Cast iron supports were exploited as an alternative to masonry after 1800. Cast iron columns, which were first produced in the U.S. in the mid- to late-1800s, are strong in compression and have wrought-iron spanning members or girders. Wrought iron, which is strong in tension, in combination with cast-iron made it possible to produce metal frame structures that could be several stories tall.

Dockstader and Co., also known as "The Fair," which was a dry good store, occupied the first floor of the building from 1899 to approximately 1915. Dockstader and Co. was well-known for the fairness and reliability of its dealings and the excellent quality of its goods. It became a flourishing department store and employed up to 30 people.

Completed in 1890, The Grand Opera House stands as an example of one of the best designed by Chicago architect Willoughby James Edbrooke. The Grand is the only surviving grand opera house Edbrooke designed and it was a part of the design portfolio that earned him an appointment as Supervising Architect of the United States Treasure in 1891.

The Grand also represents a historic preservation success story. The landmark building with its high level of historic integrity was saved and is being restored for the same use for which it was first built: live stage entertainment. The historic building, its maturing cultural program, and its remarkable and unparalleled surviving historical documentation such as opera house minutes, scrapbooks and play bills, combine to make the Grand Opera House a national treasure.

The district reflects the growing importance of the automobile as a mode of transportation and its impact on Iowa's Main streets, with numerous businesses and buildings added in the early 20^th century along what was becoming the main paved highway through town. The earliest buildings in the district were constructed in 1871.

The district has retained an unusual collection of early framed commercial buildings and the addition of a series of small brick, primarily automobile-related buildings in the early 20^th century. While Grant did not thrive to the same degree as many other towns in Iowa, it persisted as a viable commercial area into the mid-20^th century without the benefit of a major rail connection.

The Grant Commercial District presents a strong sense of time and place in its appearance and setting largely because the community failed to thrive in the late 20^th century when many other communities were undergoing major face-lifts. Buildings in the district were able to retain good historic integrity largely because the businesses gradually closed and the buildings were left vacant and somewhat neglected.

In the early part of the 20^th century, Iowa City was experiencing both a growth in population and an economic boost due to the "Golden Age of Agriculture." The State University of Iowa, housed in the Old Capitol and buildings along the east side of the Iowa River, were also experiencing a growth period.

As the university expanded, housing was needed for students, faculty and staff. While many of the faculty preferred to live near the campus, or along more prestigious streets such as College, new construction was taking place in neighborhoods at the edges of town. At the same time, new areas were being added to the city. This new construction slowly moved southeast, toward the area now known as the Longfellow neighborhood.

The residences constructed throughout the Longfellow neighborhood during a period of intense development, 1910-1940, are representative of small to medium size houses in the popular styles of the period. The narrow lots and narrow streets create an intimacy which adds to the sense of neighborhood.

The District's houses, located on 4^th St. at Park Place and Orleans St. and north up Grand Avenue to Rand Park, are excellent examples of their "modern" styles, built during the first 30 years of the 20^th century. The houses along "The Avenue" are probably designed by architects and not pattern book houses. Keokuk's well-to-do businessmen did not go to a local carpenter or a pattern book for their house plans. Sometimes they suggested the plans themselves and left the "style" to the architect.

The architectural styles and trends are represented from the "academic" classical styles to the "early modern" American styles such as the Prairie Style, the Arts and Crafts and Craftsman styles, and the Tudor style. There are 16 houses employing Colonial Revival or Neo Classical styles, and 22 houses in various early American modern styles.

The houses of Park Place/Grand Avenue Residential District exhibit a general period style and period aesthetic true to their various times, allowing the architectural styles, trends and aesthetics to flow together.

The Chapple & Young Block is located between 316 and 320 Main St. William Chapple was a local businessman, capitalist and journalist in La Porte City. He and Clayton E. Young, his colleague, combined their assets to erect the Chapple & Young Block in 1892.

The properties experienced a history of mixed commercial usage over the years. A clothing store, grocery store, millinery store and barber shop were just some of the uses. The property at 316 Main Street currently houses a beauty salon on the first floor, one apartment on the second floor, and storage in the basement. The properties at 318 and 320 Main Street currently house a locker market. This listing on the National Register will call the community's attention to the historical importance of the building, instill community pride in its architecture, and stimulate interest in historic preservation.

Iowa's commercial resources and Main Street historic districts represent a lens through which much of the state's history may be viewed. Individual resources exhibit this historical and architectural significance best when viewed in relation to each other, as clustered and adjacent members of a streetscape.

Historic commercial districts are capable of reflecting the state's settlement patterns in the 19^th century and they illustrate the essential link between the state's farm families and the agricultural markets and consumers in larger cities.

A single town's Main Street district is one of the core ingredients that allowed residents to define themselves as a community. Often referred to as the "heart" of a community, the district was central to the economic health of a town and crucial to providing a communal space where the social networks of the residents were reinforced. Resources in Iowa's historic commercial districts are capable of reflecting the golden era of small town life and culture in the upper Midwest from the mid-19^th century to the early 20^th century, as well as the economic decline of small market towns after the 1910s as the state's population increasingly moved to larger urban areas.

The home is located in Marion's Pucker Street Historic District, an area populated by the town's wealthy and influential citizens in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. James Bowman was a prominent man in the community, serving as president of First National Bank in Marion, being elected president of the Linn County Bankers Association, and serving two terms in the State Legislature. He hired the well-known Cedar Rapids architectural firm, Dieman and Fiske, with Charles Dieman having designed this property. Dieman made for himself an enviable reputation for originality, stability and beauty in his plans for public buildings and private residences in the area.

The design of the Bowman House was a combination of two popular styles of the day-the Prairie School and Craftsman styles of architecture. The blending of elements from the two styles sprang from much the same philosophy of a return to nature, using more natural forms and materials, and better reflecting the natural environment.

Samuel M. Lane purchased Block 3, on part of which this house now sits, in May 1868 from James K. Hervey for the total price of $900. In May 1869, Lane sold this property to George S. Lawrence for the sum of $7,000-the tremendous increase in price strongly suggested that the house had been built in the meantime. While Lane did not retain the property for long, it does appear that he had the house built; therefore, the historic name of the property refers to this association.

Not much is known of Lane, although he was the School Board President in Marion in 1869, a position that would indicate that he was respected and of some influence in the community. The Lane House is architecturally significant as a good example of the Italianate-styled brick homes built in this neighborhood in the late 1860s. It is also noted for its use of locally manufactured brick, which appears to be an important property type in the city of Marion as a whole reflecting an early pioneer industry.

While the neighborhood became the home for Marion's wealthy and influential, it was started by prominent pioneer settlers and later expanded by many of their descendants. A number of these pioneer families were further linked by marriage between their respective children, with the children building new homes near their parents.

The buildings in the Pucker Street Historic District reflect evolving trends and tastes of the city's upper class and represent the work of important local builders and architects that influenced the look of this neighborhood during the period of significance. By 1870, it was the place to "view the town's fashion leaders" and had become "the most desirable street for the wealthy of Marion."

There were three boom periods of construction with the first mini-boom being in the 1850s-1860s, followed by the major boom in the 1880s-1890s and capped by the final infill construction and remodeling boom of the 1910s-1930s. By 1940, the historic neighborhood was fully developed and did not see much significant addition in ensuing years.

The Pyle family, including Glenn's father Clarence and his brother, Edgar, operated the C.A. Pyle Lumberyard in Marion. In 1914, the lumberyard suffered a devastating fire, but was soon rebuilt as a substantial masonry building. Glenn Pyle built this house as his own home at 1540 8^th Ave., in 1924, and lived there with his wife until 1933.

While it is not entirely clear what role Glenn played in the family lumber business, a 1925 advertisement placed by him to try to sell his new home made the statement that he had "disposed of my lumber business" in Marion and was planning to leave town. He did not sell the property. However, from the statement, it would appear that, by that time, he had come into ownership or owned a controlling interest in the family business.

The Pyle House is a modest-sized bungalow loaded with stylistic details reflecting the influence of the Craftsman and Colonial Revival styles of architecture and the Mission style of furniture and furnishings. Of three homes known to have been built by Glenn Pyle, this one is the most elaborate in its details.

The Modern Brotherhood of America (M.B.A.) was a fraternal lodge, originally formed in Tipton in 1897. In 1915, Mason City successfully lobbied the lodge to relocate its headquarters to Mason City and on Aug. 20, the Supreme Convention of the lodge authorized construction of its headquarters in Mason City. It opened in 1917.

The Modern Brotherhood of America was merged with the Independent Order of Foresters who sold the building in 1948 to Mason City Brick and Tile Company for $250,000, the largest commercial real estate purchase in the city's history at that time. It is located at 103 E. State Street and currently owned by Growth Properties, LLC, of Charles City, whose president is Brian D. Crane.

Originally, the town developed between 9^th and 10^th streets. New buildings were located farther to the west, close to the railroad tracks; however, the main commercial area concentrated in the district area approximately four blocks east of the railroad tracks. The area closer to the tracks developed more into an industrial zone including a lumberyard and various mills.

The securing of a major rail line in 1869 and finalization of the county seat designation one year later, fueled an economic and building boom in Osage that resulted in large part in the Commercial Historic District of today. One notable building is the Sage Library, built in 1876 to house a town library on the second floor. The building was constructed for the purpose of a town library at a time when most towns had no formal library, much less a specially built library building. As such, it reflects a commitment within the community to public education and a free library. This, coupled with the opera house, social halls, and movie theaters along Main Street, reflect a thriving cultural and social life in Osage through the years.

School was held continuously on this site from 1857 until Walnut Grove's closing in 1946. Norwegian settlers started the school in 1857. There were 23 students by 1866 and 33 enrolled by 1872. In 1873, the district levied a tax to get enough funds for anew school building, which still stands today.

The Walnut Grove School was an important gathering place for the local people. Box socials, programs by students, year-end picnics, plays and graduation ceremonies all brought the community to a common place to enjoy fellowship. But consolidation of the larger school district, transportation provided by the larger district, and the rising costs of maintaining the smaller independent schools like Walnut Grove, all entered into the final decision to close its doors. After 1946 and until citizens purchased it in 1997, the school building served the community as a polling place and township hall. Beginning in 1999, and each consecutive year through 2001, school children from St. Ansgar and Osage have spent a portion of one school day in the Walnut Grove School.

The District, located in the 1400-1700 blocks of Douglas St., Grandview Blvd, and Summit St., first saw houses built by factory owners, merchants and professionals. For many of these individuals, buying and holding real estate was an investment strategy as well as a way of life. The opulent mansions were a demonstration of their success as Sioux City capitalists.

After the turn of the 20^th century, Rose Hill's new residents were typically of more modest economic means. A number of railroad workers, traveling salesmen, livestock commission agents and retail business managers purchased homes in the area. By the time the district was fully developed in the late 1920s, the neighborhood consisted of a mix of middle and upper income households.

The commercial district has retained the integrity of many of the historic buildings constructed between the 1860s and 1952, particularly so many early 20^th century commercial buildings. It is noted for the small scale and modest size of its extant commercial buildings reflecting the impact of disastrous fires in 1895 and 1917, but also the comparative failure to thrive of State Center's commercial economy. The majority of the buildings date from the 1890s to the 1920s, and reflect the modest building efforts that followed in the wake of two disastrous fires.

The State Center Commercial District contains one of the better-preserved groupings of commercial buildings built during this time period in Iowa. This is a unique factor recognized and promoted by the Main Street group and other preservation advocates in this community.

The school building was used for plays, lectures and other community events; and like many public schools, was also used as a polling place through November 1984.

The building served the town of Vernon until the mid-20^th century. By the late 1950s, financial pressures on schools throughout Iowa led to the consolidation of independent schools into districts. The last classes were held in the Vernon School in 1960. The building stood empty until 1969 when it was purchased by the present owner who rehabilitated it.

Of the 19^th century public school buildings in Van Buren County, the Vernon School is the only brick schoolhouse to survive. As the most monumental and architecturally impressive building in town, the Vernon School clearly expressed the town's aspirations to compete with Bentonsport and construct a public building which would signal the town's progress and refinement.

Many of the district's historic buildings built between 1867 and 1948 retain their integrity today. The buildings include unusually well-preserved architectural examples of key, corner buildings, which give West Liberty some uniqueness when compared to similar business districts in communities of this size across Iowa.

Most of the buildings further reflect popular architectural stylistic influences of the day as well as the impact of the railroads in the availability of building materials and in economic vitality of the community. West Liberty continued to add buildings to the commercial district in response to fires and demolition into the late 1940s, which demonstrate the vitality of the town's commercial economy into the post-World War II years.