Johnson County Supervisors oppose planned closure of State Historical Society Building

IOWA CITY — The Johnson County Board of Supervisors is joining a growing group of Iowans opposing the state’s decision to close the State Historical Society of Iowa building in Iowa City.

On June 17, the State of Iowa announced, starting July 9, the State Historical Society of Iowa (SHSI) Research Center in Iowa City would face a series of changes in operations and hours, which will conclude with its closure June 30, 2026. The changes are being made to conserve finances and other resources, the state has said.

“Folks who work with those materials and local historians, etc., are outraged and amazed that this would be considered. It really seems pretty beyond the pale to folks who work in that field, and I trust their assessment, this is a pretty bad idea, and so I would be happy, personally anyway, for us to add our voices to the people who are objecting to this,” Supervisor Rod Sullivan said at a work session this week.

Those against the closure argue that the decision was made without proper consultation of historians or building staff.

Founded in 1857 when the Iowa Capitol moved from Iowa City to Des Moines, SHSI was intended to connect the new seat of Iowa government to its place of origin.

The 34,700 cubic feet of archival material in the Centennial Building, as it is called, at 402 Iowa Ave., ranges from small-town municipal code documents from over a century ago, to Iowa City Fire Department records and old letters from historical figures. It also includes Civil War diaries and historic newspapers.

Staffed by three employees, the Iowa City center provides these documents to researchers, students, reporters, and anyone else who’s interested in looking at Iowa history. Historical accounts are found in books, on microfilm, in photographs, documents, and more.

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Rally opposing closure planned for Saturday

A rally to save the location from closure is scheduled to be held in Iowa City on Saturday, Aug. 23, from 1-3 p.m. at the Iowa City Public Library.

The rally was organized by the Iowa Labor History Society and Save Iowa History 2025.

An online petition also has been launched opposing the closure. It has collected more than 4,900 signatures.

Comments: megan.woolard@thegazette.com

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