MASON CITY – The American Planning Association (APA) last week announced the designation of Downtown Mason City as one of 10 Great Neighborhoods for 2013 under the organization’s Great Places in America program. APA Great Places exemplify exceptional character and highlight the role planning and planners play in adding value to communities, including fostering economic growth and jobs.
APA singled out Downtown Mason City, home to the only remaining Frank Lloyd Wright hotel, for its Prairie-School inspired architecture and streetscape, grassroots preservation efforts, and 70 years of planning and revitalization. The neighborhood, replete with late 19th- and early 20th-century commercial architecture, resonates with the clean lines and character of Wright’s vision.
“The people of Mason City are justifiably proud of their Downtown,” said Mayor Eric Bookmeyer. “Whether it’s for shopping, dining, or showing out-of-town guests our amazing buildings, downtown is the place to be. It was not too long ago that some felt that downtown was too far gone and was not worth the trouble, but our community would not let that happen. The sights, events and experiences that Downtown Mason City provides make the downtown neighborhood a great place to shop, live, work and play,” he added.
“Downtown Mason City is testament to the enormous influence active and engaged residents can exert on places they care about,” said APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer, FAICP. “Their four decades of research, planning and fundraising restored the jewel of their downtown, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Historic Park Inn Hotel. They are rightly proud of all they have accomplished,” he added.
Part of a National Register historic district, downtown Mason City relies on form-based zoning to guide development and improvements. Tax increment financing and tax credits support building renovations, energy-efficient upgrades, and creation of upper-story dwelling units. A $3.6 million streetscape and plaza redevelopment program, completed last year, extends the Prairie-School architectural theme of the Park Inn Hotel throughout downtown and ties together the north and south ends of the neighborhood.
The hotel had been on the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance’s list of Most Endangered Properties, which led residents to establish Wright on the Park, Inc. in 2005 and purchase the hotel from the city for $1. Intent on returning the hotel to its original 1910 glory, residents undertook an $18 million restoration by leveraging private donations and using historic tax credits. Last year some 23,500 people toured or attended a meeting or stayed at the inn, funneling more than $5 million into the local economy.
APA’s Great Neighborhoods, Great Streets and Great Public Spaces feature unique and authentic characteristics that have evolved from years of thoughtful and deliberate planning by residents, community leaders and planners. The 2013 Great Places have many things Americans say are important to their “ideal community” including locally owned businesses, transit, neighborhood parks, and sidewalks. They illustrate how the foresight of planning fosters communities of lasting value.
The nine other APA 2013 Great Neighborhoods are: Chinatown, San Francisco, CA; Downtown Norwich, CT; Downtown Decatur, Decatur, GA; Central Street Neighborhood, Evanston, IL; Historic Licking Riverside Neighborhood, Covington, KY; Kenwood, Minneapolis, MN; Beaufort Historic District, Beaufort, SC; West Freemason, Norfolk, VA; and Williamson-Marquette Neighborhood, Madison, WI.
15 thoughts on “Downtown Mason City designated a top 10 Great Neighborhood”
Osage, Cresco, Decorah, Clear Lake ALL have a far more appealing downtown than Mason City! But if you want to kid yourselves, go ahead
Yes those 4 do have nice downtowns. they are exceptional. now look at Buffalo Center, britt, lake mills, Charles city or any of the smaller towns.
Clear lake is a resort community and their populations more than triples during the vacation season, Osage is a county seat town and Decorah is a county seat town and a college town. Cresco,s main street isn’t nearly as strong as it was in the 70’s although the buildings still look good.
If you want to put Lake Mills in the downtrodden main street, I think you are wrong. They have done a pretty good job keeping up with the times. Just a little farther south though, you might include Forest City in the towns with a unappealing downtown area. Little seems to be going on there and there are many empty storefronts.
Ok just exactly what do people want downtown? let’s see there seems to be a fixation with an old whore house, having why 65 go through downtown. So called experts already demonstrating their intimate knowledge of the hotel viability, criticism of Blue Zones, Hatred for local elected officials. Let’s compare Mason City to Ft dodge, Albert Lea or Austin. Go take a drive and come back and say you would move to any of those towns in a heartbeat. Check out their medical ,education, legal services, shopping, entertainment and make a valid comparison. Will wait for your scorecard to see who wants to take the challenge.
I would move to Albert Lea in a heartbeat. Just need to sell my crack den – house, I mean house.
Great the downtown looks so good but what about farther down the street? If you look at an arial map of downtown it all stops at Fareway. When I saw the picture it made me sick to see how the council and chamber has just stayed with in a certain area and let the rest of Federal go to broken down buildings empty stores. So what plans do we have to clean the rest up just wondering
Why would you degrade a story just because it says something positive about Mason City? Don’t we want positive looks at our community? If all we have is the negativity that many of you spout, then why come here? Much of the work that these people cited was done years before the present administration came into power. There are areas of downtown that do look nice. There are areas that look like crap. These people have no irons in MC’s fires, so they don’t benefit by reporting good things about it. Revel in the good. Revolt against the bad.
Word around town is Bookmeyer will win because “hillbillies” don’t vote. Ready to prove those people wrong?
I don’t believe a hotel is coming to downtown. It was all cooked up to mislead the people of Mason City. Stop and think about it, folks. It is a mountain of lies. These people are gifted liars.
In the downtown, the grass is green, the concrete is fresh, the facades are new … and there are hardly any new businesses. A beer hall, two cupcake stores and a flower shop. The bakery left and the bagels are cold. Metalcraft has fled. The pawn shop is hanging on. The second hand stores are inching by. The mall is DEAD. A few old ladies milling around inside. Empty storefronts GALORE. The former OP is overgrown with weeds and rats scurry out of the front door. They have city employees walking up and down federal ave picking up all the trash and ciggy butts. Probly thrown on the ground by Bookmeyer and Hickey, they heavy smokers. Just bums all the way around.
The downtown is being deserted and anyone who looks can see that. There are all kinds of empty stores and don’t even look in the mall or the Sears Center. Just because you put 20 million into the Park Inn and dress the streets up does not mean it is coming back. They are try, I will give them that but at what cost. It is good to see Central Park being used after we put a million dollars into it a few years ago. Until they open up Federal Ave. so the traffic can flow through the downtown again it will remain dead. There is no reason to go there unless it is to the CPA, Dentist or the old whore house.
Tell us more about your visits to the old whore house Elvis.
@Anonymous-I used to take you there in a taxi to turn tricks.
Empty stores and empty lots do not a great downtown make.
I read DR Dunn post on the whiners den… Matt thank you for reposting it for everyone to see. I don’t think I would give all the credit to our current government though as the Park Inn (the main focus) was in process long before Bookmeyer.
I posted a link to this story a week ago on the whiners den. Our local government must be doing something right. Downtown is starting to look pretty nice. We do however need more activities there to help promote it.