The Story of Historic Fourth Street
“Historic” or “Lower” Fourth Street refers to the two city blocks
between Virginia and Iowa Streets in downtown Sioux City that
contain fifteen structures dating from 1889 to 1915. Several of
these are notable for their distinctive Richardsonian Romanesque
style of architecture. Popular in the late 1890s, Richardsonian
Romanesque is characterized by heavy, rough-cut stone walls,
round arches, squat columns, and deeply recessed windows.
The “boom years” of the late 1880s and early 1890s
As Sioux City emerged as one of the Midwest’s leading livestock
markets and industrial centers, investment from local developers
and East Coast speculators followed. The city’s main business
avenue since the 1870s, Fourth Street was a natural target for this
intensive real estate development. Between 1888 and 1890, five
new buildings were constructed by local interests, while three
new buildings were financed by a Massachusetts firm in 1890.
The good times did not last, however. The Floyd River Flood of
May 1892 halted most new construction, while the April 1893
stock market crash caused real estate values to plummet. Sioux
City’s boom had ended. The ripple effects of the severe national
economic depression that persisted for the rest of the decade were
evident in Sioux City as only one new building was erected on
Lower Fourth Street between 1893 and 1900.
Sioux City’s new beginning in the new century
Following several years of business reorganization, the city reemerged
as a leading livestock market and meatpacking center. In
fact, Sioux City grew to become Iowa’s second largest city and
its leading industrial center by 1915. Meanwhile, development on
Lower Fourth Street resumed in earnest. Between 1900 and 1920,
five new buildings were constructed in the area. Though they
were not as large or as ornate as their 1880s and 1890s counterparts,
this new wave of construction signaled that Sioux City had
survived to enter a new era of growth and development.
Lower Fourth Street goes from bad to worse
Lower Fourth Street remained an important business district well
into the 1960s. Unfortunately, by then most of the buildings on
Lower Fourth Street had fallen into various states of disrepair
contributing to the area’s reputation as one of the more unsavory
sections of the city. In the late 1960s, a major urban renewal project
turned much of Fourth Street west of Jones Street into a
walking mall, effectively cutting the area off from the rest of
downtown. At the same time, retail stores began to leave downtown
for suburban shopping centers and malls, greatly diminishing
the economic vitality of the area. This sad state of affairs
persisted until the mid-1990s.
“Historic” Fourth Street emerges
Aalfs Manufacturing Company started a major restoration of the
Boston Block in 1984, uncovering the structure’s original façade.
The project sparked Fourth Street’s revitalization as people began
rediscovering its unique architecture. In fact, this long-neglected
area boasts the most extensive concentration of late 19th century
Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in Iowa. In 1995, the two
city blocks on Fourth Street between Virginia and Iowa Streets
were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Since
then, the majority of the buildings in the district have undergone
extensive renovation. Now known as the Fourth Street Historic
District, the area is one Sioux City’s most popular entertainment
spots featuring a variety of restaurants, pubs, nightclubs and
specialty shops.
This walking tour starts at 4th & Virginia Streets & heads east to Iowa Street. Here is the map & source of info. for this walking tour:
Historic 4t St. Walking Tour
#1. The Boston Block is the first building on the walking tour. It is on the Northwest side of the street. Built in 1890 it was constructed in 1890 by the Boston Investment Company, a Massachusetts firm that financed the construction of several major Sioux City buildings during the early 1890s. Designed by local architects Edward W. Loft and William McLaughlin, the Boston Block is an excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, featuring heavy stone construction
and numerous arches. The Sioux City Upholstering Company was the building’s first occupant. Other notable occupants have been the Hicks-Fuller-Pierson Dry Goods Company (1908-1922) and the Aalf’s Manufacturing Company (1924-Present).
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#2. The Levich Building is the second on the tour & is on the Southwest side of the street. This building was constructed around 1905 as a two-story structure. A third story was added sometime after 1919. Morris Levich operated a furniture store at this location from 1908 to 1924. Later it housed a radio store, an auction house, a series of used furniture dealers and the Freight Sales Company. Local artist Paul Chelstad painted the mural on the west side of the building in 2003.
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#3. The third building is small Commercial Building located in the middle of the south side of the street. The small two-story commercial building pictured at center
between the Major Block (left) and the Levich Building (right), dates from around 1905. It has been occupied almost exclusively by restaurants and saloons, although Sioux City Mattress Works operated out of the building for a short time during the early 1930s.
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#4. The 4th building is the Major Block. It is located in the middle of the south side of the street next to the commercial building. Sioux City businessman Robert Ortel Major built the Major Block in 1889 as an investment. Architect Edward W. Loft designed the Romanesque structure. The Major Block has had numerous occupants
over the years including a hardware store and a hotel. During the early 1890s it served as the University of the Northwest’s (later Morningside College) College of Commerce.
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#5. At the Southwest corner of 4th & Court Streets is the Lee Block. Designed by Sioux City architect Wilfred W. Beach, the Lee Block was constructed in 1911 as a multi-use commercial building. From the beginning it was home to a wide range of commercial enterprises including billiard halls, saloons, drug stores, furniture dealers, clothing shops and hardware stores. Notable occupants have been the O.P. Skaggs grocery store (1931-1951), the Scandinavian Bakery (1933-1973) and Cooper’s Market (1955-1992).
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#6. John Stevenson's Saloon is at the Northwest corner of 4th & Court Streets. This Romanesque building was constructed around 1895, but it is unclear who was its architect or builder. One of its earliest occupants was Minneapolis Brewing Company agent John Stevenson. He operated a saloon and a distribution business at this location from the mid-1890s until 1900. An assortment of saloons, billiard
halls, restaurants and soda fountains have occupied the western third of the building over the years, while the eastern two-thirds have been devoted to a host of dry goods businesses. The building’s most notable occupant was People’s Department Store, which operated here from 1937 to 1994. Luciano's Reseraunt now occupy's the building.
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#7. The 7th building on the walking tour is the Krummann Block & Bay State Block located at the Northeast corner of 4th & Court Streets. The Krummann Block (left) was designed by Sioux City architect Charles P. Brown in the Romanesque style. It was constructed in 1889 by Sioux City grocer Samuel Krummann to house his grocery
store. Later it was the home of O.E. Jacobsen’s Svenski Monitorer Swedish newspaper and the Toller Drug Store. The Bay State Block (right) was another Boston Investment Company building constructed in 1890. Like the Boston Block, it was the work of
architects Edward W. Loft and William McLaughlin and is another good example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture. Among its many occupants, Larsen and Anderson Grocery Store (1919-1954) is the most notable.
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#8. On the Southeast corner of 4th & Court Streets is the Plymouth Block otherwise known as the Call Terminal Building. The Boston Investment Company financed the construction of the Plymouth Block in 1890. Architects Edward W. Loft and William
McLaughlin designed the Romanesque structure to house both commercial and light manufacturing interests. It has been home to interests as diverse as saddle companies, clothing manufacturers, printers, hardware stores, the Sioux City College of Medicine and the Metropolitan Business College. It was renamed the Call Terminal
Building in 1930 when it was purchased by local financier and real estate developer George C. Call.
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#9. Spanning the north side of 4th St to Iowa St. is the Egralharve Building and the Perasso Building. The three sons of Gordon R. Badgerow financed the construction
of the building pictured at left center in 1910. Its name, Egralharve is a conglomeration of their names (Egbert, Ralph and Harvey). It was designed by Sioux City architect Wilfred W. Beach who also designed the similarly styled Lee Block at the southwest corner of 4th and Court Street. Over the years, it has functioned as both a hotel and a multipurpose commercial building. The small building pictured at center was constructed around 1920. The Antonio Perasso family operated a confectionary, a saloon and a cigar store at this location between 1897 and 1930. The Perassos probably built this building to replace an earlier wood frame structure.
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#10. At the Southwest corner of 4th & Iowa Streets is the Evans' (Stephens') Block. Sioux City businessman Fred T. Evans constructed the building that bears his name in 1890. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure was designed by architect Charles P. Brown and originally housed the Northwestern National Bank. After 1897 its primary
occupant was the William Stephens Drug Store and for many years it was known as the Stephens’ Block. In 1919 the building became a hotel and it functioned in that capacity until 1954. More recent occupants have included Robe’s Furniture and a motorcycle club. Currently Heidman Law Frim occupy's the building.
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#11. The building on the Southeast corner of 4th & Iowa Streets was the Hotel Gordon (Rutland). It is no longer there. Here is info. on that building: The Hotel Gordon was constructed by Sioux City real estate developer William Gordon in 1888. With 123 rooms, it was Sioux City’s largest hotel for many years. Gordon relinquished control of the hotel in the early 1890s and it was know variously as the Hotel Fowler and Great Northern Hotel prior to becoming the Rutland Hotel in 1901. The Rutland continued to operate until the early 1960s when it was declared unsafe for human occupancy. It was demolished in 1962. The corner now has nothing but a parking lot there now.
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#12. Another building that used to be on the Northeast corner of 4th & Iowa Streets was called the Tacoma Block. Sioux City businessman and real estate developer Gordon R. Badgerow constructed the Tacoma Block in 1888. Its name probably had something to do with the fact that Mr. Badgerow spent several years in business in Tacoma, Washington before coming to Sioux City in 1876. Of the building’s many occupants,
the most notable was the Scherling and Arnold Drug Store (1889-1938). The Tacoma Block was razed in 1958. On that corner now is Mac Behrs bar & grill.
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#13. 2 blocks south of 4th St on the Northeast corner of 2nd & Court Streets is the American Linseed Oil Company Building. Thomas P. Gere of Sioux City and Rensselaer D. Hubbard of Mankato, Minnesota founded the American Linseed Oil Company at this location in 1883. At that time, flax oil was used primarily in the production of paint and varnishes. The original mill burned in 1890. Later that year, a new mill (pictured above) was designed by Sioux City architect William McLaughlin and constructed on the foundation of the original structure. By the early 1890s, it was the largest linseed oil mill in the world, processing 800,000 bushels of flaxseed annually. It continued to operate as a linseed oil mill until 1928. Since that time, it has been used as a warehouse by Kay Dee Feed Company, the Bekins Company and Grant Tire.
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I hope you have enjoyed this post about Historic 4th St. & encourage anyone to take the walking tour themselves.
