It makes sense that Iowa would be home to beautiful architecture.
Originally, Iowa was the French colony New France before becoming part of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase.
These French roots have been present in Iowan culture.
Since then, the fusion of agriculture and culture has impacted art in the architecture of Iowa.
The first notable building of the 20th century is St.
Paul's Episcopal Church.
Located in Durant, Iowa, the parish was founded in 1856.
The church finished being built in 1900 after the Connecticut chapter donated $75 toward the building.
The church building and parish hall is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
The church has stained glass windows original from the first church in the late 19th century.
The building also features a bell from that era.
The sanctuary portion was added for the Episcopal worship.
An undercroft was added to the church in 1950.
The style of the church is considered a gingerbread gothic with its steeple and belfry, both restored in 1979.
The Polk County Courthouse was built in 1906 in Des Moines.
The first courthouse was made of brick in 1847 for a little over two grand.
This old courthouse was sold to a church.
The second courthouse was originally a two story building that featured a dome.
The 1906 courthouse was built in the Beaux-Arts style.
Original columns, stairways, and walls were constructed of marble.
The First National Bank Building is located in Davenport and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It was the first National bank that opened in the US under the new currency law in 1863.
In the 1920s, the bank merged with Iowa National Bank and a new building was built downtown.
The bank building is designed in the Renaissance Revival style.
The Renaissance style is combined with a 16th century Italian Renaissance style.
The lower level has round arches and with carvings of eagles and buffalos.
Bronze work on the building depicts the making and distributing of coins.
It has nine floors with a steel frame and brick construction.
There are carved figures in the archways of the building.
The figures on the left depict labor, agriculture, industry, and commerce.
The figures on the right depict law, philosophy, military, and banking.
There are Grecian and Roman elements to the carved figures.
Modeled after the King's house in Salisbury, England, the Salisbury House was the manorial home of Carl Weeks.
The home is constructed in the Tudor, Gothic, and Carolean styles.
There are 42 rooms and over 22,000 square feet.
The Salisbury House Foundation was formed to preserve, interpret, and share the property for the cultural and educational benefit of the public.
The Julien Dubuque Bridge crosses the Mississippi River joining the Dubuque cities of Iowa and Illinois.
Prior to this bridge, there was an old bridge that the public wanted replaced for years.
During WWII, the need was realized for military transportation.
In 1943 the new bridge was completed, painted grey to camouflage in case of a military attack.
Designed by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Lowell Walter House, better known as Cedar Rock, was built in 1950.
It is one of Wright's Usonion homes; meant to be stylish design for the working American family yet an affordable one.
Wright wanted to indicate that everything was designed by him.
The roof is flat made of reinforced concrete.
The walls are brick and glass.
The floors are also concrete and utilize a gravity hot water heating system beneath them.
The outside is signature red tile.
The many windows emphasize an ambient lighting scheme with great views of the woods and river.
These buildings showcase the history and culture of Iowa.
Architecture was used to show how innovative the state is, along with agricultural and hardworking qualities Iowa possesses.
Almost all of these structures are on the National Register of Historic Places, meant to be preserved to always highlight Iowa's culture.