Grant Wood district set for Cedar Rapids

The artist best known for painting "American Gothic" is to be honored with a cultural district in downtown Cedar Rapids.

The Cedar Rapids Downtown District has announced the Iowa's state historical society has certified the "Grant Woods Cultural District" and a dedication ceremony is set for July 12. Officials say the district is a walkable, mixed-use area that includes many cultural and historical facilities.

It includes the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, as well as a theater and library.

Wood died in 1942 at age 50. He was born in Anamosa and spent his childhood there before moving to Cedar Rapids.

Wood founded the Stone City Art Colony to help artists through the Great Depression, and in 1934 became a professor of art at the University of Iowa.