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Current view of Sentinel Block Courtesy
of the Iowa Falls Historic Preservation Commission |
The Sentinel Block (1905) is a good example of a Romantic Revival style commercial
building. It also illustrates the important position held by community newspapers
in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Iowa Falls Sentinel was
born as the Eldora Sentinel in 1857. When Marcus Woodruff relocated the
newspaper to Iowa Falls in 1865, he had an eye on the future. Business in Iowa
Falls was brisk, the population was growing, and the promise of continued growth
was strong. The year after Woodruff moved his paper, the town received rail transportation,
a strong assurance to businessmen that growth would follow in Iowa Falls. In 1883
the Iowa Falls Sentinel received competition from the Hardin County
Citizen, which began the battle for supremacy among the editors of the two
local newspapers. The high point in the newspapers' competition was 1904-1905,
when S. B. Stonebrook took charge and decided to erect a new office for the paper,
which became the Sentinel Block. The town supported two newspapers until 1927
when Ira A. Nichols, owner of the competition, purchased the Sentinel and
silenced its presses.
Historic view of Sentinel Block Courtesy
of the Iowa Falls Historic Preservation Commission |
| The Sentinel Block represents a departure from earlier commercial
buildings in Iowa Falls. These had almost all been Italianate in design with decorative
hoodmolds and heavy metal cornices. With the new century came a new interest in
a simpler form. The Sentinel Block represents an early expression of this. The
hoodmolds have been replaced by rectilinear brick panels, and the cornice consists
entirely of brick patterning with a very plain stone cap. The crenellated parapet
on the corner oriel window bay may have been a reaction to the Queen Anne influence
of the 1890s. The main level has undergone a substantial rehabilitation and is
now occupied by the investment firm of Edward Jones, Inc. The building
is located at 702 Washington Ave., in Iowa Falls. The first floor and basement
of the Sentinel Block Building are occupied by businesses and are open to the
public during normal business hours.
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