![]() ![]() The 3,500-square-foot second-floor ballroom had been converted into blank, windowless offices in the 1980s. The dwellings were so substandard and the lack of maintenance so profound that the feeling of despair was palpable. At best, the apartments were awkwardly configured, cobbled-together habitations at worst, they were not suitable for healthy living conditions. The first-floor commercial spaces were mostly vacant, and the two- screen movie theater was fighting a battle on two fronts: against the new multiplex cinema 15 minutes away and against the broken sewer pipes and failing radiators. PHOTO: RDG Planning & Design Restoration and Design EffortsĪlthough the history of the building was significant, when the team first set foot in the building, the former Hotel Maytag was in pitiful shape. Once funding was secured-a combined $16 million that included support from the city of Newton, a $75,000 challenge grant from Main Street Iowa, historic preservation tax credits from state and federal agencies, low-income tax credits and a personal investment from Hatch himself-the design and development team devised a plan to repair, replace and restore every piece and part of the historic Hotel Maytag.īEFORE: The once grand ballroom had been divided into more than 20 different offices and enclosed by a drop ceiling that concealed the skylight and intricate plaster relief above. Then, in 2017, through a competitive selection process, the city turned the deed over to former Iowa senator Jack Hatch and his company, Hatch Development Group. Newton also invested in the programming and design of the building to ensure the future restoration and adaptive reuse would qualify it for historic tax credits. The city officially acquired the building for $412,000 in 2016 and continued to search for the right partners and secure funding. As the city’s largest building, local leaders knew they had to do all they could to rehabilitate the Hotel Maytag and, in 2015, began considering what it would take to restore the original structure. It remained this way until the city of Newton determinedly sought partners to rehabilitate the structure, not just to its original grandeur, but to its status as an economic contributor and boon to Newton. Over the years, difficult market conditions and economic challenges, including the closure of the last remaining Maytag factory-one of the city’s largest employers-led to the building’s continual decline. In short, the Hotel Maytag was in serious disrepair. Pipes were bursting or rotting and leaking into the movie theater. Rooms and apartments throughout the building had deteriorated nearly beyond recognition. The once grand ballroom had been divided into more than 20 different offices and enclosed by a drop ceiling that concealed the skylight and intricate plaster relief above. Walking into the building at the depth of its decline, one could be forgiven for thinking it was beyond repair. The 81,979-square-foot structure endured multiple ownership changes during the next several decades and began to decline. In the mid-1960s, however, the main ballroom closed, and the hotel’s interior spaces were chopped up to create apartments, offices and commercial spaces. Judy Garland and Gary Cooper performed at the Capitol Theater, scrawling their signatures into the wall in the basement dressing room. ![]() ![]() Designed by Chicago architect Henry Raeder and constructed by Frederick Louis Maytag, owner of Maytag Corp., the Hotel Maytag boasts finished brick, terra-cotta panels, and classical columns and motifs.ĭuring the next 40 years, the Hotel Maytag would serve as Newton’s primary event hub, hosting everything from weddings and dances to graduation ceremonies and musical performances. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |