It’s getting a new lease on life, thanks to an extensive renovation project that started in 2020.

“We want to preserve the historic character of this unique building while making it more attractive than ever,” said Paul Iverson, of Lake City, who is spearheading efforts to renovate the interior of the Community Memorial Building.

Located on the northeast corner of Lake City’s historic town square, the Community Memorial Building has been a gathering place for generations. Its exterior remains almost unchanged from 1920, when the two-story, brick building was built to honor soldiers, sailors and Marines who served in World War I and previous wars.

Local leaders including Iverson, a master craftsman who owns and operates God’s Wood, a woodworking shop in Lake City, spent two and a half years drawing up plans to add the wow factor to the building’s interior and make it even more functional.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Laurie Blum of Arcadia painted the ceiling medallions that grace the coffered ceilings in the first-floor banquet hall of the Community Memorial Building. Back in November, she was painting this piece at God’s Wood in Lake City.

“I’m amazed by the craftsmanship of this building,” he said.

Since mid-2020, Iverson has been working on Phase 1 to revamp the interior of the Community Building. Four 52-inch-tall crystal chandeliers have been installed in the coffered ceilings above the first-floor banquet hall. Plans also call for an ornate wooden bar showcasing a mirrored back bar. Other additions will include a fireplace in the lobby, decorative 10-feet-tall colonnades and more. The renovated space, which can be rented for wedding receptions, meetings and other gatherings, will be able to accommodate approximately 300 to 325 people.

“We want to honor this building’s heritage and take it far beyond its original potential,” said Iverson, who received the Preservation Champion Award from Central School Preservation in Lake City in 2019.

Building on a proud tradition

Restoring such a big piece of the community’s history doesn’t come cheap. Phase 1 of the project is estimated at $530,000. Phase 2, which will include remodeling the kitchen, adding tables and chairs, an outside patio and pergola, additional window replacement, and other miscellaneous projects, is pegged at $250,000 to $300,000.

“People have been very receptive to the idea of the Community Building being updated and restored,” said Eric Wood, city administrator/clerk for the City of Lake City. “We’ve received many donations toward the project, and we haven’t started our heavy fundraising efforts yet.”

Donations from local residents more than a century ago transformed the Community Building from a dream to a reality. The building was the crowning achievement of the Lake City Civic Improvement Society, a local women’s organization.

The Oct. 15, 1921, issue of the Dearborn Independent, a weekly newspaper published in Michigan, ran the article “Civic Dream Comes True: What a Unique Women’s Society Has Done for a Small Iowa Town.”

“For a long time, the town of Lake City, Iowa, had dreamed of a memorial that would fittingly commemorate the services of its soldiers and sailors, but it remained for the women of the town to engineer the project that resulted in the erection of one of the finest community buildings, not only in the Middle West, but perhaps any town of this size in the country,” wrote R.P. Crawford.

The Lake City Civic Improvement Society pledged the first $1,000 toward the project. Local businessmen donated money, and fundraisers also helped support the construction of the Community Memorial Building. People donated pigs, calves, horses, farm equipment, home furnishings and more to be auctioned off during fundraisers. The ladies of the community hosted dinners at local churches to raise money. Crawford noted that doughnuts were sold for $1 each. (That equates to nearly $14 each in 2021 dollars.) Liberty bonds could also be cashed in to support the project.

The Community Memorial Building, designed by the Des Moines architectural firm of Proudfoot, Bird and Rawson, was dedicated on Armistice Day in November 1920. The $85,000 project is the equivalent of roughly $1.17 million in 2021 dollars.

Through the years, the building has hosted school plays,wedding receptions, bingo nights, fundraising events and much more. The Community Memorial Building even provided makeshift classrooms for South Central Calhoun High School students after a tornado ripped the roof off the high school in Lake City on May 10, 2015.

Why do old places matter?

By then, the building’s stage had been removed years ago and the balcony closed off for decades. The ceilings had been lowered during the 1970s energy crisis to reduce the building’s energy bills. At one point, some community members had floated the idea of demolishing the Community Memorial Building, although others disagreed. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Today’s community leaders view this historic property as a way to drive economic development in Lake City.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
A number of local volunteers, including Lou Blanchfield, left, and Eileen Miller helped string thousands of Swarovski crystals on the four, 52-inch chandeliers that have been installed in the Community Memorial Building.

“The Community Building will provide local residents and surrounding communities with an elegant venue to hold parties, graduations, wedding receptions and more,” Wood said. “It will also draw people to our community, where they spend money at our restaurants, convenience stores and other shops.”

One of the most overlooked aspects of historic preservation is its economic impact, according to the National Park Service (NPS). “Cities and towns that have embraced their heritage and allowed it to remain often take on a vibrant, eclectic feel, a trick that could not be pulled off in a new construction by the cleverest architects.”

Preservation enhances real estate values and fosters local businesses, keeping historic main streets and downtowns economically viable, added the NPS. “Money spent rehabilitating historic buildings is actually an investment in the future, when these structures could be the showpieces of a revitalized community.”

Just ask Tom Mayes, the keynote speaker at the 2017 Preserve Iowa Summit, which was held in June 2017 in Fort Dodge. This world-renowned preservationist has written a series of essays titled “Why Old Places Matter.” “Old places are deeply beneficial to people because of the way they give us a sense of continuity, identity and belonging. They inspire us with awe, beauty and sacredness, because they tell us about history, ancestry and learning, and because they foster healthy, sustainable communities.”

Iverson is excited about the possibilities.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Swarovski crystals sparkle on the four, 52-inch chandeliers suspended above the first-floor banquet hall in the Lake City Community Memorial Building.

“We’re creating a beautiful venue we can all be proud of,” he said.

-Messenger photo by Darcy Dougherty Maulsby
Located on the northeast corner of Lake City’s historic town square, the Community Memorial Building has been a gathering place for generations. Its exterior remains almost unchanged from 1920, when the two-story, brick building was built to honor soldiers, sailors and Marines who served in World War I and previous wars. The interior is undergoing a major renovation to make it more attractive and user-friendly.