National Register of Historic Places

Lesinger Block

Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa
Listed
December 24, 1997
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
97001544

About this property

The Lesinger Block, also known as Little Bohemia, is a historic building located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. This building was constructed at a time of economic expansion in the city. It is a contemporary of several Italianate commercial blocks that were built downtown. Because of subsequent development in that commercial district those buildings have been replaced with newer structures leaving this building as the best extant example of commercial Italianate in Cedar Rapids. It was constructed by Vaclav Lesinger, an immigrant from Kozlov, Bohemia. He was a tailor by trade and he had this structure built in 1883 to house his tailor shop and a dry goods store. Since 1907 the building has housed a tavern that has served as a social center for the local Bohemian community. Architecturally, the two-story brick structure still retains a good deal of its original wood ornamentation, including the sawtooth frieze above the storefronts and the geometric design in the bracketed cornice. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. In 2002 it was included as a contributing property in the Bohemian Commercial Historic District.

Location

1317 3rd St., SE
Cedar Rapids, Linn County, Iowa
41.96279, -91.65951

Categories

EUROPEANARCHITECTURE
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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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Nearby Historic Sites

Bohemian Commercial Historic District
Listed
0.4 mi
C.S.P.S. Hall
Industrial
0.5 mi
Witwer Grocery Company Building
Industrial
0.7 mi
Best Oil and Refining Company Service Station
Industrial
0.7 mi
Iowa Wind Mill and Pump Company Office and Warehouse
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Lesinger Block listed on the National Register?

Lesinger Block was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 24, 1997.

What type of historic resource is Lesinger Block?

Lesinger Block is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lesinger Block?

The period of significance for Lesinger Block is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Lesinger Block?

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