National Register of Historic Places

Linsay House

Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
Listed
August 1, 1977
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
77000529

About this property

The Lindsay House is a historic building located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was listed, misspelled as the Linsay House, on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The house was built in 1893 by John Jayne, an Iowa City bridge builder. The plans for the 2½-story, frame, Queen Anne were purchased from George F. Barber and Co. It features a chimney that takes up an entire corner of the main facade, a stone arch that surrounds the first-floor window with leaded glass in a sunflower pattern, a wrap-around porch with a corner turret, and a three-story octagonal tower behind it. Jayne gave the house as a wedding gift to his daughter, Ella, and her husband, John Granger Lindsay. The Lindsays moved to Chicago in 1913. It was the Theta Xi fraternity Xi chapter house from 1914-1915. The house was subsequently divided into apartments, and in 2005 became a 10-bedroom unit of the River City Housing Collective. Berkeley Breathed, who wrote the comic strip Bloom County, called the house one of "the ugliest houses in the five-state area... Six different architectural styles in one house is a milestone at least and at most a landmark to bad taste". Breathed used the house as the model for the boarding house where Bloom County is partially set.

Location

935 E. College
Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
41.65758, -91.52143

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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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The Land
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
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Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Nearby Historic Sites

Summit Apartment Building
Industrial
0.1 mi
Carson, Thomas C., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Bethel AME Church
Civil War
0.1 mi
Oakes-Wood House
Industrial
0.2 mi
South Summit Street District
Listed
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Linsay House listed on the National Register?

Linsay House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Linsay House?

Linsay House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Linsay House?

The period of significance for Linsay House is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Linsay House?

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