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Historic Grinnell Iowa Walking Tour
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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.


The Grinnell Area Arts Council is housed in the historic Stewart Library, which was built in 1902.

Plant, Sky, Property, Building

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.

Cameron, Virginia S. "Stewart Public Library." National Park Service - National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form. November 21, 1976. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/76000806_text.

"Representative Joel Stewart." The Iowa Legislature. Accessed February 16, 2022. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?personID=4004&ga=20.

"Who We Are." Grinnell Area Arts Council. Accessed February 16, 2022. https://www.grinnellarts.org/who-we-are.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stewart_Library_Grinnell_Iowa.jpg