Cedar Rapids projects earn tax credits

Three Cedar Rapids buildings were awarded historic preservation tax credits on Thursday by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

The Iowa Windmill and Pump Co. office and warehouse at 42 Seventh Ave. SW was approved for a $1.1 million tax credit. More recently known as the Mott Building, the three-story brick building was constructed in 1902.

The building is the only remaining part of Iowa Windmill and Pump's larger original complex, which played a role in Cedar Rapids' late 19th- and early 20th-century industrial history. Having survived numerous floods, the vacant property has been remodeled by Hobart Historic Restoration to house 16 luxury apartments on the upper two floors and commercial space on the first floor.

The Welch-Cook-Beals Co. building, 323 Third St. SE, was approved for a $3.37 million tax credit. Built in 1909, the building's distinctive overhanging eaves, a box cornice, brick pilasters, and Prairie Style masonry house an interior space supported by a distinctive structure of reinforced concrete and mushroom pillars, known as the Turner System.

Welch-Cook-Beals Co. was the city's only dry goods wholesaler for many years, remaining in business into the 1960s. The building has been vacant since the 2008 flood.

SLE Investments of Cedar Rapids is renovating the building for housing on the upper floors and retail space on the first floor.

Monroe Elementary School, 3200 Pioneer Ave. SE, has been awarded an $874,798 tax credit. The school was built in 1961 to meet Cedar Rapids' educational needs during the city's post-World War II baby boom.

The building's flat roof, large expanses of windows and linear plan are hallmarks of mid-20th century architectural design. The building was listed on the National Register in 2015 and the Affordable Housing Network wants to renovate it to provide low-income senior housing.