Maybe the word “skyscraper” just doesn’t come to mind when you think of Iowa City, but in 19th-century Iowa, just about any three or four-story building that extended into the heavens might be considered as such.
In 1842, the first significant “skyscraper” that rose above the Johnson County prairie is the same building we all know and love today…Old Capitol. Known then as the Iowa Territorial Capitol Building, this stately Iowa City skyscraper stood center stage on Capitol Square.
Over the last 180+ years, there have been many more “skyscrapers” built in Iowa City. Sadly, many of the very earliest ones have not survived, but on the positive side, we do have sketches and photographs of many of those now lost. On today’s web page, allow me to introduce you to twenty-one of the very biggest and best – spires, steeples, towers, and domes that have made our city’s skyline unique.
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE.
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