As a new board member of Friends of Historic Preservation (FHP), I want to personally invite you to become an active member of our organization. Here’s more about Iowa City’s Friends of Historic Preservation…
Saving Iowa City’s Old Brick – 1975-1977.When it was announced in 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. By 1968, Professor Joseph Baker and his wife Matilda – long time members of the church – had been excommunicated, accused of causing division by steer-heading a city-wide effort to save ‘Old Brick’. 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. Today – 50 years later – the hard work of historic preservation continues, with Friends of Historic Preservation now leading the way. Read the full story here.
