Continuing our multipart blog series, this week we will take a look at the local sites in Council Bluffs that were added to the National Register of Historic Places in the 1980s.
1. Thomas E. Cavin House
Address: 150 Park Avenue
Added to the National Register of Historic Places: 9/27/1984
Thomas E. Cavin was a dry goods firm clerk and was the first owner of 150 Park Avenue in 1865. In 1888 he and his partner owned a store that sold stationery, books, and toys that was located only a few blocks from his home. Cavin lived in this home until his passing in 1911, and his family remained here until 1911. In 1934 the building suffered from a fire that destroyed the roof and three nearby homes. The architect of this home is not known and there are no known images of the house in its original state. This house is a mixture of multiple architectural styles; Queen Anne, gothic, and neo-colonial.
2. Haymarket Commerical Historic District
Address: The junction of Pearl and Main Street
Added to the National Register of Historic Places: 4/11/1985
The Haymarket district includes an approximate three-block-long collection of commercial buildings at the junction of Main and Pearl streets. Buildings located in the Haymarket District were built in three major time frames. 1865-1880, 1880-1900, and 1900-1930. The buildings that were erected from 1865-1880 were the earliest extant commercial structures in the city. The St. Joseph House located in the Haymarket Commercial District is the oldest known commercial building in all of Council Bluffs. The buildings erected from the 1880s and 1900s are the ones that have set the style and character of the entire district.
3. Martin Hughes House
Address: 903 3rd Street
Added to the National Register of Historic Places: 9/27/1984
Martin Hughes settled in Council Bluffs in 1856 and was a well-known mason who owned his own brickyard that employed many Council Bluffs residents. He partnered with the Wickham Bros. and is known for his major commissions for schools, churches, and other buildings across the river in Omaha. Architect S.E. Maxon created the house plans that combined the Queen Anne style, Gothic architecture, and some neo-classical influences.
4. Reverend Little's Young Lady Seminary
Address: 541 6th Avenue
Added to the National Register of Historic Places: 2/4/1982
In 1867 with help from sixty-seven extremely prominent Council Bluffs citizens, including General Grenville M. Dodge, Samuel Bayliss, and Thomas Tostevin, Reverend Little opened his seminary in the fall of 1867. The school served to educate young women from 1867 to 1870. After troubles with funding the construction of the seminary, the school closed its doors in 1870. Over time, the exterior of the building has remained relatively unchanged where the interior has been extensively changed. The interior space has transformed from a school, a single-family residence for one of Council Bluffs leading bankers, James F. Evans, and finally as an apartment building.
5. State Savings Bank
Address: 509 West Broadway
Added to the National Register of Historic Places: 6/4/1984
The State Savings Bank is the only art deco commission in Council Bluffs, IA but was designed and built way after the art deco style was popular in the USA. Architect W.G. Knoebel was commissioned to design this bank due to his knowledge of bank planning. A drive though teller window was in Knoebel’s completed plans of the building. Some believe that this drive though teller window was the first of its kind to be constructed in Iowa, but there are no documents to confirm this claim. Alterations to the interior and exterior of the building have been minimal over time. Currently, Great Western Bank operates inside of the building.
For more information about how Council Bluffs’ history is UNlike anywhere else, visit the Historical Society of Pottawattamie County’s website. For more information on the National Register of Historic Places, visit the National Park Services’ website.
Sources:
National Register of Historic Places, Thomas E. Cavin House, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, National Register #84001306
National Register of Historic Places, Haymarket Commercial Historic District, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, National Register #85000774
National Register of Historic Places, Martin Hughes House, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, National Register #84001310
National Register of Historic Places, Reverend Little’s Young Ladies Seminary, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, National Register #82002637
National Register of Historic Places, State Savings Bank, Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, National Register #84001312
