116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Ceremonial ‘wall-breaking’ kicks off renovations at The History Center in Cedar Rapids
CEDAR RAPIDS - The History Center had a ceremonial 'wall-breaking” ceremony at the Douglas Mansion on Tuesday to mark the beginning of the 1897 home's rehabilitation as the new location for the center.
The $3.9 million renovation was made possible through donations, grants and historic preservation tax credits.
The home, built at 800 Second Ave. SE in what was then the 'Mansion Hill” district, was the home of George Bruce Douglas, who began the Douglas Starch Works in 1903 and whose father started what would become Quaker Oats.
The mansion became the Turner Funeral Home in 1924, renovated with the help of Iowa artist Grant Wood, who landscaped the grounds and who would live rent-free in a studio above the gagarge.
The History Center, formerly the Linn County Historical Society, bought the home in 2014. When renovated, it will have a research library, a permanent exhibit gallery, two temporary galleries, a classroom and offices.
The restoration is expected to take about nine months.
Adam Ebert, president of The History Center board, swings a gold sledgehammer Tuesday for the ceremonial 'wall-breaking' to kick off renovations of the Douglas Mansion, future home of The History Center in Cedar Rapids. The $3.9 renovation of the home at 800 Second Ave. SE was made possible through donations, grants and historic preservation tax credits. The renovation is expected to take nine months and will provide permanent and temporary galleries, a research library, a classroom and offices. (Liz Martin, The Gazette)
The carpet has been removed at the Douglas Mansion, including on the center stairs, in preparation for renovations a work is underway on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. The historic mansion is the future home of the History Center. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Jason Wright, The History Center executive director (top center), walks down the stairs as self-guided tours begin at Douglas Mansion following a ceremonial wall-breaking in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
A golden sledgehammer and pieces of drywall remain in one future gallery space after a ceremonial wall breaking at Douglas Mansion, future home of The History Center, in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Remnants from the Douglas Mansion's past as a funeral home, including this Telex Persona-Phone receiver, are seen on a wall on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. The mansion will be renovated and is the future home of The History Center. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
Wallpaper, paint and carpet samples are shown at the Douglas Mansion, future home of The History Center in Cedar Rapids, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. Inspection of layers of wallpaper in the mansion has revealed a similar pattern to these William Morris designs. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
The organ will remain in place as the Douglas Mansion, previously used as a funeral home, undergoes renovation to become the future home of The History Center. Photographed in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
This is the exterior of the Douglas Mansion in Cedar Rapids, future home of The History Center, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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