The Corning 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

Corning, Iowa Corning is a city in Quincy Township, Adams County, Iowa, Quincy Township, Adams County, Iowa, Adams County, Iowa, United States. The population was 1,564 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is the county seat of Adams County. Cornin ...

, 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 2012. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 78 resources, including 56

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 site 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 object 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 ...

, 18 non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing structure. The district covers most 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 ...

. It has a linear layout, with twin main streets (Davis and Benton), associated with Central Park and the Adams County Courthouse (not in the district) at its uppermost end. This is an unusual town layout and is thought to be the only town in

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

so configured. The elevation slopes down toward the East Nodaway River, south of the downtown and a light industrial area. The commercial buildings are mostly masonry structures constructed with bricks. Many of them replaced wood-frame structures that were destroyed in an 1896 fire. Two other periods of major development include the years after the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

and the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The latter focuses on the role the Federal government played in the enhancement of public art. The buildings are from one- to three stories in height, although most are no taller than two stories. Besides commercial use, buildings here also housed theaters, government functions, especially federal agricultural agencies, and the inclusion of automobile-related businesses. The Corning Opera House (1902) is individually listed on the National Register. The park and its fountain are the contributing site and the contributing object.

References

Corning, Iowa Buildings and structures in Adams County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Adams County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa Victorian architecture in Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub