National Register of Historic Places

Ashton, Ned, House

Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
Listed
January 26, 2001
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
00001677

About this property

The Ned Ashton House in Iowa City, Iowa, also known as the Edward L. Ashton House or as Ashton House, was built in 1947-1948 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. The house was built in 1947 by Edward L. "Ned" Ashton as a private residence. Ashton, who has been called "the most distinguished bridge engineer in the history of Iowa," was a professor of civil engineering at the University of Iowa from 1943 to 1957. He designed several bridges over the Mississippi River including the Julien Dubuque and Davenport Centennial bridges, as well as smaller bridges such as the Iowa City Benton Street Bridge, which was a pioneering design of welded plate girder bridges. The single-story raised-ranch house, built from Anamosa limestone (dolomite), and poured concrete, shows Prairie School influence in the way it was incorporated into its location alongside the Iowa River. Both the main and lower levels of the house provided excellent views of the river. The poured concrete construction of the house utilized bridge span design creating one large lower level open room. The concrete floor pour level was marked with a grease pencil when the water level of the then flooded Iowa River receded to the needed height, assuring a level floor. The house was built in a flood prone area with knowledge that the Army Corps of Engineers Coralville flood control dam was to be built upstream. Ashton designed the house to facilitate the flow of flood water through the lower level. Ashton employed his University of Iowa College of Engineering students. The large, open lower level had nine full size drafting tables, bookshelves along the southwest wall, metal file cabinets and racks of printed plans along the southeast wall. The west side of the workshop provided excellent views of the river.

Location

820 Park Rd.
Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
41.67214, -91.55107

Categories

ENGINEERINGARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Byfield, Dr. Albert Henry, House
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0.3 mi
Pratt, A. W., House
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0.5 mi
Sigma Pi Fraternity House
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0.5 mi
Old Settlers' Association of Johnson County Cabins
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0.7 mi
Coralville Union Ecclesiastical Church
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0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Ashton, Ned, House listed on the National Register?

Ashton, Ned, House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on January 26, 2001.

What type of historic resource is Ashton, Ned, House?

Ashton, Ned, House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Ashton, Ned, House?

The period of significance for Ashton, Ned, House is recorded as the industrial era.

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