training. The Sokols used the building until the flood of 2008 forced them to move to their current location. A sports bar and night club occupy the building today. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

7. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is located in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It has over 63,000 square feet of exhibit space and contains collections of famous artists such as Grant Wood (the painter of "American Gothic"), Marvin Cone, and Bertha Jaques. It also contains a collection of ancient Roman busts. It obtained accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums in 1981. Tours of Grant Wood's studio nearby is open to tours several days a week.

8. The History Center

Housed in the George B. Douglas Mansion, the History Center is dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Linn County. It features permanent and changing exhibits as well as an archives and a research library that contain more than 20,000 items. These include Civil War era letters, pioneer diaries, newspaper clippings, and school annuals. The Center's main collection contains over 50,000 items. The mansion was built by its first owner, George B. Douglas, in 1897 and is an excellent example of Colonial Revival architecture. Douglas was a prominent businessman who was part of owner of a cereal mill that merged with the Quaker Oats Company. The mansion is also significant for its association with another owner, David Turner, and the American painter Grant Wood. In 1930, Wood painted his most famous work, American Gothic, in the carriage house which he rented from Turner between 1924 and 1933.

9. St. Paul's United Methodist Church

St. Paul's United Methodist Church is one of five buildings in Iowa designed by noted American architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), who is known as the "father of skyscrapers" and for coining the phrase "form follows function" (another architect, W.C. Jones, simplified the design after Sullivan left the project). Built in 1914, the church consists of a half circle auditorium that is attached to rectangular building, a large addition, and a six-story bell tower. The auditorium roof features a skylight with multi-colored glass. The congregation itself was founded in 1843 as St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

10. Brucemore Historical Estate

"The grandest house west of Chicago" In the middle of Brucemore Estate, which holds over 120 years of history, stands a 19th-century mansion that tells the stories of three families from Cedar Rapids- the Sinclair, Douglas, and Hall families. They were among thousands of other wealthy families who moved from the cities to the countryside. Each family had its own influence on the industrial development of Cedar Rapids in some way. The estate shows the importance and the evolution of the Midwest in this century. This was the largest real estate transaction in the city's history. The mansion is 4 stories containing 21 rooms, all filled with the art, furnishings, technology, and architecture of its time. In the 1880s, when the Sinclairs first bought the home, it was priced at $55,000, so it made quite an impression on the city when it was built. Ossian Cole, an influential landscaping architect, was responsible for the outdoor rooms and vistas, and he was well-known for his work at the Graceland Cemetery as well. Brucemore emphasizes that preservation, conservation, and restoration describes the treatment of the Historical Estate. The mansion's tours run from March through December each year.

11. African American Museum of Iowa

Established in 1994, the African American Museum of Iowa gives a look inside the enriched history of African Americans in the state of Iowa. African Americans have been settling in the state before it actually became apart of the United States. Their history in Iowa revolves around mainly their time as slaves to helping the state grow as farmers and protecting it by enlisting in the military. The African American Museum of Iowa is a museum that's dedicated to being the number one source of African American history, heritage, culture, and their contribution to the history of Iowa. It displays chapters in 8 communities across the entire state of Iowa. In 2008, the museum was devastated by a flood and the first floor was completely flooded with over 5 feet of water and caused over $1 million worth of damage.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Cedar Rapids Iowa Driving Tour

Created by Clio Admin on December 29th 2021, 6:16:13 pm.

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Starting at the National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library and the African American Museum of Iowa, this tour moves north and east to the Brucemore Estate before making its way to downtown Cedar Rapids. Highlights of the downtown area include stops at several historic buildings, the community's art museum, the History Center, and the landmark Veterans Memorial Building. The tour then moves north to the Mother Mosque of America and concludes at Ushers Ferry Historic Village.

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Cedar Rapids Iowa Driving Tour

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