The Cedar Rapids Central Business District Commercial Historic District 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

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, 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 2015. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 60 resources, which included 46

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 ...

, 12 non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure. With 31 photos from 2013-2014. Cedar Rapids was platted on the east bank of the Cedar River as Rapids City in 1841, and it was incorporated under the same name in 1849. Kingston was established on the west bank of the river in 1852. The two smaller communities consolidated in 1870 as Cedar Rapids. The streets were laid out parallel and perpendicular to the river, which flowed from the northwest to the southeast. The Chicago, Iowa and Nebraska Railroad was the first to arrive in the community in 1859 and the tracks were laid on Fourth Street on the eastern edge of 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 ...

. The first bridge across the river was built at Third Avenue in 1871. The first commercial buildings in this area were log and wood-frame construction. After the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

they began to be replaced by more substantial

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

structures. The buildings that make up the historic district date from 1880 to 1965, and are representative of the various architectural styles and vernacular building forms that were popular during this time period. While they differ in height and historic use, the buildings all feature masonry facades, ground-floor storefronts, and uniform alignment that creates a uniform street wall. The buildings have housed a variety of commercial functions that include retail, office buildings, banking, post office, public library, industrial, saloon/restaurant, theater, hotel, and a social hall. The Fourth Street Railroad Corridor is the contributing structure, and a parking garage is the non-contributing structure. The following buildings are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building The Cedar Rapids Post Office and Public Building, also known as the Witwer Building, is an historic building located in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In ...

(1908), Security Building (1908), Sokol Gymnasium (1908), Lattner Auditorium Building (1910), Iowa Building (1914),

Hotel Roosevelt The Carling, formerly known as the Carling Hotel and Hotel Roosevelt, is a historic building in Jacksonville, Florida, United States built in 1925. It is located at 31 West Adams Street in Downtown Jacksonville. As its former names indicates it wa ...

(1927), and the Paramount Theatre (1928).

References

National Register of Historic Places in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Historic districts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{LinnCountyIA-NRHP-stub