Fort Dodge Downtown Historic District is a nationally recognized historic district located in

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

, 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 ...

in 2010. Additional documentation for the district was approved by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

on January 4, 2019. At the time of its nomination it contained 177 resources, which included 100 contributing buildings, 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 structure, five

contributing objects 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 distri ...

, 64 non-contributing buildings, three non-contributing structures, and three non-contributing objects. The district covers the city's central business district, mainly along Central Avenue, but also along the adjoining streets as well. Commercial development in the district began with the city's original plat in 1854 and continued through the opening of the Crossroads Mall in 1964. Webster County Courthouse (1902), First National Bank Building (1908), and the Wahkonsa Hotel (1910) are all located in the district and are individually listed on the National Register. Buildings usage in the district varies widely and includes commercial, light industrial, residential, religious, governmental, social, and educational functions. There is also a wide variety of architectural styles that reflect the era in which the buildings were constructed. The oldest building in the district is the Reynolds Block (1882) which marks the transition of the business district from the wood-frame structures of its settlement period to

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 ...

constriction. A building boom in the early 20th-century replaced many of the cities older commercial buildings. Building heights range from single story structures to eight stories. Two prominent Des Moines architectural firms,

Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen Liebbe, Nourse & Rasmussen was an architectural firm in the U.S. state of Iowa. They designed Kromer Flats built in 1905. It designed courthouses, commercial buildings, and residences. Several are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic ...

and

Proudfoot, Bird & Rawson Proudfoot & Bird was an American architectural firm that designed many buildings throughout the Midwest region of the United States. Originally established in 1882, it remains active through its several successors, and since 2017 has been known as ...

, designed buildings in the district, as did several other architects. The contributing site is the Public Square, the contributing structure is the foundation of a building that was torn down, and the contributing objects include two memorials/drinking fountains and three

neon sign In the signage industry, neon signs are electric signs lighted by long luminous gas-discharge tubes that contain rarefied neon or other gases. They are the most common use for neon lighting, which was first demonstrated in a modern form in D ...

References

Fort Dodge, Iowa Buildings and structures in Webster County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Webster County, Iowa Historic districts in Webster County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub