National Register of Historic Places

Rath Packing Company Administration Building

Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa
Listed
December 10, 2008
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
08001162

About this property

The Rath Packing Company Administration Building, also known as Adams Store Inc., is a historic Late Gothic Revival building in Waterloo, Iowa. It is a surviving remnant of what was the largest meat-packing plant in the United States in 1941. The plant started in 1891 with hogs, and was "massive". The company was the 5th biggest at the end of World War II, in 1945. In 1966 it was the ninth largest, and it was also the 249th biggest industrial company of any kind in the United States. It closed in 1985. Preservation of the larger complex as a historic district was sought, but was not obtained, as the specialized industrial buildings rapidly deteriorated. The administration building, completed in 1925, is unlike all other buildings in the plant, in that it was designed by a local architect, who was John S. Hartley (1891/92–1985). It was built by the John G. Miller Construction Company, which had submitted the low bid, $78,496, for the project. An extension was later added by contractor Tom McDonald. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Location

1515 E. Sycamore St., 208-212 Elm St.
Waterloo, Black Hawk County, Iowa
42.49260, -92.32361

Categories

INDUSTRYCOMMERCE
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

Chicago, Great Western Railroad-Waterloo Freight Depot
Industrial
0.5 mi
Waterloo Public Library-East Side Branch
Industrial
0.7 mi
Marsh-Place Building
Industrial
0.7 mi
Fire Station No. 2
Industrial
0.7 mi
Black Hawk County Soldiers Memorial Hall
Industrial
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Rath Packing Company Administration Building listed on the National Register?

Rath Packing Company Administration Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 10, 2008.

What type of historic resource is Rath Packing Company Administration Building?

Rath Packing Company Administration Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Rath Packing Company Administration Building?

The period of significance for Rath Packing Company Administration Building is recorded as the industrial era.

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