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IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Electronic Meeting — 5:30 p.m.
Zoom Meeting Platform
Electronic Meeting
(Pursuant to Iowa Code section 21.8)
An electronic meeting is being held because a meeting in person is impossible or impractical
due to concerns for the health and safety of Commission members, staff and the public
presented by COVID-19.
You can participate in the meeting and can comment on an agenda item by going to
htT K //zoom.us/meeting/register/tTOpcO-taDOiGde1HXYObH9t75PwWMhUiMS to visit
the Zoom meeting's registration page and submit the required information. After registering,
you will receive an email message with a link to join the meeting. If you are asked for a meeting
or webinar ID, enter the ID number found in the email. If you have no computer or
smartphone, or a computer without a microphone, you can call in by phone by dialing (312)
626-6799 and entering the meeting ID 994 7656 6933 when prompted. Providing comment in
person is not an option.
Agenda
A) Call to Order
B) Roll Call
C) Public discussion of anything not on the agenda
D) Public Hearing Local Landmark Designation — 2525 Highlander Place —Highlander Supper
Club and Convention Center
E) National Register Nomination —Iowa City Central Business District
F) Report on Certificates issued by Chair and Staff
Minor Review —Staff review
315 Brown Street —Brown Street Historic District (deteriorated sash replacement)
G) Consideration of Minutes for December 10, 2020
H) Commission Discussion
319 Van Buren Street
I) Commission Information
J) Adjournment
If you will need disability -related accommodations in order to participate in this meeting, please contact Jessica
Bristow, Urban Planning, at 319-356-5243 or at jessica-bristow@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged
to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
Iowa City
Historic Preservation Commission
City Hall, 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City. IA. 52240
Memorandum
Date: January 7, 2021
To: Historic Preservation Commission
From: Jessica Bristow, Historic Preservation Planner
Re: 2525 Highlander Place, Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center
The applicant, property owner Angela Harrington, has requested that the property at 2525
Highlander Place be designated as an Iowa City Historic Landmark. Designation of the property
as an Iowa City Historic Landmark will require Commission approval of any significant changes
to the exterior of the building. Landmark status will also make the property eligible for special
exceptions that would allow the Board of Adjustment to waive or modify certain zoning
requirements and for State Tax Credit funding of rehabilitation work.
As described in the attached Site Inventory Form, the Highlander Supper Club was built in 1967
and the convention center, a part of the original concept, was added in 1973. The original
Supper Club is a single -story building to the west end of the complex. The Convention Center
addition includes the central section with ballroom, two wings of rooms to the east and the pool
and courtyard between them. The brown brick -clad Supper Club features a mansard cornice
and stone entry wall. Four steel columns that were original canopy supports also remain. The
Convention Center addition is clad in similar brick with a heavy cornice band and a rhythm of
large glass sections separated by brick pilasters. The lobby vestibule is clad in the same stone
as the entry wall on the earlier Supper Club. The hotel wings have a similar treatment with the
lower portion of the wall also clad in brick and the pattern encompassing two stories. The
original windows have been replaced. The pool addition has an operable glass wall opening on
to a grass courtyard between the hotel wings. A two-story cafe and penthouse open onto the
west end of the pool area as do some of the hotel rooms.
This site inventory form evaluates the property according to the National Register criteria as
required by the state. Since this property includes the Convention Center as a contributing
portion of the building, and it is less than 50 years old, Criteria Consideration G, for properties
less than 50 years old, is included in the discussion of the building's significance. The
justification outlined is that the Convention Center was part of the original development project
and while it was not built at the same time, it was built soon after. The Convention Center was a
necessary addition to continue the viability of the supper club business and was designed to
work with the original design. While the local landmark process does not include similar Criteria
Considerations, this discussion provides appropriate documentation for the Commission to
consider the eligibility of the building as a whole instead of excluding the Convention Center.
Iowa City
Historic Preservation Commission
City Hall, 410 E Washington Street, Iowa City. IA. 52240
The Commission should determine if the property meets criterion A. and B. and at least one of
the criteria C., D., E., or F. for local designation listed below:
a. Significant to American and/or Iowa City history, architecture, archaeology and culture;
b. Possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship;
c. Associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns
of our history;
d. Associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;
e. Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction;
or represents the work of a master; or possesses high artistic values; or represents a
significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual
distinction;
f. Has yielded or may likely yield information important in prehistory or history.
The Site Inventory Form summarizes the cultural importance of the supper club to the Iowa City
community and the University of Iowa. These relationships illustrate the importance of the super
club in our culture's recent history. While there have been changes, primarily to the interior
finishes, much of the exterior maintains its architectural integrity either visibly or beneath recent
alterations which can be reversed. For these reasons, staff finds that this building meets criteria
A and B for local landmark designation.
The detailed discussion of the development project that resulted in the construction of the
Supper Club and the later addition are an example of the inventiveness of late 1960s design
and engineering tied to consumerism and the mid -west, middle-class culture of recreation and
vehicular travel. Because of this part of the building's complex history, staff finds that it meets
criteria C for local landmark designation.
In addition, the use of modern construction materials such as light steel and haydite block, with
large expanses of glass, and the entry design of thin columns supporting a heavy canopy all
combine to embody the late 1960s design aesthetic. While the west canopy is missing (except
for the columns) and the south canopy is obscured beneath modern materials, the changes
could be reversed. Interior construction innovations such as the Glu-Lam timbers in the Supper
Club and the early enclosed pool remain intact. Because of the integrity of the contemporary
design innovations, staff finds that the building meets criteria E for local landmark designation.
Based on the information provided in the Site Inventory Form, staff finds that the property meets
criteria A, B, C, and E and therefore qualifies as an Iowa City Historic Landmark.
Recommended Motion:
Move to approve the designation of 2525 Highlander Place (Highlander Supper Club and
Convention Center) as an Iowa City Historic Landmark based on the following criteria for local
designation: criteria A, B, C, and E.
STATE HISTORIC
PRESERVATION
OFFICE OF IOWA
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
State Inventory Number:
9-Digit SHPO Review and Compliance (R&C) Number:
IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM
❑ New ❑ Supplemental
❑ Non -Extant Year:
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
IOWA SITE INVENTORY
600 East Locust Street I Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-8742 1 Fax: (515) 282-0502
www.iowahistory.org/historicpreservation
July 2014
Read the Iowa Site Inventory Form Instructions carefully, to ensure accuracy and completeness before completing this form. The instructions are available at
http://www.iowahistory.org/historic-preservation/statewide-inventory-and-collections/iowa-site-inventory-form.html.
Basic Information
Historic Building Name: Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center
Other Names:
Street Address: 2525 Highlander Place
City: Iowa City ❑ Vicinity County: Johnson
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
Rural Urban
Township Name: Subdivision:
Township No.: Block(s):
Range No.: Lot(s):
Section:
Quarter: of
Classification
A. PROPERTY CATEGORY:
❑ Building(s)
❑ District
❑ Site
❑ Structure
❑ Object
B. NUMBER OF RESOURCES (WITHIN PROPERTY):
If eligible property, enter number of:
Contributing Noncontributing
1 Buildings
1 Sites
Structures 1
4 Objects
6 Tota 1 1
State: Iowa ZIP: 52245-1111
If non -eligible property, enter number of:
Buildings
Sites
Structures
Objects
Tota
C. STATUS OF PROPERTIES LISTED ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES ❑ Listed ❑ De -listed L NHL ❑ NPS DOE
D. FOR PROPERTIES WITHIN A HISTORIC DISTRICT
❑ Property contributes to a National Register or local certified historic district.
* Property contributes to a potential historic district, based on professional historic/architectural survey and evaluation.
❑ Property does not contribute to the historic district in which it is located.
Historic District Name: Historic District Site Number:
E. NAME OF RELATED PROJECT REPORT OR MULTIPLE PROPERTY STUDY (if applicable)
MPD Title: Historical Architectural Database No,
JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM 1 OF 3
Address. 2525 Highlander Place
Citv: Iowa City
Site Number:
Function or Use
Enter categories (codes and terms) from the Iowa Site Inventory Form Instructions
County: Johnson
District Number:
A. HISTORIC FUNCTIONS B. CURRENT FUNCTIONS
01-Domestic 01 D-Transitory Housing 01 D01-inn 01-Domestic 01 D-Transitory Housing 01 D01-inn
02G-Restaurant
Description
A. ARCHITECTURAL CLASSIFICATION
09F08-Roadside Commercial
B. MATERIALS
Foundation (visible exterior): 10-concrete
Walls (visible exterior): 03 Brick
Roof: 15-Synthetics
Other:
C. NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION Z See continuation sheets which must be completed.
Statement of Significance
A. APPLICABLE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES CRITERIA (mark your opinion of eligibility after applying relevant National Register criteria)
Criterion A: Property is associated with significant events. —1 Yes —1 No F,—,, More research recommended
Criterion B: Property is associated with the lives of significant persons. —1 Yes n No Fv— More research recommended
Criterion C: Property has distinctive architectural characteristics. C Yes L No L More research recommended
Criterion D: Property yields significant information in archaeology/history. � Yes L✓ No L✓ More research recommended
B. SPECIAL CRITERIA CONSIDERATIONS (mark any special considerations; leave blank if none)
F— A. Owned by a religious institution or used for religious purposes.
—1 B. Removed from its original location.
A C. A birthplace or grave.
I D. A cemetery
C. AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE (enter categories from instructions)
02 Architecture
E. SIGNIFICANT DATES
Construction Date: 19673 1973
Other Dates (including renovations):
G. CULTURAL AFFILIATION (complete if Criterion D is marked above)
n E. A reconstructed building, object, or structure.
F. A commemorative property.
G. Property less than 50 years of page or achieved significance within the past 50 years.
D. PERIOD(S) OF SIGNIFICANCE
1967-1973
F. SIGNIFICANT PERSON (complete if Criterion B is marked above)
H. ARCH ITECT/BU I LDER
Architect: David C. Moore, Drew McNamara & Asso.
Builder/Contractor: Thompson Construction, Selzer Construction
I. NARRATIVE STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 2 See continuation sheets which must be completed.
JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM 2 OF 3
Address: 2525 Highlander Place
City: Iowa City
Site Number:
Bibliography
Z See continuation sheets for the list research sources used in preparing this form.
Geographic Data
County: Johnson
District Number:
OPTIONAL UTM REFERENCES
See continuation sheet for additional
UTM or comments
Zone
Easting
Northing
1.
15
652128
4616354
2.
15
625324
4616330
3.
15
625296
4616190
4.
15
625138
4616208
Form Preparation
Name and Title: James E. Jacobsen
Organization/Firm:
Street Address:
Citv: Des Moines
Email: historypays@gmail.com
Additional Documentation
NAD
Date: September 3, 2020
State: Iowa ZIP: 50312
Telephone: 515-274-3625
A. FOR ALL PROPERTIES, ATTACH THE FOLLOWING, AS SPECIFIED IN THE IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM INSTRUCTIONS
1. Map of property's location within the community.
2. Glossy color 46 photos labeled on back with property/building name, address, date taken, view shown, and unique photo number.
3. Photo key showing each photo number on a map and/or floor plan, using arrows next top each photo number to indicate the location and directional view of each photograph.
4. Site plan of buildings/structures on site, identifying boundaries, public roads, and building/structure footprints.
B. FOR ALL STATE HISTORIC TAX CREDIT PART 1 APPLICATIONS, HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND FARMSTEADS, AND BARNS
See lists of special requirements and attachments in the Iowa Site Inventory Form Instructions.
State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) Use Only
The SHPO has reviewed the Site Inventory and concurs with above survey opinion on National Register eligibility:
U Yes —1 No U More research recommended
7 This is a locally designated property or part of a locally designated district.
Comments:
SHPO Authorized Signature: Date:
JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM 3 OF 3
STATE HISTORIC
PRESERVATION
OFFICE OF IOWA
IOWA DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS
IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM - CONTINUATION SHEET
Name of Property: Highlander Supper Club and Convention Center
Address: 2525 Highlander Place
City: Iowa City
Refer to continuation sheets, attached.
County: Johnson
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
IOWA SITE INVENTORY
600 East Locust Street I Des Moines, IA 50319
(515) 281-8742 1 Fax: (515) 282-0502
www.iowahistory.org/historicpreservation
July 2014
Site Number:
Related District Number:
JULY 1, 2014 V 1.0 IOWA SITE INVENTORY FORM OF
Highland Inn Continuation Pages
Description:
The Highlander Inn is a substantial motel complex that is located at the intersection of State Highway # 1
with Interstate 80, just northeast of Iowa City proper. The building is centered on a nine -acre level site in the
northeast corner of that intersection and consists of a mix of one and two-story steel and concrete construction.
The original supper club component with a half -basement, occupies the west one-third of the plan, while the
more substantial motel addition, consisting of lower -profile ball room, meeting rooms, hallways and support
areas with an east end pair of two-story motel rooms is to the east. The wings frame an open-plan enclosed pool
area on the west end. The building exterior is brick veneered. The supper club component has a mansard
cornice and a stone -faced west entry with remnant portico columns. The current south entrance features an
oversized square -cut portico entrance. Paved parking surrounds the building to the north west and south. The
courtyard and the property to the east of it are grassed.
Nor th
55
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Figure 7-1: Johnson County Assessor's property sketch, 2020
Figure 1 depicts the building layout and scale. The extreme western section (83 feet by 105 feet) is the
original supper club and its southern plan half is the only basement area (housing one large meeting room,
mechanicals and a kitchen area that links upstairs via a dumb waiter). The rest of the building comprises the
motel addition. The easternmost portions (BLDG 1 and 2 and ADDN 1) are two stories in height. ADDN 1
contains the pool/court and atwo-story west end office area, now a kitchen on the first floor. All of the motel
rooms are contained within the twin east wings. The inner rooms of west portions of each of these wings are
contained within the pool/courtyard.
The exterior building profile is both elongated and low-level in appearance despite the two-story wings.
Much of the west half of the building exterior is un-fenestrated and this is particularly the case along the
northwest back of the building where kitchens and other support spaces are set opposite the exterior walls. This
exterior is wood surfaced. The motel expanses have the expected unbroken cadence of window bands on both
floor levels. The only interruption is corner and mid -point exit/entrances. There are two architectural entrance
1
points. The current south entrance consists of a rather blocky portico with substantial -appearing square -cut
brick column supports. Here the building exterior is fully glassed on both sides of the entry. The west end
entrance, no longer in use has lost its portico but retains its four support columns and its patio surface and what
was the original entrance, which is stone -veneered. The east motel end walls are un-fenestrated save for hall
windows on each level that are centered on the plan. Within the courtyard, the interior walls of the two wings
are banded with window openings on the upper floor, and have paired doors and side windows below. Each
room bay front is recessed slightly behind pilasters and an overhanging roof. The east pool/court wall is mostly
glass, consisting of operable end overhead doors and two mid -wall inoperable overhead door sections. The
building roof profile is rather complex apart from the differing floor levels. Most notably the south entrance, a
central hall and the main ball room area have an elevated roof level as does the core of the former west -end
supper club. The pool/court roof level is higher than the motel wings.
Figure 7-2: Rooftop view of the building looking north (Johnson County Assessor, 2020)
(note that the west canopy beams are still in place, pergola -like)
Inside, the building layout is both rather straight forward but in some support areas it is a virtual
labyrinth of support areas. Figure 7-3 is a largely current summation of the major rom arrangement. All of the
kitchen areas are located in the north part of the west end of the plan and this includes space in the basement.
The ballroom is the very large area that is north of the south entrance. There is a central hall that is flanked by
offices and restrooms (to the east). There is an elongated open plan area in the southeast corner of the west end
of the plan. Offices to the east of the south entrance now consist of a small lobby and one office on the east end
(the west wall is inscribed with notable guests and entertainers there since 1974). The pool/court is the large
rectangle to the right of plan center. The courtyard is to the east of it.
N
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Figure 7-3: Building thumbprint plan (Building plans)
North
The structural system is that of thin (four -inch thick) concrete block walls and webbed steel trusses with
galvanized steel roofing. The motel wings are roofed using pre -cast concrete slabs (see construction photos,
Section 8) All interior ceilings are steel joist framed and perimeter walls are of concrete block construction with
exterior brick veneer.
- -- _qM1WA_&j% a- PW 7AAW
Figures 7-4, 7-5: Images showing the ceiling truss system and roofing, 1990 images (Owner scrapbook)
The motel rooms are all identical in plan with corner bathrooms set against the halls and paired as shown
in Figure 7-3. Some rooms have connective interior doors. Pool/court units have side doors on the ground floor
while upper level rooms have doors that lead out to a balcony.
0
Figure 7-6: Dance floor supper club space, looking north (Owner scrapbook)
The building material of special interest in the former supper club area is the use of "Glu-Lam" timbers
to frame the higher ceiling. All of the heavy structure of the 1966 original building used composite beams but
the ceiling open trusses allowed for the open headroom depicted in Figure 7-6. Still in use today, Douglas Fir is
a preferred wood type. Haydite block, a light -weight alternative to concrete block, was used in the walls of the
original building at least.
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Figure 7-7: Wall profiles, 1966 plan showing footings (Building plans)
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Figure 7-8: Profile of Glu-Lam beams, looking north (original plans)
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The motel addition used Travertine stone to cover the sides of the lobby vestibule and the same stone
was observed used as a cladding for the south portico. The current portico might retain this material beneath its
existing EFIS covering.
A 1 tem ti on c
The alteration history of this building is a complex one given its enlargement and repurposing over time.
At the same time, a multi -use building of this type is particularly prone to continual cosmetic make-overs
necessary to curry public favor. For this building, the successive re -branding by three national motel chains
translated into substantial make-overs. The latter changes have occurred at such a scale as to substantially
reduce the chances of retained original finishes and in some instances original room layouts. The integrity
section will treat this matter but the bottom line is that integrity will reside largely in the building exterior,
massing, exterior and structural materials and systems and in the more monumental interior spaces.
The original supper club had three uniquely designed dining rooms and a Banquet Room, Party Room
and a cocktail lounge. The convention center added a dining room, the ballroom, a poolside lounge and
contained meeting rooms that could suit parties of five to two hundred. The ballroom could serve 750 to 900 in
banquet or theater style.
Table I: Alterations Summary
Date
Description
Source
October 1964
Complete complex conceptual design
Site plan, Hansen Lind and Associates
Undated
Motel and restaurant plans
Plan, Hansen, Lind and Meyer
Associates
July 1966
Original design and construction,
Plans, David C. Moore, architect, Black
Watch Supper Club
July 15, 1966
Plan for Iowa Steel and Iron Works, Cedar
Rapids, Thompson Construction Company
Jan. 28, 1971
Cocktail lounge addition, not built
Plans, Drew McNamara & Associates
Nov. 15, 1971
Initial plans, motel addition
Plans, Drew McNamara & Associates
Dec. 1973
Kitchen enlargement plans
ME Engineering & Associates, Bouse,
Bradley & Hynes, Cedar Rapids
1973
Plan for a pool house at east end of the
Plans, Drew McNamara & Associates
courtyard with a triangle -shaped lounge at the
west end of the open court
Feb. 9, 1975
Outside pool plan (not used)
Plans, FPC Equipment Planner, Inc.
Memphis
5
Date
Description
Source
Oct. 30, 1979
Remodel dining hall
Plans, H. R. Lubben Company
May 1980
Main lobby remodel
Plans, H. R. Lubben Company
June 2, 1981
Supper club south wall bump -out and skylight
Plans
for lounge, not built
Aug. 24, 1982
Hot tub pool addition
Plans, Selzer Construction Co., Iowa
City
Oct. 28, 1982
Remodel supper club, bar area, vaulted ceiling,
bar area apparently constructed
April 14, 1983,
Amana display area and poolside "band stand"
Plans, J. Pink
May 18, 1984
Oct. 101 1983
Lobby hallway remodel, construct stained glass
Plans, Selzer Construction Co., Iowa
interior dome non -extant
city
May 1986
Remodel lobby, bar
Dec. 10, 1987
Remodel south pool and bar entrance
Plans, Selzer Construction Co., Iowa
city
1994
Motel room renovation to a contemporary style
"Main Course", March 1995
with valences, wallpaper, carpet, in -room coffee
makers
1996
Need for more convention space, eateries
"Main Course", Fall 1996
reduced to new Prime Grille, new "west
ballroom" in former supper club, no more
formal dining, chairs on casters, use of more
natural light, "casually elegant" dining
Nov. 14, 1997
Radisson transformation of south entry and
Plans, Cowetta Seward Asso. Inc.
interior
1998
Automatic door south entry, enlarged lobby,
"Main Course", Fall 1998; Iowa City
new Italian the foyer, new mahogany service
Press Citizen, October 14, 1998
desk and remodeled lobby, remodeled guest
rooms with electronic room locks, larger desks,
irons and ironing boards, data ports, voice mail,
ballroom given new look with wall coverings,
adjustable lighting, room divider to split space,
exercise room adjacent to the pool, garden
courtyard landscaped with native plants,
McGurk's Pub to east of pool
1999
Just two eateries, McGurk's Pub and the Prime
"Main Course", Spring 1999
Grille, return of "old menu."
Jan. 3, 2000
$10,000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
July 31, 2000
$,60000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
Feb. 12, 2003
$3,000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
May 24, 2006
$82,676 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
Oct. 13, 2008
Quality Inn & Suites remodel, replace pool
Plans, Wilkerson Construction
court east windows
Nov. 26, 2008
$12,000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
April 30, 2009
$7,417 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
Jan. 15, 2011
Promised Clarion Motels $250,000 renovation
Clarion motel chain, Cedar Rapids
Gazette
Au . 31, 2011
$6,000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
Oct. 20, 2011
$25,000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
Oct. 24, 2013
$25,000 expenditure
Johnson County Assessor
Date
Description
Source
Dec. 2019
Current remodeling, replace pool court east
windows, remove bandstand/pergola, eliminate
service desk, remodel bar area
August 10,
Derecho wind damage removes supper club
2020
roof and causes extensive interior water damage
Integrity Evaluation:
The historical integrity of this building is predominantly expressed by the building massing and exterior
brickwork and its entrances. Given the ever -evolving nature of its interior main room remodeling's, the same is
true of its key surviving components, the pool area and motel wings, the ballroom, the original supper club
space, the basement Garden Room, the main hallway, south main hall, and the kitchen areas.
Its integrity of location is strong given not been moved and it retains the commercial aspects of its site.
Integrity of design is good, the original exterior design remaining intact and visually accessible. The
original supper club exterior is very much intact, having lost only its wood shingle mansard cladding and the
roof portion of its original portico (the four columns curiously survive). The south portico survives though
altered in its lower massing but the overall building lines and massing survive. Exterior brickwork and the
fenestration patterns on the motel wings survive although the windows have been replaced with inappropriate
multi -paned lights.
Integrity of setting is strong with the retention of oversized paved parking in three directions and the
retention of a mixed retail/office commercial mix of buildings to the east, north and west. The physical
proximity of the interstate highway and state highway is retained although tree growth now substantially
obscures what was an open exposure.
Integrity of materials is good, with the exterior brickwork and mortar being very well preserved, as are
the structural components of the whole complex. The original concrete pool survives as does much of the 1973
pool area wall treatment. The more substantial losses are the motel wing windows and the original reception
desk.
Integrity of workmanship is good, the most visible examples being the brickwork, the supper club
ceiling beams, pool, and the building's structural system.
Integrity of feeling is strong given the retention of the building massing, roof lines, points of entry, and
key interior spaces (kitchens, pool area, ballroom, halls, motel wings, supper club interior, basement Garden
Room).
Integrity of association is good to moderate. A former guest or employee could readily find the
building, see it as recognizable in its current appearance and find the same feel relative to adjacent properties,
and open ground.
Historical Significance Evaluation and Recommendation:
The Highlander Supper Club and its later iterations is individually eligible for the National Register of
Historic Places on the local level. It is architecturally significant (Criterion Q as awell-preserved example of
its type, the post -World War II supper club. The original building represented the architectural zenith of the
building type inasmuch as this was apurpose-built club having a unified theme throughout its history. Its
design employed state-of-the-art building materials to realize the vision of its developers. Haydite block was
used as a thinner and lighter wall block. Glu-lam beams were used to form the supper club raised roof and
Behlen steel was used to achieve the necessary clear spans across the plan. The motel expansion employed one
of the earliest enclosed pools. It is historically significant for its long-term successful operation as an interstate
highway -based supper club that combined substantial local community support (including sustained
associations with the University of Iowa sports programs) with serving as an area entertainment venue. The
period of significance is 1967-1973 with the key dates of 1968 and 1973.
The supper club and its expanded convention center and motel facilities represented the completion of
the original vision of its founders. The added capacity allowed the supper club to survive for decades and made
possible a scale of operations that similarly made the business a success as well as a local and regional
destination point. The post -expansion history lies outside of the period of significance but it is a testament to
the public memory of the Highlander. The convention center -motel -supper club became "one of the most
popular venues in the state for meetings, conferences, weddings and just dining out." For 30 years it hosted the
University of Iowa I -Club pre -football home game breakfast events and it was an entertainment venue for a
broad range of notable singers. It developed a cooperative working relationship with the nearby Herbert
Hoover National Historic Site at West Branch. A three-day series of seminars were held there in early August
1974 as "the Presidency of Herbert Hoover" involving 14 sponsoring colleges and universities. Former
president, Gerald Ford participated in a reception in October 1989 as part of another seminar "The Public Life
of Former Presidents: Personal Reflections" held at the historic site. An office wall in the motel office was
dedicated to serving as a signatory space for notable entertainers, sports figures (primarily golfers) and other
luminaries.)
Figure 8-1 summarizes the reaction of locating a supper club a good distance from anywhere, out in the
boonies so to speak. Even proximity to the interstate highway was yet to be seen as a locational advantage.
Most early supper clubs were rurally located, some distance from yet in proximity to an urban center. Robert
McGurk obviously saw what others, even his banker did not, that the finished club/convention center would
become a draw in its own right. It would also drive commercial development at the highway intersection in the
long term, and that development would provide additional customers to his business. As will be seen, the final
pool design was long in coming and a number of alternatives were explored, both inside and outside. Finally, it
was decided to build the existing pool complex, doubling what became the pool lounge single -story building
and incorporating it into the pool structural system.
1 Cedar Rapids Gazette, August 10, 1974 and National Archives and Records Administration, News from The Archives, Summer 1989,
p. 6
E:11
Boondocks No Problem If There's a Pool
IOWIOWA CITY, Iowa — The e second greatest
move Bob McGurk ever made was the in-
stallation of a 4 ' x 30" enclosed pool in his
motel complex x located jusL outside this city. It
is, he says, the major attraction of the sotel-
supper club -bay' he and his partners built near-
ly eight years ago. People come from miles
away, he adds, just to swim and spend a
weekend there.
But w ha.t "s the greatest move Mc urk ever
node'? Well, he'll readily toll anyone that in
spite of admonitions against the motel's l oca-
t.ioll -� one in particular cot) i ng f r rn a heal
blanker — he and Isis partners, Dean Jones grid
John Stevens, decided lo build their 6-room
motel complex practically in the middle of
nowhere. The banker said they h1ad all lost
their marbles building it "out i ti the boon-
docks."'
But eight years later, the Highlander Inn
and Supper Club draws businoss and people
from as far away as 50 to 60 miles regularly,
and ocoassx orally even farther, from
states. There are no rna jor in -
neighboring
dusty ies in the area, but McGurk claims the
near university is, for them, one of the dig_
F
Best and hest indust6es around because of its
one anti two-day seminars which attract
30,000 people annually, A nd to , he says, the
Veterans Hospital also brings in regular vis-
itors to his part of the Iowa countryside.
The motel, supper l u b and bar, of course,
have all the amenities and trappings, but it's
the indoor pool between the two parallel co ni-
ple es of back-to-back rooms that he and h i s
partners are so proud of.
rigi naily, the pool co rn p iex was to be fair-
ly small and located at the far end of the
courtyard between the motel wings. But in
consulting with pool contractor Max Selzer.
McGurk felt that guest access and comfort
were uppermost, so he decided on a larger in-
door ompiex.
Because of its light weight and abilit to
handle high humidity, a Bohlen Dubl-Pahl
roof system was used to house the pool. This
' x 9 0" en closure, Mice u r k says, h as few a n#
vironmen tal problems it can't hii nd l ,- "Even
heating it has been absolutely no problem.,.
Inside the facility is the * x 0# pool sur-
rounded by patio furniture resting on
Astroturf alongside the pool. In addition, the
complex houses a wh i ri pool, sauna, exercise
room and poolsi de cocktail ! o ungc
The easy passage from the ba r to t h e pool t o
the outdoors, Mc urk says, is the primary
reason a local celebrity golf tournament coin -
Mace chose b i s motel for their recent event.
.mother wcckend i n December of last year,
he recalls, the motel was filled with people
who had come to spend the weekend heca ust,
of the enclosed pool; " So our occupancy rate
this past winter, as far as weekend g , was
1 0%, whereas I'd have been dead — totally
dead — without that pool."
cG urk feels that his success May indicate
trend toward his type of motel complex
located on interstate highways in c Untr side
areas. " f ou`re g.oi ng to f i nd more a n d ni ore of
it."' he says. citing general ease of access and
par ing f acl I ities as reason .
Of his own motel. he o bserves fa ni 11 i es co m-
ina in as late as Sunday, staying the day and
night, then returning to work and school the
next day. Others, like salesmen, return to the.
Hghl nder with t heir families €or wee Fends.
;That pool enclosure is going to be- our
bread and but ter," McG urk says.
Figure 8-1: An all -season enclosed pool is the saving factor
(Pool News, January 20, 1975)
Figure 8-2 explains how the contractor solved the problem of designing an enclosed pool complex that
didn't chlorinate the adjacent motel rooms or melt hairdos with a constant high humidity. The pool structural
system, consisting of two steel deck levels separated by four feet, allowed for the installation of HVAC
equipment between the roof levels to solve those problems. That same structural system, absent the dual -level
component, allowed for the creation of the immense clear span ballroom and other major open areas within the
convention center plan. With the exception of the ballroom, these spaces could be readily altered with demising
walls and ornamental features as the spatial needs changed.2
2 The Behlen Construction Company, Columbus, Nebraska, first used its double -panel roofing system in October 1959 and
trademarked it on July 11, 1961, renewing the registration in 1981. The "dubl panl" trademark continues in use today and can safely
0C
"This roof is going to pay for itself faster
than anything else we have here'
" e opened the morel lost September, " says Robert
"Bob" Mc -Turk President of The Highlander Supper Club
and Morel. "The second Sarurday and Sunday in De-
cember e were totally full. Guests were from Cedcr
rapids, Iowa City, Tipron. Davenport —all here because
of the enclosed pool.
"Our occupancy rote on weekends lost winter was about
100 percent, where we'd have been dead without the
pool. It'5 cuing to be our bread and butter. "
McGurk starred the supper club wirh Dean Jones and
John R. Stephens, in 1967. Six years later the r,norel was
added, with o Behlen Dub[ -Pahl roof 0-odd ft. square
over the courtyard between two motel wings. Here in
12-months surnmer is a lawn of Asrro turf with a pool
30' x 48'
-We were in c motor morel in Chicago, and my wife
walled by the pool and her hairdo fe[I down. So I scid,
'How can we build something tharwon't have all This
humidity and chlorine smell?'
"Mox Selzer here of Selzer Constr. Co. said. 'Ler's give it a steel
roof, come down 4 feet and put in a steel deck or ceiling.' So
with plenty of oir handling units in the roof system, we hove no
problem.
"We have tremendous insulation, rao, sprayed -on under the
deck and loose -blown above it. Then we have morel on 3 sides,
.so the heating problem is negligible."
$400,000 Supper Club out on the Interstate?
"When we first starred up. everyone thought we had last our mar-
bles. air we drew 25 percent of our business from Linn County on
the north, and a lot from nearby cities. We built a reputationwith-
out national advertising or chain off iliarion.
''Now thor we've odded the morel, we're going to have a new
car showing by one of the Big Three companies, in the pool area
cr)d the courtyard just outside ir. We can run o buffet for 1,000
people, and we have sected 900 for c meeting. We do need
more meeting rooms for 1 -25 people. The four we hove ore
poolside and very popular.
"We're better off here than in Des Moines on a freeway. On con-
ventions, everyone is looking for the easiest way to get rhere,
and they try to splir the distonce. On the motel, we have whole
fomrlies corning our from town_"
Is Highlander sewing a trend? "Well, l had o call from a reclror
who has property near Davenport. He wanted to know if I'd be
interested in running the some thing down there_ They would put
it up as an investment and lease it back to me."
a
(A) "As the mon from Sports Illustrated said, 'Who wants ro
swim in the sun? Here you can swim and walls ❑ few feet and
}you're in the sun. in summer,- Wroughr Iron "sidewalk cafe"
tables con be used ro seat bar patrons-
(B) Highlonder is located on Inrerstore 80 near Iowa Cry, bwa-
(C) Since the Supper Club doesn't open rill 5 pnn it carp be used
by convenrions during the day.
Figure 8-2: Behlen Double -Panel ('Dubl-Panl") steel roof system makes the pool area possible
(Behlen Manufacturing Company Spaces Newsletter, page 3, ca.1974)
Supper Club Planning and Construction:
create clear -spans of 288 feet. The two layers of corrugated steel roofing are braced using light -weight bracing
(https:Huspto. report/TM/72084507).
Figure 8-3: Highland Supper Club location (Building plans)
M. Dean Jones (1909-2004) was a landowner whose holdings included much of a developing interstate
highway interchange (21.8 acres) that was located just outside of the built-up northeast portion of Iowa City, the
county seat of Johnson County. The site was outside of the city when the supper club was built, and it was
zoned as residential land when the city annexed it. The inn was grandfathered as a pre-existing "non-
conforming use." A commercial rezoning request wasn't apparently needed until the operation was expanded to
include a motel in 1972. John M. Stevens and Jones partnered in the idea of building a restaurant -supper club
and they needed a partner -manager so they recruited John J. "Bob" McGurk (1936-1988). McGurk was
involved with operating the Lark Supper Club at Tiffin, in Cedar County, located west of Iowa City, also on
Interstate 80. His expertise was actually in bar management and he had co -owned Ted's Happy Time bar in the
early 1950's in Cedar Rapids prior to his moving to the Tiffin club.3
Supper clubs were the domain of the successful middle class. Akin to private clubs it is noteworthy that
the design for the new supper club allowed for no exterior windows. It was a closeted sanctuary. The
Highlander also combined prominence with locational privacy. While placed on a visible plateau from the
highway and interstate perspective, it was reached by means of a fairly long winding private road. So, it very
much resembled a private club siting and architecture. The club entrance did orient west (slightly northwest)
towards its highway access and it was positioned on the west end of a slightly raised plateau (Figure 8-3).
The initial branding also bespoke both tradition and respectability. The original name was the Black
Watch Supper Club., a name that honored the military legacy of a noted Scottish infantry regiment. This name
was never publicly promulgated beyond the design table of the first architectural drawings and it was finally
replaced with the Highlander name. Sheila Ann McGurk Boyd recalled:
I don't believe either Jones or Stevens had any Scottish roots, but the agreement for dad to come
to be a part of the plan was struck on the golf course. All three had a love for golf, so I believe
that's where the Scottish theme started. The Black Watch was a tartan plaid I think what
3 Iowa City Press Citizen, January 10, 1972; Email, Sheila Boyd to James Jacobsen, September 8, 2020. Ellen Dean played a key role in
the interior design and designed a waitress uniform that included a tartan sash with broach and a special hat.
11
something they liked so there came the name. However, the 60's unrest it was decided that that
name might be offensive to some, so it changed. The story goes that the land where the supper
club was being built was on "high land" and that too was a tartan plaid, so the name was
changed.
The Black Watch is a basic tartan mix of grouped squares and intersecting lines (akin to a downtown
streetscape) that comes in a range of colorcombinations but greens and blues are the most common.4
Figure 8-4: An example of the Black Watch tartan pattern
The developing concept dated back to as early as October 1964 when Iowa City architects Hansen & Lind
designed a series of conceptual schemes for a complex that closely envisioned the completed supper club and
motel -convention center. Figure 8-5 was labeled "Scheme #6." It is curious that this plan was the only
survivor. It envisioned a north -fronting facility with a series of individual buildings, one of which was labeled
administration. The pool(s) were outside, in a courtyard having motel wings on three sides.
-� :� f I � � ' 'Ak
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41
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4' F
�1° � + .�.- � .. 1 _I - __.. t--, -. ._•-." ��.- 'ems -
Z
Figure 5: Site plan for "Motel Development for Iowa City," October 2, 1964
(Hansen and Lind, Architects, courtesy of Sheila Ann Boyd)
4 Email, Sheila Boyd to James Jacobsen, September 8, 2020
12
Hansen, Lind and Meyer designed a restaurant and motel for the Central Development Corporation,
presumably the original corporate entity for the Iowa City partners. The undated plans envisioned most of the
fundamental core concepts of what was finally built. At the same time the plan differed considerably, lacking a
supper club, having a northwest corner canopy entry, and minimal basement space and a layout with varied
floor levels based on the site. What was clearly retained in the final plan were the basic supper club exterior
and massing, the west canopy, the basic courtyard with flanking motel room wings and even an enclosed pool.
Overall, the first design was a very contemporary one, complete with a bar fireplace and chimney. The partners
were Richard Fred Hansen (1932-?), John Howard Lind (1932-?) and Carl Donald Meyer (1932-2004). Meyer
joined the partnership in 1963 and his name gets included on the actual plans.'
q.
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46
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FI�CL43.Pw-eSTAW$bkli SnaY4k ir7b�E�FSTBlL�dk1C F
. I ., " . y� S'.•. _`___.'_�. _ .. ___ _ _ .. - - - - .. _.. .. ._-_-_� �t ram____ r
Figure 8-6: Restaurant (west end) plan for "Motel and Restaurant" (Hansen, Lind and Meyer, Architects
Retained features in the as-builts were the west canopy, the basic supper club (restaurant) layout and the
east courtyard and twin motel wings.
5 AIA Historical Directory, New Providence: R. R. Bowker, L.L.C., 1970, pp. 374, 545, 617. Moore does not appear in the AIA
directories of the period. His 1971 mention credited him with architectural design and the remodel design work entailed a number
of themed dining rooms and an entrance lobby (Iowa City Press Citizen, October 19, 1971).
13
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Figure 8-7: Three elevation views for "Motel and Restaurant" (Hansen, Lind and Meyer, Architects)
The south elevation at the top in Figure 8-7 shows the supper club (west half of the perspective) with its
mansard cornice treatment and west canopy and entry. The original plan, also veneered in brick, used pilasters
to break up the exterior wall plane and used some sort of vertical interruption (open gutters?) across the
mansard cornice. The south wall was much more glassed. Note the changes in floor elevation going west to
east. The motel wing fenestration differed with full-length ground level windows and broad spandrels.
-7-
---------- -------
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imm 46 9 .
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Figure 8-8: Three elevation views for "Motel and Restaurant" (Hansen, Lind and Meyer, Architects)
The middle elevation shown in Figure 8-8 shows the north side of the supper club/restaurant. The lower
elevation shows an L-shaped north portico.
14
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Figure 8-9: First floor, motel wings and courtyard for "Motel and Restaurant"
(Hansen, Lind, and Meyer, Architects)
Figure 8-9 shows the elongated courtyard and its enclosure on three sides with motel wings. This
element was built and a variety of designs were developed relative to what form the east end of the courtyard
would assume. This was never resolved. The original plan made no place for a banquet hall and when the
broader convention center was adopted, the pool location was deflected elsewhere as will be seen.
The original plan can be said to have broadly defined what the actual supper club and finally the rest of
the facility would look like. In some manner, the original architects dropped out of the project and a very
obscure local designer took over.
I-ti d rn � �. T r ' . 1 --•• r - - -
-
No
•■TI 7■ ■ZR 711 No -
�U P P a 1W CILch
0 No
S 0 N 0 n s to Develp
Figure 8-10: David C. Moore is named as architect/designer on the 1966 plans (Highlander Archives)
David C. Moore is not identified as an architect per se. He does not appear in the American Institute of
Architects directories and is not otherwise documented for any other original work. The sole found reference to
him dates to late 1971 when he redesigned the interior of the Ming Garden Chinese Restaurant in Coralville as
the David C. Moore Design Center (aka "Waterfall Construction"). Moore also documented his role in his
sketch for the new supper club, a framed copy of which is on display at the Highlander.
15
Figure 8-11: Architect's sketch, David C. Moore, 1966, looking northeast (Owner's framed image)
As Figure 8-11 shows, the blank brick walls of the club were festooned with angled gas -lights, as was
the approach lane from the west. This feature was lost in the summer of 1980 (or some of the lamps were
electrified) when a federal law forbade gas -powered outdoor lighting due to a gas shortage.6
is
TA a
� 1
o;
'7jTQ
north �.
Figure 8-12: The original building footprint and siting (Building plans)
In July 1966 David C. Moore as noted, drew the elevation sketches of the planned supper club building
but he is not identified as being an architect. Thompson Construction of Iowa City and Davenport was the
general contractor.
6 Iowa City Press Citizen, December 4, 1979
it
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Figure 8-13 : Original supper club and parking plan, 1966 (Building plans)
Figure 8-13 shows the supper club portion with its westward orientation relative to its approach and
parking areas. The curious curved east wall survives today and locates the east stairway that was added just
north of it with the 1973 expansion.
a
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Figure 8-14: Original supper club basement plan, 1966 (Building plans)
17
The feature of interest in the original basement was an interior rock garden at the base of the east steps.
Figure 8-15: Original supper club first floor plan, 1966 (Building plans)
The seven Glu-Lam girders were placed west to east across the west center section of the supper club.
The lounge was centered along the south wall and a "party room" in the southeast corner. A rounded coffee
shop was in the northeast corner and its arched wing explains why the east side of the original supper club had
this curved wall (still extant).
The role of the supper club as a national entertainment venue and a preferred event venue for University
of Iowa sports and other related events post-dated the original building. McGurk daughter Sheila Boyd recalls:
I think it was primarily after the motel with banquet space was built... The I -Club breakfasts and
many large functions put on by the university came to the Highlander because we had one of the
largest banquet spaces in town, with the exception of the Iowa Memorial Union and parking was
always an issue there. Seriously, bragging a bit, we were very good at hosting large groups, both
in service and quality of food.
This also explains why the developers didn't simply acquire and expand an existing area supper club. That
option, lacking room for expansion, fell short of the long-term scale that was envisioned.
' Email, Sheila Boyd to James Jacobsen, September 8, 2020
w
y
Figure 8-16: The supper club and filling station looking south (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd) 8
Sheila Boyd also recalled at what point the "super club" function ceased. She stated "I believe that the
type of supper club dining was losing favor with the public in the mid 80's. In the early 80's we still had small
trio play on the lounge and people would eat as late 10 pm. We kept the menu, and as much of the ambiance
until the late 90's. "9
&As pool
— Nor
a
Figures 8-17, 8-18: Left, aerial photo, late 1950s showing site as farmland; Right, 1963-64
S grading of interstate and new Highway # 1 approaches (Iowa Geographic Map Server) to
I The filling station parcel was sold to Sunray DX Oil Company July 31, 1966 and was operated by them and then the Kron family until
it returned to the ownership of the subject property owners (as B J Partnership) at the end of 1986 (Property Abstract).
9 Ibid.
" It is surprisingly difficult to place completion dates on this highway work but the right of way land condemnation was only
recorded in the property abstract on August 8, 1963.
M,
ir
9PAP
Figures 8-19: Ca.1970's completed supper club and filling station to the north
(Iowa Geographic Map Server)
We're happy to be a park of
the success story of rho
Highlander Supper flub
Lei us b$c omo ps rt -of Your NUee@.j# rfatr, Call Sfpy* B060�
-� for 8 free tuF*eryi 338.6944.
FIRST CAMTOL SIGN ADVERTISING
rj4,-h mp 0 Sr"hwr MKd A&L r ril %I -!.0 Fri- F%rpH� MAN 1
Figure 8-20: The remodeled supper club sign, 1969 (courtesy of the owner)"
" Nesper Sign Advertising did a remodeling plan for the original sign, dated July 3, 1969 (Highlander Construction Documents)
Pill
FOR ELEGANT
DINING
ENTERTAINMENT
•k
{
v
{� {� r� { r { � ii�. •1� , ti r
k �1
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* 3 GRACIOUS DINING R00338am7963 MS * COCICrAIL LOUNGE
* BANQUET * LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
PARTY ROOMS HWY I& 1*80 I OWA CITY & DANCING NIGHTLY
Figure 8-21: West supper club frontage, 1974 (March 1974 Cedar Rapids telephone book advertisement)
Figure 8-21 offers the most detailed view of what the club facade, roofline and portico looked like. Of
special interest is the row of presumed transom windows that would have lit the club interior with evening light.
The other key feature is the relatively light structure of the portico. Its reversed mansard sidewalls would have
captured snow and rain.
Highlander Partnership leased the motel from Highlander, Inc., paying $40,000 in rent and half of the
pre-tax supper club income. The tenants paid taxes, insurance and maintenance costs. The initial ten-year lease
expired on May 15, 1977 and had renewal options (ten years, two five-year terms). Highlander Partnership was
relatively debt -free but Highlander, Inc. owed $260,000, with the supper club as collateral for $160,000 of that
amount. The 1970 Highland Partnership financial report contained a few references of interest. Hail damage in
1969 cost $769. Operating costs included those of a private well and sign rental.12
Table 1: Supper Club operational costs, 1968-1970
1968
1969
1970
Operating expenses
253,761
3019866
3101236
Entertainment costs
M 170
411866
361452
Gross profit
663,342
7751317
7861220
Income from dinners
461,905
5271425
5331509
Building value (pre -depreciation)
3 20,104
3211079
3211079
Furniture, equipment, etc. (pre -depreciation)
831025
851531
891394
Affiliate revenue (rent, profits percentage)
75,016
841730
911128
The Motel Expansion:
The larger facility was as noted, conceptualized as early as late 1964. Detailed planning began to
expand the supper club business in 1971 and by the fall of 1972 it was announced that a motel and convention
center would be constructed to the east of the inn. The accommodations were to be "above average" to meet the
12 "Highland, Inc. Highland Partnership. Financial Reports, December 31, 1970."
21
standards of "both businessmen and vacationers, and for residents of Iowa City and the surrounding area." The
100-unit motel would feature color television, twin queen -sized beds and in -room heating and cooling units.
Meeting rooms, banquet and ball rooms would have an upper capacity of 590 attendees. Additional kitchen
space, a courtyard cocktail lounge, piano bar and a coffee shop were planned. What turned out to be the
"dynamic" aspect of the plan was the pool location and the motel wing design itself. The early concepts
envisioned a combination of an enclosed pool, a wading pool, a hydrotherapy pool and a sauna room. Figure 8-
7 depicts one early design, with a U-shaped motel section on the east end and the pool components being
housed inside the east end of the open court area. Other plan variations omitted the easternmost two-story
section and connected the two wings with a pagoda -like pool enclosure. In the end, the existing building was
erected with the pool "court" being located across the west half of the court, and the court itself left open to the
east, in anticipation of future additions. The promised 100-room count finally did transpire, reduced by just
four units.13
The business expansion mandated a new corporate structure having the three original partners as its
directors. Titled Highlander Inn, Inc. the new corporation dated from September 29, 1972 and offered 10,000
$100.00 shares to investors.l4
JI
�ry IIy/-�h
I LET
Figures 8-22, 8-23:
North
:.WPM qr
1 1
' L F
Two east end motel designs, fall 1970
A remarkable range of convention center/motel designs were devised, in at least three serious alternative
concepts. That reflected in Figure 8-24 was certainly the most unconventional with its twin east "towers" with
pie -shaped rooms (somewhat reflective of the then -popular open-plan classrooms.
13 Iowa City Press Citizen, January 10, 1972
14 Iowa City Press Citizen, October 27, 1972. The 1970 financial report however noted that20,000 shares at $100 per share were
authorized, but just 60 shares had been issued. The new corporation presumably planned to improve on that.
WJ
. *.logjam
Figure 8-24: A sketch of the Figure 8-23 plan, looking northwest
I
— - North
44-,
F
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i
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i
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North
F ALT
I
Figure 8-25, 8-26: Variations on twin opposing canopied entries, dated November 11 and 21, 1971
These two plans replaced the west supper club entrance and focus with dual monumental entrances.
Figure 8-26 angled off of the original supper club and in both plans, the club was simply appended to in
awkward fashion. Note that both plans alternated the motel room entrances as did Figure 8-27.
fSm
Figure 8-27: Architect's sketch, 1972, looking northeast
(note the elevated motel sign left of center)"
15 Iowa City Press Citizen, January 10, 1972
23
The angled plan (Figure 8-26) must have been seriously considered since the architects also did the
sketch (Figure 8-27).
Figure 8-28: Another alternative plan
The Figure 8-28 alternative dropped the north entry, shortened the courtyard, added a triangular bar and
centered the ball room on the plan.
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Figure 8-29: The first plan with a pool
24
The plan envisioned in Figure 8-29 closely approximated the one that was finally built. The pool was in
the plan. Mid -point halls and stairs were in the motel wings. The ballroom gravitated north (although there was
a minor north -side entry) and overall, the addition was better integrated with the supper club. The south canopy
was not a pone cochere and notice how the south motel wing projected south so as to extend beyond it.
k -
—So 1c?'16
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to *,+BG+ •� S T �* �2r �4
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North
Figure 8-30: Early motel addition plan, 1973 (Building plans)
Figure 8-3 0 shows a near -final variation of early plan options with a pool pagoda and a triangular bar
inset into the east courtyard. The image nicely distinguishes the supper club proper from the addition and
shows the core plan and roof profile as actually built.
The Architects, Drew McNamara and Associates:
Having a proven track record for hiring obscure designers [Richard] Drew McNamara and Associates,
not architects, of Iowa City, were selected to design the convention center -motel addition. McNamara was born
in Washington, Iowa in 1918, the son of Jay J. and Edna S. Dempsey McNamara. His family relocated to Iowa
City in 1824 and acquired the White Furniture Company. Drew studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts
and spent a summer working with Peter Visser (1892-1979) said at the time to be "an internationally known
Chicago designer." Drew headed the family's design department and his first maj or j ob was designing a
"sleepshop" model for the national Burton Dixie Mattress Company. He founded McNamara's Homemakers
House Cedar Rapids by 1948 and had branches in Iowa City and by 1950, but was already working on a
regional basis by then as Figure 8-31 shows (and with a sizeable workforce). "Drew McNamara and
Associates" was also established at this same time.'6
" No other "associates" are identified but his wife, Catherine Marie McNamara (1918-1974) is said to have served as his assistant
(Des Moines Register, January 25, 1992). Marion Sentinel, January 29, 1948
25
Noted fur their complete knterior
dese rprat i n g, M cNam ara fs planned e
devnriative color Theme. amd exe-
ruted the paIn l ing find flooring in
Lhe new Iowa Mutual I.f abi l i ttes
m-e office building in Cedar Ftapido.
Mc Nama ra's ILind their com1plernent.
of 3.5 craftsmeri planned a r il decor,
a ted the Diahop Restaurants located.
ka Des MolneA Waterloo, Cedar
Rnpide mid DavenpoIowa and
in Peon, Illinois, 7Wa Bi shiny
o 's as their interior demigners
and decorAtOrX fOr WhCneV6r A neW
bwldinx w a y pl&nned.
Figure 8-31: Drew McNamara's professional profile, 1950
(Des Moines Tribune, November 22, 1950)
Figure 8-32: Drew (second from the left) with his brothers and father (all Jays)
(Iowa City Press Citizen, October 1, 1935)
McNamara relocated from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City in 1950 and then moved to Des Moines in 1974.
The Des Moines newspapers of the 1950's though clearly show him as moving in the higher social circles and
enjoying a dominant reputation as an interior designer. He was designing interiors for dance studios,
residences, restaurants, theaters (the Capital in Iowa City) business buildings and motels. His most prestigious
interior work was his role as a consultant to the architect of the new Des Moines Airport terminal in 1951,
where he also secured the contracts for most of the interior design work. By 1953 he was edging into exterior
design and whole -building design work. He transformed a former tourist camp in East Des Moines into a
modern motel and it received a "motel of the month" award from United Courts Magazine. He designed an
491
entire hotel for John Compiano in Des Moines in 1962 and a "Mount Vernon -like" addition for the J and K
Motel there in 1964. Parkway Inns of Des Moines had him design the interior (including a pool room and
banquet hall) for their new Beaumont Motor Inn in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 1965. McNamara designed the
interior and exterior for Babe's Restaurant in Des Moines in 1966. His known whole building design work
dates from 1956 with a 24-building Lake Okoboji resort in Dickinson County. The University Athletic Club
(1958) was loosely evocative of his Highlander design, more in its complex interior. It was a split-level layout
that combined private club rooms, basement locker rooms, three dining rooms and a large banquet room with an
outside pool. 1 7
1.4L-. •� 1
1
=a
f
Figure 8-3 3 : University of Iowa Athletic Club, Finkbine Golf Course
(Iowa City Daily Iowan, July 1, 195 8)
Figure 8-34: Williams, McWilliams and Hart law offices, 2130 Grand Avenue, Des Moines (looking southwest)
(Des Moines Register, January 4, 1970)
What appears to be the zenith of his whole building design work is the office building at 2130 Grand
Avenue in Des Moines (Figure 8-35). He was the architect working with structural engineers [Carlyle W.]
Peterson and [Donald W.] Appel. The 12,000 square foot plan cost $222,000 and had awhite-painted brick
exterior. 18
17 Cedar Rapids Gazette, August 29, 1954; June 27, July 8, 1958; July 17, 1963; Iowa City Press Citizen, February 3, 1947; Iowa City
Daily Iowan, July 1, 1958 and the Des Moines Register, May 22, 1968; https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GW6W-
3TH; Des Moines Register, December 3, 1950; July 12, 1951; April 12, 1953; May 7, 1962; November 4, 1964; August 22, 1965
18 Des Moines Tribune, July 22, 1969; Des Moines Register, January 4, 1970. The McNamara family suffered numerous major
setbacks. The family furniture store was sold for payment of debts in 1964 and Drew's companies were closely intertwined with it.
The family lost a daughter at the age of 37 in 1974 and Catherine McNamara's obituary makes no reference to her husband (Cedar
Rapids Gazette, February 20, 1964; Des Moines Register, December 4, 1974; January 25, 1982).
27
The Selzer Construction Company had the general construction contract. The original estimated new
construction cost was $1 million and the building permit was reported as undefined "new commercial with that
amount of value at the end of October 1972. Selzer was affiliated with both the Behlen and Chief metal
building companies and had a well -established reputation for designing and building custom metal buildings.
For the supper expansion the need was that of extensive clear span interior spaces that could remain open in
plan (the ballroom) or which could be subdivided without concern for intrusive columns or load -bearing walls.
As the building's final design was formalized, Behlen came to the rescue by making the pool enclosure
structurally possible and successful. Equipment Planners, Moline, Illinois coordinated the design and the
subcontracts with a nationally distributed range of fabricators.19
Figure 8-35: North end elevation and south end elevation sketches, 1971 (Drew McNamara and Associates)
One presumed supper club alteration was the addition of a lounge along its south wall. The architect
termed it an addition and included new south elevations showing a presumably elongated frontage. However,
the volume of the original supper club does not appear to have been enlarged (see Figure 8-37) and the south
facade as shown exactly mirrors that which is present today. No construction photos show any southward
extension. There was related interest in doing a centered bump -out with a skylight as a part of the lounge plan
but this was not done. Most likely, the lounge was constructed within the confines of the supper club footprint.
19 Iowa City Press Citizen, October 31, 1972; https:Hchiefbuildings.com/; http://behlenbuildingsystems.com/. Both companies
continue in business today. Behlen Building Systems is located at Columbus, Nebraska and Chief Metal Buildings is at Grand Island,
Nebraska. Drew McNamara was also a partner of the Red Carpet Ranch nightclub, located next to the Ranch Supper Club at Cou
Falls, outside of Iowa City, as of 1962-1964 (Cedar Rapids Gazette, March 24, 1964).
P4:1
r 4 4 af i F i r �VFL�lC r{} fJl
y
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IiF �A1T _ - -- - • - -' ' F' 5 71 7f" +ee* ` v
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r I
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I
Figure 8-36: Lounge addition, 1971 (Drew McNamara and Associates)
Custom -� `+• t
desi
C4 L
19L V.
noc�
METAL B I L INGS
� CH1r=F1Y1
mp. Your Ust BuUiinq1nvestment-4
I ERXE'YW SULD CA EU a — CAT r"t
FACES AJOUT 43aff APLEYAL SU: jXNC4 Pir-
TO "T {t
LOW&CMT aRfa CHO= COF
CXXOIR COATED PAMRS OF
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WNWwe
So 4ar onstrucil'on Campany, Inc +
VS747
Figure 8-37: Selzer Construction Company advertisement
(Iowa City Press Citizen, October 17, 1979)
' J
The complete financial records for the building addition survive and these provide important insights to
the difficulties that the builders faced and the dynamic nature of the evolving building layout.
CLUB
Figures 8-38, 8-39: Construction photos; Left, looking southwest, supper club and sign, right, south motel wing
looking west, both November 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figures 8-38 and 8-39 underscore the unobstructed view between the interstate and the supper club. The
original sign was just 36.6 feet high but sufficed to be seen from the traffic to the south.
do
SOWN.
Figures 8-40, 8-41: Construction photos; Left, looking west, supper club and sign, note footings and new south
entry, right, supper club original north wall looking southwest, both December 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
%!Md
1kAs is A
Figures 8-42, 8-43: Construction photos; Left, looking northeast, precast hollow floor panels, right, load of
panels, looking northeast, both December 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figure 8-44: Construction photos, lower level of south motel wing decked, looking northeast, both
December 1972 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
There were several references to "unforeseen weather" during the surveying and grading phase of work
and no construction progress photos survive from January -April 1973. Snow removal cost an impressive
$1,723. Table 2 tabulates the project costs as of the end of October 1973. Change orders and new items are
endemic to construction work. In this case, the percentage of change orders vis-a-vis the contract (Table 2) was
28 percent. The largest change order was the complete re -planning of the swimming pool and its enclosure, the
substantial repaving (all of the original parking was asphalt paved) to the north of the motel when that grade
was determined to be too high. Not included in Table 2 was the courtyard work ($9,064) accomplished by late
April 1974 which entailed substantial filling, grading and 623 square yards of four -inch thick asphalt paving
covered with green astro turf.
31
Table 2: Construction costs to October 1973
F
1r' OL
L4
Cost Area
Cost
Construction Loan
$118001000
Original contract
$69907
Change Orders
$1961300
The Highlander20
$7741761
New items
$661060
Total
$118379700
A
z�
Figures 8-45, 8-46: Construction photos, left, infill to the east of the supper club, looking west, and
right, same, looking northwest, both May 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
UPC
Figures 8-47, 8-48: Construction photos, left, roof framing and wall details, looking west, and
right, veneer work on south motel wing, south facade, looking east, both May 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
1" This category presumably isolates expenses within the existing supper club and might include the north kitchen addition.
32
Figures 8-49, 8-50: Construction photos; left, hall roof framing and wall details, looking north, May1973; and
right, pouring concrete, upper level, south side of north motel wing, looking southeast, June 1973 (Courtesy of
Sheila Boyd)
Figures 8-51, 8-52:
Construction photos, left, first floor of pool bar complete, looking northwest, and right,
steel framing for pool roof, looking northeast, both June 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figures 8-53, 8-54: Construction photos, left, finished pool housing, looking west, right, steel framing for south
portico, looking north, both June 1973 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
OV
Figures 8-55, 8-56: Construction photos, left, original windows, south motel wing, looking southeast, August
1973; and right, second floor on pool bar, completed steel pool housing, looking west, September 1973
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
THE HMI
INN WNPER CLUB
Figures 8-57, 8-58, 8-59: Various symbolic motifs employed by the supper club (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
The balliallbrr TIM
* HIGHWAY I s 1 40
10wA CV, IOWA
ENJOY EASTER DINNER
JvALM
1lllfll�.1�R}F'R ���!
I IIi1L• 4101 dFid J44111 11i {
Fllr +ulr Eirsl I. RAN1) H1-F'�'FT
tr►in�; from L I.H
In Mir (IFLA D 13A1,j,f 10.%j
BARON OF BEEF
BAKED EASTER N.+ M
FRIED CHICKEN
hilsix-tf P-)talvvs 61blet (trill %
ldrtihr��al,lu tiul .�t.r j'jjfjjl„(,�,.
Kernel 'urn--Grevn N-jim.
Salad Bar
fi+•rak!•,, lknd LNG url Bit IrivItidvd
c1WKT.UL.S rtVrlRABLE C'OOI.-SIDE
I'--r Ri-fien.11 irpn% vwkl 1-4'Mm'
Figure 8-60: First "Grand Buffet" (not the first use) in the Grand Ballroom, August 197421
21 Cedar Rapids Gazette, August 12, 1974
34
Figure 8-3 8 depicts the original supper club sign located immediately south of the supper club. The
expansion warranted a revised sign that highlighted the added lodging. Several competing advertising firms
produced a broad range of new sign concepts between March and November 1973. In late June the original
sign designer Nesper encouraged the owners to act quickly to place a taller sign alongside the interstate before a
new sign ordinance limited these to 35 feet in height. Figure 8-40 depicts the renaming from supper club to inn
and a proposed height increase from 36.5 feet to 49.33 feet. Figure 8-41 shows that the wording was changed
but that the original sign was simply relocated closer to the interstate.
T
6
H-C. 11-,ANDFR
Fr{+�SIJN�r �71S�1.Gy
Figure 8-61: Inn sign redesign, ca. early 1974 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
PP
CLUB L
�ELCGUE
T
b;1A KtP
w u
j � - i.
I +4
' :••� 1v
fir► '�.
Figure 8-62: New ca.1975 interstate highway sign, looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
35
I�I�fl Ill fl�l11LLL1 III M111_11I1-11111I a I-111T
Xeo,-A P+SPLAY-
1 .Qr4r -:) " Beam
7o
PAx2-L,iv � LoT
Figure 8-63: June 1973 site plan and proposed sign relocation (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
The Highlander was directly associated with the Amana VIP Golf Tournament from 1974 until 1990
when it ended. Amana Refrigeration Company president George Forestner conceived of this event as a means
of company promotion. The first event was held in 1974 at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, but the hard
to reach site was switched to the Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City the next year. The Iowa City Holiday Inn
housed the tournament through 1973 by which time it was inadequate. The timing of the Highlander expansion
was perfect and it and the adjacent Howard Johnson motel, just south across the interstate, would be completely
sold out for the event beginning in 1974. The Amana company dominated the occasion, provided gifts and at
one point constructed a temporary appliance display in the convention center. Amana sales managers were
paired with the elite golfers. The tournament was the leading funder for the University of Iowa athletic
scholarship and the largest funding source of women's collegiate sports at the university.22
22 Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 20, 1973; May 6, 1976; June 30, 1982.
0391
dem ME so so ON no so No so No ME ME ME ME
no on ■■ on ■■ on on ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ no on no
no
M■ a
on ■
M■ ■
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01
am M
UM ■
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no
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ME I Em on I ME ME on am ME so
Figure 8-64: Drawing by K. E. Gilbert, Hoffmaster Design Studio, Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 1984
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
eHolghlwxler
Dine n ighl Iv i ri the Highlander
supper Club — a �X)Pular Imal
night spot "oh a reputation of
one 411 14)N 4d ,, IInt-t resid fanI�
f f-rlil� bfeaktaot. Iur-�(h of on
SUN IaN Ail eN--gd1)t 6 t 1PI.
I xi 0 Her, I bdnquel meept Png ,i nd
Ifs Iai MIitlei Icm,
Thrk H ich1ander Inn
1-&I & Hv%�� I
( xlr 24h 9 Icm.%a CI
For Reservations Call.
351-3150
....... ...
Highlander
By SON ]r>LkLY
Rigkw S"* Vft" r
IOWA CITY, IA. — A year ago at this time, a
couple of the pleasures of being in Iowa City
included watching the University of Iowa football
tearn piny, and dining at the High-
lander Supper Club.
0�_
The situation has changed just a.
bit this fall. The football teams isn`t
so 'hot these days, but the food at
a ma the Highlander is still something
special.
Dining at the Highlander, which is located at exit
246 on Interstate 80 and thgbway 1, is a treat that
RESTAPROTS IN IO A
folks from this city — and visitors, too — have had
for'13 years.
The supper club is part of a complex that also
includes a motel, a coffee shop, banquet facilities
and a lounge.
Whether it's the surf and tar[ (sirloin steak and
lahster) at $13.95, beef tertderloln at $1035 or the.
$5.95 chapped sirloin, it's all but impossible to
leave the supper club still feeling hungry.
And, with restaurant prices skyrocketing all
across the country, the Highlander has held the line
pretty well over the years.
On my most recent visit to the Highlander, I was
in a quandary. I visa torn between ordering the
- 9S..
peeIal
This series is designed to igorm Register
readers of interesting restaurants around the
state. No attempt at comparative ratings is
Made, but any restaurant Featured corn be
expected to meet generai standards of accept-
awitli,
steak and lobster, the beef tenderloin or the ;9.55
roast prime rib of beef.
I finally chase beef tenderloin, with baked potato
(complete with soar cream and chives) and a
tossed salad with bleu cheese dressing -
I wasn't disappointed. Neither was I1 xine, my
wife, who decided an the steak and lobster, flash
broom potatoes and Epicurean salad.
The steak and lobster is included in a list of
meals on the ntew with the heading "Highlander
Special Combinations." father items in that
category are a seafood platter at $9.95, steak and
shrimp at $9.95, shrimp and scallops at $8.75 and
steak and crab at $1215.
Such things as chicken kiev at '$6.95 and beef
stroganoff at $7.75 are included in the items under
the heading "A Different Taste Treat."
African lobster tail, shrimp, scallops, catfish and
pike are available. Steaks include T-bone (the high-
est -priced at $11,45), top sirloin and filet mignon
(bath at $8.95).
On the list of "Kitchen Specialties" along with
0e' prime rib and chapped sirloin are items
including chicken livers {$5M),
Figures 8-65, 8-66: Left, "One of Iowa's finest restaurants" (Cedar Rapids
right, restaurant review (Des Moines Register, October
barbecued pork ribs ($6-75) and Iowa chop ($6.95).
Kids under 12 get a break at the Highlander. A
dollar is knocked off the price of their "children's
portiam."
There is a sizable list of appetizers. Maxine chose
the breaded cauliflower at $2; 1 picked the
crabmeat cocktail at $3.25. Also available • are
shrimp cocktail, herring in sour cream, breaded
tried mushrooms, onion rfts, tomato juice and
French anion baked soup.
Sandwiches are available,. too. There's a steak
sandwich at $7.25, prime rib on toast at $6.95,
deluxe hamburger at $3.75 and cheeslburger at
.
On the a la carte menu are such things as chef's
salad of $4.25 and shrimp salad at $5.25.
Dessert? Dh, yes- Haw about creme de menthe
parfait, creme de cocoa parfait ar chocolate parfait
at $1,26 each? Or ice cream at $1 ar sherbet at 90
cents? It all sounded goad, but bath of us decided to
pass on the sweet stuff.
Cocktails and beer are available. The wine lest 14
lengthy, but a goad buy is one of the Paul Masson
house wines, A glass of burgundy, Chablis or rase
costs $1.25, a small carafe $3.75, a large carafe
$U5.
To a chablis man like me, the small carafe was
just fine.
Kghlander Supper Club, Interstate 80 and Highway 1,
Iowa City. Dress, casual. Dkinsr hours, 5 pin, to 11 P.M.,
Monday through Saturday. 4: p.m- fa 9- 9 r-rti swlyday.
ham steak ($5.95}, Reservations accepted- Major credit cards accepted.
Gazette, December 21, 1984); and
10, 1980)
37
TO RE
R. ,
MY
Gc
C1A
Figure 8-67: Promotional event item, undated (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
DU F
r+ r+
N N N N N N
LTl Q V 7 4 7
COURTYARD
"N ENTRANCE
CFFICLS o a ° °� ci c�v N
CV N N N N N N eq {4 N N
f XIf . VENDING/10E I_Xr1
Figures 8-68, 8-69: Left, convention/motel layout, 1995, and right, RJ's Lounge (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
The 1995 floorplan shows a largely open plan around the ballroom. The King's Garden Lounge was the
sole east -end amenity. To the west was the restaurant with its five subsections. A small sales office was at the
west end of the south motel wing. The Garden Room was in the basement level of the original supper club.
Bob McGurk died both young and unexpectedly in 1988. By this time, he had presumably bought out
his two partners and his family had increasingly become involved in running the inn -motel business. His
widow Leona was the chief operating officer, aided by three daughters, Sheila, Debbie and Mary Frances and
over time their husbands (Bill Boyd for Sheila, Mike Jensen for Fran). Formally organized as "Group Five
Hospitality" and a division of the corporation, the group established T.G.I. Friday's restaurant franchises, the
first in Rockford, Illinois in November 1992. At the same time, they acquired the Howard Johnson motel that
was located on the southwest corner of the same highway -interstate and rebranded it as a Country Inn. Two
commercial operations were owned on the highway west of the inn, the Express Shop convenience service
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Figure 8-70: Planned T.G.I. Friday west end addition and other associated changes not built, August 25, 1994
(Building plans)
station and store and an adjacent Express Wash. In early 1993 the group determined that they could replace The
Highlander Inn restaurant with one of their restaurants. Structural and mechanical obstacles developed and the
concept was deferred finally to 1995, and was finally dropped. The inn portico was a casualty of this planned
development, being removed while curiously retaining the four support columns.23
• I :I . . hall
Figure 8-70 shows where the new restaurant was to have been built. A south banquet center entry was
also planned along with two other corner bump -outs. The poolside lounge does appear to have been converted
into a meeting room on the ground level.
The proposition provides a snapshot of the inn operation as of early 1993. The restaurant franchise was
thought to be a cut above fast food at a time when diners "no longer have the time to linger over a protracted
supper club dinner." Still called the Highlander Inn and Supper Club, it employed 140 persons and it was
promised that the T.G.Y. Friday restaurant deal would somehow add 40 to 100 additional workers. The
restaurant would seat 240 persons a figure that matched the existing supper club capacity. Traditional inn menu
favorites ("steaks, cinnamon rolls" etc.) would be retained. The other major functional change would be the
closing of the coffee shop and its conversion into additional banquet space. In November 1992 the corporation
had acquired a competing interchange and that operation had an attached Country Inn franchise (likely a model
for the new Highlander arrangement). It became a Country Inn motel.24
An inn newsletter, the "Main Course" was initiated in March 1995 to promote special events, and even
shared recipes and inn staff news. The annual schedule was dominated by holiday -based buffets (Saint
Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Thanksgiving) and the late November Mercy Hospital Festival of Trees.
23 Iowa City Press Citizen, February 28, 1994
24 Cedar Rapids Gazette, April 15, 1993
Families with overflow occupancy at Christmas could pay for one motel room and get an adjacent one for
free.2s
Three successive national motel chains acquired, remodeled and disposed of the complex. The Radisson
franchise came first in 1997. In early 2002, SRC Investments foreclosed on the property when the owners
defaulted on $10.3 million loan debt. The operating name was "The Radisson on Highlander Plaza" and it
finally eclipsed the "Highland Inn and Convention Center" title. Quality Inn was the next franchise/tenant
followed by the Clarion in 2011. The operation was clearly rather marginal by 2016 when a carpet cleaning
company took the Clarian managers to district court to obtain payment of a $1,184 cleaning bill. A & B of
Iowa sold the property to the Posh Hotel LLC by contract with ownership taking place in August 2011. They
incurred a tax debt against the state but the title was cleared by December 2019 for a purchase by The
Bohemian Iowa City LLC.26
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25 "Main Course"; March, June, October 1995; Spring, Fall, 1996; Spring 1997; Fall 1998 and Fall 1999
26 Cedar Rapids Gazette, December 20, 1997. This was the last use of the Highlander Inn and Convention Center name and Property
Abstract.
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Figures 8-72, 8-73: Left, Radisson south portico remodeling plans, 1997, Right, newly configured south portico,
looking northwest (Building plans; Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998)
Complex Photo Essay:
Figure 8-74: Original promotional brochure, 1975 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
41
Figure 8-75: 1982 Amana VIP golf tournament photo showing original south doors, looking northwest
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
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Figure 8-76: The original motel main desk, looking northwest (Building scrap books)
Figure 8-77:
The hallway outside of the ball room (double doors), ca.1975, looking northeast
(Building scrap books)
42
Figures 8-78, 8-79: Ca.1975 view of carpeted pool court (note no upper level balconies),
Tudor motif, looking northwest (owner scrapbook)
This is the original appearance of the pool court. There were no poolside balconies and there were
several ancillary pools north of the main pool. The centered component to the left housed the pool bar on the
downstairs and featured Tudor arched windows and a faux half-timber stuccoed effect, much of which survives.
A near full-length awning covered the lounge front. The deck was covered with a green astro turf. There was
also a painted shuffleboard court.
Figure 8-80, 8-81: Knight's Poolside Lounge, two views (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
The Knight's Lounge had the Black Watch tartan pattern and the awning with its angled spear supports
mirrored the exterior awning to the east in the pool area.
43
Figure 8-82: The Royal Scot, ca.1975, looking southeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
The Royal Scot was outside the original supper club (to the west of the main hall, it became the Prime
Grille). Note the carpet pattern. A hallway ran along the south wall beyond the arched windows in this view.
Figures 8-83, 8-84: The King Arthur Grille (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)27
2' The King Arthur Grille started out as the supper club's coffee shop and was succeeded by the Mirror Room (Sheila Boyd). It has
the distinctive rounded corner wall, an original feature of the supper club east wall.
44
Figures 8-85, 8-86: The Red Room (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)28
Figure 8-87: The west supper club entrance, looking southwest (note the chain curtains)
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figures 8-88, 8-89: The Supper Club Lounge (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)29
28 This is presumably the north part of the original supper club (see Figure 87 which shows the club's west entrance).
29 This is the south half of the original supper club area.
45
Figure 8-90: Original Piper's Ballroom, looking southest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
till,
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Figures 8-91;8-92: Decorative motifs in the motel rooms (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
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Figure 8-93: 1975 Ford Granada afloat in the pool, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figure 8-94: 1975 Ford Granada afloat in the pool, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
47
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Figure 8-97: Ford 1975 exhibition in the court area, looking north, looking northwest
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figures 8-98. 8-99: Ford 1975 exhibition in the court area, both views looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila
Boyd)
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Figure 8-100: South portico, signage, looking east, ca.1975 (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
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Figure 8-101: Overview, looking northwest (helicopter in Figure 8-77 visible far left), ca.1975
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
50
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Figure 8-104: Pool area, May 1981, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figure 8-105 : Carpeted pool court, note additional awnings, bandstand, and the presence of added north side
upper level balconies, 1984, looking north (owner scrapbook)
52
■
Figure 8-106: Removal of carpet in pool court, note additional awnings, bandstand, and
presence of upper level balconies, 1984, looking southwest (owner scrapbook)
Figure 8-107: Tiled floor installed in the pool court, 1984, looking east (owner scrapbook)
53
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Figure 8-108: Tiled floor installed in the pool court, 1984, looking southwest (owner scrapbook)
Figure 8-109: Demolition of west inn entrance, 1996, looking east (owner scrapbook)30
1" The structural beams and columns were left in place and are visible in the current county assessor's aerial photo (Figure 2). This
resulted in an open pergola effect, which explains why the columns survive today)
54
Figure 8-110: Former Royal Scot Dining room, note faux mansard, stained glass, wainscot, looking southeast,
1996 (owner scrapbook)
Figure 8-111: Former Royal Scot Dining room, note faux mansard, pointed arch windows with stone infill,
stained glass, wainscot, 1996, looking south (owner scrapbook)
Figure 8-112: Interior view, showing lamps and wood trim, 1996 (owner scrapbook)
55
Figure 8-113: Constructing arches in main hallway, looking north (owner scrapbook)
Figure 8-114: Ballroom dance, 1996 (owner scrapbook)
Figure 9-115: Interior view showing former supper club exterior window, looking southwest, 1996
(owner scrapbook)
-3:
Figure 8-116: Original east pool/court windows, looking northwest
looking southwest, 1996 (owner scrapbook)
5.
Figure 8-117: Removal plan for west portico, January 17, 1996 (Building plans)
Figure 8-118 : Radisson remodeling of the south portico, 1997, looking northeast (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
57
Figure 8-119: Radisson remodeling of the south portico, 1997, looking northwest (Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
Figure 8-120: Radisson remodeling, south wall of south wing, 1997, looking northeast
(Courtesy of Sheila Boyd)
4:11
Figure 8-121: McGurk's Pub (former Knight's Lounge), looking northeast towards the pool
(Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998)
Figure 8-122: Highlander Prime Grille, looking northeast31
(Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998)
31 The Prime Grille replaced the Royal Scot and the location is east of the present bar area.
Figure 8-123: Highlander Prime Grille
(Iowa City Press Citizen, October 14, 1998)
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Figure 8-124: Clarion motel era photo, pool, 2011, looking southwest (note additional ceiling lighting)
(https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/21601 O/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-HoteI -Conference -C enter-
lowa-City-2525-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center-
Iowa-City-2525 -North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName)
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Figure 8-125: Clarion motel era photo, pool, 2011, looking southwest
(https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/21601 O/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-HoteI -Conference -C enter-
lowa-City-2525-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center-
Iowa-City-2525 -North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName)
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Figure 8-126: Radisson/ Clarion motel era photo, front desk, 2011, looking northwest
(https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/21601 O/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-HoteI -Conference -C enter-
lowa-City-2525-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center-
Iowa-City-2525 -North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName)
61
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Figure 8-127: Radisson/Clarion motel era photo, main hall inside of south entrance, 2011, looking northwest
(https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/21601 O/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-HoteI -Conference -C enter-
lowa-City-2525-Highlander-Hotel-Conference-Center-
Iowa-City-2525 -North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName)
Figure 8-128: Clarion motel era photo, meeting room (just outside of the northeast corner of the supper club),
2011, looking southwest(https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-
Hotel-Conference-Center-Iowa-City-2525 -North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName)
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Figure 8-131: Radisson/Clarion ballroom, looking southwest (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020)
Figure 8-132: East court, looking east (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020)
64
Figure 8-13 3 : East court, looking north (Cedar Rapids Gazette, January 10, 2020)
Figure 8-134: South wing, south entrance, October 30, 2019, looking north west (owner scrapbook)
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Figure 8-13 5 : South entrance, looking northwest (Boutique News, November 15, 2019)
65
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Photo 8-13 6: Rehabilitation of the pool area, December 2020, looking southwest
Bio rgTy:
Bowker, R. R., AIA Historical Directory, New Providence: R. R. Bowker, L.L.C., 1970
Boyd, Shelia. Emailed communications, September -October 2020
Building Plans
Building scrapbooks (three photo albums, property of the Highlander)
Highland, Inc. Highland Partnership. Financial Reports, December 31, 1970
Highlander Archives, Sheila Boyd
Newspaper articles as cited in the text
Original Plans: This is a rather impressive array of original and subsequent plans, property of the Highlander
Property Abstract
Clarion Hotel: https://www.hotelplanner.com/Hotels/216010/Reservations-Clarion-Highlander-Hotel-
Conference-Center-Iowa-city-2525-North-Dodge-St-52245#HotelName) (accessed October 15, 2020)
Family Search, Richard Drew McNamara: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/GW6W-3TH
(accessed October 30, 2020)
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Figure 10-2: Scaled regional map with property line overlay, looking northwest
(Iowa Geographic Map Server, 2020)
67
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Highlander Part One Photo Map:
November 1, 2020
Photo Map:
No
12
tos
Highlander Part One Photos:
August 4, 2020
Photo Number 1:
Description: Supper club entrance looking southeast
Photo Number 2:
Description: Supper club entrance looking east, note support pillars for porte cochere
,Mm=
Photo Number 3:
Description: Supper club entrance detail, looking east
Photo Number 4:
Description: Supper club entrance detail, looking east
Photo Number 5:
Description: Supper club southwest corner, looking northeast
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Photo Number 6:
Description: Motel addition, south entrance, looking north
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Photo Number 7:
Description: Motel addition, south entrance detail, looking north
Photo Number 8:
Description Motel addition, south entrance and offices, looking north:
Photo Number 9:
Description: Motel addition, south wing, looking north
Photo Number 10:
Description: Motel addition, south wing, looking north
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Photo Number 13:
Description: Motel addition, north wing, looking south
Photo Number 14:
Description: Motel addition, west end of the north wing and supper club (right), looking south
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Photo Number 15:
Description: Supper club, northwest corner and west front, looking south
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Photo Number 16:
Description: Supper club, north side of entrance wing and west front, looking south
Photo Number 17:
Description: Supper club, north side of entrance wing and west front, looking southeast
Photo Number 18:
Description: Supper club dance floor area, looking north
Photo Number 19:
Description: Supper club dance floor area, looking west
Photo Number 20:
Description: Supper club west basement stairs, looking northwest
Photo Number 21:
Description: Supper club entrance, window arcade above west basement stairs, looking northwest
Photo Number 22:
Description: Supper club basement meeting room, looking northeast
Photo Number 23:
Description: Supper club west basement mechanicals, looking west
Photo Number 24:
Description: Supper club west basement stairs, looking northeast
i
Photo Number 25:
Description: Supper club east basement stairs, looking east
Photo Number 26-27:
Description: Left, basement dumb waiter in kitchen, looking northeast;
right, curved wall atop east basement stairs, looking northeast
Photo Number 28:
Description: Curved wall atop east basement stairs, looking north
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Photo Number 29:
Description: Motel addition, bar which serves as the desk, looking northwest
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Photo Number 30:
Description: Motel addition, hall inside south entrance, looking north
Photo Number 31:
Description: Motel addition, east (south wing) hallway, south entrance to the right, looking east
Photo Number 32:
Description: Motel addition, wall used for dignitary signatures, 1974 plus, looking southwest
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ATTENDANCE RECORD
2019-2020
TERM
NAME
EXP.
1 /09
2/13
3/12
4/09
5//1
6/11
7/09
8/13
9/10
10/08
11 /12
12/10
4
AGRAN,
THOMAS
6/30/20
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
-
--
--
BOYD, KEVI N
6/30/23
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
BROWN,
6/30/23
__
__
__
__
--
X
O/E
X
X
X
O/E
CARL
BURFORD,
HELEN
6/30/21
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
CLORE,
GOSIA
6/30/20
X
X
X
X
X
X
--
--
--
DEGRAW,
SHARON
6/30/22
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
KUENZLI,
CECILE
6/30/22
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
KI PLE, LYN D I
6/30/22
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
O/E
PITZEN,
QUENTIN
6/30/21
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
SELLERGREN,
JORDAN
6/30/22
O/E
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
WU, AUSTIN
6/30/23
O/E
X
X
O/E
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
11