Old Higley building has long history

A  one-story building at 119 First Ave. SE in Downtown Cedar Rapids that most recently housed the Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau might look like a newer structure at first glance but it actually is a remnant of a 137-year old building rich in Cedar Rapids history.

The building, which soon might be torn down to build a new building for the United Fire Group Co., actually started out as an ornate three-story structure built in 1878 by the Higley family of Cedar Rapids. This new 'Higley's Building” originally stood next to the old Higley Block, a two-story structure initially constructed in 1868 at the southwest corner of what now is First Avenue and Second Street SE. Both the older Higley Block and this First Avenue Higley Building stood on what had been the site of the old Higley pioneer home before the Civil War. The Higley family was involved in many early developments in Cedar Rapids, including real estate and a stagecoach line.

When new in 1878, this First Avenue Higley Building at 117-119-121 First Ave. SE featured three retail storefronts on the sidewalk level, offices on the second floor and a Lodge/Fraternal Hall on the third floor. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, secret societies such as the Maccabees, the Knights of Pythias and 'The Owls” had meetings in this third floor space.

In 1913, the old two-story 1868 Higley Block on the corner was demolished and a new 10-story American Bank & Trust building was constructed next to the 1878 Higley Building.

In 1918, work began on a newer eight-story Higley Building at 118 Third Ave. SE. It was decided to give the old 1878 First Avenue Higley Building a new name shortly after 1920.

The building was renamed the American Bank Annex by the end of the 1920s. Other changes to the building included converting the second floor offices into apartments and abandoning the old third floor lodge hall.

During the mid-1900s, the street level storefronts in the American Annex Building housed popular businesses such as Tony Naso's Fruit and Grocery store in the 119 First Ave. SE storefront in the 1930s. From the late 1930s through the early 1950s, the storefront at 121 First Ave. SE was home to a popular local tavern known as The Brass Rail that opened shortly after Prohibition.

Due to changing building and fire codes, the entire second and third floors of this old building were completely removed in the mid-1950s. This created an opportunity to put a two-story tall advertising billboard on the back exterior wall of the American Building that would be visible from First Avenue.

In addition, the street level storefronts of what was now a one-story building were converted for primarily office use. For many years, this was the location of a loan office operated by Russell Landis.

In the late 1980s, the old Landis Loan office space became occupied by the Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau. The visitors bureau still was using this one-story structure when it was damaged by the floods of 2008. The visitors bureau continued to use the space after post-flood renovations until moving to the Czech Village area about two years ago.

Plans call for demolishing 119 First Ave. SE to build a new 10-story structure for the United Fire Group Co.

Scant historic detail survives from the original three-story 1878 Higley Building except some limestone foundation and a few ornate iron columns hidden within the front facade.

' Mark Stoffer Hunter is historian for The History Center in Cedar Rapids.