The Osceola 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 Osceola, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. At the time of its nomination, the district was composed of 42

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 ...

. Beginning in 1874 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 ...

had a series of devastating fires that led to the development of the area. Practices such as gaps between the buildings, ornate

cornice In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...

s that are smaller in scale, and brick and metal construction of new buildings were the result. Many of the buildings were recognized for their architecture, which includes Italianate, Queen Anne, Neoclassical, Art Deco, and Mid-century modern styles. Significant buildings include the Arlington-Howe-Garner Hotel (1882), the United States Post Office (1935), the original city hall/fire station building, the Clarke County Courthouse (1956), and the water tower (1957). The Masonic Building (1872) is individually listed on the National Register.

References

Osceola, Iowa Buildings and structures in Clarke County, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Clarke County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{Iowa-struct-stub