The Port of Dubuque (also known as the Ice Harbor, 4th Street Peninsula, or the Riverfront) is the section of downtown

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

that lies immediately adjacent to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. The area was among the first areas settled in what would become the City of Dubuque, and the State of

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 ...

. Historically, the area has been a center of heavy industry, but has recently seen extensive reinvestment and new construction. The area is now one of the main tourist destinations in Dubuque, as well as Iowa. The Port of Dubuque includes all of the area that lies north of the CCPR

rail yards A rail yard, railway yard, railroad yard (US) or simply yard, is a series of tracks in a rail network for storing, sorting, or loading and unloading rail vehicles and locomotives. Yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock or u ...

, south of East 9th Street and Dove Harbor, east of the CCPR/

ICER ICER is a wavelet-based image compression file format used by the NASA Mars rovers. ICER has both lossy and lossless compression modes. The Mars Exploration Rovers ''Spirit'' and ''Opportunity'' both used ICER. Onboard image compression is u ...

railroad tracks, and west of the Mississippi River. It is divided into two main sections: the North Port and the South Port, which are separated by the Ice Harbor. The Port area is separated from Downtown Dubuque's

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 ...

by a double set of railroad tracks and an expressway that carries U.S. highways

151 Year 151 (CLI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Condianus and Valerius (or, less frequently, year 904 ''Ab urbe cond ...

& 61. The North Port can be accessed via East 5th Street, or the East 3rd Street overpass, while the South Port is accessible from Jones Street, or Ice Harbor Drive—which connects the two ports together. As of 2006, all of the

redevelopment Redevelopment is any new construction on a site that has pre-existing uses. It represents a process of land development uses to revitalize the physical, economic and social fabric of urban space. Description Variations on redevelopment include: ...

in the area has occurred in the North Port, and the South Port remains largely industrial or underutilized. This may be due to the anticipated construction of a new Mississippi river bridge, which will be built in the near future, alongside the

Julien Dubuque Bridge The Julien Dubuque Bridge is a bridge over the Mississippi River that connects Dubuque, Iowa and East Dubuque, Illinois. The bridge is part of U.S. Route 20 (US 20). It is one of two automobile bridges over the Mississippi in the area (the ...

History

The Port of Dubuque was one of the first areas settled in what is now Downtown Dubuque. Its proximity to the river made the area convenient for a variety of industrial uses, including

boat building Boat building is the design and construction of boats and their systems. This includes at a minimum a hull, with propulsion, mechanical, navigation, safety and other systems as a craft requires. Construction materials and methods Wood W ...

, lumber transportation and storage, and ice harvesting. The 1868 opening of the first Dubuque Railroad Bridge to

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

also strengthened the Port's role as a center for heavy industry. In addition to these purposes, the Port was a major landing site for many of the

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

s which traveled on the river. However, for most of its history, the low-lying Port area was unprotected against the frequent spring flooding of the Mississippi. For this reason, much of the city's commercial and retail businesses were built farther inland, centered on West 9th and Main Streets. The Port area was an ideal location for some of the city's early manufacturing companies, however. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Dubuque was a major boat building center on the Mississippi River, and this industry was centered on the Port area and the Ice Harbor. Alongside boat building, the Port was home to

lumber yard A lumber yard is a location where lumber and wood-related products used in construction and/or home improvement projects are processed or stored. Some lumber yards offer retail sales to consumers, and some of these may also provide services suc ...

s, the

Dubuque Star Brewery The Dubuque Star Brewery, located in Dubuque, Iowa, is a building that for many years made Dubuque Star beers. The brewery is located just north of the Ice Harbor in Dubuque. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. wit ...

, and a Civil War-era

Shot Tower A shot tower is a tower designed for the production of small-diameter shot balls by free fall of molten lead, which is then caught in a water basin. The shot is primarily used for projectiles in shotguns, and for ballast, radiation shielding ...

. The region also has long been a transportation center in Dubuque. U.S. highways 20,

, 61, 52, and

Iowa Highway 3 Iowa Highway 3 (Iowa 3) is a state highway that runs from east to west across the state of Iowa. It is the longest state highway in Iowa, at long. Iowa 3 begins at the South Dakota state line where it continues as South Dakota Highwa ...

all converge in the Port of Dubuque. Also, the

Chicago Central and Pacific The Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad (Chicago Central & Pacific Railroad) is part of the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), which is owned by the Canadian National Railway (CN) through the Grand Trunk Corporation. Operationally, the Chicago Cent ...

and Iowa, Chicago and Eastern railroads run through the Port area. The current Dubuque Railroad Bridge, built in the 1890s, connected the city with population centers to the east. The Ice Harbor and Mississippi shoreline were the site of steamboat arrivals and departures in the city, and three of the city's four

train station A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passengers, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one platform, one track and a station building providing suc ...

s were located in or near the area. In 1943, the Julien Dubuque Bridge was completed south of the Ice Harbor, thereby moving vehicular traffic ''over'' the Port, instead of ''through'' it, across the old Dubuque "High" Bridge. Following a record-breaking flood in 1965, the City of Dubuque began construction on a flood protection wall to protect all of the city's riverfront from the seasonal flooding of the Mississippi River. This was completed in 1973. Boat building ended in the area in the early 1970s, and brewing came to a halt shortly after. The Port of Dubuque remained largely inactive until 1990. At that time, Iowa legalized

riverboat gambling A riverboat casino is a type of casino on a riverboat found in several states in the United States with frontage on the Mississippi River and its tributaries, or along the Gulf Coast. Several states authorized this type of casino in order to en ...

and the "''Casino Belle''" opened, afloat in the Ice Harbor. That boat would be replaced in the mid-1990s by the

Diamond Jo Casino The Diamond Jo Casino is a gambling casino and entertainment complex located in the Port of Dubuque, in Dubuque, Iowa. The casino is owned and operated by Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, which also owns the Diamond Jo Casino - Worth in Northwood, Io ...

, named after Dubuque boatbuilder "Diamond" Joe Reynolds and his Diamond Jo Boat Line. In the late 1990s, the City of Dubuque saw an opportunity to expand on the existing tourism market by adding a major river-themed museum to the area. Alongside a new museum, the city proposed a new hotel and indoor

water park A water park (or waterpark, water world) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming, and other baref ...

attraction, a large

convention center A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

, riverwalk, and other amenities. This was all part of the "America's River Project," a $188 million revitalization of the North Port. In the early 2000s, the city won a huge $40 million grant from the "Vision Iowa" Fund for the construction of the various attractions.

The port today

Today, the Port of Dubuque is a rapidly changing area. In recent years, there has been a great deal of new construction, and much of the remaining vacant land has already been earmarked for more new development. Although the district has a strong emphasis on tourist attractions, there are retail, office, and residential projects included in proposed developments. Projects currently underway include the construction of a new office for McGraw Hill, and a new headquarters for The Durrant Group (a Dubuque architectural firm). With the presence of various attractions, the Port has also become a natural gathering place for people. During the summer, the area hosts the annual ''America's River Festival'', the ''Taste of Dubuque'', and appearances by presidential candidates, among other events. The revitalization of the Port of Dubuque has also led to a "ripple effect" of new development in Downtown Dubuque. Recently, buildings and storefronts along Main Street, especially south of 3rd Street, have been renovated with tourist-friendly restaurants, stores, and nightspots. This area, known as "Historic Old Main" or "Lower Main," together with the city's Cable Car Square Historic District, are forming an active shopping and entertainment district. Tourists are also being drawn to cultural attractions in Downtown Dubuque, including the Grand Opera House, the

Five Flags Center Five Flags Center is a multi-purpose facility in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. It is named for the five flags that have flown over Dubuque; the Fleur de Lis of France (1673–1763), the Royal Flag of Spain (1763–1803), the Union Jack of Great Britain ( ...

Fourth Street Elevator The Fenelon Place Elevator (also known as the Fourth Street Elevator) is a narrow gauge funicular railway located in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.Stewart, Connie (2011-11-05)Rail ...

, and the Dubuque Museum of Art, among others.

Major attractions and sites

Port of Dubuque Marina

:
Port of Dubuque Marina Website
The City of Dubuque has completed a $4.1 million project that includes a new 78-slip

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships o ...

and amenities building. The Port of Dubuque Marina opened for business on June 1, 2013 and is a 100% transient marina in the heart of Downtown Dubuque. The Port of Dubuque Marina is able to accommodate boats that are up to and offers slip rentals, fuels sales (unleaded and diesel) and pump out service. In addition to the docks, the Port of Dubuque Marina includes private boater restrooms with shower and laundry facilities, public restrooms and a convenience store that offers a wide selection of items. The Port of Dubuque Marina is located in the historic Ice Harbor just south of the Dubuque Rail Bridge, and north of the Julien Dubuque (US HWY 20) bridge.

Diamond Jo Casino

:
Diamond Jo Casino Website
The Diamond Jo Casino includes 777 slot machines, 17 table games, and several restaurants. The casino is the among the largest attractions in the area.

Grand Harbor Resort & Waterpark

:
Grand Harbor Resort & Waterpark Website
The Grand Harbor Resort & Waterpark is a 193-room, family-oriented hotel complex. The facility is connected to the Grand River Center, and features a

as its main attraction. Many of its rooms have excellent views of the Mississippi River and Downtown Dubuque.

Grand River Center

:
Grand River Center Website
The Grand River Center is Dubuque's largest

. The facility features of meeting space, and regularly plays host to weddings, car shows, regional conventions, and presidential candidates. It is connected by skywalk to the Grand Harbor Resort & Waterpark, and features underground parking, high-speed internet, and catering services.

National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium

:
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium Website
The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is the signature attraction in the Port of Dubuque. Affiliated with the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

, the museum is the largest of its kind, and includes dozens of interactive, family-friendly exhibits. The complex also has a large

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

component, including turtles, otters, fish, and other wildlife found along the river. In addition to these, the facility has theaters, a working

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

, and the restored ''William M. Black'' Dredgeboat for tourists to explore.

McGraw Hill, LLC

In October 2007,

McGraw Hill McGraw Hill is an American educational publishing company and one of the "big three" educational publishers that publishes educational content, software, and services for pre-K through postgraduate education. The company also publishes referenc ...

opened its new $32 million, , 4-story

office An office is a space where an Organization, organization's employees perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize objects and Goals, plans, action theory, goals of the organizati ...

complex in the Port. The new building houses the headquarters of the company's Higher Education Division, and 400 employees. The structure is located at the NW corner of East 5th & Bell Streets.

Mississippi Riverwalk

The Mississippi Riverwalk is a 1/2 mile long walkway along the Mississippi riverbank in the Port of Dubuque. It runs from the Ice Harbor in the south to the Dubuque Rail Bridge and

Alliant Energy Alliant Energy is a public utility holding company headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, providing power in Iowa and Wisconsin. History Interstate Power and Light Company (IPL) expanded greatly in the late 1920s to include operations in Iowa, ...

Amphitheater in the north. The walkway is situated atop Dubuque's flood protection

levee A levee (), dike (American English), dyke (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English), embankment, floodbank, or stop bank is a structure that is usually soil, earthen and that often runs parallel (geometry), parallel to ...

and provides excellent views of both the Mississippi River and Downtown Dubuque. It includes the American Trust and Savings Bank River's Edge Plaza, benches, and numerous informational displays detailing the history of the Port of Dubuque. The Riverwalk is one part of a series of riverfront trails and walkways recently completed by the City of Dubuque. The trail system will, in its finality, be interconnected and link up the various parks and tourist attractions along Dubuque's Mississippi Riverfront.

Shot Tower

: The Dubuque Shot Tower is a National Historic Landmark, originally used to produce

lead shot Shot is a collective term for small spheres or pellets, often made of lead. These were the original projectiles for shotguns and are still fired primarily from shotguns and less commonly from riot guns and grenade launchers, although shot shells ...

for the U.S. military's

muskets A musket is a muzzle-loaded long gun that appeared as a smoothbore weapon in the early 16th century, at first as a heavier variant of the arquebus, capable of penetrating plate armour. By the mid-16th century, this type of musket gradually dis ...

. After many years of service, including munitions production during 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 ...

, it later served as a fire

watchtower A watchtower or watch tower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to ...

for a

located at the site. It was built in 1856, and is located at what is now the northern end of Bell Street, near the Dubuque Railroad Bridge. The Shot Tower is among the oldest surviving structures in Dubuque. After many years of neglect following the demise of Dubuque's lumber industry, the tower is now being studied for planned repair costs. It will almost certainly see major repairs and restoration as a part of the riverfront revitalization effort.

''Spirit of Dubuque''

The dual paddlewheeler ''Spirit of Dubuque'' was designed by Dubuque-native Robert Kehl, with the help of a New Orleans marine engineering firm in 1976. The Spirit is a replica of a century-old Mississippi River steamboat with Victorian decor. She made her maiden voyage in spring 1977, with eight cases of bananas. Captain Walt and Nancy Webster have owned the Spirit of Dubuque since May 1994 and now operate a sightseeing company with the boat. The boat can carry 377 passengers.

Future of the port

America's River Project: Phase II

*''Diamond Jo Casino:'' The Diamond Jo Casino is currently building a new $78 million

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

and entertainment complex in the Port. The new complex will replace the casino's current

facility with a land-based casino. The new casino will have 990

slot machines A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine (Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively as ...

, 17 table games, a

poker Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...

room, a 36-lane

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

& entertainment center, and 3

restaurants A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearanc ...

. The complex will open in the fall of 2008, and will sit at the NW corner of East 3rd & Bell Streets. *''National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium:'' The National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium is planning a $38 million expansion involving several components. When the Diamond Jo moves into its new casino, the museum plans to renovate the Diamond Jo's Portside Building into the "Great Rivers Center," which will include a "National Rivers Center," a "Rivers Research Center," additional exhibit space, and retail space. The museum will also build a new 250-seat

IMAX IMAX is a proprietary system of high-resolution cameras, film formats, film projectors, and theaters known for having very large screens with a tall aspect ratio (approximately either 1.43:1 or 1.90:1) and steep stadium seating. Graeme F ...

-like "RiverMax Theater," showcasing 3-D and

4-D film 4D film is a high technology multisensory presentation system combining motion pictures with physical effects that are synchronized and occur in the theatre. Effects simulated in 4D films include motion, vibration, scent, rain, mist, bubbles, fo ...

s. Besides museum-related

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, the theater will also show up to 8 non-museum-related films per year. In addition to these projects, the museum will take over the Diamond Jo's existing riverboat, but has yet to announce a planned use for the vessel. The complex will likely be complete in 2010, when

fundraising Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...

has been finished. The various complexes are located on the SW and SE corners of East 3rd & Bell Streets.

City of Dubuque projects

*''Port of Dubuque Park:'' The City of Dubuque is planning to build a new public

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

in the Port. While no specific location has been announced, it will likely be located to the north of the McGraw-Hill office complex, near East 5th & Bell Streets. *''Public parking ramp:'' The City of Dubuque and the Diamond Jo Casino are currently building a new 1,130 space, $23 million

parking ramp A multistorey car park (British and Singapore English) or parking garage (American English), also called a multistory, parking building, parking structure, parkade (mainly Canadian), parking ramp, parking deck or indoor parking, is a build ...

in the Port. The ramp is set to open in the fall of 2008, coinciding with the opening of the Diamond Jo's new casino. It will be the largest parking structure in the city, and will sit near the planned casino expansion at East 3rd & Bell Streets.

Durrant Group Inc.

Dubuque-based

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings o ...

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

firm The Durrant Group is renovating the former Adams Company building and move their new

corporate A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...

headquarters Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the to ...

there. The , $3 million project is being developed in partnership with Dubuque

developer Developer may refer to: Computers * Software developer, a person or organization who develop programs/applications * Video game developer, a person or business involved in video game development, the process of designing and creating games * Web d ...

Wayne Briggs and his planned Port developments. Work is currently underway, and will likely wrap up in December 2007. The building is located at East 5th Street & Ice Harbor Drive.

Portside Plaza

A team of investors led by Dubuque-based developer Wayne Briggs is planning to build "Portside Plaza," a

mixed-use development Mixed-use is a kind of urban development, urban design, urban planning and/or a zoning type that blends multiple uses, such as residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment, into one space, where those functions are to some ...

consisting of

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

s, offices, and

retail stores The retail format (also known as the retail formula) influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are ...

in the Port. The complex will include up to of buildings between 4-9 stories, and cost about $63 million. Retail space will occupy the first floor of the buildings (50,000 ft²), with office space above them on the second through fourth floors (200,000 ft²), and condos priced between $200,000-$600,000+ on the uppermost levels. This project also includes

of the Adams Company Building for The Durrant Group's headquarters. Construction will likely begin in late 2007, and be completed in phases. However, as recent news releases indicate, there is a high flow of interest from companies wishing to move in. This may cause the entire project to be completed in one phase, with the opening date as early as 2009. The buildings will be built at the SW corner of East 5th & Bell Streets.

Star Brewery

The former Dubuque Star Brewing Co. building is being renovated for commercial, retail, and office uses. The $6.5 million project, led by Dubuque-based developer Wayne Briggs, includes the recently opened

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

and

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

room for

Dubuque County Dubuque County is a county located in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2020 census, the population was 99,266, making it the eighth-most populous county in Iowa. The county seat is Dubuque. The county is named for Julien Dubuque, the first Eur ...

's Stone Cliff Winery. In October 2007, Kurtz Communications Co. will begin operations on the building's 4th & 5th floors, and in 2007, "The Star," a large new restaurant, opened. It closed on 2-18-13. The complex is located north of the Grand River Center, on Star Brewery Drive.

References

External links

America's River Project WebsiteNational Mississippi River Museum & AquariumDiamond Jo CasinoGrand Harbor Resort & WaterparkGrand River Center (convention center)City of Dubuque - Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Port Of Dubuque Economy of Dubuque, Iowa Buildings and structures in Dubuque, Iowa Culture of Dubuque, Iowa Parks in Dubuque, Iowa Tourist attractions in Dubuque, Iowa River ports of the United States