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Merchants National Bank, one of the “jewel HISTORIC DAY 5 - ALTOONA TO GRINNELL
box” banks, constructed in 1914.
PRESERVATION
Ricker House, designed in 1912 by Walter
Burley Griffin. As we ride in and overnight in
Grinnell, don’t miss two gems of
E. W. Clark Memorial Fountain, designed in Prairie School architecture in town.
1911. One is Merchants National Bank, de-
signed by Louis H. Sullivan in 1914.
This beautiful structure is one of only
eight of the so-called ‘Jewel Box’
banks Sullivan created late in his
career.
The other is the Benjamin J.
Ricker House, designed by Walter
Burley Griffin in 1912. It’s a stun-
ning example of the Prairie School
style and is now owned by Grinnell
College. Another example of Grif-
fin’s work, the E. W. Clark Memorial
Fountain, designed in 1911, was
unfortunately demolished in 1959,
giving rise to the continued impor-
tance of historic preservation.
Dozens of Iowa communities
have participated in the state’s
Main Street Iowa program and are
excellent examples of how historic
preservation is revitalizing communi-
ties and driving economic growth.
Iowans are justifiably proud of
their reputation as a state where
preservation is fueling economic de-
velopment; in just the past 25 years,
Main Street Iowa communities have
seen over $700 million in private
funding invested in the rehabilitation
of thousands of commercial buildings,
many of which were abandoned or
underused historic structures. These
buildings have been given new life as
coffee shops, restaurants, unique re-
tail outlets, and other businesses that
contribute to their communities.
