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: