What To Know Purchasing A Home On National Historic Register

Established in 1839 with the intention of becoming Iowa's new capitol, Iowa City has been abode to some of the most meaning moments of our state's history. Equally i of the first major parts of Iowa to be settled, this surface area is besides home to some of the most notable historic houses in the country.

Though much has changed almost the Corridor in the last 180 years, many of these homes are nonetheless standing today and are a point of pride for local residents. Many of them also still part as residences, meaning they pop up on the market from time to fourth dimension. For those interested in buying a historic home—or those planning to sell ane—here's what y'all need to know earlier yous begin your search or sale.

What Makes a Abode Historic?

First things first: what makes a home historic?

Historic period Isn't Everything

While there's no specific age at which a home becomes historic, there's more to it than just being an erstwhile domicile. At the end of the day, it ofttimes comes downwardly to the home'south personal history. Did someone famous or notable live there? Was it built past an architect of great renown? Is there something most the fashion or the architecture that makes it unique or pregnant? Is it located in a historic commune? This coupled with the home'south age is often what gives it a special designation.

The National Annals of Celebrated Places

There's too a difference between a historical home and a dwelling listed on the National Register of Celebrated Places , a program overseen by the National Park Service. Properties listed on this registry have undergone a strict application and review procedure and were determined to be historically pregnant enough to exist worthy of preservation. More than than 96,000 backdrop are on this list from almost every canton in the nation. Iowa alone has upwards of 2,000 properties on the registry, totaling more than than fifteen,000 buildings, structures, and sites. However, the listing is still not comprehensive. Merely because a abode is missing from the historic registry does non mean it doesn't have a rich past.

Selling a Historic Home

In general, the process of selling a historic dwelling is non as well different from selling a more modernistic abode. If you can, await for an agent who has feel selling celebrated homes. (We've got plenty of them at Urban Acres, so be sure to ask your agent near their experience with celebrated homes!).

Become An Expert

Be sure to disclose everything y'all know virtually your home's history to your agent, especially if your habitation is listed on the National Register of Celebrated Places. You lot and your amanuensis may want to dig fifty-fifty further into this history. This information tin exist used to market the home, helping you become pinnacle dollar for your sale. Of course, be sure you're basing this historical significance in fact and non fiction—fables don't hold up on the market. At the end of the day, both you and your REALTOR® should be experts on the home and ready to respond questions about your dwelling's history.

What'south My Historic Dwelling Worth?

When it comes to pricing the dwelling, your agent will take into account all of the normal factors they unremarkably consider : size, location, condition, and so on. Still, some of these factors accept on a greater weight when pricing a historic dwelling house. For example, being located in i of Iowa City'south eight historic districts often adds value to the dwelling. Age, of course, plays a major part; while sometimes a detriment to more modern homes, historic period can be an asset when it comes to historic homes, particularly if it is well maintained. If the home is in bad shape or volition require all-encompassing repairs, though, it volition most likely be a detriment to its value. Again, much of it comes downwardly to the lineage and personal history of the habitation.

Long story brusk, the better the status and the richer the history, the more the abode will probable exist worth.

Buying a Historic Domicile

Similar selling, ownership a celebrated home isn't wholly dissimilar than buying a more recently built habitation. In that location are a few things to keep in mind though as you embark on your search for a piece of local history.

Budget Your Fourth dimension and Money Appropriately

Get-go, exist prepared for your buying journeying to potentially take a bit longer. While historic homes are plentiful in this area, they are still far outnumbered past more gimmicky homes, and then they don't hit the marketplace as frequently. Finding exactly what you're looking for may not happen overnight!

Also exist sure y'all've budgeted accordingly, especially if y'all're searching for an older home in well-kept condition. Like nosotros talked most above, a abode'south history often adds to the price, specially if it is well-preserved.

Fifty-fifty if yous're planning to purchase a celebrated fixer-upper, go on in mind that restoration may be more than costly than renovating a mod abode. Materials that fit the time period of your dwelling house may exist harder to come up by and more expensive. At that place's likewise a potential risk for necessary updates to bring things such as your electricity or plumbing up to code, depending on how outdated they currently are in the dwelling house.

Be Aware of Local Limitations and Funding

Ane important thing to note is that updates to celebrated homes are oftentimes regulated. For homes located in Iowa City celebrated districts, any changes to the outside of the domicile must be approved commencement past the Celebrated Preservation Commission . This helps to ensure that your updates maintain the wait, feel, and graphic symbol of the abode'southward historical time period. In other words, any changes yous make must be geared toward preservation, not modernization.

The approval process differs based on the complexity of the updates. Failing to obtain a permit earlier making such changes tin lead to disciplinary activeness. If y'all're the type of person who wants consummate freedom and autonomy when information technology comes to your home, purchasing a abode in a celebrated commune might not be the best option for you.

However, in that location are also local grants that may assist offset the costs of your home'south preservation. For example, Iowa Metropolis's Celebrated Preservation Fund offers grant and loan opportunities to help owners of celebrated homes make exterior improvements—peculiarly improvements that restore the home to its original celebrated graphic symbol.

In-Depth Inspections

Inspections are an of import part of whatever home buying process, simply are particularly crucial for older homes. If at all possible, use an inspector who has experience with historic or older homes (ask your Urban agent for a recommendation!). Older homes often hateful older "basic"—in other words, the inner workings of the home that may not be visible to the eye, merely that an experienced inspector would know to look for. Diligence in the inspection now can help avoid unexpected bills later.

A Connection to the Community'southward By

All that existence said, why buy a historic dwelling in the first place?

For many people, it boils down to pride in owning a piece of local history. That sense of personal satisfaction and connection to our community'south past is unique and meaningful, especially for history buffs who truly appreciate the story of the home—a story that yous now get to be a part of. There'south also nothing quite similar the charm of living in an antique. Afterwards all, not everyone can say that they're helping to keep history alive!

Historic Homes in the Iowa City Area

Driving through the heart of Iowa Metropolis, it's not hard to spot the beautiful architecture of the many historic homes that make up Iowa Urban center's eight historic districts (Brown Street, College Green, East College Street, Jefferson Street, Longfellow, Northside, Pinnacle Street, and Woodlawn districts) and 5 conservation districts (Clark Street, College Colina, Dearborn Street, Goosetown/Horace Isle of man, and Governor-Lucas Street).

Here are a few of the more notable homes—notable enough to have earned a name!

The Moffitt Cottages | Muscatine Ave, Iowa Metropolis

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places is the Muscatine Avenue Moffitt Cottage Historic Commune , a group of v rock cottages built past Howard Moffitt. Though he had no formal educational activity in architecture or structure, Moffitt built more than 100 homes in the Iowa Metropolis-Coralville area in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. Moffitt's fashion was described as "quirky" and "eccentric." While no 2 of his homes are the aforementioned, common themes include steep roofs, large tapered chimneys, built-in garages, stone exteriors, and an eclectic apply of miscellaneous recycled materials—a trademark that earned him the title as one of the start "light-green" builders.

Oakes-Forest Firm | 1142 Eastward Court St, Iowa Metropolis

Paradigm credit: Boscophotos, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Built in 1858 past Nicholas Oakes, this habitation is best known as the residence of renowned painter Grant Wood, who bought and rebuilt the home in 1935. Forest lived here from 1935–1942 while he worked every bit an art professor at the Academy of Iowa. He painted some of his nigh famous works here earlier he passed away in 1942.

Local chaser and avid art collector Jim Hayes acquired the dwelling house in 1975 and has been working to restore and preserve its legacy e'er since. Information technology was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and Hayes intends to leave the home and its surrounding buildings—collectively called the Grant Wood Art Colony—to the University of Iowa when he passes.

Lindsay House | 935 Due east College Street, Iowa City

The Lindsay House —also known as the Linsay house due to it being misspelled when it was first listed on the National Annals of Celebrated Places in 1977—was built in 1893 by John Jayne. Jayne gave the home to his daughter, Ella, and her husband, John Lindsay, which is where the home derives its proper noun. When the Lindsays moved to Chicago, the house was divided into apartments.

This house has withal another moniker: The Blossom County Business firm . This is considering the domicile was used as the inspiration for the boarding house in Berkeley Breathed'south comic strip Bloom County. Though Breathed mocked the building's mashup of architectural styles in the comic strip, this unique home—featuring a corner chimney and an octagonal tower, amid other things—is quite a sight to see in person.

Bohumil Shimek House | 529 Brown Street, Iowa City

Built around 1890, this Folk Victorian-fashion habitation wasn't listed on the National Annals of Historic Places until over a century later in 1991.

Though old and architecturally significant, this home is better known—and named—for the human being who occupied it: Bohumil Shimek , a naturalist, conservationist, and Academy of Iowa professor. Shimek lived in this home from 1899 until his death in 1937. Amongst other accomplishments, he is all-time known for helping to establish the state park system in Iowa as well as the Upper Mississippi River National Wild animals and Fish Refuge. Virtually all of these major accomplishments in his career occurred while he lived at 529 Dark-brown Street. The Shimek State Woods in Lee Canton, Iowa, is named after him, as well as Shimek Simple School in Iowa Urban center.

Musser-Dixon Firm | 715 E College Street, Iowa City

At present known equally the Musser-Dixon-Bostian-Kim Firm , this Queen Anne-manner habitation—consummate with an elaborate turret—was built in 1890 by William Musser. It was purchased past James Dixon, a University of Iowa symphony conductor and music professor in 1963, thus adding "Dixon" to the name. Miera Kim and her hubby, Carey Bostian, inherited the home from Dixon more than 15 years ago, completing the lengthy hyphenated name of this 131-year-quondam domicile.

Thomas C Carson House | 906 E College St, Iowa City

Though about people know it today as the sorority house for the University of Iowa'southward Blastoff Phi chapter, this elaborate 3-story house has a rich history . This domicile—built in the regal Second Empire style—was constructed in 1875 for Thomas C. Carson, a passenger on the very first railroad train to enter Iowa. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Plum Grove | 1030 Carroll St, Iowa Urban center

Plum Grove was home to the kickoff governor of the Territory of Iowa, Robert Lucas, who served from 1838-1841. Though Lucas didn't live at Plum Grove while he was governor, he returned to Iowa permanently in 1844 subsequently a brief stint in Ohio and built Plum Grove, where Lucas lived until his death until 1853. The Greek Revival-style home was sold in 1866 and had several owners earlier the Country of Iowa bought the holding in the early 1940s and set about restoring it.

Originally situated on the outskirts of Iowa Urban center on an eighty-acre subcontract , the city has grown to surround the dwelling, which now sits in the center of a residential neighborhood in eastern Iowa Metropolis. Plum Grove is the but abode on this list that no longer functions as a personal residence. Today, the home is furnished to look equally it would've when Lucas lived in that location in the 1840s and 50s and is open for tours.

To Recap

A celebrated home may crave a bit more than time and money than a modernistic home, but if you lot're the type of person who cares deeply about local history, the extra effort volition be worth it in the end. There'southward no dubiety that the remarkable homes in the Iowa City area accept witnessed plenty of history inside their walls.

Whether yous're looking to purchase or sell a historic home in the area or take something a bit more modern in mind, our agents can help. Reach out today!