Today’s demolition of First Christian Church will become the “poster child,” of sorts, for historic preservation efforts in Cedar Rapids. “I’m going to make sure that nobody forgets this day,” said Beth Chacey DeBoom, as she recorded crews from D.W. Zinser Co. of Walford demolishing the church shortly after 9 a.m. “I don’t want this [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — City officials made a last-ditch effort to save the best of flood-damaged homes in the buyout program, and now they’re doing the same for flood-damaged commercial properties. The city is beginning, four years after the flood, to demolish the first group of about 50 commercial properties. Those approved by the City [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — The city’s Historic Preservation Commission is making a pre-emptive strike to save an 83-year-old school building. Commission members voted Thursday to add Harrison Elementary School to its Most Endangered Properties list. The commission last month had finalized the list — created to draw attention to buildings at risk of being demolished [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS – Demolition began Tuesday on the flood-ruined Time Check Recreation Center. According to Flood Recovery Director Joe O’Hern, the demolition began Tuesday morning and will most likely take a couple days to complete. The City Council decided not to replace the Recreation Center, previously located at 1131 Fifth St. NW, and is [...]

UPDATE: An Iowa City restaurant destroyed by fire is coming down. Demolition crews from Kelly Demolition, LLC of Mount Vernon, began knocking down Bruegger’s Bagels, 225 Iowa Avenue, shortly before 8 a.m. Tuesday. “I used to go to Bruegger’s quite a bit,” said Austin Williamson, who stopped by the demolition site. “I was really disappointed [...]

Data assistant Diane Langton compiled the following from archives of The Gazette and other newspapers. The excerpts detail the history behind People’s Church, a property on the National Register of Historic Places, which was demolished Monday in Cedar Rapids to make room for  a new office building: Aug. 8. 1875 TO CONTRACTORS AND BUILDERS – Sealed proposals will be [...]

The former People’s Church has become the first building in Cedar Rapids listed on the National Register of Historic Places to be demolished, without having been damaged by fire or natural disaster. The demolition began in earnest Monday. Citing the interior that was gutted by church members, the Historic Preservation Commission voted in September to [...]

Demolition crews have begun the removal of the helix portion of the former First Street Parkade. The helix, which extends about 10 feet over a floodwall into the Cedar River, has required some creativity in order to prevent the pieces from falling into the river. Demolition of the ramp began July 5 and is expected [...]

Visitors often go silent when they walk onto the empty factory floor of the old Allis-Chalmers plant that Raining Rose Inc. acquired this year at First Avenue and 30th Street SE, according to Raining Rose CEO Chuck Hammond. With its 35-foot-high ceilings, and huge windows made up of many small single panes, “It’s like an industrial [...]