National Register of Historic Places

Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District

Winterset, Madison County, Iowa
Listed
December 22, 2015
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
15000915

About this property

Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in Winterset, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 82 resources, including 74 contributing buildings, seven noncontributing buildings, and one noncontributing object. The historic district covers most of the city's central business district in the original town plat. Most of the buildings are two-story, brick, commercial buildings. The commercial Italianate style is dominant, with Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, and Neoclassical styles included. The Madison County Courthouse (1878) is a Renaissance Revival structure designed by Alfred H. Piquenard. Most of the buildings are brick construction, but four were constructed using locally quarried limestone. The stone buildings include the courthouse, the White, Munger and Company Store (1861), and the Sprague, Brown, and Knowlton Store (1866), all of which are individually listed on the National Register. The period of significance for the district is 1861 to 1965 when most of the buildings were constructed. Unlike many historic downtowns in Iowa, Winterset replaced its initial frame buildings with masonry buildings because of economic prosperity, and not because of fires. In addition to Piquenard, other architects of note who contributed buildings in the district include William Foster, L.W. Foster (Madisonian Building, 1872; City Hall Block/Jones & Tidrick, 1875), Joseph S. Blake, Frank E. Wetherell (Bevington Building/Masonic Temple, 1914 remodel), and Louis A. Simon (U.S. Post Office, 1935).

Location

Winterset, Madison County, Iowa

Categories

ARCHITECTURECOMMERCESOCIAL HISTORY
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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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Points of Interest
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Questions about this property

When was Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District listed on the National Register?

Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 22, 2015.

What type of historic resource is Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District?

Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District?

The period of significance for Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Winterset Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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