HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-28-2008 Historic Preservation Commission
IOWA CITY HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
Thursday, February 28,2008
City Hall, 410 E. Washington Street
Emma J. Harvat Hall
5:30 p.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Public discussion of anything not on the agenda
3. Discussion of 2008 Work Plan
4. Discussion of Melrose Neighborhood
5. Consideration of Meeting Minutes: January 10, 2008
6. Other
7. Adjournment
Please note the time for this meeting has been changed to 5:30 p.m.
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MEMORANDUM
Date: February 22,2008
To: Historic Preservation Commission
From: Robert Miklo, Senior Planner
Re: 2008 Historic Preservation Commission Work Plan
At the February 28th meeting we will discuss the Commission's work plan for 2008. Please refer to the
February 14th packet, which included the Commission's last work plan and the Executive Summary of the
Historic Preservation Plan. You may also want to refer to the complete preservation plan for details
regarding the goals and objectives. Commissioners should use the preservation plan to formulate a work plan
for the year.
The Commission has also received a request from the Melrose Neighborhood requesting a resolution
regarding the preservation of the neighborhood. A copy is attached.
Please note that the meeting will begin at 5:30 pm.
PRESERVATION OF THE MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD
Presentation to the Historic Preservation Commission
For its meeting February 14,2008
DRAFT
(Photos to be added later)
Table of Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Reasons why the Melrose Neighborhood should be preserved
1. Comments by architectural historian Marlys Svendsen, Spring 2004
2. Comments from the neighborhood's nomination to the National Register of Historic Places
3. Comments from the 1992 Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan
4. Comments from the 1997 Iowa City Comprehensive Plan
5. Comments from the 2002 Southwest District Plan
6. Comments from the 2007 draft Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan
7. The Neighborhood is a Vibrant Residential Community
8. Loss of Tax Revenues for the City
9. Loss ofUI and City History
Reasons why urgent action needs to be taken
1. The UI's trend of buying houses and ultimately destroying them
2. Recent purchase of homes by the UI in the interior of the Neighborhood
3. Diminished vitality in the Neighborhood
4. Planning oflarge UI buildings in the interior of the Neighborhood
5. Sale of Neighborhood properties to the UI
6. UI assurances that did not materialize
7. Missed opportunities
8. The Ul's Statements/Actions concerning the Neighborhood and properties the UI purchases
9. The unlevel playing field
Some of the steps taken by the Neighborhood for preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood
What needs to be done to preserve the Melrose Neighborhood
Appendices
A.
B.
A Map of the Melrose Neighborhood
A Map ofthe Melrose Historic District within the Melrose Neighborhood
Maps of:
Former Residential subdivisions in and near the Neighborhood
Areas for possible UI Expansion
Zoning within the Neighborhood
Letter from Marlys Svendsen, architectural historian:
Preliminary comments on why the Melrose Neighborhood should be preserved.
Significance of the Melrose Neighborhood's Historic District (from the National Register
of Historic Places nomination)
Old Neighborhoods near the Melrose Neighborhood demolished by the UI
Letter from Marlys Svendsen, architectural historian:
Historic houses on Grand A venue Court now owned by the University of Iowa
Letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning a vacant
lot in the Neighborhood to be purchased by the University of Iowa
First letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning land
use in the far West UI Campus as related to possible destruction of the Neighborhood
Second letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning
land use in the far West UI Campus as related to possible destruction of the Neighborhood
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
Page
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10
II
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12
13
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16
17
18
19
20
24
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27
30
J.
Third letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning land
use in the far West VI Campus as related to possible destruction of the Neighborhood
Letter from Marlys Svendsen, architectural historian:
Historic significance of buildings north of Newton Road and south of US Highway 6
A Pledge: To preserve the shared asset of the historic Melrose Neighborhood
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K.
L.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
To:
From:
Members of the Historic Preservation Commission
Jean Walker, Representative, Melrose Neighborhood
and other members of the Executive Committee of the Melrose Neighborhood Association
February 14,2008
Date:
As the Melrose Neighborhood Executive Committee, we are asking for your assistance in our efforts to preserve the
Melrose Neighborhood in Iowa City. For the location of the Melrose Neighborhood, see Appendix A.
The historic Melrose Neighborhood is at a crisis point as regards its survival. We need your help and support, and the
help and support of the Friends of Historic Preservation, City Council, City Staff (and any other person/group that can
help) if this Neighborhood is not to be swept away by the University ofIowa, as has happened to many historic
subdivisions/mini-neighborhoods in areas adjacent to us. This Neighborhood is unique, the last of its kind on the west
side of the Iowa River.
We have expended an enormous amount of time, energy, and in some cases money, in our attempts to preserve this
Neighborhood. These efforts included establishing the Melrose Historic District (see Appendix B) within the Melrose
Neighborhood and having that District listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Preservation of the Melrose
Neighborhood has, since at least 1992, been promoted in various documents produced by or for the City, but so far, most
of the goals set forth in these documents have been unmet and the City has not, in our view, acted decisively or effectively
to ensure the preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood. We are now preparing to ask the City to honor the sentiments
expressed in those various City documents to ensure the preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood. Therefore we are
asking the HPC to support the preservation efforts of the Melrose Neighborhood and have suggested ways in which that
could be achieved (see the section: "What needs to be done to preserve the Melrose Neighborhood). We specifically ask
that the Historic Preservation Commission consider passing a resolution of support for preservation of the Melrose
Neighborhood, that can be forwarded to the City Council.
In the attached document, we have detailed:
1. The reasons why the Melrose Neighborhood should be preserved:
Its preservation has been recommended in various documents written by and for the City, at least since 1992.
The following losses would be incurred if the Neighborhood is purchased and/or destroyed by the University of
Iowa:
Loss of approximately $250,000 in annual property taxes
Loss of a vibrant residential community
Loss ofUl and City history
Loss of unique architecture, topography and native animal and plant species
2. The reasons why urgent action needs to be taken:
The UI has a history in the areas adjacent to the Neighborhood of systematically buying up homes, one by one,
using them as housing for faculty, then for institutional use, then the houses have been demolished and institutional
buildings/roads built there instead.
The University has bought up many houses along Melrose A venue. It is only fairly recently that it has started to buy
up property in the next tier of homes south of Melrose Avenue. Recently the UI proposed a large building in the
heart of the Historic District.
Recently the Neighborhood was assured by the UI that it did not intend to purchase further Neighborhood properties
but purchased several properties shortly after that assurance was given.
The VI has missed several opportunities to expand in other areas that would not negatively affect the Neighborhood.
Within the last six years, the UI has made statements such as: "In 30 years, we'll have that Neighborhood" and "We
don't buy the properties for the buildings, we buy them for the land, and when the buildings deteriorate, we pull
them down and build new buildings."
The playing field is not level, for example:
The UI is not bound to preserve any historic buildings even though it might be on the NRHP or under local
restrictions.
The UI has much more purchasing power than the Neighborhood.
The VI, being an institution, can take a very long-term view and outwait individuals concerning purchase of
Neighborhood properties.
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The UI has professional individuals whose job it is, and who are paid, to consider planning for and purchasing of
properties in the Neighborhood. The Neighborhood members must defend their Neighborhood from destruction in
their uncompensated, spare time.
3. Some of the steps taken by the Neighborhood to preserve the Melrose Neighborhood include:
Speaking up, at every possible opportunity, to promote the Neighborhood's preservation, to VI officials, to the
Regents, to City officials, at meetings of the City and the VI, to Friends of Historic Preservation, and now to the
HPC.
Obtaining support from the Iowa City Neighborhood Council (which consists of representatives from all the
neighborhood associations in Iowa City) for preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood.
Raising funds and doing research to have the Melrose Historic District nominated to the NRHP.
Distributing site inventory forms from the NRHP nomination to all Neighborhood property owners.
Writing a grant to develop a Masterplan to renovate its 83-year-old Brookland Park, participating in the renovation
planning and writing another grant to fund a community celebration of the completed renovation that included a
historic style show to emphasize the historic nature of the Neighborhood.
Obtaining a Public Art Advisory Committee grant to develop and install historic markers throughout the
Neighborhood.
The Neighborhood will host a Family Fun Night that will include an antique car show, to emphasize the historic
nature of the Neighborhood and to highlight its historic garages.
4. What needs to be done to preserve the Melrose Neighborhood.
For details, see this section in this document.
The Neighborhood has drawn up a pledge to preserve the shared asset of the historic Melrose Neighborhood (see
Appendix L for the complete pledge) wherein we say:
"We have an opportunity to act jointly and cooperatively to preserve this neighborhood and its value. However, we
need a commitment from the university and from the city to take those steps necessary for its preservation. We ask
a pledge from all of us-the Melrose Neighborhood Association, the University administration, and the City
Council-- to form a partnership and actively pursue these shared and mutually supportive goals.
We ask:
That the university end its acquisition of residential properties in the Melrose Neighborhood and uphold the
university's boundaries as outlined in their 1998 Campus Plan;
That the university-owned residential properties which have already been acquired be used only for the purposes
previously stated: the provision of housing for visiting faculty or staff, or, in the case of some properties on Melrose
A venue itself: as daycare centers, minority student centers, and university administration; and that any properties no
longer needed for these purposes by the university be offered for resale as residential properties;
That the university not destroy any houses or other structures on the properties it owns in the neighborhood,
particularly in the Historic District, but keep them in the manner befitting their historic value;
That the university and hospital administrations through the Campus Planning Committee work closely with the
neighborhood and the city at an early stage in the development of any plans for improvement that would have an
impact on the Melrose Neighborhood;
That the Melrose Neighborhood Association continue its work of preserving and enhancing the livability and
beauty of the neighborhood:
--continue improvements to and maintenance of Brookland Park;
--place historic markers throughout the neighborhood that enhance public
understanding of and appreciation for its history;
--work with the city and the university to maintain pedestrian and automobile
traffic flow in a safe and efficient manner;
--where possible help homeowners maintain their property values by assisting
where needed in the maintenance or purchase of historic properties;
That the City of Iowa City, through its elected Council, its Planning and Zoning Commission, its Parks Department,
its Historic Preservation Commission, and its Neighborhood Council support and take whatever initiatives may be
needed to preserve and enhance the Melrose Neighborhood."
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REASONS WHY THE MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD BE PRESERVED
Including recommendations concerning preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood written by and for the City.
1. Comments bv architectural historian Marlvs Svendsen, Sprinl! 2004
In the Spring of2004, the Melrose Neighborhood asked the architectural historian, Marlys Svendsen, to comment
concerning the history of the Melrose Neighborhood and why it should be preserved. In a letter dated April 3, 2004 (see
Appendix C), she described her preliminary observations, including the following:
"Based on my nearly 30 years of work as an historic preservation professional, including 13 years working on various
Iowa City projects, I am confident in saying that the Melrose Historic District is a neighborhood worth preserving. It has
a strong sense of neighborhood identity and retains an intact collection of architecturally and historically significant
houses. Its historical significance derives from its association with the University ofIowa hospital complex and athletic
buildings. Put simply, through the years the people who researched, healed, coached, taught and worked north of Melrose
Avenue, frequently lived south of Melrose. Though this physical proximity has been difficult to manage at times in recent
years, it is part of what makes the neighborhood special and worth preserving."
"As you are aware, this district is currently being considered for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Melrose Historic District developed in several stages beginning in the late 19th century and extending through the
post-World War II period. Its greatest growth was associated with the establishment of the University ofIowa General
Hospital and the creation of the buildings for the University's athletic programs during the late 1920s. Staff and faculty
for these facilities needed housing, and the mixture of small and large lots available in Custer's Addition and the
Brookland Park Addition located south of Melrose Avenue and north of Brookland Park provided ideal home sites."
"(Eighty) years later, the Melrose Neighborhood tells the story of this important period in the history of the University of
Iowa, its hospitals, and its athletic programs. Architecturally, the neighborhood retains an important collection of diverse,
architecturally significant houses and small cottages. A handful of older residences along Melrose A venue, a state road
laid out in 1853 to connect Iowa City to points west, convey the history of the area before the West Side Campus of the
University was established. The balance of the neighborhood contains well-preserved examples of Craftsman Style
bungalows, Georgian and Colonial Revival Style houses, and English Period Cottages located along narrow streets and
picturesque drives."
"The Melrose Neighborhood's historic associations with the University ofIowa, its hospitals and athletic programs, and
its collection of late 19th century and early 20th domestic architecture certainly make it worth preserving. National
Register designation of the proposed Melrose Historic District will strongly reinforce the neighborhood's special
character. In so doing, residents of Iowa City as well as visitors to the community and the University of Iowa Hospital
will have a heightened awareness of its historic interest and aesthetic charm. Designation of historic districts in other
neighborhoods in Iowa City as well as in other areas ofthe country, has led to their preservation and stabilization.
National Register designation will encourage the same positive future for the Melrose Neighborhood."
2. Comments from the neil!hborhood's nomination to the National Rel!ister of Historic Places
The majority of the Neighborhood was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in December 2004. That means
that the historic significance of the Neighborhood has the approval not only of the architectural historian who prepared the
nomination, but of a committee ofIowa scholars and professionals in the fields of history, architecture, archaeology, and
community planning (the Iowa State Nominations Review Committee), the State Historical Society ofIowa staff historian
and architectural historian, and the National Park Service's National Register staff reviewers.
According to the NRHP nomination, the Melrose Historic District is significant under Criteria A [historical event or role],
B [significant individual], and C [architecture]. The nomination states, in summary, that:
"the Melrose Historic District is locally significant under Criteria A and C. Under Criterion B the District has both local
and state level significance." (See Appendix D for details of the Neighborhood's significance.)
"Under Criterion A it derives significance from its association with an important era of residential development along and
south of Melrose Avenue in Iowa City adjacent to the State University ofIowa West Side Campus. The Melrose Historic
District developed in several stages beginning in the late 19th century and extending through the post-World War II
period." (Side note: The Neighborhood represents five major waves of building, beginning in the 1850s.) "Its greatest
growth was associated with the establishment of the State University ofIowa General Hospital and the creation of
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facilities for the University's athletic programs during the late 1920s. The mixture of small and large lots available in
Custer's Addition, Lambert's (Melrose Circle) Subdivision, Paden's Addition, Melrose Court Addition, Brookland Park
Addition, and Lucon Subdivision were all located south of Melrose Avenue and north of Brookland Park. These lots
provided ideal home sites in the Melrose Historic District for the staff and faculty of the SUI hospitals and athletic
programs who needed housing."
"Under Criterion B the Melrose Historic District derives significance from its association with important Iowa City
residents and a number of prominent SUI faculty members whose contributions were on the state and national level.
These individuals included outstanding SUI professors and pioneering researchers and coaches, Iowa City's second female
mayor, and a prominent Iowa City businessman, newspaper columnist, and local historian. Each of these individuals
resided in the Melrose Historic District during the times that they made their main contributions to their respective fields."
"Under Criterion C the Melrose Historic District is significant as a representative collection of the architectural styles and
vernacular house forms that primarily appeared in Iowa City neighborhoods beginning in the period before World Wars I
and continued through the post-World War II era. The juxtaposition of at least a dozen different architectural styles and
house forms for single-family dwellings, duplexes, and a large apartment building testifies to the architectural diversity of
the District. The District demonstrates both the organic development practices seen when a rural neighborhood becomes
absorbed into an urban area and the developer-homebuilder practices seen in an early automobile suburb developed
between World War I and II."
3. Comments from the 1992 Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan
a). "The University is conscious of its symbiotic relationship with surrounding neighborhoods. A planning principle
identified for future development states the following:
Compatibility of University development with surrounding neighborhoods can be achieved by carefully evaluating
and responding to the needs of the University and the neighborhoods." (From the 1991 UJ Campus Plan.)
b). "Goal 7: Establish and implement historic preservation objectives for the University of Iowa campus and
surrounding neighborhoods.".........
"Historic preservation discussions related to the University campus and its surrounding neighborhoods provide an
opportunity for useful dialogue between Iowa City residents and University officials. The need for such discussions
is likely to continue in the future.
Objective 1: Preservation of historic resources associated with the University's history when feasible should be the
policy for future development of the campus. The (UI) is an institution which belongs to all the citizens ofIowa. As
a result, the state agency charged with protection ofIowa's historic resources - the Iowa State Historical (Society's)
Historic Preservation bureau - should be encouraged to work more closely with the State Board of Regents as the
Board seeks to comply with the following specific objectives. [FYI994]
Objective 6: The support of University administrators and policy makers (Board of Regents) should be secured for
solving problems created in adjacent residential neighborhoods by operations of the University. [FYI994-2000]"
c). "Neighborhood 11: West Side - Melrose Avenue [FYI997]
Melrose Avenue has provided an important transportation connection between Iowa City and western Johnson
County for many years. Several substantial residences survive from the period that Melrose was known as Snooks
Grove Road when the area was largely rural before World War I. Enclaves of bungalows and cottages were built
between the railroad and Melrose Avenue soon after the relocation of the new hospital complex to the west of the
river in the 1920s. Like other neighborhoods abutting the University campus, the buildings of the Melrose corridor
are affected by University and Hospital operations. The strategies suggested below view this juxtaposition as a
positive factor and suggest several means for sustaining the economic vitality of the area's historic buildings.
Objective 1: Designate individual buildings with historical or architectural significance as landmarks and encourage
owners to submit nominations to the National Register of Historic Places.
Objective 2: Retain open settings of older residences located along Melrose including lot size, set back and
landscaping.
Objective 3: Improve visual relationship between historic residences and parking areas by working with the
University of Iowa to obtain better screening of lots.
Objective 4: Consult with the University ofIowa regarding the southern boundary of the campus in the area of
Melrose A venue and the future use of historic structures in this area.
Objective 5: Spotlight the neighborhood's history for University and Hospital visitors by developing a walking tour
beginning at the University Hospital complex and including Melrose Avenue's historic residences, post-World War I
residential enclaves, Melrose Park, etc."
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4. Comments from the 1997 Iowa City Comprehensive Plan
"Description of Southwest Planning District
The Southwest Planning District contains environmentally sensitive features including steep slopes, stream corridors,
and potential wetlands. According to the Sensitive Areas Ordinance these features will need to be considered
carefully as development is planned for these properties." (Side note: The Melrose Neighborhood has various
streams, and an extensive, wooded ravine.)
"U nique features of the Southwest Planning District
. . . Another feature of the Southwest Planning District that requires consideration is the boundary between The
University ofIowa campus and private residential development in the northeast portion of the planning district.
Coordination between the University and the City will be important as this portion of the University campus
experiences further development."
"Open Space
With the exception of Miller/Orchard, BrooklandlRoosevelt and West High, the neighborhood open space districts of
west Iowa City have adequate open space.. ...There is potential to expand Brookland Park in the BrooklandlRoosevelt
district." (Side note: Brookland Park is the Melrose Neighborhood park.)
5. Comments from the 2002 Southwest District Plan
"This (Melrose) neighborhood has narrow streets, and a wooded, rugged character that makes it intimate and
distinct. "
"Brookland Park.. ...provides both active and passive recreational opportunities for the surrounding Melrose and
Miller-Orchard neighborhoods."
"PLANNING PRINCIPLES
During the planning process, citizens discussed what was most valued in the Southwest District and those aspects that
could use improvement... ..The following citizen-generated principles provide the underlying framework for the plan:
. Citizens stressed the importance of providing a diversity of housing in the District, including homes for first
time buyers, mid-sized homes, estate-style homes, townhouses, condominiums and apartments. The appropriate
design and mix of housing types is important to the creation of livable neighborhoods.
. Citizens emphasized the importance of preserving and stabilizing close-in, diverse neighborhoods. Citizens
expressed a desire for better enforcement of existing zoning and nuisance laws and a re-examination of existing
zoning patterns in the older parts of the District. There is also concern about the encroachment of university
uses into the neighborhoods south of Melrose Avenue.
. Design issues are important to citizens. There was a desire expressed to establish design standards for higher
density uses so that these uses would be well integrated into existing and future neighborhoods. Variety in
building design is a desirable goal. Monotonous repetition of the same building along a street frontage or in a
neighborhood should be discouraged. Citizens emphasized that buildings should be designed to be sensitive to
the environment, the topography, and the surrounding development."
"The Melrose Neighborhood is an older single-family neighborhood located directly adjacent to the University of
Iowa, which has a significant influence on development in this area.. ...The University has expressed a need to
expand the law school facilities and find a suitable area for new dormitory space. The University is acquiring
property in the area along Melrose Avenue as it comes up for sale. There is concern on the part of the residents living
in the Melrose neighborhood about the University's long-term expansion plans. As property is converted to
university uses, it will make this area less viable as a residential neighborhood. In addition, there is a strong
community interest in Iowa City to preserve historic properties and there are a number of historically significant
homes in this area. It will be difficult to balance the needs of an expanding university with the needs of the residents
over the next twenty years. The City has little regulatory power over the University since it is a state institution.
However, it is an important l!oal of the City to preserve and stabilize existinl! residential neil!hborhoods close to
the Universitv and the downtown. Achievinl! this l!oal will help to prevent urban sprawl alonl! the edl!es of the
communitv, reduce commute times, provide a diverse residential community, preserve historic resources, and
support the vitalitv of the Citv's central business district. Efforts should be made to encoural!e the Universitv
to work more close Iv with the Citv and the surroundinl! community as it develops future expansion plans. In
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areas such as the Melrose neil!:hborhood, the City must take a more assertive role in the zoninl!: and rel!:ulation
of University properties if it is to achieve these important l!:oals." (Melrose Neighborhood emphasis.)
"Goals and Objectives for the Roosevelt Subarea" (of which the Melrose Neighborhood is a part)
"It is a goal of the plan to stabilize existing single-family neighborhoods in the Roosevelt Subarea in order provide
the opportunity and encourage households of all types to live close to the University and downtown Iowa City. In
addition, the City should encourage the development of high-quality multifamily housing in the Roosevelt Subarea
that is compatible with surrounding development to meet the housing needs of a variety of households including
singles, young families, university students and elderly populations.
Following are a number of recommended actions that will help to achieve these
goals:
· Identify historic properties and encourage their preservation.
· Avoid concentrations of high-density multifamily zoning directly adjacent to low-density single-family zones;
facilitate downzoning multifamily property where appropriate.
· Apply the Multifamily Residential Design Standards contained in Section 14-5H-5N of the City Code to the
Roosevelt Subarea.
· Review and make needed changes to the Multifamily Residential Design Standards to ensure compatibility of
new multifamily development with surrounding development.
· Encoural!:e the University of Iowa to balance expansion needs with the community's l!:oal to preserve
existinl!: neil!:hborhoods." (Melrose Neighborhood emphasis.)
· "Encoural!:e the University to inform and coordinate with the City rel!:ardinl!: any plans to develop
dormitories and other types of student housinl!:. Student housinl!: should be located in areas that are
suitable to meet the uniaue needs of university students balanced with the l!:oal to protect existinl!: housinl!:
that is suitable for families, sinl!:les, and older persons desirinl!: to live close to the University and
downtown Iowa City. To this end, the City should take steps to develop and enforce appropriate zoninl!:
rel!:ulation of university property." (Melrose Neighborhood emphasis.)
· "Encourage rehabilitation of the existing housing stock in the Roosevelt Subarea particularly in the Miller-
Orchard Neighborhood."
6. Comments from the 2007 draft Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan
"Goal 7: Establish and implement historic preservation objectives for the University ofIowa campus and surrounding
(neighborhoods)
Objective 1: Open communication lines between the State Historical Society. the University and the HPC with
leadership for the effort to be placed with the State Historical Society.
No formal progress has been made on this objective since the 1992 Historic Preservation Plan was approved. The
traditional relationship among these entities is not one of equal partners and, as a result, will require a disproportionate
level ofleadership from the strongest of the three, in this case, the University ofIowa. This obiective of establishing
communication lines regarding historic preservation between the State Historical Society. the University and the Iowa
City Historic Preservation Commission remains important in addressing all of the other issues identified below.
Objective 2: Complete an inventory of University-related historic resources.
Since the 1992 Historic Preservation Plan was completed, historical and architectural surveys have been completed along
portions of the East Campus and West Campus of the University. These surveys have included the identification of
individual historic resources and historic districts eligible to the National Register of Historic Places. In the case of the
Downtown Survey completed in 2001, several blocks of the East Campus paralleling Iowa Avenue between Clinton and
Gilbert streets were included. Other surveys including the Dubuque-Linn Street Corridor, the Original Town Plat Phase I
and Phase II, and the Melrose Neighborhood surveys, included blocks adjacent to the University campus. In each of these
surveys, the University's development, its workforce, and housing for its student population were identified as major
historical factors. National Register historic district nominations listed since 2004 for the Jefferson Street Historic
District, the Gilbert-Linn Street Historic District, and Melrose Historic District contain dozens of buildings linked to the
University's history including nearly a dozen owned by the University. Together with the Old Capitol National Historic
Landmark and the Pentacrest National Register of Historic Places Historic District, these on and off-campus resources are
important in understanding the history of the University."
"Objective 4: Expand heritage tourism efforts for University-related historic resources beyond Old Capitol; include
interpretation of other campus buildings of historic and architectural significance, important University contributions in
science and the humanities, and nearby historic districts."
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"Objective 6: Participate in a forum for discussing neighborhoodlUniversity issues related to historic preservation."
Objective 7: Investigate establishment of a University housing subsidy program to encourage faculty and administrators
to reside in neighborhoods near the campus. (Side note 1: Historically, UI faculty and administrators have always lived in
the Melrose Neighborhood. Side note 2: Such a subsidy program would not necessitate the purchase of neighborhood
properties by the University.)
Objective 8: Encourage the University to establish a policy that supports efforts to preserve historic residential
neighborhoods adjacent to its campus."
The draft plan reiterates much information and many recommendations from the 1992 Historic Preservation Plan. Some
of the Objectives listed for the Melrose Neighborhood are:
"1. Retain designation of Melrose Historic District as a National Register district."
"3. In the mid term (within two years), encourage designation of the Melrose Historic District as a local historic
district. "
"5. Consider establishing a regular event......... in order to invite neighbors and Iowa City residents to share the
history of the Melrose Historic District. Such an event will help establish the importance of the district's history in
the community and for University planners." (Side note: the Melrose Neighborhood has already, in 2007, held an
event with a historic style show and plans to hold an event in 2008 with historic cars to highlight that the
Neighborhood is, for the most part, an early automobile suburb developed between World War I and World War II
and to showcase its unique, historic garages.)
"6. Where possible. retain expansive settings of older residences located along Melrose A venue including wide and
deep lot dimensions, deep set back and landscaping.
7. Because of the proximity of major activity nodes for the University (hospitals and sports venues), the Melrose
Historic District is at greater risk than most campus-adjoining residential neighborhoods. It also has a high
potential for serving as a vital partner for the University by stabilizing the southern edge of its campus, providing a
source of affordable, well preserved housing. and telling the story of the University Hospitals and some of the
University's most prominent sports figures. To reduce the risk for the Melrose Historic District. improved
communication and continued ioint planning needs to take place. Joint issues to be addressed include: a) affirming
Melrose Avenue as the long-term boundarv between the Melrose Historic District and the south edge of the
University campus; b) developing ioint efforts to sustain the availability of well-maintained. owner-occupied
housing: in the Melrose Historic District: and c) improving the visual relationship between historic residences and
parking areas.
8. Spotlight the neighborhood's history for University and Hospital visitors by developing a walking tour, beginning
at the University Hospital complex, which includes Melrose Avenue's historic residences, post-World War I
residential enclaves, Brookland Park, etc." (Side note: the Melrose Neighborhood has already, in 2004, held a
publicized walking tour in the Neighborhood, led by architectural historian Marlys Svendsen. However, a
permanent self-guided walking tour needs to be developed.) "Complete the historic signage program planned by
the Melrose Neighborhood Association." (Side note: the Neighborhood obtained a grant in 2005 from the Public
Art Advisory Committee for this project.)
9. The University of Iowa 2006 Campus Master Plan identified National Register listed properties that it owns as
heritage properties that should be protected... . Though this policy was established for historic resources within the
current campus, it should also apply to properties owned by the University but located "off-campus" in a National
Register Historic District such as the Melrose Historic District. An effort should be made to engage University
representatives in discussions for specific historic resources in the Melrose Historic district.
For example, a comprehensive reuse study should be undertaken for the Caywood Apartment Building in order to
investigate historic preservation strategies that could make it a vital part of the University campus. A task force
including representatives of the Melrose Historic District could assist the University in investigating potential use
offederal investment tax credits to finance rehabilitation through the sale of the credits to for-profit entities.
Planning assistance from a group of specialized architects and planners experienced in academic campus reuse
issues and federal historic tax credits should be sought. Reuse options such as the sale of condominium residential
units to Hawkeye football supporters could be investigated. A planning effort for the Caywood Apartment
Building could serve as a model for future efforts to plan for historic resources in the Melrose Historic District with
both a University and neighborhood/community interest.
10. Pursue the Communication and Neiflhborhood Stabilization Steps on page 64."
9
7. The Neh!:hborhood is a Vibrant Residential Community
The Neighborhood is a vibrant residential community where people have their homes and have actually chosen to live
adjacent to the University. Many of its residents work in the University Athletics area and at the University Hospitals and
Clinics, so they can conveniently walk to work, rather than drive, thus reducing environmental damage.
8. Loss of Tax Revenues for the City
Unfortunately, the University can ignore the historic designation of the Neighborhood. If the total Neighborhood is
ultimately obtained and destroyed by the University, as has been done to other historic areas adjacent to the
Neighborhood, an estimated $250,000 in property taxes will be lost, annually, to the City.
9. Loss of VI and Citv Historv
Other historic mini-neighborhoods in the area have been destroyed by the University. If they destroy the Melrose
Neighborhood, they will be destroying not only part of the City's history, but also part of the University's own history. In
2005, at the request of the Melrose Neighborhood, Richard Carlson, a former member of the Historic Preservation
Commission, researched some of the mini-neighborhoods in the vicinity of the Melrose Neighborhood that have been
destroyed by expansion of the UI (See Appendix E). These neighborhoods are: Byington Place, Byington's Riverview
Addition, Crowley's Riverview Addition, Rupener's Riverview Addition, and Varsity Heights, which were variously
platted in 1891,1904 (or shortly before), around 1904, before 1908, and 1915. The Grand Avenue Court Addition,
platted in a similar time-frame, has had some of its buildings already destroyed by the UI and will probably be completely
destroyed in the future.
REASONS WHY VRGENT ACTION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN:
1. The VI's trend of buying houses and ultimately destroying them
Many mini-neighborhoods in the area surrounding the Melrose Neighborhood have been systematically bought up, house
by house, used as housing for faculty, then for institutional use, then the houses have been demolished and institutional
buildings/roads built there instead. Examples are the Quadrangle, South Quadrangle, Pharmacy Building, Field House,
Law building, the Nursing building, the Hillcrest, Slater and Reinow residence halls, and probably part of the various
hospital pavilions. The most recent example is the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center.
2. Recent purchase of homes by the VI in the interior of the Neighborhood
The University has bought up many houses along Melrose A venue. Only fairly recently has it started to buy up property
in the next tier of homes south of Melrose Avenue. For many, many years the University has told the neighbors that it
wants the homes for "housing faculty". However, recently it appears that the houses are being rented to students, not
faculty, and, all too soon, the homes follow the trend of the other historic homes in the area that have been destroyed.
In a recent example, the UI (a public institution) bought a house on the private drive, Lucon Drive. The Melrose
Neighborhood Representative was told by a UI official that the owner came to them and "made" them buy it. A
homeowner on Lucon Drive asked to buy it back, and his request was refused. The UI assured the neighbors that it would
be used only for faculty housing but a few weeks later wrote them as letter to say that it would be used as a cultural center.
The neighbors suggested that other UI buildings (along Melrose Avenue or on Grand Avenue Court) could be better used
as a cultural center but, for one of them, they were told that the Ul would have to wait three months for a lease to expire
and could not wait that long. It appears that the historic and community integrity of the Neighborhood and the private
drive was of lesser importance to the UI than waiting three months for a more appropriate building for the cultural center
to become available.
3. Diminished vitality in the Neighborhood
As the use of the homes acquired by the UI turns institutional, there is a deadening effect on the Neighborhood. The
Neighborhood loses some of its community feel and, because the buildings are empty at night, the Neighborhood becomes
less safe. An example is the house of long-time resident Leola Bergmann who lived in a house on Grand A venue Court.
The UI had systematically bought all but two of the old houses on that street. The remaining two residents, including
10
Leola, were determined not to sell their homes to the UI. The other resident looked out for Leola as she became elderly.
However, after the untimely death of that resident, whose heirs lived out of town, that home was purchased by the UI. So
Leola found herself living alone on a street with no other residents, surrounded by houses used for institutional purposes.
So, even though she did not want to, she decided she needed to move. Of course no individual was now likely to buy her
house as it was surrounded by institutional buildings, so the VI acquired it as well. In the last few years the UI has had a
plan to demolish the houses on Grand A venue Court and build more, probably large, institutional buildings in their place.
This could be the long-term fate of the Melrose Neighborhood if the VI continues to buy its properties, and the last vestige
of the neighborhoods on the west side of the Iowa River with buildings dating from the mid-1800s would vanish for ever.
Marlys Svendsen, the architectural historian who prepared the nomination of the Melrose Historic District to the NRHP,
did a preliminary survey of the houses on Grand A venue Court and said, in part:
"The houses were built during the first decades of the 20th century and are good examples of vernacular house forms and
architectural styles then gaining popularity. Together, the (houses) provide a glimpse of homebuilding at its best between
the World Wars - creative, solid, and richly varied." (See Appendix F for her full report.)
Thus these houses are of similar vintage and interest as those in a large part of the Melrose Historic District and would
have been worthy of preservation, in the Neighborhood's opinion.
4. Planning of large VI buildings in the interior of the Neighborhood.
Though the VI has purchased houses in the Melrose Neighborhood, so far none of them have been tom down and/or
replaced by a new institutional building. However, in 2004, the UI planned to build a Hope Lodge in an open area behind
one of the properties they own. This building, designed to accommodate 30 to 35 cancer patients and family members,
would have been equivalent to placing a fair-sized motel in the center of the Melrose Neighborhood. When the UI called
a Neighborhood meeting to tell the neighbors that the Lodge would be built there, the neighbors were not told of other
alternate sites that had been considered. The Neighborhood suggested that the Lodge instead be built adjacent to the
Ronald McDonald House, as this site would address VI objectives of potential integration with the Ronald McDonald
House as regards "management services, transportation, purchasing, and maintenance services" (quoted from a UI
document presented to the Campus Planning Committee Land Use Subcommittee, dated January 12,2004). The UI said
that they had not considered the site adjacent to the Ronald McDonald House as they wanted to keep that site for a
"signature building". The Neighborhood felt that the plan to place the Lodge in the center of the Melrose Neighborhood,
especially when a superior site was available, showed lack of concern for the integrity and history of the Neighborhood.
5. Sale of Neighborhood properties to the VI
Some neighbors, when they want to sell their properties, go straight to the VI without advertising their properties for sale,
as they feel the VI will buy their homes immediately and at a high price due to the superior purchasing power of the VI.
This presents a difficulty in allowing people, rather than an institution, to purchase the homes. This problem is
exacerbated because the properties are usually purchased first by the VI Facilities Corporation and then the Regents are
asked if the VI can purchase them. By that time, it is extremely unlikely that the Regents will refuse the Ul's request.
A case in point is the sale of a vacant lot adjacent to 311 Melrose Court. This lot is of crucial importance in that it backs
up to the open area behind 609 Melrose Court (that had been earmarked by the VI for the location of the Hope Lodge).
The lot was owned by the owners of 311 who kept it for many, many years precisely to discourage inappropriate
development in the open area and to avoid it being used as access to the open area (as it had been in the distant past),
because such use had been/would be so disruptive of, and unpleasant for, the Neighborhood. When the owners moved
and sold their house and the lot, they took care to sell it as a combined parcel, and to a non-VI entity. Unfortunately that
new owner sold the lot to the UIFC.
When it was realized that the Ul was to request permission to purchase the lot, the Melrose Representative wrote a letter
to the Regents (see Appendix G) asking them to consider that the lot not be used for football parking or access to the
open area (which the Ul had stated as the use to which it would be put) and that the Neighborhood be given the
opportunity to discuss purchase of the lot from the VI Facilities Corporation, so that the integrity of the Historic District
would be preserved. At the Regents meeting in Ottumwa, in the presence of the Neighborhood Representative, and
without comment on the matter from the Regents, they voted to allow the VI to purchase the lot.
6. VI assurances that did not materialize
The unfulfilled assurance that the house on Lucon Drive would only be used for faculty housing has already been
mentioned. A more generic assurance concerning the purchase of Neighborhood homes by the UI was given to the
11
Neighborhood Representative after one of the many Campus Planning meetings that the Representative has attended,
when a VI official approached her and assured her that "we do not intend to buy any more properties in the
Neighborhood" .
It was not long after that that the VI purchased the home at 3 I I Melrose Court (adjacent to the vacant lot) and another
nearby home (2 I 9 Melrose Court). These examples underline the difficulty the Neighborhood has in getting definitive,
reliable comments concerning the UI's operations in the Neighborhood.
7. Missed opportunities
Kinnick Stadium
When the VI was considering the condition of Kinnick Stadium, there was a choice between moving it or renovating it.
At that time, the difference in price was about $600 million versus about $84 million. It was decided that the UI could not
afford to move the Stadium. Another consideration was the nostalgia and history ofthe Stadium at its current location. It
should be noted that, once the decision not to move the Stadium was made, the Neighborhood does not think that the VI
should then look to destruction of a historic neighborhood to satisfy the demands for any expansion that might have been
located in the Stadium area.
The Neighborhood understands the importance of the nostalgia and history of the Stadium but of equal importance is the
history of the Neighborhood. In addition, the Neighborhood is a vital area, where people live, as opposed to a structure
that is only fully used when the players are on the field and spectators in the stands. Also, the Stadium and many of the
houses in the Neighborhood were built at the same time, in the early 1920s, but there are about 20 houses in the
Neighborhood built between the latter half of the 1880s and 1918. Thus the preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood is
of at least the same importance, if not of greater importance, than the preservation of the Stadium.
Development of the far West Campus
In 2004, the VI presented the Iowa State Board of Regents with a proposed $12 million tennis and recreational facility to
be built on the University's far west campus. At that time, this area was devoid of buildings except for the Athletic Hall
of Fame (and the Hawkeye Storage building, which was to be demolished).
The Melrose Neighborhood wrote to the Regents (with copies to VI and Iowa City officials) prior to the meeting (see
Appendix H for complete letter), asking for a response and saying:
"BEFORE YOU APPROVE THIS PLAN, WE IN THE MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD URGE YOU IN THE
STRONGEST TERMS TO FIRST CONSIDER THE OVERALL LONG-TERM PLANS FOR PHYSICAL
EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE INTERESTS OF THE CITY OF
IOWA CITY AND ITS CITIZENS."
and:
"SO THAT THE CITY. UI, AND NEIGHBORHOOD CAN DEVELOP A LONG-TERM PLAN TO BALANCE THE
NEED FOR UI EXPANSION WITH THE NEED TO PRESERVE THIS HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY NEED
TO MEET TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES BEFORE AREAS SUCH AS THE SITE FOR THE PROPOSED TENNIS AND
RECREATIONAL FACILITY ARE IRREVERSIBLY DEDICATED TO THESE PURPOSES."
and:
"THEREFORE. IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE AN EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO ALL
PARTIES. WE ASK THAT THE UNIVERSITY. THE CITY. AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEET TO DISCUSS AND
RESOLVE THESE ISSUES BEFORE ANY MORE LAND USE MATTERS ARE APPROVED BY THE IOWA STATE
BOARD OF REGENTS."
No response was received from either the Regents, or the UI, or the City, so a month later a further letter was sent (to all
recipients of the first letter) that said in part:
"The University is continually expanding. At some point, not all of its new facilities will fit close to downtown or close to
the current West Campus. Therefore, a long-term plan needs to be drawn up to decide, as has already been done with the
Oakdale Campus, which parts of the University will need to be located further out ofIowa City and plans made to provide
adequate easy transportation between the various areas of the University.
12
As I stated in my previous letter, such long-term planning should be done in collaboration with the City of Iowa City and,
in the case of residential areas such as the Melrose Neighborhood, with input from representatives of those residential
areas.
I look forward to your response to this and my previous letter."
See Appendix I for complete letter.
No response was received, so a further letter was sent four months later (to all recipients ofthe fIrst letter) that said in part:
"Even though current plans locate the new Recreation Facility on the east side of Campus, thus opening up space in the
far west campus for the University's future expansion, we once again ask you to carefully consider the planning for that
far west campus in relation to the University's long-term expansion needs. This is of particular importance in that any
destruction ofthe Historic District within the Melrose Neighborhood to meet those expansion needs will be strongly
opposed. "
See Appendix J for complete letter.
No response was received.
8. The VI's Statements/Actions concerning the Neighborhood and properties the VI purchases.
At a 2003 Traffic Study meeting concerning the modifIed Melrose A venue-Grand A venue one-way system, at which the
Melrose Representative was a participant, an official, who is now involved in purchasing properties for the UI, said "In 30
years, we'll have that Neighborhood". This statement can be interpreted as showing a total disregard for the wishes of the
residents and property owners ofthe Neighborhood, quite apart from the wishes of those Iowa Citians who care about
preservation of the City's and the VI's history.
At a meeting of the VI Campus Planning Committee, which the Melrose Representative attended, an official said "We
don't buy the properties for the buildings, we buy them for the land, and when the buildings deteriorate, we pull them
down and build new buildings."
In 2004, when the nomination of the Melrose Historic District came before the City Council for their approval, a VI
official said that the VI supported historic preservation, but at the same time was questioning the NRHP nomination.
The Cannon-Gay house, located across Melrose A venue from the Melrose Neighborhood and built in 1884, was placed on
the NRHP by the owner specifIcally to preserve it. The house was purchased by the VI, who intended to remove later
(historic) additions to the house and move the house to use the site for another building (though City officials at the time
indicated a preference to leave it in place). When challenged concerning the preservation of the house, intact, in its
historic location, the VI decided to leave it in its current location with the option of still being able to move it at a later
date.
In 2002, the VI started building the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center too close to the public street, Grand A venue Court,
without the City Council's permission. This resulted in the City Council subsequently vacating Grand Avenue Court
(over objections from the Melrose Neighborhood) and selling it to the UI (even though the Council originally decided to
have a traffic study in that area completed fIrst.)
9. The un level playing field
The VI is not bound to preserve any historic buildings even though it might be on the NRHP or under local restrictions.
Therefore, the Melrose Historic District is not/would not be protected by its current NRHP status or if it were placed
under local restrictions. Current individual landmark houses in the Neighborhood, including those dating to the late
1800s, also are not protected from destruction by the VI.
The VI has much more purchasing power than the Neighborhood.
The VI can purchase homes without the knowledge of members of the Neighborhood (as can individuals). However, once
the property becomes institutionalized, it is unlikely to become privately-owned again, and is vulnerable to destruction
even with historic preservation protections in place.
The VI, being an institution, can take a very long-term view and outwait individuals concerning purchase of
Neighborhood properties.
13
The VI has professional individuals whose job it is, and who are paid, to consider planning for and purchasing of
properties in the Neighborhood. The Neighborhood members must defend their Neighborhood from destruction in their
uncompensated, spare time.
The Melrose Neighborhood Representative has attended the VI Campus Planning Committee meetings for a number of
years, partly as a way to know upcoming plans that could affect the Melrose Neighborhood and as a way to have some
input into the discussion about them. However, this communication has been diminished for two reasons: the meetings
have become less frequent, and discussions of land use etc. are conducted in subcommittees to which the Representative is
not invited. Thus VI plans that could affect the Neighborhood are not shared in a timely fashion, thus diminishing
opportunities of input (including helpful information) from the Neighborhood.
SOME OF THE STEPS TAKEN BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR PRESERVATION
OF THE MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD
At every possible opportunity, the Neighborhood, through its Representative, has spoken up to promote the preservation
of the Neighborhood; to VI officials, to the Regents, to City officials, at meetings of the City and the VI, to Friends of
Historic Preservation, and now to the HPC. Examples of correspondence to these entities are included above and in the
Appendices.
The Representative has attended many meetings of the VI (Campus Planning Committee, Traffic Study, Ramp
Expansion) and the City Council concerning this matter.
The Neighborhood has obtained support from the Iowa City Neighborhood Council (which consists of representatives
from all the neighborhood associations in Iowa City) for preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood. The Neighborhood
Council is in the process of writing a letter to the HPC to express this support.
The Neighborhood raised funds in 2004, including obtaining a Program for Improvement of Neighborhoods (PIN) grant
and a grant from the Friends of Historic Preservation, to hire an architectural historian to have the Melrose Historic
District nominated to the NRHP (in a record nine months rather than the usual two years). Neighbors also helped do the
research for this nomination.
Site inventory forms from the NRHP nomination were distributed to all Neighborhood property owners.
The Neighborhood obtained a PIN grant, with matching funds from the Parks & Recreation Department, to develop a
Masterplan Concept in 2006 to renovate its 83-year-old Brookland Park. The Neighborhood participated in the
renovation planning. The City funded the renovation, which was completed in 2007.
The Neighborhood obtained a PIN grant to fund a celebration in 2007 of the completed Park renovation and organized the
celebration, including a historic style show to emphasize the historic nature of the Neighborhood.
The Neighborhood obtained a Public Art Advisory Committee grant in 2005 to develop and install historic markers
throughout the Neighborhood. (This project is still in progress.)
The Neighborhood will host a Family Fun Night in 2008 facilitated by the City. The Neighborhood will organize an
antique car show for this event, to emphasize the historic nature of the Neighborhood and to highlight its historic garages.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PRESERVE THE MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD
The Neighborhood has worked intensively for the last five years in matters concerning the preservation of the
Neighborhood. This included working hard and raising the funds to get the Melrose Historic District established and
nominated to the NRHP (a task that might otherwise have been done by the HPC but probably at a much later date).
However, the Neighborhood feels it is all too easy for the VI to override any efforts it might make to preserve the
Neighborhood. Therefore the Neighborhood needs the help of the HPC and the City and is asking for these entities to
14
finally act decisively and honor the sentiments expressed in the various City documents concerning preservation of the
Melrose Neighborhood.
This matter is of the utmost ure:ency and in fact should have been addressed decisively years ae:o. The destruction
of the Neie:hborhood is e:radual and insidious. and the purchase by the VI of homes in the interior of the
Neie:hborhood should act as a wake-up call to address the matter without delay. Further apathy and
procrastination concernine: this matter will result in the loss of this vibrant. historic Neie:hborhood.
Therefore the Neighborhood requests that the HPC pass a resolution of support, to be forwarded to the City Council,
concerning the preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood (including supporting the concept of a local district) and that
the HPC recommends to the City that:
1. The City makes a strong public statement to the UI, to the City's Planning Department, and to the citizens of Iowa
City that the Melrose Neighborhood is worth preserving. In doing so, the City would be honoring statements made
in various of its publications, including the 1992 and draft 2007 Historic Preservation Plans prepared for the City
and the HPC.
2. The City states that the UI boundaries should be those that the VI outlined in their 1998 Campus Masterplan. In this
document, the southern UI boundary in the Melrose Neighborhood is Melrose Avenue from the bridge over the
railroad tracks at University Heights, to east of Lucon Drive (except for the Caywood Apartment building). The
boundary then moves south to Myrtle A venue to include the wooded ravine and the Myrtle A venue parking lot.
3. The City states that the VI should cease purchasing further properties in the Melrose Neighborhood, particularly the
Melrose Historic District. (A possible exception might be Melrose Place, which is outside the Melrose Historic
District and which is almost entirely owned by the UI.) A precedent for this has been set by the University of
????????? This is crucial as past experience has shown that properties purchased by the UI are often destroyed and
though this might not happen in the near future, purchase of properties by the VI allows for such destruction in the
distant future, even if the properties are within a local historic district. By not purchasing any further properties in
the Neighborhood, the VI would be honoring what it has been saying (particularly recently) to the Neighborhood.
4. The City states that the VI should not destroy any of the Melrose Neighborhood properties that it owns, particularly
in the Melrose Historic District, but to keep them up in the manner befitting their historic value. In not destroying
the historic properties, the VI would be honoring its statements that it is for preservation of historic buildings. In
addition, the UI should make an inventory of its historic buildings (as recommended in the City's Historic
Preservation Plan), and include in that inventory historic properties they own in the Neighborhood. (The
Neighborhood Representative has already suggested to Rod Lehnertz to include historic buildings owned by the VI
that are in city neighborhoods in the next edition of his and John Scott's recent book on VI architecture entitled The
University of Iowa Guide to Campus Architecture and in presentations on Campus Architecture).
5. The City states that the UI should use the properties they own in the Neighborhood (particularly those newly
acquired) as residences, e.g., for faculty/staff housing, which the VI has told the Neighborhood is the reason for
purchasing such properties. This would apply in particular to any properties south of their properties lining Melrose
Avenue. This would keep up the integrity of the Neighborhood as a residential area and avoid the dead areas the UI
has created in other parts of the Neighborhood.
6. The City states that the UI should direct any expansion in the area to the following areas/in the following ways. The
University will probably always need to expand and needs to look to other areas for their long-term needs, rather
than destroying a vibrant residential neighborhood.
a). In-filling in the UIHC-athletics area (the area bounded by Melrose Avenue, Riverside Drive, Highway 6,
First A venue, and the Iowa Interstate Railroad). The area should be examined closely for opportunities for
expansion. Within the last year, an official of the UIHC has told the Melrose Representative that the UIHC
intends to in-fill and build upward to accommodate its expansion needs, rather than encroach in the Melrose
Neighborhood. An article in the Iowa City Press-Citizen (02/15/05) stated that VI expansion plans are
focusing on the core of campus and not on sprawl. The Neighborhood commends the VI for this
commitment.
One location in this area which could be used for new construction is the surface parking lot west of the
Gerdin Athletic Learning Center. (This site should not be used for another parking ramp as that would
constitute a missed opportunity for expansion and would also jeopardize the modified one-way street system
in the area.)
b). The north side of the VIHC. In a preliminary survey of this area, the architectural historian, Marlys
Svendsen, who prepared the nomination of the Melrose Historic District to the NRHP, concluded that "the
substantial majority of buildings along this stretch of Newton Road would not be eligible for the (National
Register of Historic Places) either individually nor could this area be considered an historic district because
15
of compromising exterior modifications or because they are less than 50 years old". (See Appendix K for
complete statement.)
c). The far West Campus. This is a prime area for expansion and it should be used for expansion, rather than
the Melrose Neighborhood.
d). The baseball field could be moved to the far West Campus, to join other sports-related areas.
e). The Golf Course or a portion of it. Although this might be regarded as heresy for some people, it could be
regarded as similar to expansion into/destruction of the Melrose Neighborhood.
7. The City states the VI should follow the recommendations of the most recent Historic Preservation Plan concerning
the Melrose Neighborhood. (See above for a description of these recommendations.)
8. The City states the VI should respond publicly to the requests made to it by the City and the Neighborhood and
through the most recent Historic Preservation Plan.
9. The City includes the Neighborhood in discussions with the UI related to the Neighborhood's preservation.
Side note: It might appear presumptuous for the Neighborhood to point out where the UI could expand, but it is not
presumptuous for the Neighborhood to do this if the VI is considering expanding into/destroying the Neighborhood. In
addition, the Neighborhood was helpful in finding a more appropriate place for the Hope Lodge, in a VI location that
better served the building and placement at this location meant that the Neighborhood was not impacted negatively - a
win-win situation.
16
APPENDIX A
A Map of the Melrose Neighborhood
QuickTime ™ and a
TI FF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
17
APPENDIX B
A Map of the Melrose Historic District within the Melrose Neighborhood
QuickTime ™ and a
TIFF (LZW) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
18
Former Residential Subdivisions In and Near
the Melrose Neighborhood
U Demo/i.llted Hml.l'~'
19
Areas for Possible UI Expansion
....
:;;,.itl'/(;:J'.
,-
"\ I
20
Zoning within the Melrose Neighborhood
\
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21
APPENDIX C
Letter from Marlys Svendsen, architectural historian:
Preliminary comments on why the Melrose Neighborhood should be preserved.
SVENDSEN TYLER, INC.
N3834 DEEP LAKE ROAD SARONA, WISCONSIN 54870
EMAIL: SVENDSENTYLER@CENTURYTEL.NET
715/469-3300 . FAX: 715/469-3300
April 3, 2004
Jean Walker
335 Lucon Dr.
Iowa City, Iowa 52246
Dear Jean,
Earlier this week you asked me to share some comments about my thoughts regarding the history of the Melrose
Neighborhood and why it should be preserved. Some preliminary observations follow.
Based on my nearly 30 years of work as an historic preservation professional, including 13 years working on various Iowa
City projects, I am confident in saying that the Melrose Historic District is a neighborhood worth preserving. It has a
strong sense of neighborhood identity and retains an intact collection of architecturally and historically significant houses.
Its historical significance derives from its association with the University of Iowa hospital complex and athletic buildings.
Put simply, through the years the people who researched, healed, coached, taught and worked north of Melrose Avenue,
frequently lived south of Melrose. Though this physical proximity has been difficult to manage at times in recent years, it
is part of what makes the neighborhood special and worth preserving.
The proposed Melrose Historic District includes a multi-block neighborhood along and south of Melrose A venue and the
campus of the University ofIowa. As you are aware, this district is currently being considered for nomination to the
National Register of Historic Places. The Melrose Historic District developed in several stages beginning in the late 19th
century and extending through the post-World War II period. Its greatest growth was associated with the establishment of
the University of Iowa General Hospital and the creation of the buildings for the University's athletic programs during the
late 1920s. Staff and faculty for these facilities needed housing, and the mixture of small and large lots available in
Custer's Addition and the Brookland Park Addition located south of Melrose Avenue and north of Brookland Park
provided ideal home sites.
Seventy years later, the Melrose Neighborhood tells the story of this important period in the history ofthe University of
Iowa, its hospitals, and its athletic programs. Architecturally, the neighborhood retains an important collection of diverse,
architecturally significant houses and small cottages. A handful of older residences along Melrose A venue, a state road
laid out in 1853 to connect Iowa City to points west, convey the history of the area before the West Side Campus of the
University was established. The balance of the neighborhood contains well-preserved examples of Craftsman Style
bungalows, Georgian and Colonial Revival Style houses, and English Period Cottages located along narrow streets and
picturesque drives.
The Melrose Neighborhood's historic associations with the University ofIowa, its hospitals and athletic programs, and its
collection of late 19th century and early 20th domestic architecture certainly make it worth preserving. National Register
designation of the proposed Melrose Historic District will strongly reinforce the neighborhood's special character. In so
doing, residents of Iowa City as well as visitors to the community and the University of Iowa Hospital will have a
heightened awareness of its historic interest and aesthetic charm. Designation of historic districts in other neighborhoods
in Iowa City as well as in other areas of the country has lead to their preservation and stabilization. National Register
designation will encourage the same positive future for the Melrose Neighborhood.
Sincerely,
Marlys Svendsen,
Historic Preservation Consultant
22
APPENDIX D
Significance of the Melrose Neighborhood's Historic District (from the NRHP nomination)
National Register of Historic Places Nomination for the Melrose Historic District
Section 8, pages 6 & 7:
"The Melrose Historic District is locally significant under Criteria A [historical event or role], B [significant individual],
and C [architecture].
Under Criterion A, the Melrose Historic District derives significance under the category of "Community Planning and
Development." Resources within the District draw attention to the growth ofIowa City's West Side both prior to 1900
when the houses along Snook's Grove Road (Melrose Avenue) comprised a sparsely settled country neighborhood and to
the period following World War I, and extending through World War II when the neighborhood transitioned to an early
automobile suburb. Under the category of "Education" the District is closely associated with the development of the State
University ofIowa's West Side Campus, which included its teaching hospital and clinic complex and its athletic facilities,
all built north of Melrose Avenue in the decades following World War I. This period was significant for the University's
primary education mission because these years saw a five-fold increase in student enrollment and a major expansion in
physical plant. The provision of housing for University faculty members, physicians, administrative staff, and students
was a critical private-sector initiative that supported the West Side Campus development between and following the
World Wars.
Under Criterion B, the Melrose Historic District is significant for its association with the lives of prominent Iowa City
residents, several with affiliations to the State University of Iowa. Byron J. Lambert, head of the Department of Civil
Engineering at the University was an important Iowa engineer whose career included the design of steel stadiums,
bridges, hydroelectric dams and plants, and water systems throughout the state. Floyd Nagler gained prominence as the
founding director of the SUI Hydraulics Laboratory and for a range of findings in the engineering field. Rudolph Kuever,
Dean of the College of Pharmacy, had an outstanding career in both academic pharmacy and as a consulting
pharmaceutical chemist and patent holder. Howard Jones was the SUI football coach in the early 1920s who developed a
highly successful national football program. David Armbruster was a nationally prominent swimming coach and
researcher at SUI. Wendell Johnson was a nationally known speech pathologist, clinical psychologist, and pioneer in
treatment for stuttering. Irving Weber, SUI's first All-American swimmer, resided in the District throughout his life. He
was a leading Iowa City dairy company executive and a much-loved local historian and newspaper columnist. Thelma
Lewis, a leader in the campaign to establish the mayor-city manager form of government for the city in the 1950s, became
Iowa City's second female mayor.
Under Criterion C, the Melrose Historic District is significant as a representative collection of the residential architectural
styles and vernacular house forms that appeared in Iowa City neighborhoods during the years that the area was
transformed from a country neighborhood to an early automobile and post-war residential suburb. The neighborhood
contains a subdivision pattern that mixed curvilinear, cul-de-sac, and grid pattern streets with a city park along a major
town and country highway. The shift in domestic architecture during this period from large, multi-storied and richly
ornamented houses to smaller scale, less expensive residences with garages integrated onto the site is evidenced by the
homebuilding that took place in the Melrose Historic District. Together the District's subdivision plans and buildings tell
the story of suburban style architectural design and vernacular building practices during the first half of the 20th century
in Iowa City, displaying more than a dozen different architectural styles and house forms."
23
APPENDIX E
Old Neighborhoods near the Melrose Neighborhood demolished by the VI
West Side Subdivisions Along River Bluff Near Melrose Avenue
by Richard Carlson, Iowa City, Iowa, Historic Preservation Commission
August 23,2005 (updated Sept. 14-16,2005)
Byington Place
Now the site of Quadrangle Hall, Field House, Rienow Hall, Slater Hall, South Quadrangle, Pharmacy Building,
and probably part of the various hospital pavilions.
Platted around 1915, this addition had an extensive named block and numbered lot system. All 105 lots in the
nine blocks of this addition were acquired by the State of Iowa between 1918 and 1923. Because the lots were acquired
so soon after they were platted, few private residences were ever built in this subdivision. Ofthe 105 lots, only 11 lots
(or, in two cases, groups of lots) were sold by members of the Byington family to other owners before the lots were
acquired by the State of Iowa.
The 1933 Sanborn map of Iowa City shows that residences had been built on at least three of these lots, and were
still standing in 1933, although owned by the university. Two houses were located on Lots 8 and 9 in Oaklawn Section,
and a third on Lot 8 of Cherrywood Section. Otherwise, the Field House (1927) and Quadrangle Hall (begun in 1918)
occupied most of this platted addition by 1933, and the rest of the lots were empty.
The house on Lot 8 of Oaklawn Section (310 Grand A venue) was probably built for Ella (or Ellen) E. Sparks
between 1917 and 1919, or for Bertha E. Sparks between 1919 and 1920. Bertha Sparks was identified in the 1920 census
as an office lady in a professor's office, and was listed as a roomer in the household of university professor John W.
Campbell. Bertha Sparks sold this parcel to the State oflowa in 1929. In 1930, this house was rented (for $40/month) by
W. D. Berkey, proprietor of an oil station.
Lot 9 of Oak lawn Section (308 Grand Avenue) was owned by university chemistry (pharmacy?) professor
Rudolph A. Kuever from 1914 until he sold it to the State ofIowa in 1925. Kuever's location in the 1920 census suggests
that he was living on this lot at that time. The house is shown on a 1921 aerial photograph of Quadrangle Hall reproduced
in John C. Gerber, A Pictorial History of the University of Iowa (Iowa City: University ofIowa Press, 1988), p. 105. In
1930, this house was rented (for an unknown amount) by Converse R. Lewis, a federal officer of the United States.
The third house, located on Lot 8 of Cherrywood Section (no address shown on 1933 Sanborn map), remained in
the Byington family until it was sold to the state in 1924. It may have been occupied by the family of druggist John
Whetstone and his wife, Mahaska (Byington) Whetstone, although Mahaska Whetstone's exact location is not clear from
the 1920 census. She was a widow by 1920, so it is possible that John Whetstone never lived in this house. It is unclear
who occupied this house at the time of the 1930 census.
These three houses were removed some time after 1933.
Byington's Riverview Addition
Now the site of Hillcrest residence hall.
This addition was platted in 1891 by Mary Byington-and probably also her husband LeGrand Byington, since
the two Byington additions seem to have been subdivisions of their farmstead-but it was only developed starting around
1901. The addition included lots A, B, C, D, E, F. Addresses in this addition were on Riverview Road in 1930. All six
lots had houses on them by 1933.
The existing records exhibit some confusion matching addresses to their corresponding lot number. The house
numbers shown on the 1933 Sanborn map appear to be mistakenly placed one lot too far south. This map shows Lot A at
number 37, B at 45, C at 53, D at 61, E at 69 and Fat 81. However, a comparison ofland records with the names of
owners and addresses given in the 1930 census is more likely to be accurate, and this comparison shows that Lot A was at
number 45, B at 53, C at 61, D at 69, and either E or F at 81. A sixth address on Riverview Rd. could not be located in the
1930 census, so its owner and address are unclear.
The four houses on Lots C, D, E, and F are shown on a 1921 aerial photograph of Quadrangle Hall reproduced in
John C. Gerber, A Pictorial History of the University of Iowa (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1988), p. 105.
Among the more illustrious residents of this area were Wilbur J. Teeters and Henry J. Prentiss. Wilbur (also
spelled Wilber) 1. Teeters (1870-1959) was dean of the College of Pharmacy from 1904 to 1937, and mayor ofIowa City
24
from 1943 to 1946 (after he had left this property) (Gerber, A Pictorial History of the University of Iowa, p. 131). He
owned Lot C (61 Riverview Rd.) from 1901 to 1930.
Henry 1. Prentiss, who headed the Department of Pathology "for many years" starting in 1904
(http://www.medicine.uiowa.edu/pathology/pathjolder/welcome/history.html). owned Lot B (53 Riverview Rd.) from
1906 to 1930. He and his family occupied a house built in 1902 for Harry S. Richards, who left Iowa the year after the
house was built to become Dean of the Law School at the University of Wisconsin, Madison (1903-1929)
(http://www.law.wisc.edu/lore/events.htm).
Other houses in this subdivision were built for Arthur G. Smith in 1901 (Lot D, 69 Riverview Rd.) and for Fred
L. Stevens in 1909 (Lot A, 45 Riverview Rd.). Arthur G. Smith, an instructor at the SUI, died during the 1910s. His
widow, Grace P. Smith, editor of a paper in 1920 (perhaps a literary journal at the university? her occupation in 1930 was
"literature" in the field of "editorial [slate?]"), continued to live in the house. Fred L. Stevens, a lawyer, lived in this
location only briefly. He sold the property in 1911 to Robert R. Whetstone, a son of John and Mahaska (Byington)
Whetstone, and grandson of the Byingtons who created this subdivision. The houses on Lots E and F were evidently both
built for members of the Byington family. At least one was occupied by Otto A. Byington during the early 20th century.
The occupant of the other is unclear.
Interestingly, three of the first four University ofIowa faculty representatives to the Big Ten Conference were
residents of this small neighborhood: Arthur G. Smith (1990 [sic; probably 1900?]-1914), W. J. Teeters (1914-1916),
and H. 1. Prentiss (1917-1920) (see http://www.netitor.comlphotos/confslbiglO/genrel/auto-pdf/04recordsbook-sec3.pdf).
The houses in this addition were large and expensive houses occupied primarily by important figures at the
university or by members of the Byington family. The value of homes in this area in 1930 ranged from $20,000 to
$35,000. (Only four of the six houses were represented in this range; the former Fred L. Stevens house at 45 Riverview
Rd. was a university rental property ($50/month), and the sixth house does not appear to have been included in the
census.)
The State ofIowa acquired all but Lot F between 1924 and 1930 (with some quit claim deeds as late as 1938).
By 1948, all of these houses but the one on Lot F had been demolished in order to build Hillcrest residence hall (1938).
Lot F was purchased some time after 1947. Since 1948, Hillcrest has expanded further to the south, and now occupies all
six lots and the sites of all the buildings formerly in this addition.
Crowley's Riverview Addition
Now the site of the peripheries of the Boyd Law Building property, including the parking area. Only surviving
house(s) are the one or two located along Riverside Ct., now off of Riverside Dr.
This addition, which extended to the bluff east and south of Rupener's Riverview Addition, was probably platted
in or shortly before 1908, when the first lots were sold. The addition, platted by Ed Crowley, had nine lots: G, H, J, K, L,
M, N, 0, and P. It is unclear whether there were ever any Lots A-F; Lot I was apparently deliberately excluded from the
lettering system.
Crowley's addition appears to have been largely unsuccessful as a development. By 1933, houses had been built
on only three lots: one house each on lots G and M, and four small residences along "Moffitt Place" on the south side of
Lot L. The remaining lots were either located on steep ground on the bluff, or were located on land south of Melrose
A venue, not serviced by any street.
The house on Lot G, numbered 229 Riverview by 1930, was built by John Jayne in 1908, and sold to William
Morris in 1909. Morris, a retired coal miner/teamster/farmer, and his three unmarried sons (William, Robert, and
George), all laborers, occupied this house until after 1930. Lots H, J, and K-the adjacent lots to the south-were sold to
Morris (and to subsequent owners) along with Lot G, but were apparently never developed. Some time between 1930 and
1950, these lots were acquired by a Chicago couple, who sold them in 1950 to Virginia Holdeman Jones. She and her
later husband sold the lots to Telford and Irene Larew in 1955. The Larews sold the three empty lots to the south of the
house to Viggo M. Jensen Co. in 1958. The Jensens sold the three lots to the State of Iowa for the SUI in 1965. The
house lot was sold to the state in 1962.
The house on Lot M, numbered 233 Melrose A venue by 1930, was probably built for Anthony Swanser between
1908, when he purchased Lot M from Edward Crowley, and 1910, when he is listed in the federal census in a location that
suggests that he was occupying this parcel of land. Swanser, a Bohemian-born carpenter, may have built the house
himself. He sold the property in 1913 to Julia Grace, who in turn sold it to Robert P. and Selma Adams (husband and
wife) in 1923. Julia F. Grace was listed in the 1920 census as a widow with no occupation and three adult or nearly adult
children. Robert P. Adams was listed in the 1920 census as a farmer in Big Grove Township, but by 1930 he was working
as a research assistant at the SUI. In 1946, the Adams heirs sold the property to Anna S. Gatens. She sold the south part
of the lot in 1958 to the State ofIowa, and the north part (which contained the house) in 1960 to a couple who sold it to
the State of Iowa in 1962.
25
Lot L, at the south end of the addition, was purchased by Howard Moffitt in 1927. Moffitt built four small
houses at the foot of the bluff between 1927 and 1933, along a street then named Mofitt Place (now Riverside Ct.). All
but one of the buildings on Lot L (the present 1 Riverside Ct., at the east end of Lot L) have been removed. It is unclear
when the portion of Lot L not included in the land associated with 1 Riverside Ct. was sold to the State of Iowa.
In 1930, the houses on lots G and M were valued at $7,000 (Morris) and $20,000 (Adams). It is not known if the
four houses along Moffitt PI. had been built by 1930. In any case, I haven't yet located these houses in the 1930 census.
As Moffitt-built houses, they were likely all relatively inexpensive rental properties.
Three additional house lots along Melrose Avenue adjacent to Crowley's Riverview Addition were not included
in the addition because they were sold by Ed Crowley as individual house lots prior to the platting ofthe addition. For
more on one of these lots, on which the house at 303 Melrose Avenue (extant) was built, see the history of303 Melrose
A venue in my previous write-up of Melrose Avenue buildings.
The house lot for 221 Melrose A venue was sold by Crowley to D. A. Munger in 1908. The Mungers probably
built the house on this lot between 1908 and 1911, since they sold the parcel in 1911 for $4,800, an amount large enough
to have included a house and lot. The Mungers sold the property in 1911 to Abram O. Thomas, a university professor,
and his mother-in-law, Martha F. Rosenberger. Thomas owned the property until some time after 1930. I didn't research
when the state bought this property.
The house at 223 Melrose Avenue was probably built for John and Rosalie Osborne between 1902, when they
bought the parcel from Ed Crowley, and 1908, when they sold it to Abbie H. Sidwell for $3,500, enough money for a
small- to medium-sized house in addition to the lot. John Osborne worked as a plumber in 1900. Abbie Sidwell lived
here with husband, Branson D. Sidwell, and children in 1910. Branson and one of the children, Albert B. Sidwell, were
engaged in the milk and ice cream business by 1910. Abbie H. Sidwell had been widowed by 1920, when she lived here
with her daughter and son-in-law, Andrew W. Bennett, a medical doctor. By 1930, the Bennetts and Abbie Sidwell had
moved elsewhere, and the house on Melrose Avenue was occupied Albert B. Sidwell and his family. I didn't research
when the state bought this property.
Grand A venue Court Addition
Now largely demolished for the Gerdin Athletic Learning Center. Jean Walker has already researched this
addition, so I didn't conduct any additional research.
Rupener's Riverview Addition
Now the site of the Boyd Law Building parking lot.
Probably platted in or shortly before 1904, when first lot was sold. The addition had Lots A, B, and C. By 1933,
houses had been built on all three lots, including two houses on Lot A.
The Rupeners evidently occupied the north house on Lot A, and sold the south part of Lot A and the other two
lots between 1904 and 1908. A house was built on the south half of Lot A, probably for Albert A. Slade in 1912 (he had a
house built on the West Side in that year; he purchased the lot in 1908). A house was built on Lot B, possibly for Murray
A. Wood between 1905 and 1910, possibly for Isaac N. Rowland between 1910 and 1933 (no reference to this house has
been found in Iowa City newspapers; Murray A. Wood had a house built in nearby Varsity Heights in 1907, but this was
apparently a different house; Isaac N. Rowland is listed in the 1910 federal census in what appears to be this location, so
the house was probably built between 1905 and 1910). A house was built on Lot C, probably for William J. Weeber (or
Weber) in 1904 (he had a foundation in for a house in the west side in 1904, the same year he purchased Lot B). All of
these lots continued under private ownership until they were sold to the State of Iowa in various transactions between
1960 and 1965.
These houses were much more modest than those in Byington's Riverview Addition. In 1930, the three houses
listed on "Riverview Place" were valued at $7,500 or $8,000 each. 104 Melrose Avenue, which appears to have been the
fourth house in the addition (though I can't figure out why it was numbered 104 ifit was on the south side of the street),
was valued at $18,000 in the 1930 census. In 1930, this house was occupied by Ellen Rupener, George's widow. The
other houses were occupied by the families of William J. Weeber (feed store proprietor), Isaac N. Rowland (manager ofa
shipping association), and Earl Custer (carpenter at SUI).
Varsity Heights
Now the site of Boyd Law Building.
26
This addition was platted by 1. E. Coggeshall around 1904, when the first lot was sold. It included Lots 1-15, of
which Lots 10-14 were small garage lots and the remainder were house lots. By 1910, the federal census listed four
households in Varsity Heights. One house, probably the one on Lot 3 (127 Melrose Ave.), was built for Murray A. Wood
and his family in 1907. Murray A. Wood was a retired farmer. Another house, probably the one on Lot 5 (103 Grand
Ave.), was built for David S. Welch and his family in 1909. David S. Welch was an engineer and superintendent of
construction in 1910. Also living in the Welch household in 1910 was the family of Ernest A. Rodgers (Rogers),
professor of dentistry at SUI. Oddly, both Welch and Rodgers were said to be the owners of the house.
The third house-probably the house on Lot 8, later numbered 113 Varsity Heights-was occupied by the family
ofIrving King, university professor. The fourth house, was occupied by the families of George Bradley, who lived on his
own income, and Elias J. Hughes, a piano salesman. It is unc1ear which lot this last household was located on. Although
both Bradley and Hughes were listed in the 1910 census as owners rather than renters, neither had a deed recorded for a
lot in Varsity Heights before 1916 (Bradley) or 1917 (Hughes). Prior to 1916, the four Bradley lots (1, 2,13, and 14)
were owned by J. E. Coggeshall, who had platted the subdivision. They were purchased in 1919 by T. O. and Frances M.
Loveland, who eventually (between the 1920 and 1930 censuses) occupied a house at 135 Melrose A venue (Lot 2). It is
not c1ear whether the house at 135 Melrose Avenue had been built by 1910, whether the Loveland house replaced and
earlier Bradley/Hughes house on the same site, or whether Bradley/Hughes did not build on this parcel. The other
possibility is that the Bradley/Hughes house was located on Lot 15, whose purchase by Elias J. Hughes was recorded in
1917. Between about 1904 and 1917, Lot 15 was owned by John F. Roessler. A house on this parcel, later numbered 224
Melrose A venue, had been built by the time of the 1930 census, but it is not clear how much earlier it was built.
By 1933, seven houses had been built in this addition. They were located on Lots 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 15. The
houses represented a range of values in 1930, with the majority valued between $7,500 and $15,000. Two (103 Melrose
Avenue and 135 Melrose Avenue) were valued at $25,000 and $30,000, respectively, and the last (109 Varsity Heights)
was a university rental property and so no value of the house was given (the rental rate was $50/month).
109 Varsity Heights, located on Lot 7, was sold to the State ofIowa in 1924, and was apparently used for
university housing for some years thereafter. The state also purchased Lot 6 and part of garage Lot lOin 1924, but no
buildings were present on these sites at the time of the 1933 Sanborn map. The remainder of the lots were acquired by the
state in several clusters of purchases between 1961 and 1976. These clusters were in 1961-1963 (3 house lots), 1970 (6
lots, inc1uding three garage lots), 1974 (2 lots, including one garage lot) and finally 1976 (the house lot at 224 Melrose
Avenue).
27
APPENDIX F
Letter from Marlys Svendsen, architectural historian:
Historic houses on Grand Avenue Court now owned by the University ofIowa
SVENDSEN TYLER, INC.
N3834 DEEP LAKE ROAD SARONA, WISCONSIN 54870
EMAIL: SVENDSENTYLER@CENTURYTEL.NET
7 I 5/469-3300
FAX: 715/469-3300
May 7, 2004
Dear Jean,
At your request I have taken a look at the group of formerly single-family residences located along the east and west sides
of Grand Avenue Court (including one, 311 Grand Avenue, that faces on Grand Avenue). My purpose in doing this
informal examination was to give you an idea of what these buildings represent to an architectural historian. I have come
to think of them as the "Seven Sisters" as the block contains seven distinct residences. The houses were built during the
first decades of the 20th century and are good examples of vernacular house forms and architectural styles then gaining
popularity. Together, the Seven Sisters provide a glimpse of homebuilding at its best between the World Wars - creative,
solid, and richly varied. Several buildings are examples of the Craftsman Style (122, 124, 125 Grand Avenue Court)
while one (126 Grand Avenue Court) is a good example ofa Gambrel Cottage with details favoring the Colonial Revival
Style. Two houses (130 Grand Avenue Court and 311 Grand Avenue) are excellent examples ofthe English Period
Cottage form dating from the decades between the World Wars. Their steeply pointed gable roofs remind the viewer of
the Tudor ancestors. The least significant of the houses on the street due to inappropriate alterations is at 120 Grand
Avenue Court. As with some of the minor changes in the other houses, the alterations to this house could be easily
reversed.
Marlys Svendsen
28
APPENDIX G
Letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning a vacant lot in the Neighborhood
to be purchased by the University of Iowa
To: Board of Regents, State ofIowa
Date: March 16,2006
From: Jean Walker, Melrose Neighborhood Association Representative, Iowa City
CONCERNING ITEM 3D ON THE AGENDA FOR THE MARCH 20-21, 2006 MEETING OF THE BOARD OF
REGENTS IN OTTUMW A, IOWA:
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA PROPOSED PROPERTY PURCHASE
It has come to the attention of the Melrose Neighborhood Association that the University ofIowa wishes to purchase the
vacant lot at 311 Melrose Court from the University ofIowa Facilities Corporation, to provide a second access point for
fire and safety equipment for the University's adjoining property at 609 Melrose Avenue, and to use it for football
parking.
This vacant lot is located within the Melrose Historic District and we are extremely disappointed that this small grassy lot
(50 x 107 feet) would be used for football parking. It is ambiguous as to how the lot would be so used. If it is for parking
cars, it would be very disruptive to the owners/residents of the properties on either side and it would result, on wet,
snowy, or rainy days, in unsightly ruts in the grass that the Neighborhood would be left with long after the cars and their
occupants had left.
This unsightly mess would also be the result if the lot were to be used as an access to the large grassy area or field behind
609 Melrose A venue. Such access would be over the curb, up an incline, and over the grass. Also, more importantly,
Melrose Court is a very narrow street and having this lot be an entrance or exit to the field would be extremely disruptive
to the already overburdened street.
Currently the property at 609 Melrose A venue consists of a house, with adequate access for fire and safety equipment,
behind which is the large grassy area or field. For this configuration, we see no reason why a second access point for fire
and safety equipment would be needed. Therefore the University does not need this vacant lot for this purpose.
The only reason we can imagine that a second such access point would be necessary would be if the University intended
on constructing a large building in the field. Such a large building, in the Historic District (which would also mean
increased vehicular traffic) would be very strongly opposed by the Neighborhood, as was a previous idea to place the
Hope Lodge at this location.
The lot has been kept by the owners of 311 Melrose Court for many, many years *precisely* to discourage inappropriate
development in the field and to avoid it being used as access to the field behind 609 Melrose Court (as it had been in the
distant past), because such use had been/would be so disruptive of, and unpleasant for, the Neighborhood. We find it,
frankly, extremely disrespectful to the Neighborhood for the University to contemplate its use, against the longstanding
express wishes of the Neighborhood, for football parking or for access to the field, particularly in the heart of the Melrose
Historic District.
In fact we were shocked to find that the University of Iowa Facilities Corporation had recently purchased the lot in the
first place, without our knowledge, as we have been given many assurances in recent years that the University was not
planning to purchase any more properties in our Neighborhood.
As we think that the University desires to be a good neighbor and has stated that it cares about Historic Preservation, we
feel that the VI Facilities Corporation should not, in good faith, have purchased the property. Therefore we would like
you to consider that the lot not be used for football parking or access to the field and that the Neighborhood be
given the opportunity to discuss purchase of the lot from the UI Facilities Corporation, so that the integrity of the
Historic District is preserved.
In the City ofIowa City's 2002 Southwest District Plan, concern was expressed "about the encroachment of university
uses into the neighborhoods south of Melrose Avenue". In addition, in a section concerning the Melrose Neighborhood, it
was stated that "it is an important goal of the City to preserve and stabilize existing residential neighborhoods close to the
29
University and downtown" and that "Efforts should be made to encourage the University to work more closely with the
City and surrounding community as it develops future expansion plans." As a broad statement, the Plan recommended the
University be encouraged "to balance expansion needs with the community's goal to preserve existing neighborhoods."
Even apart from what the City's Plan states, the University itself should be interested in preservation of this
Neighborhood because the history of the Melrose Neighborhood is very much intertwined with that of the establishment
of the VI Hospitals and Clinics and the VI Athletic Department on the west side ofIowa City and has been, and continues
to be, a very convenient and pleasant residential area for faculty and staff of the University. Therefore we believe that the
Melrose Neighborhood is an important asset to the University, as well as to the City and the Neighborhood itself, and that
it is in the best interest of the University to preserve it as an attractive, viable and welcoming residential neighborhood,
and counter-productive for the University to destroy it.
Thank you,
J ean Walker
Melrose Neighborhood Association Representative
P.S. In regards to the broad topic of preservation of this historic Neighborhood, we are looking forward to further
discussion with the University about Neighborhood concerns over University acquisition of property in the Melrose
Historic District. We hope to keep the Board of Regents apprised of those discussions as they move forward.
30
APPENDIX H
First letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning land use in
the far West UI Campus as related to possible destruction of the Neighborhood
Melrose Neighborhood Association
335 Lucon Drive, Iowa City, IA 52246 319/337-5201
To:
From:
Members of the Iowa State Board of Regents
Jean M. Walker, Representative,
Melrose Neighborhood Association
April 19, 2004
Date:
Re: The University of Iowa's tennis and recreation facility plan
Officials ofthe University ofIowa plan to present to you a proposed $12 million tennis and recreational facility to be built
on the University's west campus. Thus far, this area is devoid of buildings except for the Athletic Hall of Fame (and the
Hawkeye Storage building, which will be demolished).
BEFORE YOU APPROVE THIS PLAN. WE IN THE MELROSE NEIGHBORHOOD URGE YOU IN THE
STRONGEST TERMS TO FIRST CONSIDER THE OVERALL LONG-TERM PLANS FOR PHYSICAL
EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO THE INTERESTS OF THE CITY OF
IOWA CITY AND ITS CITIZENS.
Our concern is that the University, in its continuous need for expansion, will want to take over and demolish our
Neighborhood (which consists of the area south of Melrose Avenue and west from Riverside Drive to the Interstate
Railroad). Over the years, the University has done exactly that to other areas adjacent to our Neighborhood, by first
buying up homes to use for "temporary faculty housing". These houses are then used for an institutional function such as
a daycare, and then, when enough contiguous houses are owned, they are razed to make way for a new institutional
building or parking area, thus destroying irreplaceable historic buildings and creating non-residential "dead" zones.
This has happened numerous times in the area just west of the Iowa River, so that now our Neighborhood is the last intact
vestige of historic cottages and bungalows on the west side of the river that developed soon after the University hospital
was relocated there in the 1920s. Prior to the 1920s, a number of country estate homes were constructed in this vicinity,
three of which date individually from 1870, 1884, and 1885 and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
(NRHP). Others dating from 1875 and the early 1900s are not listed on the Register. In addition, in recent years two
houses in the Neighborhood have received Historic Preservation awards for their owners' restoration efforts.
Sentiments describing the historic nature of the Neighborhood's buildings and encouraging preservation of this
Neighborhood are reflected in the 1992 Iowa City Historic Preservation Plan, the 1996 Melrose Avenue Environmental
Assessment, the City's 1997 Comprehensive Plan, and the City's 2002 Southwest District Plan.
There are approximately 150 buildings in the Neighborhood and both the City's Historic Preservation Planner and a
Historic Preservation Consultant hired by the Neighborhood Association have identified approximately 90 of these (which
are contiguous) to constitute an historic district (see her opinion below). The Neighborhood has hired that Consultant
(Marlys Svendsen of Svendsen Tyler Inc., who has consulted for various other historic areas in Iowa City) to survey and
research our Neighborhood and nominate the eligible part to the National Register of Historic Places. We anticipate that
this nomination will be complete by October 2004. Establishing an NRHP historic district will verify the significance of
the neighborhood and contribute towards the implementation of the City's 2002 Southwest District Plan.
In various of the documents mentioned above, it is suggested that the City and the University need to communicate
concerning plans for this neighborhood. For example, the Southwest District Plan states"... it is an important goal of the
City to preserve and stabilize existing residential neighborhoods close to the University and Downtown. Achieving this
will help to prevent urban sprawl along the edges of the community, reduce commute times, provide a diverse residential
community, preserve historic resources, and support the vitality of the City's central business district. Effort should be
31
made to encourage the University to work more closely with the City and the surrounding community as it develops
future expansion plans. In areas such as the Melrose neighborhood, the City must take a more assertive role in the zoning
and regulation of University properties ifit is to achieve these important goals."
THEREFORE, SO THAT THE CITY, VI, AND NEIGHBORHOOD CAN DEVELOP A LONG-TERM PLAN TO
BALANCE THE NEED FOR UI EXPANSION WITH THE NEED TO PRESERVE THIS HISTORIC
NEIGHBORHOOD, THEY NEED TO MEET TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES BEFORE AREAS SUCH AS THE SITE
FOR THE PROPOSED TENNIS AND RECREATIONAL FACILITY ARE IRREVERSIBLY DEDICATED TO THESE
PURPOSES.
The playing field as regards this topic is incredibly uneven for the Neighborhood as compared to the University. The
University has a large, salaried department dedicated to campus planning, and its plans tend to be divulged to the City and its
residents (and the Board of Regents) when they are in a relatively late stage of completion, In addition, salaried personnel
represent the University's interests to the Regents. In comparison, members of the Neighborhood volunteer their time and
resources in all ofthese matters. More importantly, the University is not confmed by the regulations imposed on citizens and
businesses by the City. For example, recently the University planned to locate a three-story residential building the size of a
large motel within our Neighborhood's historic district, which is zoned RS5 for single-family residential, even though the
City would not have allowed another non-State-owned entity to construct such a building there.
Because of these powers given to the University by the State, the University could continue to acquire properties within our
Neighborhood and demolish them, but we (and many citizens across Iowa City who strongly believe in preserving our
historic buildings) feel that the University has already demolished too many of the historic buildings in this area and enough
is enough.
There are also advantages both to the University and the City in preserving this Neighborhood. It currently contributes a
substantial amount of funds to the City's tax rolls. It is part of both the City's and the University's histories and helps make
the City unique. It is a draw to University employees who wish to work close to their work. It provides a pleasant residential
atmosphere close to the VI Hospitals and Clinics rather than the institutional feel of University buildings and ramps. It could
be a pleasant walking tour for patients and families visiting the VIHC, consisting not only of historic buildings but
knowledge of people of historic interest to the University and the City. A disadvantage, to both the University and the City,
of the University destroying our Neighborhood to achieve its expansion, is that the expanded campus would be bisected by
Melrose Avenue, one ofIowa City's most important arterial streets, and the City would be unlikely to vacate it to the
University (as the University has achieved in other places in the area, to the detriment of traffic there.)
Thus it is of vital importance to consider, in light of the long-term physical needs of the University, the complete list of
land already owned by the University and the way to achieve desired expansion without destruction of the last vestige of a
historic Neighborhood in Iowa City. This list would include, for example, both the west campus and the large tract of
land adjacent to the Ronald McDonald House. In addition, the University needs to plan for responsible growth and land
use, so that a vibrant residential neighborhood such as ours is not demolished (i.e., the University must not look to
destruction of our historic Neighborhood to meet its needs for expansion.) For example, instead of satisfying an apparently
insatiable need for parking close to the University, especially in this congested Neighborhood, the University should have
any needed parking ramps in outlying areas and provide adequate transportation to University destinations. This would fit
with the University's desire to expand its walking campus.
Another example of better land use would be for the UIHC to expand on the north side of Newton Road, which is not an
important arterial street like Melrose A venue, rather than on the south side of Melrose A venue. In addition, as opposed to
her opinion that the Melrose Neighborhood is worth preserving, the Historic Preservation Consultant has determined that
"the substantial majority of buildings along this stretch of Newton Road would not be eligible for the (National Register of
Historic Places) either individually nor could this area be considered an historic district because of compromising exterior
modifications or because they are less than 50 years old."
It should be noted that much ofthe UIHC's need for expansion could have been accommodated by the moving of Kinnick
stadium from this area to the west campus. We feel that the Neighborhood should not be destroyed by the University
because the price for the relocation of Kinnick stadium was too high.
In 1998, the University published a Sesquicentennial Campus Planning Framework including a map that delineated the
University boundaries. This map clearly EXCLUDED our Neighborhood from the University boundaries. Therefore we are
asking that the University keep to this plan so that a vitally important and irreplaceable part of the City's and University's
heritage is not destroyed but can be enjoyed and appreciated by current and future generations of this City and this State.
32
THEREFORE, IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE AN EXPANSION OF THE UNIVERSITY THAT IS ACCEPTABLE TO ALL
PARTIES, WE ASK THAT THE UNIVERSITY, THE CITY, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEET TO DISCUSS AND
RESOLVE THESE ISSUES BEFORE ANY MORE LAND USE MATTERS ARE APPROVED BY THE IOWA STATE
BOARD OF REGENTS.
I look forward to your response to this letter.
Thank you,
Jean M. Walker
Copies to UI and Iowa City officials
33
APPENDIX I
Second letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning land use in
the far West VI Campus as related to possible destruction of the Neighborhood
Melrose Neighborhood Association
335 Lucon Drive, Iowa City, IA 52246 319/337-5201
To:
From:
Members of the Iowa State Board of Regents
Jean M. Walker, Representative,
Melrose Neighborhood Association
May 18, 2004
Date:
Re: The University of Iowa's tennis and recreation facility plan
A month ago, I sent you a letter expressing the concerns of our Neighborhood about the University's long-term
plans for its campus and how they might affect our Neighborhood. We would very much appreciate a
response to that letter.
The need for long-term plans is underscored by the topic of placement of the tennis and recreation facilities.
For example, at your April meeting it was suggested that these facilities be within walking distance of the
students near the downtown area.
Such deliberations raise two issues:
1. Should a single topical item determine the University's planning process? What happens when the next
topical item appears? And the next?
2. The University is continually expanding. At some point, not all of its new facilities will fit close to downtown
or close to the current West Campus. Therefore, a long-term plan needs to be drawn up to decide, as has
already been done with the Oakdale Campus, which parts of the University will need to be located further
out of Iowa City and plans made to provide adequate easy transportation between the various areas of the
University.
As I stated in my previous letter, such long-term planning should be done in collaboration with the City of Iowa
City and, in the case of residential areas such as the Melrose Neighborhood, with input from representatives of
those residential areas.
I look forward to your response to this and my previous letter.
Thank you,
Jean M. Walker
Copies to UI and Iowa City officials
34
APPENDIX J
Third letter from the Melrose Neighborhood to the State Board of Regents concerning land use in
the far West VI Campus as related to possible destruction of the Neighborhood
Melrose Neighborhood Association
335 Lucon Drive, Iowa City, IA 52246
319/337-5201
To:
From:
Members of the Iowa State Board of Regents
Jean M. Walker, Representative,
Melrose Neighborhood Association
September 12, 2004
Date:
Re: The University of Iowa's Tennis and Recreation Facilities Plans
In both April and May of this year, I sent you a letter expressing the concerns of the Melrose Neighborhood about the
University's long-term plans for its campus and how they might affect our Neighborhood. My comments were a propos
of the proposal that the VI's new Tennis and Recreation Facilities be located in the far west campus (west of Mormon
Trek Boulevard) and I suggested that usage of this area be carefully considered in relation to the UI's future expansion
needs.
Even though current plans locate the new Recreation Facility on the east side of Campus, thus opening up space in the far
west campus for the University's future expansion, we once again ask you to carefully consider the planning for that far
west campus in relation to the University's long-term expansion needs. This is of particular importance in that any
destruction of the Historic District within the Melrose Neighborhood to meet those expansion needs will be strongly
opposed.
Thank you,
Jean M. Walker
Copies to VI and Iowa City officials
35
APPENDIX K
Letter from Marlys Svendsen, architectural historian:
Historic significance of buildings north of Newton Road and south of US Highway 6
SVENDSEN TYLER. INC.
N3834 DEEP LAKE ROAD SARONA, WISCONSIN 54870
EMAIL: SVENDSENTYLER@CENnJRYTEL.NET
715/469-3300
FAX: 715/469-3300
April 1, 2004
Dear Jean,
At your request I have taken a look at the group of multi-family residences and apartment buildings located along the
north side of Newton Road opposite the University of Iowa Dental School and Carver Hawkeye Arena west if the VA
Hospital. My purpose in doing this informal examination was to determine if any of the buildings individually or
collectively might merit preservation for the historic or architectural significance. The earliest buildings in this area
include several Craftsman Style and Period Cottages dating from the decades between the World Wars. One or two of the
buildings maintain their individual integrity and might qualify for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
However, the substantial majority of buildings along this stretch of Newton Road would not be eligible for the Register
either individually nor could this area be considered an historic district because of compromising exterior modifications or
because they are less than 50 years old.
Marlys Svendsen
36
APPENDIX L
A Pledge: To preserve the shared asset of the historic Melrose Neighborhood
The history of the Melrose Neighborhood (see attached map) reaches back into the 19th century. Since the early 20th
century the neighborhood's history has been intimately bound to the university's expansion on the west side of the Iowa
River. This neighborhood has served as a home for faculty, staff and university administrators, and many others, who
value its quiet, residential proximity to the university. Over the years these residents built or remodeled a rich and diverse
stock of housing that reflected multiple historical styles and a range of income levels. The history of the university's
Westside campus and the Melrose neighborhood are deeply intertwined.
We, the neighbors, the city, and the university, have a shared interest in the preservation and the integrity of this
neighborhood that continues to enhance the quality of life for residents and serves as an attractive, tree-lined, welcoming
entry point to the university, as well as a convenient location for faculty and staff of the nearby law school, medical
school, and hospital to live.
Neither the neighbors, the city, nor the university would benefit from the destruction or piecemeal erosion of the
neighborhood. The gradual shift from home-owned to rental dwellings, the replacement of homes by institutional
buildings, the decline in property values and thinning of the population of permanent residents would erode the quality of
life for all, producing in place of a vibrant, historic neighborhood, a vacated urban space, with what housing might remain
less well cared for, and less safe for university employees and others to walk through on their way to and from the campus
and the hospital.
We have an opportunity to act jointly and cooperatively to preserve this neighborhood and its value. However, we need a
commitment from the university and from the city to take those steps necessary for its preservation. We ask a pledge
from all of us-the Melrose Neighborhood Association, the University administration, and the City Council-- to form a
partnership and actively pursue these shared and mutually supportive goals.
We ask:
That the university end its acquisition of residential properties in the Melrose Neighborhood and uphold the university's
boundaries as outlined in their 1998 Campus Plan;
That the university-owned residential properties which have already been acquired be used only for the purposes
previously stated: the provision of housing for visiting faculty or staff, or, in the case of some properties on Melrose
A venue itself: as daycare centers, minority student centers, and university administration; and that any properties no
longer needed for these purposes by the university be offered for resale as residential properties;
That the university not destroy any houses or other structures on the properties it owns in the neighborhood, particularly
in the Historic District, but keep them in the manner befitting their historic value;
That the university and hospital administrations through the Campus Planning Committee work closely with the
neighborhood and the city at an early stage in the development of any plans for improvement that would have an impact
on the Melrose Neighborhood;
That the Melrose Neighborhood Association continue its work of preserving and enhancing the livability and beauty of
the neighborhood:
--continue improvements to and maintenance of Brookland Park;
--place historic markers throughout the neighborhood that enhance public
understanding of and appreciation for its history;
--work with the city and the university to maintain pedestrian and automobile
traffic flow in a safe and efficient manner;
--where possible help homeowners maintain their property values by assisting
where needed in the maintenance or purchase of historic properties;
That the City of Iowa City, through its elected Council, its Planning and Zoning Commission, its Parks Department, its
Historic Preservation Commission, and its Neighborhood Council, support and take whatever initiatives may be needed to
preserve and enhance the Melrose Neighborhood.
37
[Rough first draft for stimulation of discussion and future revisions only -
20080124-1700]
City Council City of Iowa City Resolution Regarding
Preservation of Historic Residential Neighborhoods
Whereas the quality of life of Iowa City's residents is enhanced by the
community's historic residential neighborhoods,
Whereas Iowa City's economic development is fueled in part by the value added
by that quality of life,
Whereas the homes in a number of Iowa City's neighborhoods have been
nationally recognized as part of National Historic Neighborhoods,
Whereas the preservation of such neighborhoods is inconsistent with
encroachments by large institutions or other uses that compromise their character,
Whereas the Iowa City Code provides that RS-5 zoning is "primarily intended to
provide housing opportunities for individual households [and] to create, maintain,
and promote livable neighborhoods,"
Now therefore be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Iowa City that
The City Council hereby reaffirms its intention to enhance these
neighborhoods and protect their homes against encroachment by non-
conforming uses,
Through the Council's continuing commitment to and enforcement of
zoning limiting them to low density, single-family dwellings (RS-5),
Encouraging single-family owner-occupancy of homes,
The use of Historic/Conservation Districts,
And such other measures as may be necessary to this end.
BLUFFWOOD
Steve and Jan Locher
COLLEGE GREEN
Nancy Carlson
COUNTRY CLUB ESTATES
Deanna Gohlson
CREEKSIDE
Garry Klein
GALWAY HILLS
Bonnie Penno
GOOSETOWN
Carl Klaus
Marybeth Slonneger
GRANT WOOD
Chris Harms
HILL TOP
Joyce Barker
LONGFELLOW
Jennifer Hemmingsen
MANVILLE HEIGHTS
Marilyn Rosenquist
MELROSE
Jean Walker
MILLER ORCHARD
Mary Knudson
MORNINGSIDE/GLENDALE
Jennifer Kardos
NORTHSIDE
Judith Pascoe
OAK GROVE
Astrid Bennett
PENINSULA AREA
Catherine Wilcox
SW ESTATES
Jan Bergman
TY'N CAE
Judy Pfohl
WALNUT RIDGE
Lynnette Ammar
WASHINGTON HILLS
Tracy Hightshoe
WEEBER-HARLOCKE
Bill and Nancy Graf
WETHERBY FRIENDS &
NEIGHBORS
Elizabeth Koppes
WINDSOR RIDGE
Bob Bedford
N8ighborhood Council of Iowa City
Representing Iowa City Neighborhood Associations
Members, Historic Preservation Commission
Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission
410 E. Washington St.
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Attn: Sunil Terdalkar
January 25, 2008
Dear Historic Preservation Commission Members:
The Neighborhood Council, as a collective body, urgently recommends that all
measures be taken to preserve the Melrose Neighborhood. The Neighborhood Council for-
mally endorsed submitting a letter of support for preservation of the Melrose Neighborhood
at their November 8, 2007 meeting. The Melrose Neighborhood will be submitting a docu-
ment to you detailing documented and urgent reasons why the neighborhood should be pre-
served and what preservation steps the residents of this neighborhood are taking. (See at-
tached for excerpts from an executive summary in that document.)
While the Historic Preservation Commission often focuses on preserving particular
houses that have played an important role in the architectural and cultural history of Iowa
City, your members are well aware of how individual houses are put at risk when surround-
ing neighborhoods lose their integrity and neighborhood histories are forgotten. Because of
its location so close to the expanding University hospital and sports complexes, the Melrose
Neighborhood is at particular risk of dissolution. Because of the key role it has played in
both the town's and the University's history, and because ofthe particularly charming nature
of its historically distinct streets and houses, the Melrose Neighborhood, if it is preserved
intact, will playa vital role in the city's future. We hope the Historic Preservation Com-
mission will lend its support to the neighborhood's preservation efforts by passing a
resolution of support that can be forwarded to the City Council (at the time that the
Melrose Neighborhood submits its request for preservation support to that body).
While every Iowa City neighborhood is unique, they all contribute to the strength
and vitality of the community as a whole. Therefore the Neighborhood Council ofIowa City
asks the Historic Preservation Committee to support the Melrose Neighborhood's preserva-
tion efforts.
Thank you very much for your attention to this request.
Yours sincerely,
Bonnie Penno
Galway Hills Neighborhood Representative to the Neighborhood Council
Judith Pascoe
Northside Neighborhood Representative to the Neighborhood Council
for the Neighborhood Council ofIowa City
FRIENDS OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION
P O. Box 2001, Iowa City, Iowa 52244
February 18,2008
Mr. Bob Miklo
Senior Planner
Planning & Community Development
City of Iowa City
410 East Washington Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52240
Re: Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission
Dear Historic Preservation Commission Members:
Friends of Historic Preservation is writing to ask the support of the Iowa City
Preservation Commission for the Melrose Avenue Neighborhood's efforts to prevent the
dissolution of this historic neighborhood. At the Annual Meeting of the Board of
Directors of Friends of Historic Preservation held on January 20, 2008, the board and
members agreed unanimously that the efforts of the neighborhood should be supported.
To that end, we ask the Iowa City Historic Preservation Commission to take the
following steps:
Initiate the process of establishing a local historic district for the Melrose A venue
neighborhood to include public notification, public hearings, presentation to the Planning
and Zoning Commission and submission of an ordinance to the Iowa City Council for
consideration.
Appoint a member or members of the Historic Preservation Commission to work
with the Housing Commission to promote the Melrose A venue Neighborhood effort as an
example of preserving affordable housing in the Iowa City area.
Appoint a member or members of the Historic Preservation Commission to work
with the Planning and Zoning Commission to open a dialogue with the University
regarding the preservation of local historic neighborhoods.
We believe that after you have taken into consideration the considerable efforts of the
citizens of the Melrose Avenue Neighborhood as documented in their memorandum, it is
time for the Historic Preservation Commission to take immediate steps to prevent the loss
of this historic neighborhood.
Yours truly,
Ih.fut 73u/(/~l
Helen Burford
Friends of Historic Preservation