Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
Marshall Cohen—researcher and producer, CNN
Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
MILLWORK DISTRICT REVITALIZATION
MILLWORK DISTRICT REVITALIZATION. The "historic millwork district" encompassed an area shaped like a right-triangle. On the north it ran ran east-west along 12th Street. It ran north to south from 12th to 5th streets and then at an angle along Highways 151/61. (1) The LUMBER INDUSTRY replaced LEAD MINING as Dubuque took advantage of its position on the MISSISSIPPI RIVER and later its RAILROADS to become a center of lumber production.
Relying upon the pine forests of Minnesota and Wisconsin, lumber barons William Wyatt CARR and W. M. Austin merged their companies in 1856. Continued growth led to the formation of CARR, ADAMS AND COLLIER COMPANY which became CARADCO. FARLEY AND LOETSCHER MANUFACTURING COMPANY began in 1875. From processing timber into lumber, these firms evolved into processing lumber into finished goods including windows and doors. Dozens of smaller operations shared in the wealth until the forests of the north became depleted. Led by industry pioneers Charles D. SPAHN and George DeForest "Bud" ROSE, Dubuque's giant firms contracted with lumbering companies on the West Coast. Railroads carried the lumber to Dubuque and the products all over the United States.
The Millwork District diversified with iron processing as early as 1875. NOVELTY IRON WORKS and IOWA IRON WORKS played important roles in Dubuque BOAT BUILDING industry and supplied additions to Dubuque architecture visible in the downtown area through the 21st century.
The increased use of metal, plastic and particle board after WORLD WAR II threatened firms like Farley and Loetscher and Caradco. Efforts to adapt were not fast enough. Farley and Loetscher went out of business in 1962 with its manufacturing rights being purchased by Caradco. Continued pressure from change led to the last wood-based manufacturer in the District, JELD-WEN closing in 2014. (2)
Ironically it was the change in style in manufacturing that saved the multi-storied buildings in the Millwork District from destruction. In the past, manufacturing of products was carried out on multiple floors of a building. The arrival of BRUNSWICK-BALKE-COLLENDER COMPANY in Dubuque and its decision to move to the north end of Dubuque signaled that manufacturing companies had decided on single floor production. The Farley and Loetscher and Caradco complexes in the Millwork District were considered restrictive and therefore unpopular. Instead of tearing down the buildings and reusing the land, the area was ignored by such modern industries as the JOHN DEERE DUBUQUE WORKS. (3)
According to John GRONEN, at a time when thoughts of revitalizing the Millwork District were considered unlikely, an important meeting was held at FOUR MOUNDS. Representatives of public, private and nonprofit organizations attended. As a result of that meeting, a "collaborative mindset" was established that led to the progress easily observed in 2020. (4)
In 2005 a community visioning process identified the desire of citizens to remedy the problem with positive development. Following this decision, the city established revitalization as its primary priority. (5) One of the largest renovation projects ever undertaken in Dubuque, the Millwork District Revitalization program was aimed at returning the buildings historically associated with the lumber/millwork business in Dubuque to useful condition.
The first city support came in the form of a $7.7 million investment in the infrastructure. In a two-year project, the city updated the sanitary sewer, water main, storm sewer, residential water system, fiber optics and other tele-communications. New installations included bike racks, new STREETS and sidewalks, lighting, bus shelters and signage. The city also supported the construction of the $415.7 million Intermodal Transportation Center with its improved access to JULE (THE), other transportation services, and a 292-space parking garage. (6)
The goal of the reconstruction and repair of the streets was to return the roads to "complete streets." The $7.7 million project was named "Project of the Year in Transportation" in the greater than $5 million but less than $25 million category by the American Public Works Association in 2012. In 2013 city employees were scheduled to begin shifting 9th, 10th, and 11th streets from one-way into two-way. In 2014 Elm Street was planned for reconstruction and White Street was to be resurfaced.
In addition to private funding, public options were used:
Federal
$5.6 TIGER grant, U. S. Department of Transportation, used
to overhaul streets, infrastructure, and underground
utilities.
$100,000 grant, National Endowment for the Arts to support
local arts initiatives
$8 million intermodal grant, Federal Transit Authority,
for the Intermodal Transit Center and parking garage and
other public transit needs.
$400,000 Environmental Protection Agency Brownfield
Assessment
$11.2 million: Historic tax credit
$27.5 million: New market tax credit
State
$10.2 million Community Development Block Grant,
Iowa Economic Development Authority to renovate the
Caradco Building (Schmid Innovation Center)
$2.2 million Community Development Block Grant, IEDA
to renovate the Linseed Oil Paint Company building
$150,000 Iowa Great Places Grant, Iowa Department of
Cultural Affairs to install park benches, trash
receptacles, and streetscape amenities
$14 million: Historic tax credit
$1 million: Brownfield/Grayfield tax credit
City
$2.17 million in local funds applied to the Complete
Streets project
$1.48 million: The city can provide $10,000 per-unit
development incentive for new apartment complexes
downtown. A total of $720,000 was set aside for the
Caradco Lofts in the Schmid Innovation Center and
$760,000 for the Novelty Iron Works Building, based
on the number of planner apartments. Future projects
would also be eligible for this incentive.
$70,000 Architecture and Engineering, Facade Improvement
and Financial Planning grants: Both the Schmid Innovation
Center and Novelty Iron Works Building received grants to
assist with project management and facade improvement. Each
requires an equal or great contribution from the developer.
$2.5 million: Gronen Properties received a 15-year Tax
Increment Financing Incentive from the city for renovations
to the former Caradco Building. The total value of the
incentive depended on unknown variables including tax rates,
assessed value of the property and future tax law that
could affect rollback rates.
$2.5 million: The Warehouse Trust, LLC., received a 15-
year TIF incentive from the city for renovations to the
Novelty Iron Works Building. The TIF incentive would be
affected by the same variable as those applied to the
Gronen Properties.
$4.5 million revolving-loan fund through the Iowa Finance
Authority to help fill funding gaps and accelerate
construction in the district (7)
In 2013 the Caradco Building had been transformed into the Schmid Innovation Center, a mixed-use, anchor property for the Millwork District Revitalization. The building, the first project of the revitalization program, included "high-end work-force and market-rate apartments, commercial and retail space and space for the arts." Among the first tenants were Eagle Point Solar, Pilates Fundamentals, and Zazou's Bridal Boutique. The 72-apartment complex called the Caradco Lofts occupied the upper two levels of the building. Large support beams throughout the building, original brick walls, and salvaged doors, signs, and millwork equipment were placed as decorative pieces.
The NOVELTY IRON WORKS building was once part of CARADCO and then the headquarters of EAGLE WINDOW AND DOOR. In 2005 developer Bob Johnson purchased the building and assisted with the city's development plans. Repeating the theme of the Caradco Building, the Novelty Iron Works building was planned as a mixed-use commercial and residential center. The first phase of development planned for completion in the fall of 2013 was the construction of 76 apartments units and about half of the commercial space. The Gym was the building's first commercial tenant. Nearly all of the Novelty Iron Works apartments were scheduled to be market-rate with one, two or three-bedroom units available.
The DUBUQUE LINSEED OIL PAINT COMPANY also known as the Betty Building was scheduled for renovation by 2014 into 16 loft-style apartments on four floors. Tim MCNAMARA, the building's owner, also planned a rooftop garden. In 2017 Linseed Lofts had each of its 16 apartments filled with a waiting list for potential tenants. (8)
The 175,000-square foot warehouse, known as the Voices Building, since about 2004 was the home of the Voices of the Warehouse art show. Annually in September, local, national and international artists participated in juried shows and exhibitions. Eventually the building was planned as a 68-unit apartment complex with space for commercial and arts tenants.
The ROUSE, DEAN AND COMPANY foundry and Power Plant building each having about 5,000 square feet were likely to become commercial properties.
In November 2016 the Dubuque Historic Preservation Commission unanimously approved design changes for a four-story hotel in the millwork district. Gary Carner and Tom Kelzer, owners of SR Jackson Real Estate LLC, purchased the former SPAHN AND ROSE LUMBER COMPANY warehouse at 1100 Jackson St. for $900,000 in June. Their plans called for the construction of a 54-room Marriott TownePlace Suites extended-stay hotel. (9)
In the spring and summer of 2017 Backpocket Brewing Company opened a new taproom in the Novelty Iron Building, the first retail development in the 250,000-square-foot building. 7 Hills Brewing Company, a restaurant and brewery, was scheduled to open at 1085 Washington with Blue Elements Salon & Spa nearby. Marriott TownePlace Suites, an 84-room, extended-stay hotel was scheduled to begin construction for a 2018 opening. Tenants began occupying Caradco Lofts at 955 Washington in September 2012. SCHMID INNOVATION CENTER, the main level of the Caradco building had as tenants Brazen Open Kitchen + Bar, Inspire Cafe, Namaste, RF2 Furniture Warehouse, and Zazou's Bridal Boutique. By April 2017 all 72 units in the Caradco Lofts were occupied with a waiting list established for new tenants. The Novelty Iron Works building opened 76 apartment units and in 2017 only two were vacant. (10)
The development was not without its setbacks. DUBUQUE FOOD CO-OP opened for business in May 2014, but closed in 2017. Voices From the Warehouse District officials in 2016 announced that the annual arts festival would end after eleven years. (11) In 2017 many of the largest properties in the area remained vacant. These included the five-story VOICES building at 10th and Jackson, property associated with FARLEY AND LOETSCHER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, and the former Jeld-Wen facility. (12)
On the positive side, in 2017 the Millwork Night Market featuring local artists, food producers, musicians and brewers was begun on the second Thursday of each month. Located along a two-block section of Jackson Street between 7th and 8th STREETS, the event saw its highest single-event attract more than 6,000 people. The number of vendors ranged from more than two dozen to as high as thirty-five in some months. (13)
Around 1998 TownePlace Suites by Marriott opened. The same year, DUPACO COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION announced it had purchased the Voices Building for its operations center. In a $37 million renovation, contractors removed layers of white paint to reveal original brick and wooden ceilings. Among dozens of projects, a stairwell was created with work stations and conference rooms occupying the upper levels. Dupaco expected to relocate some of an expected 170 employees into top three levels of the new facilities by December, 2020. The second floor was planned for a leased tenant with a retail or restaurant tenant on the first floor. City leaders in August, 2020 approved a $10 million development agreement to create 48 apartments in a site at the corner of East 9th and Washington STREETS. In October, 2020 a Minnesota-based development group announced its plans to open a 103-room boutique hotel in the NOVELTY IRON WORKS building at 333 E. 10th Street. (14)
In January, 2022 the city council looked to update the plan for the Millwork District. Despite the failure of a motion to solicit proposals, the council members voted unanimously to direct the city manager to seek additional input from Millwork District stakeholders during February. This would be used to draft an updated request for proposals. Council members also agreed that some business owners and residents tied to the district should served on the committee to interview and select the consultant for the project. (15)
See: GRONEN PROPERTIES/GRONEN RESTORATION
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Source:
1. Hogstrom, Erik. "The Millwork, Telegraph Herald Tri-State Workforce, August 31, 2017, p. 7
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid. p. 9
4. Montgomery, Jeff, "Millwork Masterpiece," Telegraph Herald, November 15, 2020, p. 1A
5. Montgomery, Jeff, "Recent Developments Spur Sense of Progress in Downtown Neighborhood," Telegraph Herald, May 7, 2017, p. 1A
6. Ibid.
7. Piper, Andy, "Millwork District Gets Boost," Telegraph Herald, June 22, 2010, p. 3
8. Montgomery, "Recent Developments..."
9. Barton, Thomas J "Panel OKs Revised Hotel Plan," Telegraph Herald, November 18, 2016, p. 1
10. Montgomery, "Recent Developments.."
11. Ibid.
12. Ibid.
13. Montgomery, Jeff, "Night Market Soldiers On," Telegraph Herald, October 14, 2019, p. 2A
14. Montgomery, "Millwork Masterpiece"
15. Kruse, John, "Council Looks to Update Plan for Millwork District," Telegraph Herald, January 21, 2022, p. 1A
Jacobson, Ben. " Windows of Opportunity," Telegraph Herald, July 14, 2013, p. 1a and 8a.
LoBianco, Dan. "Historic Millwork District Funding," Julien's Journal, January 212, p. 36
