Downey School
National Register of Historic Places

Downey School

Downey, Cedar County, Iowa
Listed
May 28, 2019
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
100004017

About this property

Downey School is a historic building located in the unincorporated community of Downey, Iowa, United States. Built in four months in 1905, it was designed by Waterloo, Iowa architect J.G. Ralston and built by Frank Chapman, also of Waterloo. The two-story brick structure features quoins on the corners and Roman arches as its main decorative elements. The building had a cupola, but that was taken down at some point. It is believed that the building originally housed 1st through 12th grades. After 20 years the high school grades were moved to West Branch, Iowa. The school itself closed in 1955. The Wapsie Valley Grange Society acquired the building and they used it for their meetings into the 1970s. Tim and Madonna Rex bought the building from the Iowa Grange Society in 2017 and since then have been in the process of converting it into a bed and breakfast inn. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2019.

Location

212 Broadway St.
Downey, Cedar County, Iowa
41.61500, -91.34920

Categories

EDUCATION
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

Downey Savings Bank
Industrial
0.1 mi
Secrest Octagon Barn
Industrial
1.1 mi
Anamosa Main Street Historic District
Listed
2.9 mi
Polygonal Barn, Lincoln Township
Industrial
3 mi
Bridge near West Liberty
Industrial
3.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was Downey School listed on the National Register?

Downey School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 2019.

What type of historic resource is Downey School?

Downey School is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Downey School?

The period of significance for Downey School is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1905.

Can I research the history near Downey School?

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