The West Side Third Avenue SW 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

Cedar Rapids, Iowa Cedar Rapids () is the second-largest city in Iowa, United States and is the county seat of Linn County, Iowa, Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River, north of Iowa City, Iowa, Iowa City and north ...

, 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 2014. At the time of its nomination it consisted of 10 resources, which included seven

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 three non-contributing buildings. Cedar Rapids was platted on the east bank of the Cedar River as Rapids City in 1841, and it was incorporated in 1849. Kingston was established on the west bank of the river in 1852, and it was annexed by Cedar Rapids in 1870. The streets were laid out parallel and perpendicular to the river, which flowed from the northwest to the southeast. The Chicago, Iowa & Nebraska Railway, later the Chicago & North Western Railway, was the prominent railroad on the west side of town. The first bridge across the river at Third Avenue was built in 1871. The current bridge was completed in 1912. Prior to a bridge, Rapid City and Kingston were connected by a ferry operated by David W. King, the founder of Kingston. Initially residential, Third Avenue west of the river became increasingly commercial in the 1880s. The buildings that make up the historic district date from 1909 to 1942, and are representative of the various architectural styles and vernacular building forms that were popular during this time period. Two of the non-contributing buildings are more recent construction, while the third has been significantly altered. The buildings here are one to two stories in height and feature masonry facades, ground-floor storefronts, and uniform alignment that creates a uniform street wall. The buildings have housed a variety of commercial functions that include a bank, retail and wholesale stores, and professional offices.

Peoples Savings Bank The Peoples Savings Bank in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was designed by Louis Sullivan. It was the second of a number of small "jewel box" banks in midwest towns designed by Sullivan during 1907 to 1919. with It was built in 1911, and it was individual ...

(1911) is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

National Register of Historic Places in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Historic districts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{LinnCountyIA-NRHP-stub