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Decorah, IA

The entire county has a proud history, and that history is evident in its unique architecture and quaint downtown atmospheres.

Decorah
Decorah’s first settlers were of English descent, but Norwegian immigrants brought a rich heritage of cultural traditions to the area, and their influence shaped the community in a way that is still expressed and celebrated today.

However, long before Europeans made this area their home, northeast Iowa was the revered location of the Winnebago Indians. Archaeological finds document a number of tribal settlements, and many of the community names — including Decorah and Winneshiek — come from their language.

According to Elizabeth Lorentzen, an art teacher at Decorah High School and the community’s local history guru, the area’s first settlers included the William Day family and a man by the name of William Painter. “The first settlers were Yankees — that is, residents from the eastern United States — with English surnames,” she explains. “The English did come a bit later from England to Decorah, about the same time as the Norwegians, to join the Yankees who came here first.”

Following Painter and Day, a steady stream of pioneers traveled to the area by horse, oxen, and wagon. Northeast Iowa offered an abundance of fertile land to claim, timber with which to build homes, and water to power mills for their early industries. Stone quarries yielded construction materials such as the so-called “Decorah Marble,” and eventually other manufacturing industries began. Commerce and industry received a major boost in 1869 when the railroad reached Decorah. Rail lines carrying passengers and freight served the city for a century and were Decorah’s lifeline to the rest of the world.

Automobiles, trucks, and cars have replaced the historic railway, and modern commerce has replaced many of the original industries driven by the area’s natural resources. Still, the community of Decorah possesses many unique buildings, and the area’s history is unmistakable. “The Historic District on Broadway contains nearly every major architectural style in America from 1850 forward,” Lorentzen explains. The district includes masterpieces crafted by Charles Altfillisch and Bert Porter, and the architectural styles of the area include Greek Revival, Italian Villa, Italianate, Gothic Revival, Second Empire Style, and Queen Anne Revival.

The Hotel Winneshiek also stands as a proud reminder of days gone by. The Day family built a log home on the current site of the hotel. It soon became a travelers’ stop, and then in 1855 it became the “Winneshiek Inn.” A new wood-framed “Winneshiek House” was constructed in 1877, and a fund drive in 1904 raised the necessary money to construct the Renaissance-Revival-style “Hotel Winneshiek.” When it opened in 1905, the hotel included a billiard room, barber shop, cigar counter, and bar, along with 51 guest rooms, some of which had attached baths. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the property was used as apartments and retail space. In 1998, Helen Basler purchased the property and began an extensive renovation.

Exquisitely restored to its turn-of-the-century charm and grandeur, the Hotel Winneshiek offers luxurious amenities, an extraordinary new conference center, and an artistically designed property. Of special note is the original pressed-tin ceiling, the restored center chandelier, and the restored backdrop, all of which make this venue a Decorah treasure.

Decorah’s chapter of the American Association of University Women researched, documented, and applied for historic recognition in the Broadway-Phelps Park Area. In 1976, as a bicentennial project, it was designated a “Historic District” by the National Register of Historic Places. The district offers a capsule history of the growth and development of Decorah, featuring the community’s first churches, distinguished homes, public school, and county courthouse. In addition, Phelps Park still has the original kiln that provided bricks for many early homes and businesses. Two of the community’s cultural attractions, the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum and the Porter House Museum, are located within the historic district.

The downtown Winneshiek County Courthouse, which was completed in 1904, replaced the original courthouse that was built in 1857 on land donated by Painter and Day. The Renaissance Revival structure includes a 138-foot copper-covered dome, a slate roof, and a clock donated by C.J. Weiser. Buff Bedford stone comprises the upper stories and tower, while spotted Marquette raindrop stone was used for the basement and approach walkway. The interior boasts hollow brick partitions, flake mosaic flooring, marble wainscoting, ornamental ironwork, and a stained-glass dome on the third floor rotunda.

“One of the highlights of the district is the presence of a home in the Octagon style,” Lorenzten says. “Fewer than 1,000 homes were built in the United States with fewer than 400 surviving today. Orson Squire Fowler from Fishkill, New York, wrote a book entitled The Octagon House, A Home for All in the late 1840s that touted the merits of an octagon-shaped home.” Robert Logan, who came to Decorah from the east coast, was obviously aware of Fowler and what he advocated when he built the home Decorah in 1856.

Decorah indeed offers a variety of beautiful homes and a rich history of fine architecture. The many distinctive buildings and historic homes earned Decorah the honor of winning the Paint Quality Institute’s “Prettiest Painted Places in America” recognition in 2000.

Winneshiek County
Stately homes and unique architecture make up the residential areas of the communities of Winneshiek County. Whether it’s Victorian Architecture or turn-of-the-century farmhouses, Winneshiek County is host to an era of architecture that has stood the test of time. Efforts have been made in many communities to preserve these homes and to keep them an integral part of the towns.

Calmar, Spillville, and Decorah have taken some of these homes and converted them into charming bed and breakfasts, allowing guests to travel back to a time of grandiose homes and friendly hospitality.