The Adel Public Square Historic District, also known as The Square, is a nationally recognized

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

located in Adel, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2009. At the time of its nomination it contained 45 resources, which included 35

contributing buildings In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, one

contributing structure In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

, and nine non-contributing buildings. with Adel was platted in 1847 as the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

for

Dallas County Dallas County may refer to: Places in the USA: * Dallas County, Alabama, founded in 1818, the first county in the United States by that name * Dallas County, Arkansas * Dallas County, Iowa * Dallas County, Missouri * Dallas County, Texas, the nint ...

. The population of the town expanded in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...

expanded because of it. It reached its largest size in 1917 with some redevelopment occurring on the east side of the square after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. The historic district contains a mix of commercial buildings, professional offices, automotive and farm equipment related businesses, lodge halls, a single-family dwelling, and hatcheries. Civic buildings include the Dallas County Courthouse (1902) and the former post office. Several buildings have been renovated for use by the county for office space. The network of brick streets is the historic structure in the district. The period of significance is from 1868 to 1959, and the buildings were constructed during that time frame. While wood was the earliest building material used, none of those buildings exist and now most of the buildings are brick with a few concrete structures built after World War II.

References

{{NRHP in Dallas County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Historic districts in Dallas County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Dallas County, Iowa Victorian architecture in Iowa