New logo unveiled for Downtown Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Banners were hung Tuesday afternoon showing off a new logo for a revitalized downtown.

The logo features the city skyline, the words 'CR Downtown” and the tagline 'Dine. Dwell. Do.”

The Downtown Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID) spearheaded the effort, which aimed to create a logo that reflects downtown's influx of redevelopment, officials involved with the project said.

'It's important for people to see there is real growth and improvement happening downtown,” said Randy Rings, chairman of the downtown SSMID commission.

Six years after the 2008 flood, downtown has seen a significant amount public and private sector investment, including the convention center complex and the new $37 million CRST International Inc. world headquarters, scheduled for completion in 2016, the Economic Alliance said.

The area has also seen an influx of housing projects such as Kingston Commons, the Downtown Tower Housing, Great Furniture Mart and Coventry Gardens projects.

This development has pushed property values up sharply in the downtown district during the past year, increasing 33.8 percent, the agency said.

Doug Neumann, executive vice president for the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, said 80 street banners will be displayed around downtown. The project cost $7,186.

The logo will eventually be incorporated into additional downtown identification such as signs and wayfinding materials as well as used on letterhead and decals.

'While the banners are the first use of the logo, this is not a logo specific for banners,” Neumann said. 'It is the new logo to identify downtown and will be used for all marketing, promotion and identification purposes of downtown.”