Anamosa Main Street Historic District - Anamosa, Iowa
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
N 42° 06.495 W 091° 17.130
15T E 641752 N 4663217
This downtown historic district encompasses Main Street from Garnavillo to Cleveland Streets in Anamosa, Iowa.
Waymark Code: WM12K7P
Location: Iowa, United States
Date Posted: 06/08/2020
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member Outspoken1
Views: 1

The Anamosa Main Street Historic District is a linear corridor situated near the center of the community. It runs from the 100 block of East Main Street to the 300 block of West Main Street. Ford Street serves as the dividing line between East Main Street and West Main Street, and house numbers ascends in both directions from that division point. Curiously, there is no 100 block on West Main Street, where house numbers begin at 200. This distance includes three city blocks. Commercial buildings line both sides of these blocks and directly abut the pedestrian rights-of-way. North and South Ford Streets include some extensions of the commercial district. Some light industrial properties are also situated there and included in the Anamosa Main Street Historic District.

Most buildings on Main Street are one or two stories in height. A few have three stories and visually stand out as a result. Most buildings are either of brick or stone construction. Most buildings date from the 1860s through the early 20th century. Italianate, late 19th and 20th century revivals, and late 19th and early 20th century American movements are most prominent among their architectural styles. The employment of locally quarried Jones County limestone is notable in the construction of these buildings.

The Anamosa Main Street Historic District contains a very limited variety of property types. Commercial buildings predominate. The exceptions include a factory building at 107 North Garnavillo Street, the Anamosa Creamery at 110 North Ford Street, and its annex at 108 North Ford Street. These buildings served light industrial operations during the district's period of significance.

Resources generally date from the 1860s through the early decades of the 20th century. Most buildings employ vernacular commercial forms and architectural detailing popular in the Midwest during the period. Most buildings feature storefront designs on the first floor and 1/1 double-hung sash fenestration on the second floor. Buildings generally adjoin with one another and share a common setback from the street. Brick and stone provide the dominant building materials.

Noncontributing resources in the district are limited. They include several buildings constructed or remodeled within the last several years. F&M Bank, a building completed in 2005, stands near the western edge of the district. Citizens Bank at 215 East Main Street was built in 1965 and stands at the eastern edge of the district. Although both are evaluated as noncontributing to the historic district, their use of Jones County limestone and the scale of their designs help them blend into their historic surroundings. Several historic buildings are evaluated as noncontributing because they lack sufficient integrity or postdate the historic district's period of significance.

-National Registry Entry

Street address:
Main Street from Garnavillo to Cleveland Streets
Anamosa, IA USA
52205


County / Borough / Parish: Jones

Year listed: 2009

Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering

Periods of significance: 1950-1974, 1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874

Historic function: Agriculture/Subsistence,Commerce/Trade,Industry/Processing/Extraction,Recreation And Culture,Social

Current function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture, Social, Vacant/Not In Use

Privately owned?: yes

Primary Web Site: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]

Secondary Website 2: [Web Link]

Season start / Season finish: Not listed

Hours of operation: Not listed

National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.
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