August 15, 1946 – Iowa City’s first black businessman – Haywood Douglas (H.D.) Short – dies, age 74, at University Hospital.

In 1893, H.D. Short moved to Iowa City, took a job shining shoes, but by 1921, H.D. and his two sons had opened Short’s Shoe Repair at 18 S. Clinton Street. From owning a shoeshine box to accumulating a real estate portfolio, Short, his sons and grandson comprised three generations of Iowa City African-Americans whose legacy cannot be replicated. The building that now stands at 18 South Clinton was the family’s first acquisition and remains a vital part of the history of Iowa City’s downtown.

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