By PAT SHAVER, Courier staff writer
OTTUMWA — The city of Ottumwa might add another district to the list of locations recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.
The city has been awarded a $4,285 grant to help add the railroad district, which includes the Burlington depot, passenger canopies, retired Chicago, Burlington and Quincy employee’s building and Ballingall Park (including the landscape design, fountain, sundial and locomotive) to the list of the registry.
This would be the first downtown district recognized, and the first city park in Ottumwa to be nominated. The railroad depot is already listed as a stand-alone building.
“The railroad is one of the reasons Ottumwa grew so much after the Civil War,” said Fred Zesiger, president of the Ottumwa Historic Preservation Commission.
In the past, the community was served by many railroads including the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Milwaukee, Rock Island and Wabash, according to the grant application.
The money from the Certified Local Government grant will go toward hiring a consultant to prepare the documents needed for the nomination.
The overall project will cost about $7,290. The remaining $3,005 will be paid for through in kind donations, said Chad Carlson, planning technician with the city’s Planning and Zoning Department.
“It’s a goal of the [Ottumwa] Historic Preservation Commission to capture and retain as much of Ottumwa’s unique history as possible. As these grants become available, the commission determines different projects that have historic significance,” he said.
When the documents are collected and the paperwork is complete, it will be submitted to the state office of historical preservation, then it will be submitted to the state national register review committee.
“By mid-February, we would look to submit our final agreement. Around April, we would hope that work would actually begin on that nomination,” Carlson said.
Then, the proposal will be forwarded to Washington, D.C., where officials can accept it, deny it or send it back for more information within 90 days.
“I would say the chances are pretty good,” Zesiger said. “It brings a sense of pride to that area.”
Through past grants, the city has been able to nominate five individual buildings and four historic districts to the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Court Hill Historic District, Fifth Street Bluff Historic District, Ottumwa Cemetery Historic District, and the Vogel Place Historic District.
The National Register is the official federal list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. National Register properties have significance to the history of their community, according to National Park Service.
Pat Shaver can be reached at (641) 683-5360 or by e-mail at p.shaver@ottumwacourier.com.
