Cedar Valley Developers Bring New Life into Historic Buildings

Jonathunder

Tessa Reicks lives in New Hampton, 40 miles north of Waterloo, IA. And like many small American towns, New Hampton is not what it once was. Yet, residents, like Reicks, see an opportunity to breathe new life into historic architecture.

“A lot of main streets are dying,” she says. “I see so much potential.”

So, Reicks took matters into her own hands and bought a dilapidated relic in the Cedar Valley, Iowa, region built in 1880. Then, she began uncovering hidden beauty and history. “I just love old buildings, and I’ve always wanted to renovate one downtown,” she says. “We took off the boards over the windows and exposed the brick walls. There’s a lot of cool, mysterious characteristics.”

Her building has housed many businesses over the decades, namely a jewelry shop, bank and grocery store. Today, Reicks’ tenants sell jewelry, candles and crystals, and the building includes four apartments called Union Block Suites. “We’ve gotten tons of positive feedback and compliments,” she says. “Many people say, ‘Thank you for investing in our town.’”

Tessa Reicks

From Stamps to Spokes

For Brent Johnson, his historic building offered the chance for more room while remaining downtown. Since 2006, he’s owned Bike Tech in Cedar Falls, a full-service maintenance and retail shop with bicycles, gear and apparel.

“We love being downtown. There’s a lot of vibrancy,” Johnson says. “Bike trails along the Cedar River are a block away.”

But his business had outgrown its original location. “The kind of space we were looking for just doesn’t exist downtown. This was a rare opportunity.”

So, in 2015, Bike Tech moved into the old post office building, constructed in 1918. “It was in really rough shape. The city’s intent was to tear it down, but a group rallied to save it,” he says. The Cedar Falls Development Group restored and repurposed the building. Then, Johnson made relatively simple modifications.  “The space was ideal for a bike shop,” he says. “We weren’t going to put up walls, just low-impact changes.”

His old store was about 1,400 square feet. The new space is almost three times the size and allows him to display inventory in a much more shoppable way. “It gives us elbow room,” Johnson says. And the rejuvenated post office appeals to more than just bikers.

“The shop’s historic nature brings in customers as well as people who want to see the building,” he says. “The front still basically looks like a post office. We took pains not to put signs there. Signage is on the sides and back.”

Inside, the stone flooring is visible, along with most of the original hardware, teller windows and viewing platforms where the postmaster monitored staff. “Both safes are still there,” Johnson says. “One is in the tellers’ area where we display our recumbent bikes.”

Connecting Ag and Tech

Preservation saves buildings but it also prevents eyesores, from boarded-up buildings to empty lots. In 2007, John Deere made a significant contribution to Waterloo and Grow Cedar Valley. As manufacturing needs changed over time, the tractor-maker vacated several buildings on its 43-acre site.

Tessa Reicks

“John Deere could have easily torn down all the structures and abandoned the area but instead worked with the community to donate the land and buildings, along with enough money for cleanup to prepare it for development,” Cary Darrah says.

She’s the former president and CEO of Grow Cedar Valley. She also led TechWorks Campus, the state-of-the-art site created out of John Deere’s gift, where two six-story buildings were remodeled and are now home to several tenants.

“One building houses the University of Northern Iowa Manufacturing 4.0 Center and Hawkeye Community College Automation and Robotics Center – two facilities unlike any other in the country,” Darrah says. The second structure was turned into a Courtyard by Marriott, and the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum is also located on the site.

“Historic preservation and infill development should always be a first choice if the bones of the building and site are sound,” Darrah says. Connecting the Cedar Valley’s farming heritage to its cutting-edge future makes the project’s success even sweeter.  “Being able to create a space in the heart of the community that puts agriculture manufacturing on the map is golden,” she says.

Plans Move Forward to Renovate Historic Waterloo Church

Walnut Street Baptist Church in Waterloo was constructed in 1908, and the grand building made the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. After closing in 2010, the church has sat vacant, but there are plans to renovate and resurrect the stately structure.

“We purchased the building to keep it until a good idea was decided for the space, with preservation being the ultimate goal,” says Ali Parrish, executive director of Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity. “The hope is to help restore and revive both the building and the historic Walnut neighborhood.”

Waterloo-based Iowa Heartland Habitat for Humanity formed a nonprofit organization called the 415 Walnut Collective to support the initiative.

Along with Iowa Heartland Habitat, other organizations assisting on the rehab project include the Walnut Neighborhood Development Coalition, Link Christian Community Development, University of Northern Iowa and Imagining America at UNI.

“We want the entire community to support this vision, so we are looking for more individuals and business investors to become involved,” Parrish says. “We are also applying for grants and historic tax credits.”

As for future plans, initial thoughts are to make the building a performance venue with seating for 250 to 300 people. In addition, a commercial kitchen might also be added so that local food entrepreneurs could operate a small on-site restaurant, with rotating chefs and menus.

To repurpose the church, Parrish says cosmetic repairs will be required. “The good news is that the building is structurally sound,” Parrish says. “It will be an exciting project, once the actual renovation begins.”

– Kevin Litwin contributed to this article.