Save CR Heritage hosted tours of Harrison Elementary School on Friday and Saturday to increase awareness of the school’s history and generate support for preserving the almost century-old building. Harrison is slated for demolition in the Cedar Rapids Community School District’s current Facilities Master Plan. The building received a temporary reprieve earlier this year, when […]
Save CR Heritage
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Save CR Heritage marks its 10th anniversary amid efforts to preserve old school buildings
In October 2011, Cedar Rapids’ oldest church, the People’s Church Unitarian Universalist, was demolished. It was built in 1875 and became the first building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the city to be razed without sustaining damage from fire or natural disaster. Today, the location is an office building, housing Morgan […]
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Save CR Heritage establishes its first headquarters in a new (old) house, named in honor of J.E. Halvorson
Save CR Heritage will be holding a dedication ceremony for its new headquarters on Friday. Appropriately for a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness of Cedar Rapids’ historic buildings and advocating for their restoration and reuse, the “new” HQ is a house that’s more than a century old. Mercy Medical Center, which owned the house at […]
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Save CR Heritage rescues 115-year-old home, which will become its headquarters
Save CR Heritage has not only saved another older home from demolition, but this time it gained its first headquarters. Officials at Mercy Medical Center agreed to sell the house on 606 Fifth Ave SE to Save CR Heritage for $1 with a three-year lease on the land. The nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about […]
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Families fight to keep a Cedar Rapids fortress standing
A rare example of Egyptian Revival architecture stands strong on a sloping hillside in northeast Cedar Rapids. Imposing stone columns loom tall at the entrance of Garfield Elementary School, 1201 Maplewood Dr NE, while hardwood floors and natural woodwork add a sense of warmth inside. Built in 1914, the style reflected a growing interest in […]
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School bus tour will showcase historic Cedar Rapids elementary schools scheduled for demolition
A tour hosted by the nonprofit group CR Heritage will highlight the historic qualities of Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) elementary schools — 10 of which will be demolished and replaced. Cedar Rapids historian Mark Stoffer Hunter will be leading the tour on Friday, Oct. 11.
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The Hidden Homes Walking Tour will highlight seldom-seen parts of Cedar Rapids architectural heritage
Following a year that saw the demolition of several historic buildings in Cedar Rapids—including the Bever Building, a downtown fixture since 1923—Save CR Heritage is hosting a walking tour that highlights some of the city’s seldom seen historic gems on Friday evening.
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A special architectural salvage sale will support historic preservation in Cedar Rapids
Doors, windows and other architectural features from houses built between the late 19th century and the 1930s will be available this weekend when Save CR Heritage holds its first ever salvage sale.
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Ten years after the flood, the CR Resurgence Tour highlights transformation and historic preservation
Ten years ago this month, more than seven feet of floodwater poured into a Cedar Rapids Community School District warehouse on G Ave. in northwest Cedar Rapids. Damage was extensive, but now the only indication of that flooding is a sign attached to an outside wall explaining what happened in June 2008.
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‘It doesn’t seem right’: Cedar Rapids residents protest the subsidized demolition of historic buildings
Normally, when supporters of historic preservation hold a demonstration, it’s to try to save a threatened property. But it’s too late for the Bever building, a fixture in downtown Cedar Rapids since 1923.
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Save CR Heritage is celebrating five years of promoting preservation in Cedar Rapids with a tour of restored New Bo buildings
On Saturday, Save CR Heritage will be hosting a tour of historic properties in south end of Cedar Rapids’ New Bohemia District.
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‘Slow down’: Forum urges Cedar Rapids school board to heed concerns on facilities master plan decision
During a community forum on Tuesday night, there was one resounding message to the Cedar Rapids school board about its plans to close or replace most of its elementary schools: “Slow down.”
