The Pentacrest is the Old Capitol and a collection of four buildings on the campus of the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...

that surround the Old Capitol — Jessup Hall, Macbride Hall, MacLean Hall, and Schaeffer Hall — on a four-block-sized parcel of land in

Iowa City, Iowa Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the tim ...

. The Old Capital exhibits the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

style while the four buildings that surround it display Beaux-Arts architecture.

Description

The Pentacrest is a four-block park-like area including the zero-point of the street grid of Iowa City. The axes are defined by Iowa Avenue and Capitol Street. The exact center is marked by the

Iowa Old Capitol Building The Iowa Old Capitol Building is located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It was once the main government building for the state of Iowa, and it now stands as the most prominent landmark at the center of the University of Iowa's campus. The b ...

, which was used as the first state capitol. with The borders of the Pentacrest are Jefferson Street on the north, Washington Street on the south, Madison Street on the west, and Clinton Street on the east.

History

The Pentacrest was not always the Pentacrest. Other buildings have been located on the site. The present configuration is a relatively recent one that was established during the 20th century. Calvin Hall once belonged to the Pentacrest, and was located where Macbride Hall currently is. The decision was made that all buildings of the Pentacrest should be the same color; therefore, Calvin Hall was moved intact across Jefferson Street and Macbride Hall was built in its place.

References

External links

University of Iowa Pentacrest Webcam View
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa University of Iowa campus National Register of Historic Places in Iowa City, Iowa Historic districts in Iowa City, Iowa Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Iowa {{JohnsonCountyIA-NRHP-stub