September 28, 1976 – The Daily Iowan publishes a powerful editorial cartoon that addresses the need to save Old Brick.

When it was announced in May 1966 that the leadership team of First Presbyterian Church had decided to tear down their iconic church building on Market Street, replacing it with a new facility, all hell broke loose within the congregation. Later that same month, UI Professor Joseph Baker and his wife, Matilda – long-time members of the church – published an open letter to the people of Johnson County. Between 1975 and 1977, the preservation effort continued – working under the name of Friends of Old Brick. Standing their ground against all odds, by April 1977, Old Brick was saved from certain destruction.

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