A Report on an Intensive Level Architectural and Historical Survey and Evaluation of the Central Business District in Ottumwa, Iowa

Naumann, Molly

From introduction: "This Ottumwa preservation project is part of a long-range program to identify, evaluate, register, and protect the cultural resources of the State of Iowa. The objective of this 2012-2013 project was to record each of the resources in the central business district and to evaluate each to determine individual eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, to determine whether or not there is the potential for a historic district, and if there is, determine the boundaries for such district. The Ottumwa Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), working with Main Street Ottumwa, selected architectural historian/historian Molly Myers Naumann to serve as the consultant. Naumann worked with local volunteers who were responsible for the fieldwork, photography, and archival research. Early in the project she conducted a training workshop for the volunteers. . Volunteers conducted the research primarily at the Ottumwa Public Library focusing on Ottumwa Daily Courier and Ottumwa Democrat microfilm from the 1870s to 1965. Additional information was gathered through local and county histories, reminiscences, and historic photos. In addition to the volunteer activities, the consultant had access to previous surveys and documentation available through previously conducted preservation projects. The information gained through the research process was used in the development of the historic context “Commercial Development of Ottumwa, Iowa: ca. 1845-1964” and the associated property types. The consultant evaluated each of the intensive survey sites and a determination of National Register eligibility as made: individually eligible, not eligible, or eligible as part of a potential historic district. A public meeting will be held at the end of the project to report on the findings of the survey and evaluation, and to make recommendations for future preservation activities. A local photographer was responsible for photographing each building and lot within the survey area. An Iowa Site Inventory Form was completed for each of the 138 resources recorded, including a map indicating the location and at least one photograph. City plat maps, Sanborn Insurance maps, USGS maps and aerial photos were used to locate each of the resources." This project was funded in part by a 2012 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the City of Ottumwa (project number IA-12-053) administered by the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office (grant number 19-12-41922) and the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Ottumwa, Iowa is a Certified Local Government.

A Report on an Intensive Level Architectural and Historical Survey and Evaluation of the Central Business District in Ottumwa, Iowa

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