The English Mansion

The English Mansion is located in the only residential historic district in Sioux City, Iowa, called Rose Hill Historic District. It is one of the largest and best preserved homes of its style.

Chronology:
1894 - Designed by architect William McLaughlin, Elzy G. Burkham had the home built. The original address was 1449 Douglas.

After 1894 - The address is changed to 1525 Douglas.

1897 - The house is sold to Jacob Stackerl.

1913 - Catherine Stackerl, daughter of Jacob married Odil English and inherited the home. This is where the mansion got its name.

1994 - The mansion is bought by George and Cynthia Wakeman and opened a bed and breakfast.

1995 - George and Cynthia turned the mansion into a bed and breakfast.

1998 - The English Mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

2005 - The Wakeman's closed the bed and breakfast and reclaimed the restored mansion as their personal home.

The architectural style involves more than one type. Colonial Revival, Queen Anne, Romanesque and Rococo Richardsonian.

The interior boasts 7 original untouched hand painted murals, original woodwork. pocket doors, original front stair case, fluted columns and a conservatory room on the south side of the house.

The mansion has 3 floors. The third floor has a beautiful ballroom. There are 5 bed rooms and 3 baths on the second floor. The master suite has its own private bath. The lower level has a 6th bed room and a bath, full kitchen and the conservatory.

Some notable exterior features are the first floor arch windows, decorative foliate detailing over the front porch and conservatory and fluted ionic columns. The original carriage house is now attached to the house with a covered porch or breeze way and used as a garage.

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Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 17: Public Safety Memorial

Right between Sioux City's City Hall & the Woodbury County Court House on Douglas St. is the Public Safety Memorial. It was built to honor & remember those who serve tirelessly & those who have given their lives in the line of duty while serving the community as a Sioux City Police Officer, Sioux City Fire Fighter or in the Woodbury County Sheriff's Dept. It was dedicated in May of 2000. Every year there is a ceremony honoring those lost in the line of duty.

Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 18: Woodbury County Courthouse

The Woodbury County Courthouse was designed in part by William L. Steele & is one of the best examples of Praire School style achitecture in a government building. It was opened in 1918. The courthouse is right next to city hall in Douglas St. & across from the Law Enforcment Center on 7th.

There are other Steele buildings that are designed with the Prarie School style architecture. The Scottish Rite Temple, just a block north, is another example of such a building. I will will post more about the other buildings in the future.

Here is more info. on the courthouse & pics.:
Woodbury County Courthouse
Woodbury County Iowa
Things to do & see, Woodbury County Courthouse

Sioux City History & Culture by Bicycle Part 21: Scottish Rite Temple

The Sioux City Scottish Rite Temple was not always used for the purpose of the Scottish Rite. It originally was a Knights of Columbus Recreation Center. It went into divestiture & the Sioux City Valley of the Scottish Rite purchased it for their use. They put a lot of money into the building & added on to the west end to convert it to their purpose.

The building is a William L. Steele design with the Prairie School style architecture. It is located at 8th & Douglas Streets.

Work continues to this day to improve the building even more then it is. One of the things being done is the windows are being changed to match the architectural lines of the building, similar to what they originally were when it was first built.

There are free tours available of the building but people will need to call ahead to make sure someone is available to conduct a tour.

There is a book that was written by my Masonic Brother, good friend & mentor, George Harrison called "10 Decades of Light" It gives a very good history of the Scottish Rite in Sioux City & the buildings that have been used by the Scottish Rite over the years, during it's plus 100 year history.

I am very proud to say I am a member of the Scottish Rite & this building is very beautiful on both the outside & inside.