HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Photography Forums > My City Photos


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #1  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 1:48 AM
heatherkay heatherkay is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 5
Mason City - And that rhymes with “P” and that stands for “Prairie School”

Mason City, Iowa, is a town of about 30,000 people about 15 minutes off I-35, just south of the Iowa-Minnesota border. Like most moderately prosperous towns in Iowa, it has a surprising number of lovely and well-preserved Victorians, Queen Annes, and Tudors. Here’s one now:



But Mason City is notable for a couple of other things. One, that it’s the home of Meredith Wilson and the real River City, Iowa, from The Music Man. The other is the large number of Prairie School (and Four-Square) homes in the Rock Glen and Rock Crest National Historic district, a small enclave of single-family homes situated along the banks of Willow Creek five blocks east of downtown. Mason City is justifiably proud of this heritage, going so far as to identify the architects, construction date, and architectural style of many of the homes in plaques in the sidewalk.



Here’s one:






And another:




Another:




Another:




I know this one is Prairie School because it said so on the plaque. Interesting nonetheless.




A few one-shot houses.










This one is by some guy named Wright:


A couple of in-progress or to-do fixer uppers:




There are also a few non-residential properties that caught my eye.

This is the First United Methodist Church, actually built in the 1950s. Quite a steeple.


A converted house that is now the MacNider Art Museum. Notice the shingles that have been cut in wavy patterns to give the effect of thatching.


Here’s a close-up of the roof.


And the jewel in Mason City’s crown, the FL Wright-designed Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank. Currently under renovation to return it to use as a boutique hotel.

The bank side:


And the hotel side:
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 1:51 AM
OhioGuy OhioGuy is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: DC
Posts: 7,648
I can't recall seeing any Mason City photos on here before. Thanks for posting these!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 2:31 AM
FerrariEnzo's Avatar
FerrariEnzo FerrariEnzo is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,134
I love Prarie School and especially Wright. Thanks for sharing these.
__________________
Super Secret
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #4  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 2:14 PM
ColDayMan's Avatar
ColDayMan ColDayMan is offline
B!tchslapping Since 1998
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Location: Columbus
Posts: 19,877
Great job!
__________________
Click the x: _ _ X _ _!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted Apr 1, 2010, 5:02 PM
diskojoe's Avatar
diskojoe diskojoe is offline
3rd Coast King
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Houston
Posts: 2,671
Nice structures. i especally liked the one with the mosaic like wood shingles. you dont see work like that anymore.

thanks for sharing.
__________________
Photo Threads
Flickr
Facebook

My Book
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #6  
Old Posted Apr 2, 2010, 2:44 AM
Thundertubs's Avatar
Thundertubs Thundertubs is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Jersey City, NJ
Posts: 2,921
Nice tour of some very elegant Iowa homes.
__________________
Be magically whisked away to
Chicago | Atlanta | Newark | Tampa | Detroit | Hartford | Chattanooga | Indianapolis | Philadelphia | Dubuque | Lowell | New England
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #7  
Old Posted Apr 2, 2010, 4:46 AM
xzmattzx's Avatar
xzmattzx xzmattzx is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Wilmington, DE
Posts: 6,331
Nice pictures. I've heard of Mason City but didn't realize that it was a center of architecture.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #8  
Old Posted Apr 2, 2010, 12:31 PM
MOTOR's Avatar
MOTOR MOTOR is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 75
Very nice.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #9  
Old Posted Apr 2, 2010, 1:52 PM
Bedhead's Avatar
Bedhead Bedhead is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Wiltshire, England
Posts: 1,938
Great study - loved that close up of the roof.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #10  
Old Posted Apr 2, 2010, 2:52 PM
heatherkay heatherkay is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 5
I didn't get pictures of every house in the neighborhood that was interesting -- like I said, quite a few beautiful Queen Annes, and some bungalows. I would have taken more pictures of some of the architectural details, but I didn't want to walk into people's yards!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #11  
Old Posted Apr 4, 2010, 6:56 PM
ArchMadness's Avatar
ArchMadness ArchMadness is offline
Developer
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul St. Louis
Posts: 1,004
Wow, I've driven through Mason City quite a few times and I never once noticed anything. Pardon my ignorance, but the only thing I know about the area is this is where Buddy Holly and Richie Valens' plane crashed. Next time I make it there I'm actually going to pay attention. Some really cool photos here.
__________________
Minneapolis/St. Paul 2013 est = 694,943 people
6502 people /sq mi
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #12  
Old Posted Apr 5, 2010, 2:46 AM
mustang84 mustang84 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 195
Nice pics. I've grown up in Iowa and have driven by Mason City plenty of times on I-35, but I've never actually stopped in. Iowa has quite a few architectural gems, including some Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright works in Cedar Rapids and Grinnell, and a few Saarinen works in Des Moines.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #13  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2010, 12:00 PM
HomeInMyShoes's Avatar
HomeInMyShoes HomeInMyShoes is offline
arf
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: File 13
Posts: 13,984
Thanks for posting this. Groovy stuff.
__________________

-- “We heal each other with kindness, gentleness and respect.” -- Richard Wagamese
-- “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” -- Dr. Seuss
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #14  
Old Posted Apr 8, 2010, 2:07 PM
flar's Avatar
flar flar is offline
..........
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Southwestern Ontario
Posts: 15,159
Great examples of Prairie style homes
Excellent post! Thanks
__________________
RECENT PHOTOS:
TORONTOSAN FRANCISCO ROCHESTER, NYHAMILTONGODERICH, ON WHEATLEY, ONCOBOURG, ONLAS VEGASLOS ANGELES
Reply With Quote
     
     
End
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Photography Forums > My City Photos
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 7:22 AM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.