Railroads played a critical role in establishing communities around the country. Such was the case with Grinnell, which was founded in 1854 by Congregationalist minister Josiah Grinnell (and three others) who assumed that railroads would eventually reach the town. He was right. The Chicago, Rock Island &amp; Pacific Railroad arrived in 1863 and built a small frame depot. The Central Railroad, which later became part of the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad, reached Grinnell in 1872.By the late 1880s, it was clear that the depot was inadequate for the growing town. As a result the Chicago, Rock Island &amp; Pacific Railroad built Union Depot, which had two waiting rooms, a baggage room, offices, and a lunch counter. Passenger service ended in 1970. The depot remained vacant until 1993 when it was converted into a restaurant.

Union Depot was built in 1893 and features a large conical tower on the southeast corner. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Union Depot

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The Chicago, Rock Island &amp; Pacific Railroad built this depot in 1893 to replace an earlier one erected in 1863. Designed in a modified Queen Anne style, notable features include a 1.5-story round tower topped by a conical roof and arched windows. As of early 2022, the former depot is unused but previously housed a restaurant. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Union Depot

This short walking tour begins at Union Depot and moves north to Grinnell College, with stops at historic homes, buildings, and other landmarks in the downtown area along the way. Highlights of the tour include the home of abolitionist Josiah B. Grinnell, the Grinnell Historical Museum, Goodnall Hall, and the Ricker Home. 

<div>Favored by mild
winter weather, John Brown &amp; his crew continued east to Grinnell, Iowa, on
February 20, 1859. They stayed two days, and Brown developed his plan to attack
the US Arsenal at Harpers Ferry during his time with town founder Josiah B.
Grinnell (see photo). Grinnell was a Vermont native, a Congregationalist
minister and part of the strong anti-slavery movement in
town. Grinnellians gave John Brown $25 and provisions for several days. </div><div>

Grinnell
later served in the Iowa Senate and US House of Representatives (where he was
physically assaulted by Congressman Lovell Rosseau for insulting his home state
of Kentucky). He was a benefactor for Grinnell College and later become the
Director of the Rock Island Railroad. Grinnell passed away in 1891 and is
buried at Hazelwood Cemetery in Grinnell.

</div>

Minister and abolitionist Josiah B. Grinnell founded the city that now bears his name. His home was originally located here, just across from Grinnell's Central Park. Reverend Grinnell assisted enslaved persons by allowing them to stay in his cellar and providing food and supplies. The community soon earned a reputation as home to abolitionists and others who opposed slavery and were willing to assist and defend formerly enslaved persons as they traveled from the South to Canada or other places where they might be in less danger from slave catchers. Grinnell's home was located here until 1914, when part of the home was moved to this location on Broad Street. The home was not well-preserved and the structure was demolished in 1984. 

The Josiah Grinnell House

<h3>Louis Sullivan</h3>Louis Sullivan was born on September 3, 1856 in Boston to an Irish father and Swiss mother, both of whom immigrated to the United States in the late 1840s. Sullivan attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied architecture. However, he only stayed for one year and found a job at a Philadelphia architecture firm. After working for a few months, he moved to Chicago in 1873. Less than a year later, he moved to Paris, France and studied at the famed École des Beaux-Arts school for a year. Sullivan returned to Chicago and found a job as a draftsman. A turning point in his young career came in 1879 when architect Dankmar Adler hired him. They primarily designed auditoriums, the most notable of which was the Chicago Theater. It was also in Chicago where Sullivan created a new style for tall buildings, which consists of a base, shaft, and a prominent cornice to emphasized verticality. Sullivan also incorporated vertical bands and his own floral designs.In his later years, Sullivan's prominence decreased. The popularity of neo-historical styles, such as the Beaux-Arts style, had risen after they were used in many of the buildings at the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 (the economic depression that began that year also cut the number of commissions he received). He and Adler ended their partnership in 1895 due to disagreements. Sullivan became reclusive, lonely and he struggled financially. His marriage to a woman named Margaret Davies Hattabough in 1899 only lasted until 1906 (they did not have children).<h3>Merchants' National Bank</h3>The eight bank commissions were among Sullivan's last projects. The other two that remain are in Owatonna, Minnesota and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The Grinnell bank, which opened on January 1, 1915, has been largely unaltered. In 1976, an addition was built on the north side that houses a Wells Fargo Bank branch. The original part of the building was used as bank until 1999 when the Chamber of Commerce acquired it. Inside the building features terra cotta ornamentation, a handmade wooden check-writing table, and pink Tennessee marble floors. Merchants' National Bank is a National Historic Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It a popular site for visitors.

Grinnell's Merchants' National Bank building is one of the most unique architectural landmarks in central Iowa. The structure is one of the three surviving "jewel box" banks in the Midwest designed by noted American architect Louis Sullivan (1856-1924), who is known as the "father of skyscrapers." The bank was built in 1914 and, despite its boxy shape, features a number of ornate decorative elements. The most notable of these is the large, stained glass rose window on the front facade surrounded by an elaborate terra cotta "sunburst". The main entrance is surrounded by a decorative frame and flanked by two winged lions holding a shield. The east facade features a large, recessed stained glass window with columns. The cornice is made of decorative terra cotta features finials. The former bank is now home to the Grinnell Chamber of Commerce and the Grinnell Visitor Center.

Merchants' National Bank

Joel Stewart was born on March 15, 1833 in Green County, New York. As a young man, he left for California around 1849 or 1850 to search for gold. Three years later, he returned to New York where he began his business career. He married his first wife, Anna, in 1867 and the moved to Joliet, Illinois. A year later he moved to Newburg (which is located northwest of Grinnell), where he bought a large tract of farmland. He became successful farmer, banker and earned the respect of the community. Stewart also got involved in politics. He was elected to the state legislature in 1883 and to the state senate in 1889 where he served two in two assemblies. In 1901, he moved Brookfield, Missouri. Anna passed away sometime before 1908 when Stewart married his second wife, Helen, who was a relative of Anna (Helen apparently lived with them for several years). Stewart and and Helen had one son together. Despite living in Missouri, Stewart was still interested in Grinnell's development. Among his activities in support of this aim were helping to organize a bank and becoming a benefactor to Grinnell College. Building and donating the library to the city was perhaps his most important contribution. While the name of the architect is unknown, it is clear that Stewart was heavily involved in the planning and construction process. He also traveled around the state to visit other libraries to get ideas. The library operated until a new one was completed in 2009. The Grinnell Arts Council rented it and then obtained full ownership in 2013.

Established in 1979, the Grinnell Area Arts Council offers a variety of arts programs for people of all ages. These include the Grinnell Community Theatre, the Grinnell Community Band, Music in the Park, the Turlach Ur Pipe Band, a local artist market, the Stewart Gallery, and a wide range of education programming. The Council also operates the Stew Makerspace across the street. The organization is housed in the historic Stewart Library, which was built in 1902 by philanthropist Joel Stewart (1833-1918) who donated it to the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Grinnell Area Arts Council

The museum includes displays of military history, women's history, antique furnishings, and displays related to Grinell-area businesses including carriages built by the Spaulding Carriage Factory and a washing machine built in the Great Depression by the Grinnell Washing Machine Company.&nbsp;

This local history museum dates back to a community effort to create a museum by four women's organizations in the 1950s. The museum opened in 1958 and opened in its current location in 1965. The museum is located in the McMurry House, a ten-room Victorian home built in 1895 for a local merchant. Docents provide free tours anytime the museum is open. Museum staff are also happy to help local residents with genealogical research. 

Grinnell Historical Museum

Grinnell College was established in 1846 at a meeting of the Association of Congregationalist Churches of Iowa. It opened in 1848 in Davenport and was initially a college preparatory school. By 1850 it moved to Grinnell and the first college students enrolled that year. In 1857, the first women were admitted and the first woman graduated in 1867. Tragically, in 1882 a tornado destroyed all of the buildings on campus and killed 39 people, including two students. Goodnow Hall is the only remaining building of the four that were erected in the aftermath of the event.Edward Goodnow was known around the country for is progressive activism. He learned of the tornado through his friend, Reverend D. Mears, who was on the college's board of trustees, and decided to help. He donated $10,000 to build a library that included an observatory on the condition that the college establish ten permanent scholarships for women students. He also requested that the building be named after him. The telescope was housed in the large tower. The library and observatory operated until 1995 when the building was converted into classroom and office space for the anthropology department.Edward Goodnow continued to support the school. In 1888 he donated $5,000 to build a women's residence building called Mears Hall. He also offered another donation on the condition that the college change its name to Goodnow College. The trustees declined.

Goodnow Hall is the oldest building on the Grinnell College campus. An excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, it was built in 1885 as a library and is named after philanthropist, abolitionist and women's education advocate Edward A. Goodnow. The building was constructed with rusticated pink granite stones and sandstone trim, and features a large square tower and arched windows. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, it has housed the anthropology department since 1995.

Goodnow Hall

Walter Burley Griffin was born November 24, 1876 in a suburb of Chicago. Initially interested in landscape design, he studied architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and graduated in 1899. After working independently for a couple of years he was hired by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park (another Chicago suburb) in 1901 and remained until 1905. During that time he met Marion (they would later marry in 1911). He opened an office in Chicago and began working on mostly residence commissions, some of which were in the Chicago area.In 1911, Benjamin Ricker was on the committee that commissioned Griffin to design a memorial fountain in Central Park, New York City, in honor of former Grinnell major Dr. Elbert Clark. Ricker, who was a partner in a local manufacturing company, hired Griffin to design the house at that time. In contrast to Wright's emphasis on horizontal lines, Griffin designed the Ricker house to emphasize solid massing. This aspect is what distinguishes Griffin's work.In 1912, the Australian government hired Griffin to design the Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Marion, who was also an artist, made watercolor renderings of the design that played a major role in the selection of Griffin as the city's architect on May 28, 1912. He was soon named Federal Capital Director. Unfortunately, disagreements with government officials, lack of funding, and other issues slowed the city's development and undermined Griffin leadership on the project. As a result he resigned in 1921. However, he remained in Australia until 1935 when his design for a library in India was accepted. The commission revived his career but he died of illness in February 1937. Marion, who had moved to India to be with him, returned to Chicago where she died in 1961.

Completed in 1912, the B.J. Ricker House is one of the finest examples of Prairie School architecture in Iowa. Leading early 20th-century American architect Walter Burley Griffin (1876-1937) designed it for local businessman Benjamin J. Ricker. It features a high basement, four large brick corner piers, a gable roof that extends over each side, a covered veranda, an attached garage, and stucco panels with decorative brick and tile patterns. Inside, the house features five bedrooms, three-and-a-half bathrooms, oak woodwork, cove lighting, recessed bookcases, sleeping porches, and fireplaces with tile decoration. Griffin's wife, Marion, who was one of the first licensed woman architects in the world, designed the tiles. The house is a private residence is not open for tours. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Historic Grinnell Iowa Walking Tour

Union Depot

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Backstory and Context

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