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Our third JCHS Memory Lane Show & Tell was held on Sunday, July 6, 2025. Yours truly was there, and during our fifteen-minute presentation, we told the story of…
This Photograph (below) in the Round of Downtown Iowa City. It was taken from the corner of Clinton & Washington Streets around 1907. Notice – all the streets are brick – laid in the summer of 1895.
Points of Interest:
From the left: SW corner of Clinton & Washington. Busy storefronts where Old Capitol Mall is today. The electrified CRANDIC Interurban tracks turning from Washington Street onto Clinton. Interurban started in 1904 with Iowa City Electric Railway (Trolleys) added in 1910. Read more here.
Crossing Washington Street – we see the trees of University Square. Here’s the newly-built Hall of Liberal Arts (1902) – today’s Schaeffer Hall. The Hall of Science (MacBride Hall) wasn’t added until 1908, and it wasn’t until 1924 when all four Pentacrest buildings were complete. Physics Hall (MacLean) 1912, University Hall (Jessup) 1924. Five Spot became the Pentacrest (1924). Read more here.
Crossing over to Clinton Street – looking north – on the NE corner – Whetstone’s Drugs (1880’s to 1970’s), moving toward the St. James Hotel, (burned 1916)- today’s Iowa Book & Supply. Across Iowa Avenue – Unity Hall – Unitarian Church turned SUI Union & School of Music until 1932 (today’s Phillips Hall), and the spire of First Congregational Church on the corner of Jefferson and Clinton Streets. (1869)
Looking east on Washington Street – the heart of downtown shopping, past Dubuque Street to Linn Street – City Hall in the distance. (1882-1962).
Finally, we are back to the SE corner of Clinton & Washington Street – the long-time location of the Banking House (1856). Became the Johnson County Savings Bank in 1872. In 1912 – a new six-story building was built – today’s Midwest Bank and it’s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
We’ll see you at the next JCHS Memory Lane Show & Tell!
