The Waterloo East 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 Waterloo, Iowa, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011. At the time of its nomination the district consisted of 36 resources, including 28

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 ...

, and eight non-contributing buildings. The city of Waterloo was established in the early 1850s. Its first settlers started developing the west side of the city before crossing the Cedar River and developing east side. The first Black Hawk County Courthouse was built on the east side in 1856 and East Waterloo Township was created two years later. As industry began to develop along the river, and the arrival of the first railroad in 1861, the commercial district on the east side began to grow. Also on the east side of town was the terminus of the streetcar-turned-interurban system. By 1900, the city became one of the primary wholesale and retail centers in northeastern Iowa. In 1911 the Black population increased significantly as workers, primarily from Mississippi, moved into town to work for the Illinois Central Railroad. The following year the saloons in town were closed and bootlegging, gambling, drugs, and prostitution started to increase in the area surrounding 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 ...

. All of these developed put together created the atmosphere of the downtown commercial district. For the most part, the commercial buildings in the district are constructed of brick and are two to three stories in height. There are also several taller multi-story buildings located here, and they represent the "high water mark in the district’s physical development." All of the buildings follow the styles popular at the time of their construction, including Italianate, Neoclassical, and Commercial. Architects who have buildings in the district include John Bartley, John T. Burkett, Howard B. Burr,

Mortimer Cleveland Mortimer B. Cleveland 19 Nov 1882-23 May 1979 (aged 96) was an American architect of Waterloo, Iowa, and was "one of Waterloo's most prominent architects". He attended the University of Illinois and received bachelors and masters in architecture. ...

, George Ellis,

Hallett & Rawson Hallett & Rawson was an architectural partnership in Iowa. George E. Hallett and Harry Rawson were partners. BBS Architects , Engineers is the continuing, successor firm; its archives hold plans of the original Hallett & Rawson firm. Works by t ...

, Emile G. Jehle, Josselyn & Taylor, Joseph C. Llewellyn,

John G. Ralston John G. Ralston was an American architect who worked out of Waterloo, Iowa. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places for their architecture. Works include (with attribution): *Waterloo Public Library (Wes ...

, Fred G. Shaw, and Clinton P. Shockley. Fires in the 1920s and 1950s impacted the appearance of the district as most of the fire-damaged were given stylish new facades. Several other buildings were given updated facades in the 1940s and the 1950s. The buildings that do not contribute to the historic integrity of the district had their facades resurfaced in more recent decades. The Fowler Company Building (1884) and the Marsh-Place Building (1910) are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

Victorian architecture in Iowa Buildings and structures in Waterloo, Iowa National Register of Historic Places in Black Hawk County, Iowa Historic districts in Black Hawk County, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{BlackHawkCountyIA-NRHP-stub