The Origins Of Iowa City’s Hilltop Tavern.

Allow me to introduce you to Derek (D.K.) Engelen of Iowa City. He has put together an extensive historical overview of Iowa City’s Hilltop Tavern. So, in its entirety, here – along with a few pics to spice things up – is Derek’s work. Enjoy!

Prior to 1900, the rural intersection of the Old Military Road (National Road) and the Cemetery Road north of Oakland Cemetery and St. Joseph’s Cemetery was a dusty and sparsely populated place. The Czechs, Germans, and the occasional Irish family had built houses along the roads north of Goosetown (Dewey, Governor, Dodge, and North Summit/Cemetery Streets), but little business activity existed on the north edge of Iowa City.

The area was generally known as Rees’ Hill – reflecting the winery and wine garden owned by Jacob and Agatha Rees across from the Hilltop Tavern location. The wine garden was well known and popular with Goosetown residents during the 1880s (and likely earlier). Jacob’s death in 1889, and Agatha’s (and son Frank’s) deaths in 1893 likely resulted in the closure of the winery. For many years, the property was either unused or planted for strawberries or general nursery. This property is where the Hy-Vee grocery store and gas station exist now at the corner of North Dodge and Prairie du Chien and occupied two acres.

Rees’ Hill was on the northern edge of the city and few people lived in the area. A few houses existed along Kimball Road, but empty fields lay just north of Dodge Street along Prairie du Chien/Rees’ Road. In 1895, brick-mason George Graef built a solid brick home on the corner of North Dodge and Cemetery/Prairie du Chien, and also maintained a winery. This historic house is referred to as the Parrott House (1029 N. Dodge Street) and is protected as an Iowa City Historic Landmark.

Joseph A. Helmer married the granddaughter of another pioneering Iowa City family (Basterdes) in 1902. In 1905, he built the primary structure of what is now the Hilltop Tavern as a grocery store with second floor apartments. As is obvious, the primary entrance was on the west side facing what was then Cemetery Road. The building was known as the Helmer Grocery and Apartments. He and his wife resettled from the Goosetown neighborhood to Rees’ Hill sometime after that.

At that time, he may also have built an adjoining building to the south which operated as an automotive garage and later became a Standard Oil service station. The service station was sold in 1931 and it is unclear when it was demolished, and the addition on the south side of the grocery was added.

P.J. Regan, a well known Iowa City nurseryman, operated a general nursery for many years on the old Rees winery property before he died in February of 1933. He frequently referenced Helmer’s grocery and garage in his advertising. In 1911, the streetcar came to Rees’ Hill and traveled to the northern edge of what is now St. Joseph’s Cemetery on Dubuque/Military Road. This streetcar greatly improved transportation to the area and must have been a benefit to both Joe Helmer and P.J. Regan.

Regan’s departure from the old Rees property in 1931 resulted in John and Ruth Swaner moving their dairy processing plant from their farm (following a serious fire in March 1930) on nearby Dubuque/Military Road to this corner on North Summit/Prairie du Chien. Operating as the Swaner Farms Dairy, the Swaners built a dairy processing building on the site of the old winery, and, in 1932, began construction on an entirely new plant. This represented a substantial change in the neighborhood and Joe Helmer must have seen the new employees across the street as real potential for his grocery. And with the end of prohibition, he certainly grasped the potential for a tavern.

The prohibition of beer ended in 1933, however it took nearly another one-and-a-half years before liquor generally would be available. On April 21, 1933, Helmer’s Grocery received a liquor permit; a Class B allowing the sale of 3.2% beer. In 1935, Iowa City made major changes to beer regulation and Joe Helmer could only apply for a Class C license.

After its receipt, he leased the grocery operation to Sam Whitebook, began to add the tavern addition to separate beer sales from the grocery operation, applied for a Class B license, and received approval on Friday, July 24, 1936. He ran the ad (below) in the Press-Citizen that next week announcing the opening of Helmer’s Tavern.

However, within a year (1937), the business was re-named the Hilltop Tavern, at least partly reflecting the old name of the area – Rees’ Hill.

After Johanna Helmer‘s (1943) and Joe Helmer’s deaths (1944), his son, Louis, returned to the grocery business and operated several neighborhood grocery stores with his wife and son. The family home on North Summit / Prairie du Chien was sold as was the Helmer Grocery and Apartments, and Louis and his family moved back into Goosetown at Dodge and East Church, across from the Horace Mann school and Aldous Greenhouses.

After the purchase of The Hilltop by George Bouck (on or before 1948), the property has been leased and sold numerous times, much of which is unclear without a title search. Since then it has been advertised under a variety of names: Hilltop Pizza House (1961), Hilltop Tavern and Pizza House (1965), Hilltop Lounge (1980).