IOWA CITY — One of Iowa City’s oldest surviving commercial buildings is being revived. The landmark structure at 203-205 N. Linn Street on the city’s Northside has been home to more than 160 years of commerce, community, and craft. Now undergoing an extensive renovation, the building will welcome two new businesses, Bread Worthy Bakery & Gavin Mercantile, and a set of reimagined residential apartments when it reopens in summer 2026.
The building’s roots run deep. In 1862, the northwest corner of Market and Linn Streets was built up as the Union Bakery. The upper floors served as boarding rooms, with separate floors for men and women and shared bathrooms on each level. The bakery’s ovens were built into the basement, and the business was connected by underground tunnels to the surrounding German breweries along Linn and Market Streets, which supplied the bakery with yeast from their beer production.
In the 1890’s, the building expanded with a new addition to the north and west, which operated as The Union Public House, a tavern serving the neighborhood alongside the existing bakery and boarding house above. For roughly the next five decades, the two storefronts operated as a combination of bakery, tavern, and boarding house, associated with prominent Iowa City names including Baschnagel, Hummer, Burkley, Schindhelm, and Alberhasky.
By the late 1910s, the upper floors had evolved into The Central Rooming House, later renamed The Central Hotel. In 1929, the building was acquired by George Kanak, the original proprietor of George’s Buffet, who opened The Central Café at 205 N. Linn and obtained his liquor license, advertising sandwiches and a cold glass of beer for 10 cents. Through the mid-twentieth century, the Alberhasky family operated Don’s Central Tap, before the space transitioned to Gamble’s Hardware in the 1950s, and later Sutton’s TV and Radio in the 1970s. The building went on to house Ordinary Bike Shop, Northside Books, The Haunted Bookshop, Real Compact Discs and Records, and several restaurants, including the Northside Bistro and Goosetown Café. The building was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
In March 2025, the building was acquired by new owners. The subsequent renovation has involved updating mechanical, plumbing, electrical, fire suppression, and structural systems while preserving and restoring what makes the structure distinctive. During the process, the team uncovered original columns with decorative rosettes, an entrance to the historic tunnel system in the 1860s basement, and the remains of a long-forgotten entry staircase that is being thoughtfully reintegrated into the updated design. Shadow boxes featuring a historical timeline and artifacts uncovered during the renovation will be displayed in the shared interior hallway, offering visitors a tangible connection to the building’s past.
“We want North Linn Street to be a destination for people from Iowa City and beyond,” said Peter Byler, who owns the building with his wife, Meghan. “A place you would come to buy something special, or to have that special meal. We already have so many great neighbors on this block, and we want to build on that.”
In a nod to the building’s origins, a bakery will once again occupy the corner storefront where The Union Bakery operated more than 160 years ago. 203 N. Linn Street will be home to Bread Worthy Bakery, an Iowa City artisan bakery that has operated from a home kitchen and at the Iowa City Farmers Market since 2021. 205 N. Linn Street will welcome Gavin Mercantile, an elevated provisions and gift shop offering thoughtfully curated homewares, décor, and everyday luxuries designed to celebrate both daily rituals and life’s most meaningful gatherings. Both businesses are expected to open in summer 2026, with more information to be announced soon. Follow Bread Worthy & Gavin Mercantile on their socials to stay up to date on announcements.
The upper floors of the building are being renovated into 12 small residential units, a nod to the building’s long history as a rooming house and boarding hotel. Each unit will be a self-contained, reasonably priced apartment with its own kitchen and bathroom, designed for local residents who want to live in the heart of Iowa City’s Northside neighborhood.
The renovation arrives at a moment when the Northside is experiencing a quiet resurgence as one of Iowa City’s most distinctive corridors. The neighborhood has long been home to a collection of iconic restaurants with a choice for every occasion. Now, with an emerging stretch of independent shops including Willow & Stock florists, Artifacts, RSVP, and Prairie Kitchen Store, and Bread Worthy Bakery and Gavin Mercantile soon joining the block, the Northside is becoming a sought after destination: a neighborhood where you can spend an entire day, eat exceptionally well, shop with intention, and leave with something you couldn’t have found anywhere else. It is the kind of place that rewards the trip from anywhere in the region.