Friends of Historic Preservation Iowa City

Washington St. 1940 Photo via Library of Congress

November 15th is America Recycles Day—the perfect day to announce a new grant to Friends of Historic Preservation and to say “thanks” to the City of Iowa City! With this $5,000 Community Partnership Climate Action Grant, we will improve operations at our Salvage Barn, spread the word that preservation and sustainability go hand-in-hand, and share practical and creative ideas. The Salvage Barn is where you can buy historic building parts—doors, hardware, lighting, flooring, windows, plumbing fixtures, tiles, reclaimed wood, and many surprises. We salvage houses slated for demolition, keeping thousands of pounds of historic and still useful materials out of the landfill and putting it all back into the community and local economy. Talk about recycling!

Featured Locations

Sanxay Gilmore House

1843

Built in 1843 at 109 E. Market, the Sanxay-Gilmore House is Iowa City’s oldest house within the original city limits. The University of Iowa, its current owner, says it has no intentions to demolish it or do anything on the site for the next three years. Its future is clearly uncertain. Note that the University recently demolished three nearby houses; one had been home to Tennessee Williams. Help us keep an eye on the handsome, historic Sanxay-Gilmore House.

Houser-Metzger

House

1890s

Built in the 1890s, on Iowa Avenue, this Queen Anne house faced demolition a few years back. Friends of Historic Preservation moved it to an available lot, 623 E College, in the College Green Historic District, thus keeping 50 tons of old-growth wood out of the landfill. We put a solid old house on a modern foundation, made necessary updates, restored its Victorian charm, and found a young family who now calls this house home.

Samuel Kirkwood House

1864

This house was built in 1864 and was home to Governor Samuel Kirkwood. He was governor of Iowa during the Civil War years. He also served as a U.S. Senator and U.S. Secretary of the Interior under President James Garfield from March 8, 1881 to April 17, 1882.