History Center to buy Douglas Mansion

CEDAR RAPIDS - A historic mansion in downtown Cedar Rapids that has hosted many social functions over the years will become the new home of The Carl & Mary Koehler History Center.

The board of directors of the organization voted on Sept. 2 to purchase the Douglas Mansion at 800 Second Ave. SE from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. The purchase price was not disclosed, but the house was listed for sale in 2012 at $645,000.

Caitlin Treece, History Center director, said the organization plans to sell its existing building at 615 First Ave. SE and, following renovation, move into the Douglas Mansion.

'We are moving to a historic house, which feels like the right home for The History Center,” Treece said. 'We are excited to become the stewards of the Douglas Mansion, a much-loved artifact of local history.”

The Douglas house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was built in 1896 as a new home for businessman George Bruce Douglas and his wife, Irene. In 1906, Douglas moved his family 'to the country” and named their new home Brucemore.

The Brucemore mansion, at 2160 Linden Dr. SE, had been built for Thomas Sinclair and his wife, Caroline. In what amounted to something of a 'house swap,” Caroline Sinclair moved to the Douglas Mansion on Second Avenue SE, where she lived until her death in 1917.

Other members of the Sinclair family occupied the 1896 Douglas home until 1923. The following year, the mansion was sold to the John B. Turner family, who converted the house into the Turner Funeral Home.

The Linge family, owners of Cedar Memorial, began operating the Turner Funeral Home in the early 1980s, renaming the facility the Grant Wood Chapel of Cedar Memorial Funeral services were discontinued in the home several years ago.

In the aftermath of the 2008 flood, the Douglas Mansion was a temporary home for several displaced organizations, including Orchestra Iowa and Theatre Cedar Rapids. When the building was listed for sale, there was concern that it might meet the fate of other historic structures in the area.

John Linge, owner of Cedar Memorial, and his wife, Dina. gifted the house to the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation in October 2013. A provision of the donation was preservation of the building.

Treece said the idea of moving The History Center surfaced in May during the board of directors' long-range planning and discussion of the importance of keeping the museum relevant. While the museum has a modern exterior, the former Rapids Chevrolet building is 75 years old and in need of improvements.

Not long after, Treece was sitting in a staff meeting facing a photo of the Douglas Mansion. She remembers thinking, 'Isn't that house for sale, and wouldn't it suit our mission better than our current property?”

After months of research and discussion, the board came to the conclusion that the Douglas Mansion needed to be central to its long-range plan.

The History Center houses most of its 50,000 objects on site. Treece said that will not be possible then the museum moves from a 20,000-square-foot building to the 10,085-square-foot Douglas Mansion.

Treece said most of the artifacts will be moved to off-site storage. Those that require a controlled environment, such as textiles, will be stored at the Douglas Mansion.

'Our archives will be moved to the Douglas Mansion so that researchers still have access to them in our library,” Treece said.

In 2006, The History Center was forced to close temporarily due to $170,000 in debt. It had faced foreclosure in 2003 but was saved by city and county government, local donors and banks, which donated $1.4 million to retire the museum's mortgage.

The History Center's annual income comes from grants, private donations and interest from several endowments administered by the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation. Linn County and the city of Cedar Rapids also provide financial support.

'We cover expenses and we're stable, but we are always giving thought to the museum's long-term sustainability,” Treece said.

She said a capital campaign and proceeds from the sale of The History Center's existing property will be used to fund renovation of the mansion and support museum operations.

'The exterior of the Douglas Mansion will be restored to look exactly as it has in the past,” Treece said.

Repairs will include a new roof, new front steps, landscaping, repairs to the brick wall and exterior painting.

Interior plans call for restoring the home's original hardwood floors and as much of the wood trim as possible.