Hall-Perrine grants $500,000 to Cedar Rapids History Center campaign

CEDAR RAPIDS - The History Center has raised $2.6 million in its Landmark & Legacy campaign with the help of some recent grants.

The Hall-Perrine Foundation awarded $500,000 to the center as a capstone gift once the campaign reaches $3.4 million of its $3.9 million fundraising goal.

The funds will go toward the rehabilitation of the Douglas Mansion, a more-than-120-year-old building at 800 Second Ave. SE that will become The History Center's home.

The home is adorned with Grant Wood's artwork and was at one time home to some of the city's most influential families, including the Douglases, Sinclairs and Turners.

The grant is 'inspirational for the organization, and it moves us so much closer toward our goal to rehabilitating the Douglas Mansion back to its 1920s glory,” said Jason Wright, the center's executive director. 'The support of Hall-Perrine is an extraordinary endorsement of the History Center's mission, vision and our plan for our future. It's a real seal of approval for this organization, and it's a real honor.”

Jack Evans, president of the Hall-Perrine Foundation, said in a statement that the mansion 'played a major role in the history of this area. It contains beautiful features, many designed by Grant Wood, which need to be preserved. It is fitting that the History Center has undertaken the revitalization of the mansion and is committed to making the mansion accessible for the entire community to enjoy.”

Other grants include:

' $46,144 from the State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, for interior and exterior renovations.

' $10,000 from the the MedQuarter Regional Medical District, which is located in the area around the mansion.

The grants come on the heels of a $400,000 challenge grant, awarded in June, from the Wisconsin-based Jeffris Family Foundation.

According to Wright, of the $3.9 million that the center plans to raise, $1 million will go into an endowment to maintain the Douglas Mansion after renovations and another $500,000 will be used to build exhibits.

Rehabilitation on the historic building should start at the beginning of November, but only if 'every penny is raised,” Wright said.

The center hopes to move into the mansion when renovations are complete in the summer or early autumn of 2018.

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