Pagliai’s building clears another vote to becoming Iowa City landmark

IOWA CITY — The building that includes Pagliai’s Pizza grew closer this week to being designated a landmark, although it lost support from Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague.

The Iowa City Council on Tuesday passed the second of three considerations needed to approve the historic status of the building at 302-316 E. Bloomington St., which also includes apartments and a laundromat.

The vote this time was 6-1. Teague said he felt uncomfortable with voting in support.

“When I think of the entirety of everything, I just am not comfortable and unfortunately, I will be voting no against this designation,” Teague said. “There's too many elements to it for me to feel comfortable, and I would not be genuine to myself and to what I believe my representation of this community is if I sat here and just voted.”

Teague, who voted April 16 in support, acknowledged the building holds historic value.

Mayor Pro Tem Mazahir Salih was critical of the process to make the building a landmark, and asked if the city or council could do something to improve the process. Although critical, she said she would still vote in support of the resolution.

The proposal has met with resistance from the building’s owner, Gary Skarda, who at past meetings has said it would be difficult to sell the building if becomes a landmark.

Skarda put the building up for sale last October. The building has been in Skarda’s family since it was built by his great-great-grandfather, Joseph Slezak, in 1877.

Skarda, who grew up in the building, said while it would be hard to let go of the property but it was becoming increasingly difficult to take care of it.

While some speakers at council meetings have spoken in support of Skarda, saying his rights as a property owner were being taken away, others have spoken about the building’s ties to immigrants in the city’s early history.

Comments: alejandro.rojas@thegazette.com