Vote to make Iowa City Pagliai’s Pizza building historic landmark deferred

IOWA CITY — A proposal to designate the Pagliai’s Pizza building as a historic landmark is being deferred by the Iowa City Council until the Iowa City Council obtains more information.

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Mayor Bruce Teague requested the deferment during a Tuesday council meeting, saying he was “having issues with this one.”

Council member Mazahir Salih said one issue for her was whether the historic landmark designation would make it more difficult to sell the property, an issue raised by the owner Gary Skarda.

She also noted that historic preservation is focused on the exterior of buildings, asking if it would be possible to include a building’s interior in the designation.

Ultimately, however, she said she supported rezoning the building to make it a historic landmark.

In a 6-0 vote, the council deferred its vote on the matter to its April 16 meeting to consult with the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.

The Pagliai building, at 302 E. Bloomington St., was built in 1877.

The city’s Historic Preservation and the Planning and Zoning commissions have both recommended approval of the historic landmark designation.

The Historic Preservation Commission recommended the designation due to the building’s history in the Iowa City community, and for its historically significant architecture.

Iowa City Development Services Coordinator Danielle Sitzman said a historic landmark designation would focus on the exterior of the building, with tax credits available should a property owner wish to make changes.

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Jessica Bristow, Iowa City historic preservation planner, said the city could help an owner obtain those credits, which sometimes can go toward interior work. The city, she said, has a historic preservation fund that can help owners pay for repairs.

Owner objects

Despite the endorsement by city commissions, building owner Skarda is opposed to the historic landmark designation and the rezoning that goes with it.

He told the council he has a lot of memories of the building, but he still wants to be able to sell it. If it is rezoned as a historic landmark, he said, developers wouldn’t be interested in buying it because they wouldn’t be able to develop the site.

It would be better for the city, he said, to not designate the building as a landmark so a developer could turn the property into condos or something else that would benefit the city.

“There's no reason to inhibit growth of this community based on a building that takes a lot of maintenance,” Skarda said.

The building was built by Skarda’s great-great-grandfather Joseph Slezak in 1877 and has been in Skarda’s family since 1878. Pagliai’s Pizza opened in 1957.

Besides Pagliai’s Pizza, the building houses Laundromania and 16 apartments. In the past, the building has housed a dance hall, a saloon, a hotel and a grocery store.

Skarda listed the building for sale in September 2023.

Residents in favor

Eleven people at Tuesday’s meeting spoke in favor of the landmark designation, with some wearing stickers advocating for the building’s preservation.

Ginalie Swaim, treasurer of Friends of Historic Preservation in Iowa City, said the building was historically important as it was a gathering place for Bohemian immigrants in the area.

Willy Oxley, who said he repairs and restores homes, said both his father and grandfather would frequent Pagliai’s.

“The nature of these buildings is incredibly intricate and beautiful,” he said. “These buildings were designed to be repaired, something that we don't think about anymore.”

Ahead of the meeting, more than 30 local businesses owners co-signed a letter supporting the landmark designation, saying buildings and businesses like Pagliai’s make the area a commercial success and are unique to the area.

Some speakers, however, said they were bothered by how they perceived Skarda had been treated and that they believed the landmark designation would limit his right to sell the building.

Comments: alejandro.rojas@thegazette.com